Okay....
Think of three instances in your life where you experienced yourself in deep thought. If possible, think of three instances that are as far apart as possible. I just mean that if you are a painter and you have one instance where you went very deep cognitively to solve a problem, see if there are two more good instances outside of painting for your other examples. But it's not a big deal if you draw from the same context. So don't worry about that
Also, if your life provides a context in which you periodically get to dip into your deepest experience of really thinking, yes, it can definitely be current examples. Okay, let yourself relive those three rich examples so that you can really call back the process as much as possible.
Try to give a small little poetic name to that experience...something that doesn't close it down intellectually but somehow 'touches' it. It might be an odd phrase like, "The blooming warm buzz..." or "driving down into it" or "a heavy float".... All that matters is that for you the words point into the experience.
Look up a dictionary definition of 'thinking' and write it down. Get one that sort of seems okay.
Dwell in your evocation until you have a little handle on the experience and read the definition of thinking. Simply notice how it doesn't capture it very well.
And what I would love is a sentence (not very long actually) that you write from within your felt sense of this capacity, a sentence that flows from the following prompt:
"If thinking could be exactly what I want (need...know...)it to mean, it would mean....."
I am NOT looking for philosophical breakthroughs. I'm not looking for anything to argue about. I'm not looking for insights.
I'm just wanting any sentences that make sense to the person who wrote them. They can sound utterly delusional like:
"If thinking could mean exactly what I wanted it to mean, it would mean knowing the edge of an event from within the edge."
All that matters is that when YOU write he sentence you experience it carrying forward your meaning.
Typically this kind of post gets a shy response. I get that. But it's worth asking. I'll share mine if and when others have jumped in. And, yes, I'm open to the private messages and responses. I fully appreciate that it seems many people simply don't feel comfortable dialoging in this context. But, if possible, see if sharing it here might be okay. And thanks to those of you who try this and then keep it inward. I get that too! Goodnight.
