The Thought Police?

22 Replies

What do you think about when you’re alone? If no one is looking for an answer, what is the question?  What do you ponder? Is it just before you go to sleep at night that your mind is free to wander without restraint? Do you go with it?

I’m looking at a picture of someone I have never met, someone I do not know. And I wonder what he thinks about. I wonder what the people are thinking about that I pass on the street. Are they having a good day? Are they happy and thinking about a lover. Or are they fixated on an issue they do not seem to be able to rectify?

We cannot know what another is thinking about unless they tell us. And even then, chances are good they won’t be telling us everything. Why should they? They have a right to privacy. We have a right to have deep dark corners of our minds that we do not share with any one, unless of course our deep dark fantasies are too deep, too dark and too terrifying. That in itself opens up a whole can of worms.  Think thought police…  Be afraid, be very afraid.

If we were able to hear the thoughts of another, we would run screaming into the night. We would have no context. We don’t know why they’re thinking what they are thinking, we don’t know what circumstances triggered it. Because no two people go through an experience the same way, it stands to reason that what you think about, even if it’s on the same topic, will be wildly different. And that’s a good thing.

I believe that it is our differences that compel us to create, to invent, to evolve. Quite frankly if there were too many of me the world would be in huge trouble! Even twins are different. Knowing what someone else is thinking is never a good idea. Our thoughts are the one place where we should have total privacy, total immunity from the world. Now when they stop being thoughts and become actions then it’s far more important the rest of the world knows what’s going on. Or at least those around you. After all actions have consequences. Some good, some bad.

So, to all of those who want to know what I’m thinking . . . you don’t, you really, really don’t.

22 thoughts on “The Thought Police?”

  3. Murphy’s Law

    You need to get out of my head Pam. NOW! 🤗 I think we’re all cut from the same cloth, it just fits each of us differently…as it should.

    I have these same thoughts all the time. Of course, there’s no answer to all the questions I ask myself about other people, but maybe that’s it in a nutshell. We’re all entitled to our private thoughts. It’s okay to wonder about what they are thinking, but it’s not okay to intrude.

    There’s not much privacy left in this world, but at least we can keep our thoughts private if we so choose. Needless to say, I would hope people’s private thoughts are not harmful to themselves or others, but sadly we know that isn’t always the case. I wish I knew the answer to that dilemma.
    Ginger

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓
    1. quiall Post author

      Part of me wants to know the answers to all the questions but the rational side of my brain understands that I probably couldn’t handle it. And that’s OK. But you’re right, sometimes those thoughts can become dangerous.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
  4. Jeff Lee Byrem

    Of course, there are various types of social media that allow others to know at least some of what we’re thinking. Especially bloggers because we often tend to go on, don’t we? At least, I do—go on, that is. And I can guarantee that if you read one of my posts, it will give you a fair idea of what my brain has been churning upon for a significant portion of time, but as you have written, certainly not everything. And as for “mind police,” haven’t bloggers been contributing tons of info for their potential use? Yep, and if not afraid, then a body has been so immersed in his thoughts that he hasn’t been paying attention.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. quiall Post author

      Social media has been a wonderful way to keep in touch with others but it also is a deadly drug. People share far more than they should, that is safe. But still we keep going back. And you’re right, too many people don’t pay attention.

      Like

      Reply ↓
  5. Almost Iowa

    We cannot know what another is thinking about unless they tell us.

    While this is generally true, it does not account for small town living.

    Every time I even think of something, it is all over town within micro-seconds.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓

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