Imagine a conversation between a group of people. Like a group of friends or colleagues, discussing some topic or just chatting away about whatever. Some of the people in that group will be more extroverted, more chatty, more talkative types and they will tend to dominate the conversation. They talk fast and jump off of each other's sentences with a snap.
There is a joy to that, to be sure. But now consider that among that group of friends is a more introverted, deep thinking, immersive person. Someone slow to speak, but when they do, it's profound. You know the type. Where the former type we can compare to a missile or a fast-accelerating electric car, this second type is like a locomotive. They start slow, but, after a bit of time, are pulling a long line of train cars over massive distances.
A tragedy of this mix of characteristics is that if the quick talkers don't allow a silence to arise every so often in the rhythm of the conversation and make space for the second type of person to begin to speak, the group will miss out on some deep thoughts, and the conversation could end up shallow, or at the very least robbed of the opportunity to hear some interesting perspectives.
So it could be with your own thoughts.
Thoughts are constantly buzzing across your mind, and it's the fast-flying ones that get your attention. Thoughts born of urgency, immediacy and anxiety tend to dominate the conversation. Have you been making space for slow starting, deep thoughts to surface to the canvas of your mind? They are deep within you, be sure of it, but they won't voice themselves unless you give them room. Unless you slow down.
So much about our modern environment is designed, by intent or accident, to give priority to the fast thought, the snappy hot take, the witty response, the viral post, the engaging tweet. So it's no wonder our deep thoughts often stay silent. But there are ways to help them out.
Walking, with no headphones or smartwatches, just a calm horizon or the fractal visual song of a forest. Writing, slowly, maybe even by hand, with more focus on the rhythm of the words, beauty of sentences or calligraphy of handwriting, than on putting in the word count. Disconnecting. One-on-one conversations with old friends, phones out of sight, on a quiet terrace, ripe with pregnant silences. Sitting in a chair by the window, cup of something hot in hand, watching the rain.
Fast thoughts, like fast talkers, have their place, but don't let them hog the conversation. Who knows what you will find in depths of your own soul.
Potent Insite....