“THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS”

“Thoughts” are the single source of every problem. Prayers are not the solution... Obviously. Gandhi is credited with this observation, however further investigation credits the owner of a successful grocery store chain named Frank Outlaw. He said

 “Watch your thoughts, they become words;watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character;watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

In Jewish and Christian philosophy one of their 10 commandments is “don't even think about it.” in the form of “thy shall not covet.” Before ever action, there is a thought. That thought encounters “choices”. Humans have no such thing as “free will” they will always choose the thing they have been taught/ perceive to bring them the most pleasure or avoid the most pain. That is the underlying truth of operand conditioning.

It is hard to grasp, but every action, every behavior, every thing (good or bad) that you do, including breathing, starts as a “thought”. Breathing, like beating your heart, is something that exemplifies “Behavior” at the subconscious level. While we can not stop it, with thought we can slow both our hearts and breathing. We just need to change our thoughts. There are far more thoughts that we accept without question because we have been taught not to.

Everything you do starts as a “Thought”. But what shapes those thoughts is not genetics. Time and again, in many ways, we have shown through experiment that what introduces, shapes, and manifest the thoughts that drive the action that drive the behavior is the environment where they were formulated. The popular news stories of the day are conflicting opinions about actions. But what are opinions. Thoughts that became actions. What is the Russian accused of? Shaping the thoughts of Americans using invalid information to change or solidify opinions. What about domestic violence or sexual harassment? The thoughts of men and their supporters that there will be no negative consequences or tolerable outcomes for the pleasure received. When it comes to tRump, even thoughts of his supporters are hijacked over a life long conditioning of religion. Their god and eternal souls conflict the thoughts he inspires in them. And yet another school shooter? His thoughts became words on social media and then actions in another school.

The conundrum we are in is that we have in the West, and in the US especially, is that we have this belief that it is immoral for a government or anybody to control our behaviors, but, through public education, media, and social connections, it is perfectly acceptable to control our thoughts. We have an entire industry used by products and government members alike that is called “marketing” that has one focus. That objective is to control our thoughts. Ours is heavily laden with fear. “Fear not using our product” or “fear using their product”.

That is what parents job is supposed to be. The two types of parenting that are doomed to a high percentage of failure? Those that are too strict, that control the actions but not the thoughts. They stem the behaviors, but not the desire. The other is those that are too liberal. They let the “world” control the thoughts. They can also be the helicopter parent who tries to diminish the effects of reality. There are plenty out there willing to assume that capital. Control it to buy a product, get a vote, or take up arms. But we live in a society that doesn't hold parents of the family accountable. When thoughts become destructive and malice behavior, we seek to only blame and control the actions and only the actions of the perpetrator. That is like trying to control the dog by its tail.

What is happening today, is a failure to control thoughts. what I am writing this very piece hoping to do is to manipulate your thoughts. I want you to think that everything from the election of our current leaders, to the actions of a fighting couple, the belief of a pervert, the theft by police officers, right down to the evil behavior of a shooter is a failure of thought. It is a failure that each of us hold a responsibility for. It is a failure of our federal, state, and local governments to use policy to hold families responsible. Failure for them to hold advertisers and the companies they represent responsible. They should control the precepts without hypocrisy. They are the failure of the parents and family. They are responsible for controlling the message and shaping the thoughts that turn general precepts into emotional responses to desires. When young minds look to them for a message about violence, they should see parents who they respect and deplore it. It was also a failure of the individual. We all have irrational and dysfunctional thoughts that turn to desire. What makes us human is the ability to subdue and excommunicate those thoughts. We have to stop thinking of ourselves as individuals and accept that we belong to a single body, the human race.

So save your prayers for making yourself feel good. What we need is to start asking, “what does that law or lack of regulation say? What thought does it convey?” What does that show, movie, video game, sporting event covey as a moral lesson? What does the ability to turn away from the ugliness allow our thoughts to do? Where are the hypocrisies in our society? Where do we say (validly) “this is bad!” in one form, but then glorify or embrace bad behavior with the very next commercial spot?

I will know that the thought I am trying to convey here has been assimilated when I see government taking responsibility for events like school shooting. When we see the local, state, and federal officials being held in some form of court for this failure. I will be satisfied that this concept has become an action when family members are being held accountable for the actions of their members who were so destructive. We will be able to measure the effectiveness of this message when the consumption of violence, sex, and drugs reduces and we are shown to be a more self regulating body of individuals acting as a single group. Until then, all we have is prayers I guess.