When we are thoughtless, it’s not that we have less thoughts; it’s that we give less thought to the thoughts that drive us.
We all have probably experienced moments when we acted thoughtlessly or have seen someone we care for acting in that manner. In such moments, we may have indignantly asked them, “What were you thinking?” Thoughtless actions can often be reckless, leading to needless trouble and sometimes even landing us in irrecoverable predicaments or causing significant losses.
To avoid acting thoughtlessly, let’s explore what exactly happens during such moments. When we act thoughtlessly, it’s not the number of thoughts that are fewer—there are often plenty of thoughts rushing around inside us. What’s actually less is the attention we give to these thoughts.
We use the word “thought” in two distinct senses:
- To refer to mental pop-ups, as in “I just got a thought.”
- To refer to the scrutiny or contemplation we apply, as in “I’ve given this a lot of thought.”
When we act thoughtlessly, it is the second aspect—the inner scrutiny—that diminishes, sometimes alarmingly so. This allows a random mental pop-up to gain prominence and even dominance, leaving us with no other competing thoughts to counter or balance it. Consequently, such a thought drives us into actions that we later regret, once the consequences start registering within us or when the allure of the particular thought begins to fade.
To prevent such lapses, we need to cultivate a habit of inner scrutiny. This involves ensuring that the thoughts driving our actions have been carefully vetted. The Bhagavad Gita (14.11) emphasizes cultivating inner watchfulness, which becomes easier when the mode of goodness predominates. In this state, we can notice what thoughts are entering and exiting the “doors” of our consciousness.
Even if we can’t constantly maintain such watchfulness, we can take regular breaks to check in with ourselves. These moments of pause provide the time and space needed for introspection, enabling us to reorient ourselves before we go too far in an undesirable direction. By doing so, we can avoid reckless actions that lead to trouble or irreversible problems.
Summary:
- Acting thoughtlessly doesn’t mean we have fewer thoughts but that we subject our thoughts to less scrutiny, allowing random or harmful ones to drive our actions.
- Inner watchfulness helps ensure that unwanted thoughts don’t dominate and drive us into reckless actions.
- Regular breaks for introspection give us the time and space to practice inner scrutiny and prevent acting thoughtlessly.
Think it over:
- What happens to your thoughts when you act thoughtlessly?
- Reflect on a recent incident where you acted thoughtlessly and try to trace the internal process that led to it.
- List three practices you can adopt to improve inner scrutiny of your thoughts.
***
14.11 The manifestation of the mode of goodness can be experienced when all the gates of the body are illuminated by knowledge.
JAPA guides you in LIFE