You Don’t Have to Think

You don’t have to think.

You don’t need to anticipate before you act

and provide a running commentary while you’re acting

then replay your actions afterward

at the same time as watching and criticizing

the actions of others.

You don’t have to argue with yourself

about events that dissolved away decades ago

or resurrect ancient humiliations

that can still inflame you with hurt and hatred.

You don’t have to weave imaginary worlds

where you can satisfy your secret desires.

You don’t have to watch helplessly from the side

while your mind whirls away

creating unnecessary discord

and wasting precious energy.

You don’t have to think

except when thought is necessary

when you need to bring your conscious mind to bear

to deliberate, analyze, or organize

or to let your imagination drift

allowing ideas and insights to emerge

from the undercurrents of your consciousness.

Thought should be a tool

we can pick up when needed, then lay down again,

leaving us undisturbed.

Otherwise there is no need for thought

to disturb the natural stillness of your mind

to dilute the purity of experience

to distort reality through interpretation

to confuse the present with the past

and interfere with the impulses that gently flow

from the silent part of you, which knows

better than you think you do.