💭 The amorality of thoughts

The Book of TREE 1.12

You might think of birdsong as good and
a slug eating your lettuce as bad. But
both are just animals doing what they do.

They have no inherent goodness or badness.

What about a slug eating a weed
10 miles from your garden?
You have no opinion. I’ve had
an intensely negative opinion
about a mockingbird singing
outside my window
in the middle of the night.

The goodness or badness depends
on context and interpretation.
The actions themselves are neither
good nor bad, because the animals are
just doing what they do.

Now think about thoughts.
What do you control?
1) Many of your inputs and
2) your reactions to your thoughts.
That’s all.

The thoughts that appear in your head
are morally the same as a slug
eating your lettuce or a bird singing.
They are just the product
of your brain doing what it does.

One of the healthiest things you can do is
discard your judgements about whether
your thoughts are good
or bad.

(Ignore, for a moment, the screaming protest in your head.)

Rather than shame yourself for that
revenge fantasy, understand the thought
is a signal of unresolved trauma
or forgiveness ungiven.

Unhappiness with the thoughts you think
is an invitation to improve your inputs.
Choosing the loving thing after
your brain offers the selfish option
is cause for celebration.
The thoughts
themselves
merely
are.

Grow slowly
Jeff