Intentional thoughts versus unintentional thoughts

Thinking is one of the most common activities humans perform. Our minds are continuously thinking. The human mind think between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day! Often, I feel that our thoughts resemble Brownian motion. If you recall from school physics, we learned about how when you shine light through a box, you see particles zigzagging and moving continuously. I believe our minds are quite similar, with thoughts constantly in motion.

From my readings on thinking and thoughts, coupled with my personal experiences with mindfulness meditation, I have come to realize that thoughts can be categorized into two types: intentional thoughts and unintentional thoughts. Intentional thoughts occur when we consciously engage our minds to analyze a problem, solve an issue, or decide on a course of action in a specific situation. These are deliberate, purposeful thoughts aimed at achieving a well-defined goal.

It's all fine up to here. However, the problem starts when you begin discussing unintentional thoughts.

These are the thoughts that occur on autopilot. They are not something we intentionally think about. These thoughts continuously swirl in our minds, arising spontaneously without any effort on our part. They are random, unconnected musings that have no grounding in reality or truth. Much like an itch on our skin that happens without any action from us, these thoughts are beyond our control and can be quite bothersome.

The trouble with these thoughts is that we start to identify with them, mistakenly believing they are a reflection of our true selves. This misconception is quite problematic because, in reality, these thoughts do not represent who we are. They don't belong to us and aren't indicative of our true nature. We don't need to act on them or take them seriously; instead, we should simply ignore them.

To give you an example that will reinforce what I have stated, many of us experience crazy thoughts. For instance, imagine you are sitting with someone at a restaurant. He says something, and a random thought pops into your mind: "I wish his food was poisoned and he dies right here." Another random thought might occur when you're about to board a flight: "If this flight crashes, then I don't need to deal with all the problems I'm having." Similarly, if someone close to you says something that irritates you, the thought might come to your mind: "I wish this person died so I don't have to bother with all this."

As you can see, the thoughts mentioned above have no real bearing on the individual thinking them. The person does not genuinely wish for anyone's death, including their own. It's merely a random, crazy itch of the mind causing this, and we shouldn't take it seriously. We shouldn't act on it or even bother about it. It's just something to observe and ignore. That's all that needs to be done with it.

Through mindfulness meditation and reading various books and articles on the topic, I have come to understand this perspective more deeply. It resonates with my own experiences. When I reflect on these unintentional thoughts, it becomes evident that they do not represent my true self. These aren't conscious thoughts or desires; instead, they are false narratives that my mind constructs. This realization has been transformative, and I strongly recommend mindfulness meditation to everyone. It significantly alters your perspective on yourself, the world, life, and most importantly, the workings of our minds.