Thinking About Thinking

One of the reasons I’m trying to use this blog more often is to document some of the odd, transitory thoughts I have. I’m not sure if they’re unique to me, or if everyone has similar realizations, but I suppose that’s one thing I want to find out.

I can be thinking on one topic, doing another task, when something I see, hear, smell, etc. causes random recollection a memory, brings something into my mind or causes a lateral jump in my thinking. It’s kind of like the word association game, but in thoughts. For a moment I’ll see an odd sort of relationship between items and topics I (and presumably most people) would usually consider unrelated. There’s a sense of discovery/realization, and then the thought passes.

Perhaps this is a form of gestalt:

Examples of the Gestalt experience include the perception of an incomplete circle as a whole or a pattern of dots as a shape- the mind completes the missing pieces through extrapolation. Studies also indicate that simple elements/ compositions where the meaning is directly perceived do not offer as much a challenge to the mind as complex ones and hence the latter are preferred over the former.

Yet I don’t feel such thoughts fit this definition; although the relationship is a significant connection of the components, it only exists as regards those parts. But then it does increase their meaning, at least with respect to each other. Ugh, now I’m confusing even MYSELF.

Anyways, maybe I only flatter myself by feeling that my thoughts in this mode are abnormally complex. I also worry the concepts are so abstract that trying to express them in writing will shift the thought into a mode where the connections are no longer meaningful or complete - in other words, perhaps I’d learn more from them if I didn’t try to communicate them, but just accepted them. I guess that’s a risk I’ll have to take.

The result? More confusing Paul-memes to read about. Joy!

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