Herein Lies The Problem -- I Think!

Good thoughts.  Bad thoughts.  Mediocre thoughts.  Nice thoughts.  Naughty thoughts.  Big thoughts.  Little thoughts.  Comparisons.  Differentiations.  Delusions of grandeur.  Notions of failure.  Mainly it is one mixed up place in my head.  According to Stacey Lawson, the co-founder of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology at the University of California, Berkeley, we are addicted to thought.

On average, your waking mind thinks roughly 60,000 thoughts per day. Much of this thinking is relatively inconsequential chatter.  A small amount of it is, I think, pure genius.  A lot of it is trash.  With me, much of it is is obsessing.  Sometimes I just wish I could just shut the thing up.  Just for a moment (I do not want to die) but I wish I could flat line.  A little peace and quiet for God sake!!

Stacey Lawson describes it thusly:  "Encountering the untrained mind is a bit like encountering a neighbor's barking dog. It is the nature of the dog to bark. While the racket might annoy or anger you, your emotional reaction will have little bearing on the dog's behavior. Similarly, it is the nature of the mind to think thoughts".

The Tibetan Buddhists say that "Thoughts are your guests. They check in and check out."  Sometimes I think that my mind is more like a roach motel.  Thoughts check in, but they do not check out.

The problem for me, and I think for most of us, is trying to separate the wheat from the shaft -- trying to ascertain what is the genius among all of the shucks.  It is not an easy task.  I think it mainly comes with time and tested thoughts.

But, sometimes I just want to be like Forest Gump where the simplest of infrequent thoughts generates an almost philosophical triumphant genius and talent, making you nearly a virtuoso of wisdom.

The beauty of law really is to struggle to coalesce our random thoughts into something, or some argument, that is more substantial ... more consequential ... more meaningful ... concrete ... valid.  It forces us to try and be something more authentic.  Someone that is sure enough. More generous, actually.  Ascertainable.  Trying to take that which is intangible and making it tangible.  Taking what is invisible and making visible.  Making all of that which by itself is negligible and forming it into something that is considerable.  Scanty to plenty.  Many random thoughts to an objective few important broods.  Taking all of that which is soulful and making it mindful.

Oh, it makes my head hurt.  And, alas, the thoughts are fleeting this night.  Yet, every morning that is my chore as a attorney.  To corral the random thoughts, lasso them, tie them down, brand them, and heard them to market as something exceeding what these thoughts are alone.  Packaging them into something that is more fitting, more suitable, more select, preferable, prominent and souped up than what any one thought is alone.

Man, I am telling you that it takes faith to believe you can do this day in and day out.  That you can rise to the occasion on command.

And this, as a lawyer, is my gift and my curse.  How do I sell this?

I will try to get my head around this tomorrow for now I am tired and need to rest.

Comments

Chuck, it sounds like you might have high ideaphoria. You might enjoy this post about lawyers and ideaphoria:

http://westallen.typepad.com/idealawg/2006/07/this_is_your_la.html