Previous: Chapter 25: Self and Other
Honoring the power of thought brings me great enlightenment, but sometimes greater enlightenment comes from not thinking.
Sometimes I have thought everything I can think for now, as Howard Roark did when went for a swim at the quarry instead of planning the next phase of his life.
It is pointless to think and plan far beyond the horizon of my lifespan. History provides valuable perspective, but I cannot change the past. Envisioning the future helps me navigate my direction in life, but the future might change so radically that I am better off learning to be flexible than becoming attached to the way I think things will be.
It is more productive to think about what is within my control than to worry and fret about things that are outside of my control. Worrying is not a form of thinking.
Much of what happens is not worthy of my attention. Fads, fashions, celebrities, news, propaganda, advertising, politicians, and the like are meaningless ephemera. If I know how many things are unimportant in the world, I can focus on what is truly important in my own life.
Next: Chapter 27: To Choose and Not to Choose