Everything changed the day McDonald's opened a location in the small, rural town in which I grew up. Well, perhaps not everything, but to my 11-year-old stomach it may as well have been.
Quarter-pounder without cheese, two large fries, and a Coke (though I would have preferred Pepsi) served as lunch and dinner throughout that first summer. If my house-cleaning, baby-sitting, and lawn-cutting gigs provided sufficient funds, then I'd also have Egg McMuffins and hash-browns on weekend mornings.
It made no difference that within an hour of so of eating such meals my gurgling belly would be in knots. I couldn't get enough of the Golden Arches of goodness.
While the term "fast food" wasn't part of my youthful lexicon, "instant gratification" certainly was. If "you are what you eat" then I was definitely a salted, trans-fat-filled french fry.
It turns out that we're not really what we eat, but rather, what we think. Consider these insights from a few profound thinkers and thought systems:
A man is what he thinks about all day long. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. (Buddha)
There are no idle thoughts. All thinking produces form at some level. (A Course in Miracles)
Watch your thoughts ... they become your destiny. (Lao Tzu)
As a man thinketh, so is he. (James Allen)
We are what we think.
Similar to food in the stomach leading to feelings of nourishment (or nausea), thoughts in the mind result in experiences of fulfillment (or failure).
Thoughts are food for the mind. And the mind literally makes up the world we see. Which is why the Course counsels, "It is with your thoughts, then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to be changed."
Of note, unlike our typical 3x/day caloric consumption, we think all day long! Continuing into sleeping thoughts, otherwise known as dreams.
And so the question becomes, what is the quality of our mental diet? Fast-food or healthy sustenance?
If we look honestly we'll see that the fast-food variety of thoughts — quick, easy, familiar — dominates our mental landscape. The relentless internal monologue fixated on "me": my body, my drama, my interests, my people, my fears. These thoughts are tempting, requiring little effort to consume. And much like their culinary counterparts, they often leave us feeling... off.
If our cognitive cuisine consists primarily of fear, stress, and sorrow, is it any wonder we find ourselves in a state of dis-ease?
But there is good news. Unlike a gourmet, slow-cooked nutritious meal requiring hours of preparation and a sufficiently stuffed wallet, we can partake of a healthy mental dish in an instant. It costs nothing but awareness.
This epicurean feast comprises thoughts infused with the spirit of infinite presence, marinated in divine love. Though not always easy to prepare, this type of thinking demands intention; a mindful chef tending the stovetop of consciousness. Yet its nourishment is unparalleled, leading to the most glorious sense of satiety.
Learning how to change our thinking shifts the entire experience of life. Slightly paraphrasing Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor, the world becomes our oyster. Food for thought indeed.
Join me in Thursday's class where we'll explore the nutritious nature of thought and how we can cultivate a more enriching mental diet. I look forward to seeing you then.
I love this analogy! I look forward to the discussion. I am a tad confused though about the influence of thoughts. In the therapy world it is quite often emphasized thoughts are just thoughts and have no real power over you. Take the that most bothersome trait of catsastrophizing that plagues so many of us. If I drive today I will for sure get in a pile up. If I get out of bed the floor will collapse and I'll break my neck and then I can't do my yoga. Bummer! The thing is, these catastrophe thoughts rarely if ever come to fruition, or materialize into form in my experience. So, I look forward to some clarification on that. Perhaps it is the "belief" thoughts can influence me. A false belief, according to the course?