Friday, August 17, 2012

Thinking Deeply

When was the last time you thought deeply about any subject? For me, it has been a while.

I just read this line from Pearl S Buck's novel, The Rainbow:

"He had not really thought deeply about anything since he had been in [college]."

This was a 50 year old successful business tycoon reflecting on a play manuscript he had just read. I can relate.

Is thinking deeply a sign of intelligence? Is it something you need to practice? Do you need to train your mind (like meditating?)

I finally finished reading Arthur Koestler's, Darkness at Noon. The book deals with the morality of Stalin's party during the Moscow trials of the late 1930's.  It makes you think.  Except I feel out of practice. I find it impossible to come up with a proper review. I am unable to hold my thoughts together...they turn wispy and float away.

Darkness at Noon took me a month to read...with many many stops and starts. 

I am still digesting it:
"honour is to be useful without vanity"
"honour is decency"
"what is decency?"

"The Party has taught you all to be cunning, and whoever becomes too cunning loses all decency."

The book jacket states that it "is a penetrating exploration of the moral danger inherent in a system that is willing to enforce its beliefs by any means necessary" 

I don't seem to be capable of thinking deeply about the subject (perhaps because I know nothing of the Russian revolution or what came afterwards, this was my first exposure to the era)...yet I can't stop thinking about it.  I am certain I wasn't able to take it all in.  I am probably not even focusing on the most important part.  

At any rate, I am fixated...


8 comments:

  1. It would appear you just had a deep thinking moment. The more distractions in modern days make it so hard to dwell on a train of thought.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jordana @WhiteCabanaAugust 18, 2012 at 12:09 PM

    Remember Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy on SNL? They always made me laugh.
    I'm in the opposite boat...I think too much. And I want more non-thinking time! Ha ha. Deep thinking can be exhausting!
    J

    ReplyDelete
  3. I find that things have to strike a chord with me in order for them to trigger more thoughts or "deeper thoughts." Some things stay with me but most don't (including a lot of the books I read.) I find it takes me a long time to process or digest stuff. I guess what I'm saying is, I don't think deep thought or reflection is a conscious choice. At least that's the way it is for me! I know I could read more difficult books, but I read for escape and entertainment. I don't always want that to be hard! Clearly I had no focus when I started writing this comment so I'm just going to back away from the keyboard now....

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think many things these days distracts me. Life (at least mine) has become a fast pace of daily chores, scheduled activities/work/socializing,...and less enjoying the moment and thinking about things that matter to me, or excites me...a few days ago when another deadly earthquake created another tragedy in a country where I come from, all of a sudden I realized that once gain I have lost touch with life, with what really matters,....

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am not sure I ever was in touch!!

    I seem to put a lot of time into the house, and chores...but I think that creates a sort of happy energy in the home - totally worth it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ha!
    I love to read for entertainment! Never one to complain about teenage vampire drama!!!

    Still, sometimes I feel as if my mind is stagnating...or even deteriorating...so reading something with substance is like a mini tune up...I am surprised at the amount of effort it took to absorb this book...

    ReplyDelete
  7. YES!
    I purposely didn't write 'deep thoughts'!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have a much harder time focusing since having kiddies...go figure!!

    ReplyDelete