Right Thought And Thinking Traps

Fostering Right Thought For Wellbeing

Why do we oftentimes support others more than we do ourselves? Do we feel others are more capable than we are?

Recall the Noble Eightfold path – Right Thought. Wholesome thoughts that serve to uplift us. Now, that doesn’t mean not to evaluate with honest reflections on mistakes, that’s how we learn. 

But Right Thought can mean we search with sincerity so we can improve ourselves, not belittle ourselves.

So what are thinking traps? Thinking traps are ways we process , rationalize, or justify actions or results thereby holding us back from being truly connected with ourselves and our surroundings. They are traps that do not promote nor foster Right Thought.

I’ve selected five that I feel are most common although there are a few more to consider.

i. Mind Reading

This is a common trap that a lot of people do and it is still very detrimental. Mind reading is when we assume we know what others are thinking or what they think of us. 

We may misinterpret an innocuous look or gesture and have mentally determined an outcome.

Try to recall a situation in your life when you had a preconceived notion of an outcome (positive or negative) and the person did the opposite.

For example, as you sit with friends as a restaurant you 'just know' that this attractive person is looking at you intently but you soon realize you're sitting under the TV.

ii. Fortune Telling

Although similar to mind reading this is more situational mind trap. Here, we've already determined the outcome of a particular situation.

It doesnt necessarily have to be what we would consider a negative outcome and could easily be a positive result as well. 

For example, I just know I'm not going to get that promotion so I wont even try. Or, this teacher is so easy I wont study for their exam.

Or another example, you 'just know' that Tabitha will forget to bring a side dish to our company picnic. But as you approach the table, she's unwrapping her dish.

Both of these examples result in an outcome opposite of what you had 'predicted'.

iii. Black/White Or Binary Thinking

This thinking trap is dangerous on several levels. For one, it doesn't allow you to accept a middle ground. Very few events in life are binary. But the dangerous aspect comes from others and ay also be a sign of a manipulative and controlling person.

When one is only able to consider such binary outcomes from a situation one is minimizing another persons perspective of the situation, particularly intention. 

For example, if someone offers you assistance in a task they are not very proficient with and as a result does not perform it well the black and white thinker would be quick to point out the faults instead of the loving, supportive effort offered.

iv. Fallacy Of Fairness

You think you know what is right or fair. If someone gets something you feel you're entitled to as well or they're not deserving of you may feel that the world is out to get you. 

Going through life judging what is fair and what is not, one may become angry, resentful, unhappy to the beauty that surrounds you.

For example, currently the US Government is considering some form of student loan forgiveness. There are some individuals who have successfully paid off this debt and feel that others being relieved of all or some portion is unfair.

In ones lifetime, there will always be some person or group of people who receive a benefit that you may not have. Certainly there have been times when you were the beneficiary and others were not.

When we are happy for someone else that elicits compassion for others as well as yourself.

v. Always Being Right

You or others may go to great lengths to prove yourself right and someone else is wrong. Being right was more important than being kind.

This is very often seen in social media posts where two people, most likely unknown to one another, disagree on a result or comment and one goes on a search to find some small piece of evidence to support his claim.

This is a misuse of your time and energy.

Protecting ourselves from harm, physically and mentally, is an evolutionary self-preservation product but we have also been conditioned by society to be negative. Too much positivity, empathy, and compassion and you are labeled 'soft'. As a result our mind tells us to 'hold back' resulting in limited growth and imbalance.

Developing Right Thought, cultivating what is wholesome and good mentally, is necessary to avoid Thinking Traps. Once we are able to recognize these traps we are able to flourish and embrace the positive life we are capable of having.

Wishing you peace and ease,

Vladimir


Blue Lotus Mindfulness and Meditation Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.