“What are you thinking?” People ask me this question sometimes, or a variation on it, and I usually discount it as an an unimportant filler question, just a way to begin a conversation. However, Nibley holds that there is no more important question. What we think about is vital, not just very very important but vital to our salvation.
This raises an important question. What should we think about? And are there things we should not think about?
The answer to the second question is most definitely yes. Prophets in every age have counseled us against thinking about certain things, things that are morally degrading and defiling—the prophet Jacob condemned the Nephites not just for their actions but for their thoughts. I won't go into what these thoughts are, I'm sure you are as familiar with the list as I am.
We have also been commanded, time and time again, not to think about riches, wealth, the honor and praise of men, the things of the world. It is our natural tendency—or perhaps not a natural tendency but a structure drilled into us by the society we live in—to aim to be rich, powerful, influential, comfortable. However, riches and worldly power are not God's priority nor His wish for us, and it is important for us to remember this.
Instead, we should use our precious, priceless time to think about the things of eternity. This leads to a very important question: “What exactly are the 'things of eternity'?” Though I could list a few—and you probably could, too—I will leave this question open ended for, as Nibley says, this is the first question we must ask, and its answer will be our next step.
Don't you love when you try not to think about something and then that naturally has to be the thing you next think about? It just reminds me of Ghostbusters, which kinda kept me from taking "Zeal Without Knowledge" serious. Your response reminded me of ghostbusters, too.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting article, though a little on the long side. I like to think about thinking sometimes too, it's a weird concept. Have you ever thought about the language people think in? I asked my mom one time if she thought in Japanese (she is Japanese and has lived in the US the last ten years, so she's fluent in both languages but prefers Japanese). She said she thinks she thinks in Japanese. Or how language can limit your ability to think?
ReplyDeleteThinking of the things of Eternity can be kind of hard to do. I'll try sometimes but it can be too mind-blowing to do for more than a few seconds.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! It always seems like when you don't want to think about something or you want it off your mind it's always on the forefront of your mind. Funny how that always seems to happen. But, it is weird to think about the things in the Eternities. I can't help but to think and try to imagine what it will all be like. But, it is something that I find myself wondering about from time to time.
ReplyDeleteYeah, to attempt to control my thoughts is normally a horrible failure. I used to not be able to get all the thoughts out of my head before bed so I would stay awake for hours even though I was exhausted.
ReplyDeleteBut I suppose it can be done, or at least a guardrail of some sort can be placed on our thoughts so they don't travel too far.
Catelyn Gentry
It was quite a long article. Nibley is a very smart guy, and I agree with most of what he said in the article. I should probably read his books sometime, though if they are like this article they may be difficult to get through.
ReplyDeleteI hated this article. It made me learn something new.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Nibley! He's so inspired! But I didn't have time to read the suggested readings this week, so I'll have to go back and do that right away. It always astounds me what famous-ish people have written in our text books. And I do wonder about how to get thoughts you don't want out of your mind. Music is a GREAT distraction (tried and true!), but I'm not always around my ipod... I do find that it gets easier with practice though. :)
ReplyDeleteMy brother has always loved Hugh Nibley. After reading this article I can say that I think he is pretty awesome as well.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that the things we think about (when we don't have to be thinking) unveil the desires of our hearts. Every now and then I like to stop and think about what I'm thinking about.
ReplyDeleteStopping to smell the roses is more than just about action but catching up with yourself
ReplyDeleteIts hard when we hear a lot of "do nots"
ReplyDeletewe can't do this, we can't do that. but That's the blessing of having the Holy Ghost!
we can see for ourselves what we should be thinking about!
Thoughts have always been an interesting subject to me. We always hear of thoughts that "Make the lightbulb go off" but what about the other, random thoughts? Often times I think of how my thoughts ended up in a certain place. Like how did I think of donuts when I was just thinking of mustard?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your comments about this article. Especially how you left it open-ended. Although I was anticipating what the things I should think are the whole time, I agree that it's best we take that step of finding out ourselves because it's important in our progression.
ReplyDeleteI think that thoughts are one of the greatest and worst things that we can have in our lives. As you pointed out, the thoughts of the Nephites brought them down. But if you look at all of the knowledge and inventions of our society, you can also see how these thoughts can be used for good. I believe that those who use their thoughts for good, and I sincerely hope that I will always be one of these people, are those people who can most benefit the world today.
ReplyDeleteYour response is very good. But yeah, thinking about eternity for more than a little while is a bit overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting read, definitely made me think of different concepts in which i have never even thought of thinking. (if that makes sense haha)
ReplyDeleteWow! This was a long but thought-provoking article. I honestly enjoyed it a lot! It made me really want to get a good education -- to try looking further into the future than my next test.
ReplyDeleteI think the article was meant as a wake-up call to church members who feel that "all is well in Zion," who just go through the motions and think that is enough. It's not! How can we call ourselves earnest seekers of truth when we settle for just the crudest cliches of our catechism? Instead we need constantly to be seeking for deeper knowledge and application. That is where the thought comes in. We cannot just tune out and become Mormon robots. We have to got out of our ways to learn better, do better, even think better. We have to line our wills up so exactly with God's that we can banish evil thoughts immediately before they affect other actions.
Anyway, I'm excited. I just hope I don't forget what I learned and felt in the reading. I think I need to read it again, and again, regularly.