Thursday, October 11, 2018

Feeling And Thinking



I know that you are thinking:  "Darn it TB, that is the whole problem with world right now.  Everyone is "feeling".  No-one is "thinking"."  And in one sense, a very strong one, you would be correct.  I have already lamented how the term "I feel like" is one of the most offensive and silly phrases of the 21st Century. 

But stick with me for a moment.

One of the great and liberating moments in throwing for me was from a now deceased senior statesman of the sport, who once told me "You are thinking too much about throwing.  Just throw."  And in that sense, he was correct:  I can constantly think about my angles and my feet and how the weight or stone is balanced - and do nothing.  Alternatively, I can just go with the flow of events and "throw".

There are times where "feeling" leads us to very wrong and very bad decisions (perhaps "emoting" is a better turn of phrase).  But there are also times when "thinking" unnecessarily complicates our lives by giving us too many options or forcing us into minutiae and thus we miss the picture.

The best among us - the wise - have learned to tell the difference.

4 comments:

  1. "Feel the force, Luke."

    But the force was for good, not anarchy.
    Another problem is too many people don't know the right way to "feel".

    Interesting. God bless.

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  2. Excellent point Linda! "Feel" is one of those words that has taken on a multitude of meanings.

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  3. Maybe part of the problem is that there are different kinds of thinking. I tend to be analytical, sometimes overly analytical and that definitely complicates things. But sometimes the thinking is a simpler decision making or prioritizing without dissecting the matter. I think a minimal engagement of the brain is usually a good thing.

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  4. Leigh - That is an excellent form of thinking about it (pun perhaps intended!). Maybe the difficult portion is deciding when to spending time on the analytical portion and when to spend time on the simple make a decision and carry on portion.

    Although to be frank, making an actual decision has always proved to be the most difficult part for me...

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