Obi-Wan Kenobi and what our thoughts tell us

Our mind is always telling us many things, this is a fact. "I shouldn't feel that way," "I'm not good enough," "this is unfair," "that should be so."

in Star Wars: The Clone Attack , Obi-Wan Kenobi has a dialogue with Anakin Skywalker, in which he says: “Be Mindful of Your Thought, Anakin, They Betray You.” In translation: “Be aware of your thoughts, Anakin, they cheat on you.” But what did Obi-Wan mean by that?

We human beings have a great ease in fusing, that is, we curl up with our thoughts, to the point of forgetting what they really are: nothing more, nothing less than words and images. What Obi-Wan probably meant is that they are not always reflecting the facts, or nor are they useful.

To help us identify whether a thought is useful or not, we can ask ourselves, “Is this a useful thought? If I am guided by him, does it help me deal with this situation effectively? ”,“ If I let this thought tell me what to do now, it would lead me toward my values and a significant life, or toward to suffering? ”

Many times, when they do not approach what we seek for our lives, it is more useful than we distance ourselves, observing thoughts, instead of observing life from Of thoughts. It is possible to do this through mindfulness practices .

Stop what you are doing for a moment and watch them out, as if your mind were heaven, and the thoughts that arose were clouds. Observe each thought-no way passing, letting them go freely, without clinging to any of them.

How was this experience for you? Possibly, this practice has given you at least another perspective of what is going on in your mind. Perhaps it brought you the perception that thoughts come and go, just like the clouds in the sky.

This, dear reader, is to be hampered. It is realizing that thoughts do not control our actions. Also, that we do not control them, but can we choose what to do from (or though) of them - will we follow what they tell us? Or on the contrary, will we follow a different way?

It all depends on our values, goals and how aligned these thoughts are with the significant life we seek. The choice is yours, but remember the Obi-Wan Kenobi lesson: "Be Mindful of Your Thoughts"-"Be aware of your thoughts." May the force be with you!

This text is authored by the CEFI Contextus - Marina de Almeida Nery

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