The Oxford English Dictionary broadly defines thinking as the mental process of considering, reasoning or reflecting upon something in order to form an idea, opinion or judgement.

The OED defines truth as that which is in accordance with fact or reality.

Simple enough.

Yet somewhere along the way we seem to have developed a curious habit of treating our thinking as though it were truth itself. Spend enough time in any shared space and it won’t be long before somebody boldly declares how things are.

“I think this”,

“That’s how it is”,

And on and on and on.

The conversation begins, opinions are expressed, positions harden. Then evidence is gathered and allies recruited. Before long, entire castles have been constructed from a single thought, though, admittedly often built on sand (of the quick variety). If one is lucky, this is a harmless hobby we hold, most times it is entertaining but sometimes it becomes family feuds, political unrest, acrimonious court cases or all out war. The situations, the scale and the moment in time may change, yet the mechanisms remain remarkably familiar.

I do it.

We suspect you probably do too.

All become caught in thinking from time to time.

Lost in intricate mental architecture, wandering endless corridors, caught in rooms within rooms. Circular arguments with imaginary opponents, laying victorious claims over positions nobody was defending. The strange thing is that thinking has no obligation to be true.

It simply thinks.

As surely as tick follows tock, thoughts come and then they go. One replacing another and another and another. Convincingly adopting contrary positions before the toast pops at breakfast. And yet, while all this activity is taking place, reality carries on regardless.

The wind continues through the trees.

Birdsong arrives without prompt or invitation.

Life quietly gets on with itself.

Perhaps this is why moments of insight rarely arrive through more thinking. More often, they seem to appear in the gaps.

A pause in the conversation.

A walk.

A long sigh across water.

The moment a well-defended opinion finally collapses under the weight of its own seriousness.

Then ...

Perhaps for a moment ...

The mud settles …