Category: Miscellaneous

03 Mar 2023 00:30

Joined:	09/08/2012
Level:	Gold
Points:	11033

Points:	5

Do we really have any thought that is completely our own?

A child, when born, is like a clean slate with no views, thoughts and opinions. As he/she grows up, they keep getting influenced by everyone around them. Initially, it is the parent's influence, teachers, friends and society. Everything is shaped by conditioning, so our opinion is somehow borrowed.
We create thoughts we write them down, but some or another way, they are taken from someone else, and we add or subtract them. Even the most famous quotations too often have some background in someone else's work.
In research, we do check for plagiarism, but isn't our whole thought process somehow borrowed and plagiarised?
Can we really call any thought entirely our own?
Aren't all our thoughts and views a reflection of everyone we meet throughout our life journey?

#770068

03 Mar 2023 05:33

Joined:	10/12/2016
Level:	Diamond
Points:	109208

Points:	5

This is a very interesting post and requires deeper pondering. Except the hereditary traits a child has nothing with him when he is born. He starts learning from his family members and the surroundings and further from the society and schools where he gets social traits and education. His personality becomes an amalgamation if all the above things acquired from the environment in which he was growing up.
There is no question of own thoughts because everything in us is either the hereditary one or the acquired from our surroundings and environment.
Based on all the knowledge and information that a person has acquired he can research further and sometimes can get some new ideas which lead to discoveries and inventions. But such cases are rare because for that inherent talent, intelligence, and quest for knowing more is required which is present in very few human beings.

Knowledge is power.

#770077

03 Mar 2023 13:35

Joined:	02/06/2009
Level:	Diamond
Points:	145252

Points:	5

I think some will be there at least if not all. But they will get influenced by the views and thoughts of others. But it will never be completely from others.
Our knowledge of the subject and the views of others will form the basis of the thinking process. Generally, the influence of our family members and friends will be there on the subject. We will be observing how other elders think when an issue is cropped up. We learn from that. When a similar issue comes what we observed may come to our mind and from there, our thinking process will develop.
When an issue comes we may try to get as much information as possible about the issue and acquire more knowledge on that subject. Then we may find different solutions to the issue and again we think in our own way and implement the same. Before taking a decision we may discuss it with some other people to make sure that we are going in the right direction.

drrao
always confident

#770128

04 Mar 2023 20:28

Joined:	04/05/2009
Level:	Gold
Points:	31188

Points:	4

Nice point raised by the author. This is for wise persons. According to a child psychologist, most of the children depicts or speaks as of their parents or house persons. As told by our friend, we can take this as hereditary, that is repeating what father or mother did in their childhood. I have seen this personally.
Further our words also got dragged from our close persons. A typist in our old office used to say often as 'Muruga'. I astonished initially as he is a Christian. Later only I noticed that he got this practice from his department manager as he used to say 'Muruga' often.

#770131

04 Mar 2023 23:06

Joined:	10/07/2018
Level:	Gold
Points:	33389

Points:	5

We learn things from our surroundings and by observing what is available on this planet. Any thought may be regarded as analysis and we can analyze only what is available. What is not there cannot be analyzed or learned but can be imagined only. Everyone is thinking in her/his way and acts accordingly and when we discuss our thoughts with others we will be able to know whether our thoughts are matching with others. How we begin to analyze anything is influenced by different factors. The learning process itself is through copying only. Imagine how a child begins learning. It's only copying the actions of parents and making the sounds as they hear them. The same thing happens when we continue learning and teaching others. We read the same materials, if not, the source of the materials are the same and when we teach others we do it in our ways. If any of our actions create a big difference among others it can be regarded as different as it has influenced many.

Generally, in many cases, our thought processes and actions on a specific issue are repetitive and common in nature but who thinks differently makes a big difference. They generate new ideas by looking at things differently. In those cases, a new thought comes up to do it differently. If you are the one who is doing it differently of course the thought is yours because you have observed others doing it in a particular way and that made you think to do it differently.

Sankalan

"Life is easier when you enjoy what you do"

#770132

05 Mar 2023 00:23

Joined:	31/12/2019
Level:	Gold
Points:	1377

Points:	5

Each and every organisms on this planet Earth is a product of reproduction. Reproduction is the process by which a new species is created by the living organism either by self or by mating. Thoughts are shaped by the way we perceive things and subjects. Perception is our own and there's no influence on it untill and unless we choose to get brainwashed. Human beings are interdependent on each other to live a better, secured and peaceful life with less hazard. It's impossible to do all the work by ourselves. It will be hectic and laborious task with little results. The blood which circulates in human body is gifted by our ancestors. There's no doubt that we we are a product of our ancestors genetics. There's variation in the genetic makeup of the newborn which is unique. Posterity is for a better evolution. New innovations are created by each generation. Flip the pages back to history, and I ensure you that you will find each generation creating something new which is further corrected or replaced by another generations work. Life goes on. We are here to do selfless work and pass it to posterity.

If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

#770147

05 Mar 2023 12:56

Joined:	19/02/2011
Level:	Gold
Points:	16599

Points:	2

A very good thread raised by Neelam. I think it is not possible that our thoughts are originally our own. We always observe our nature and surrounding, read books, read new papers, talk to someone, etc. After doing these things we get some ideas. So our thought is not completely our own.

Honesty is the best policy.

#770150

05 Mar 2023 13:21

Joined:	14/07/2012
Level:	Diamond
Points:	20385

Points:	3

There are many thoughts which I feel are my own. There were times when I had a diary and I used to write my own thoughts. It was total with my own experience, yes there may be many other thoughts which might look like other or match with others but that does not mean that my own thoughts are taken from others. So, I totally disagree with the author's point of view that we do not have our own thoughts.

#770197

06 Mar 2023 19:55

Joined:	19/06/2011
Level:	Gold
Points:	87632

Points:	5

Yes, we have many thoughts and ideas which are our own. Which came to us by our imaginative and creative exercises. But most of the times we come to realise that the same ideas and thoughts were also formed and announced by others before us. That is when w come to realise that' wise people think alike", to which some wisecrack added" fools also".
During my school days, I used to have many 'inventions' and discoveries. I had ally strained my mind to find some solutions to some practical problems I(or my family) faced then. I was telling myself that I will develop such and such appliances and instruments etc. to solve these issues. But by and by when my reading and exposure became wider I realized that they were all there invented and developed by others.
However after a period of learning, reading, exposure to real life and interactions with various people, facing life problems with our own genuine solutions and remedies, we may all would have formed some new original thoughts of our own. This will come to the fore when we advise others or explain something to others citing some examples and explanations of our own original versions.

Yes , we have some thoughts that is entirely our own.

#770201

06 Mar 2023 21:12

Joined:	03/12/2016
Level:	Gold
Points:	2307

Points:	4

In my opinion our thoughts are not completely ours.Our thoughts are shaped by a combination of our personal experiences, cultural and societal influences, genetic makeup, and environmental factors. While we have some control over our thoughts.
So, in a sense, our thoughts are not completely ours, as they are influenced by a range of internal and external factors. However, we do have some agency over our thinking, and with effort, we can work to become more aware of our biases and thought patterns and make conscious choices about how we think and respond to the world around us.

Service to mankind is service to God.

Do we really have any thought that is completely our own?

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