HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY TO KNOW SOMEONE’S THOUGHTS?

Do you ever feel like you can listen to people’s thoughts? I’ve seen at least two super hero dramas that feature the ability. And both were Twilight Zone ripoffs from the episode when Hector Poole, played by Dick York, found himself able to know the private musings of co-workers, strangers and friends. The episode was called “A Penny for Your Thoughts” and in it Poole nearly went crazy.

Are we better than Hector Poole? I must think I am because I’ve spent nearly a lifetime fraudulently responding to the “thoughts” of others. You know how it is. We assume someone has a malformed opinion of how hard we work, what kind of student we are, what kind of parenting we do, etc. You have the argument a million times if you have it once-a-day and each time the plot sequence is similar. You anticipate what others think, respond in thoughts that engage you in a vocabulary scrimmage that will never take place. Consequently it’s not uncommon to find yourself angry over something that never happened and it stains you. Opinions of others are colored and forgiveness is nearly impossible. If not careful, you’ll surely take up residence in a state of misgivings, distrust and paranoid suspicion. I’d venture to say that it may be the very source of insecurity and at the helm of the assault on self-worth.

It’s hard to have a healthy view of yourself when you’re always listening to what you “think” people are saying about you. Truth is, thoughts are private for a reason – perhaps to not lull you into the moot activity of caring about perceptions that wouldn’t matter even if they were true. I’m reminded often that we were born to live not to mentally slander. We are meant to thrive through purposeful pursuit, not to deaden our minds with pensive episodes that resemble television fantasy. If someone doesn’t like you, chances are, they rarely give you a second thought. Move on. You’ve got stuff to do.