Significance

What is a significant thought?

It is likely something that seems important. Potentially life changing. Capable of granting the thinker a deep understanding of something that had for years proven too large or too complex a subject to approach.

I feel as if I haven't had a significant thought in a while. Its not that there are specific thoughts out there that are significant, and that I have failed to discover them. It could be that, I suppose. But, significance is primarily subjective. Thus, if I fail to think of anything that is significant, it likely has more to do with me. Perhaps I just find fewer and fewer things that are, to me, important, profound, original, or revealing.

At different times in my life, different topics seemed important enough to write about.

Like, when I was 9, I remember drawing up a little pictorial in my sketch book of the big events which occured my life. First, there was birth. Then, Mom and Dad divorced. Next, the space shuttle Challenger exploded killing all nine astronauts on board. Finally, our family moved to Utah. And that was life. That was everything I thought was significant at the time. (or all I could remember at such a young age)

Later in life, I began keeping a journal, as well as a "thought journal", in which-you guessed it-I recorded some thoughts that I found particularly vexing or significant. Almost exactly 15 years ago, I wrote: "We're mormons. I've never liked to go to church. We go every Sunday. When I was young, I was a good little mormon boy. I didn't like going but I believed everything I was told and hardly ever doubted. Now I'm full of doubts. In seminary, for example, I doubt a lot of the teacher's points. I think a lot of time she exaggerates or makes things up. Everyone has their own ideas about God and creation. I believe that there has to be a god. I believe that religion and science go together. Maybe our ancestors were apes and god didn't place spirits in our bodies until we were how he wanted us. Its all a plan. He's the cause. He has a force that causes a reaction which in turn follows the laws and facts of science to produce things like the Earth, stars, animals, etc." There's more, but why go on..?

ooo! this is interesting!

I wrote then, "Thought: If we did not have souls or weren't products of god, the only explanation for emotions is special chemicals released in our bodies due to feeling-making circumstances." Its funny. Now, the thought is not at all significant to me. My response is "er, well, duh!". But at the time it was an important thought because it provided a way for me to explain how something could happen (a feeling) without referencing any religious teachings.

Over time, more and more thoughts emerged with an air of significance and graduated with a "duh!", destined to be taken for granted as true for the rest of my life. The older I got, the less seemed significant.

Perhaps in an attempt to spark new life into jaded brain cells, a year ago I decided to briefly write down what I titled, "The Greatest Thoughts".

Number one began, "Life can be anything because there are billions of people living different lives. All that is interesting, enjoyable, exciting, engaging, passionate, and desirous has and is taking place on earth in the lives of individuals. In addition to these billions of realities exists the realm of imagination in which even more life is experienced and created. If we could somehow leave our bodies and minds to enter and leave these other lives at will, we might experience ultimate joy and enlightenment. ..." Yeah, far out, but...

Number two went as follows, "Complete physical and emotional satisfaction would be possible for all if we all understood that we share the same emotional needs and physical desires. If everyone were capable of empathy that transcends societall mores, sex and love would become routine and widespread. There is an ultimate respect between humans inherent in this idea." Kooky too. There's something to this, but there's a lot more against it as well...

Number three of four began, "Societies can be orderly and just without the Bible, the Koran, Bhagavadgita, and any other sources of religious text/dogma. Rules and principles would still need to exist, but great progress in adherence to morals wold take place absent religion, which ultimately belittles and discredits morality in general" (by tying morality to superstition).

Finally, as the fourth "greatest thought", I wrote: "People need to participate in and be more concerned about politics and community at a local level. Everyone should be concerned about improving their communities instead of focusing on the issues of State and Federal government. Attention should first be paid to one's home, neighborhood, and community. People should ask themselves, 'what things can I do to improve the quality of my life and of the lives of the people I live among'" I continued with some mumbo jumbo about the proper role of the federal government being a judicial one.

If we see fairly simple ideas as fairly significant ideas, we lessen the risk of making mistakes as we progress towards some sort of enlightenment/true perspective. If a significant thought later becomes a "duh!" thought, we can rest assured that we considered it fully before moving on to bigger and grander subjects.