Thursday, June 4, 2009

How to Think Like a Fool #29: Act without Reason

PLAY: Act without Reason
Despite what you may believe, foolish thinkers are quite rational. They have their own logic and reasons, often built on questionable premises, that only look irrational from the outside. But sometimes, they take motive out of the equation, just because.

Still, there may be reasons hidden behind their nonsense.

Your marvelous intellect can get in the way of puzzling out answers. Luckily, you also have intuition, so if you take purpose out of your actions, other parts of your brain can kick in while you relax the struggle to figure things out.

Meaningless acts also befuddle your inner critic, reducing that interfering voice to, “This makes no sense!"—which you already knew and was exactly what you were going for. Success!

When you do things for their own sake, you'll become more present, which can be a very pleasurable place to live. And when people ask why you have lobsters in your hair, you can truthfully say, "No reason."

There was an old man of Blackheath,
Whose head was adorned with a wreath,
Of lobsters and spice,
Pickled onions and mice,
That uncommon old man of Blackheath.


There was an old man in a garden
Who always begg'd every-one's pardon;
When they asked him, 'What for?'
He replied, 'You're a bore!
And I trust you'll go out of my garden.'
Edward Lear

Stop Making Sense!

Think: What can I do for no reason? What can't I do for no reason?

Tomorrow: How to Think Like a Fool #30: Make and Break the Rules

Previous "How to Think Like a Fool" Posts


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