Is thinking rational?

"I think you live in a dream world if you're thinking that thinking is rational." 

An interesting comment I got in a phone message.

It seems that there is a spectrum from no rationality, which is called insanity, on forward to some items that cannot be deal with rationally (very, very few) and being as rational as one can be, within the limits of being human.  Of course, certain things are not amenable to bringing up to consciousness, where the rational brain center can then operate on it.

However, we did evolve to have an unusual gift of a higher brain, one which is capable of logic and discrimination (to check to see if things are factual).  It is our greatest gift.

Yes, we probably can't "get in touch" with our livers and then instruct them on what to do, but we can rationally do everything around that which we are capable of, from reducing stress to changing nutrition to ...  And certain reactions are instinctual, such as blushing or even "excitement" stimulated by some evolved response system. 

In some way, we process data according to a pattern that may be built in and/or habitual PLUS we can use our rational minds to intentionally process data to improve our results in life.  The mistake many people make, out of misunderstanding, is to generalize the idea that emotions "seem to be" in charge or that they just come about with no control and no ability to influence them.

Of course, in any one circumstance they may not be 100% controllable, but surely we are able to observe what happened (an emotion just popped up and it felt "bad") and then to choose to act on it, especially when we've trained ourselves to do so instead of going "belly up" and doing a victim act (I'm just a victim of my emotions - NOT!). 

Since most things involve a sequence, we can intervene in the sequence when we note that something is "off", such as when we feel bad, which indicates that something is done wrongly and/or that a belief is false.  (Until one is more educated in how things work, one can still believe in "the mystical" - and not see that all of it is mechanical, using biochemicals and electricity to cause something - and to form patterns in our brain to bring back up when something associated happens - these are 'thoughts' which we must learn are just thoughts and not facts.  The 700 lb. woman on Doctor Oz, after losing 120 lbs remarked that one major realization for her was that "thoughts aren't facts!")

If a person was proactive, acting as soon as possible, and noted that something didn't work and then dug into the beliefs behind it AND then "solved it" with an updated correct belief that would work, then the person would eliminate 80 - 99% of false beliefs - and live a much better life!   Note that people who are problem free and very strong emotionally and mentally are the ones who complete and solve things right away, leaving no crap behind. 

For now I cannot see another way around it.  It seems that one must be educated in the basics of how things work - and spend time learning "Problem Solving" as a key, vital, essential skill that will enable a person to become happy (happiness is an emotion, but also it can be a long-term trained way of thinking that repeats through self-designed triggers to achieve happy emotions, such as feeling fulfilled, prosperous, fortunate, solid, strong).  

The question is:  Will you do this - and will you do it with sufficient mastery? 

If you will, I guarantee you happiness.  If you don't, you'll continue to operate in life with alot of unsolved, unresolved problems and beliefs. 

Your choice,

Keith

Read the sections:  Link from Life Management Contents/Links into the Basic Life Skills, in sequence:    Learning Authentically
                   Thinking Effectively
                   Effective Decision-Making And Problem Solving