“How do I control my thoughts?” That’s one of the commonly
asked questions in my mindfulness workshop. The question comes from a deep-rooted belief that I should be able to control life situations which include my
thoughts. That comes from the tap view – Once I can find the right tap, I can
turn off the flow of unwanted thoughts. It is a matter of finding the right
tap. And the hope is that mindfulness would help one discover the tap.
The map view is different. When we navigate our car with the
help of a map, we are not trying to control either the flow of traffic or the
road crossing pedestrians. We are just trying to navigate our way as smoothly
as we can with as little delay as possible. The motivation here is not that of
control but more of hassle-free navigation in the given situation.
Which metaphor is more useful for navigating through our
life, tap view or map view? It depends on the context. If you are trying to
control the output of a plant or trying to discover a drug for a disease, tap
view may be helpful. Identifying and optimizing the exact control parameters
may increase the plant yield and discovering the right molecule may create an
effective drug which in turn would arrest the proliferation of disease. However,
when it comes to controlling thoughts, tap view is not helpful, at least not
yet. I don’t know of any tap that can switch the flow of thoughts off without
harmful side effects. This is where the map view comes handy.
Map view suggests that each of us carries a map of the world
in our brain. Using this map, the brain predicts the causes of its sensorium and
the consequences of its actions. Map view comes with the following implications:
Map is not territory: Map is a representation of the
world. But the map is not the world itself. In fact, a cyclist’s map could look
very different from a truck driver’s map. The by-lanes which are most suitable
for a cyclist are useless for the truck driver. Map is neither true nor false.
It is either useful or not useful. It is useful when it helps you navigate the
world. When the prediction of a map fails repeatedly, it needs updating.
No map is final: When can we declare that a map is
complete? Never. Map needs constant updating based on the changing situation.
When a major event like the COVID pandemic happens, a number of things that
used to work before don’t work anymore. For example, you can’t shake hands,
can’t go to the office or even stand close to another person. This makes it
necessary to update the map. Instead, if we say that the world needs to change and
go back to what it was, it may not work. That doesn’t mean you don’t try to
change the world. It is just that the world may or may not work according to
your map.
Re-routing is important: When you feel you are stuck, you could
re-route the journey. This may mean changing the destination, perhaps go back to
where you came from or chill in the same area for some time by parking the
car. Or you could find another route to
the same destination. Instead, if we keep cursing the traffic jam or driver’s mistakes,
it won’t serve any useful purpose. This recognition is sufficient to reduce the
flow of wasteful thoughts. This readiness to re-route any moment is an
important aspect of mindfulness.
image source: netclipart.com
Superb
ReplyDeleteMap view is working with the help of a device. What is the device to use map view in case of mindfulness?
ReplyDeleteGood question, Rajat. My understanding is this - The map making device is called "the brain". When we perceive the world, what we see is the map created by this device. We misperceive it as reality. We treat the map as the territory. Thought presents representation as perception. It is as if we have begun to navigate our vehicle using only the Google street view and start treating it as the real view. Mindfulness suggests that we use attention or awareness to see this process of perception while in action.
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