THINK DIFFERENT. But don’t believe everything you think.
~ Charlie Chaplin* [1899-1977].
A reflection by Christina Brennan Lee for August 23, 2026.
I’m always certain that my thoughts are on track and correct, except when I stop to think about my thoughts. Then, I realize I might, possibly, perhaps, have a bias or two or, at the very least, an untested expectation that affects what I’m thinking.
Often I think that others think that I should think one thing or another, but I’ve never asked them so maybe they don’t think that at all but something else instead. But if I ask them, will they think I just don’t know what I’m thinking?
All this thinking stuff gives me a headache. Can’t I just breeze through life thoughtlessly? Actually there are many times I don’t understand what I am thinking or even if I’m thinking or the whir in my head is a just mix of thoughts that really did come from many other somebodies.
I don’t know about you but I sometimes realize that what I’m thinking is actually what others expect me to think, so then I want to refuse to think it for that reason. Have you ever tried to get rid of a thought you don’t want to think?
But what is thinking anyway? I just had to look it up for the first time ever. I never thought about looking for a definition of thinking before now and, wow, there are way too many items listed to think about so I chose two: The online Encyclopedia Brittanica says:
“thought, covert symbolic responses to stimuli that are either intrinsic (arising from within) or extrinsic (arising from the environment). Thought, or thinking, is considered to mediate between inner activity and external stimuli.”
Okay … um … so … well, that’s too much to think about so moving on to an online thing called ScienceInsights, which says:
“Thinking is the brain’s process of manipulating information to form ideas, make decisions, solve problems, and imagine possibilities. It encompasses everything from the snap judgment you make when crossing a busy street to the slow, deliberate reasoning you use when planning a career change. At a biological level, thinking happens when networks of brain cells fire in coordinated patterns, processing roughly 20% of your body’s energy despite the brain weighing only about 2% of your total body weight.”
After reading those I think I’m down to using 2% of my brain at the expense of 50% of my energy. So I went to a higher level to ask the Creator of this thinking thing:
Dear God, as the Most Excellent Thinker of Thoughts, please help me to work more diligently on how to think critically, objectively, and constructively. Let me recognize and understand the biases and emotions that influence my thoughts and, after some analysis (which may include advice from several others), feel comfortable moving forward anyway or, to change direction entirely. I do know that my thoughts, human as they are, will always be flawed in one way or another.
Grant me the ability to be open to changes in my opinions and positions based on new information, and to regularly seek new information. Let me work calmly through criticism ~ fair or not ~ and accept the outcomes of my actions, while learning new lessons for the future. Whether my thinking is inside or outside of any given box, let me not recycle the same ways of understanding life in ever smaller circles with ever smaller thoughts, or, in other words, don’t let me believe everything I think. amen.
*Charlie Chaplin, born in England, was an actor, comedian, director, writer all of the first magnitude with a huge fan base on both sides of the Atlantic and elsewhere that helped him survive adoration and controversy. His brilliance in his early silent films is still being admired today. His most famous character, The Tramp, propelled him to icon status.
_____________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Every week, Christina Brennan Lee writes the Prayers of the People we use in our worship services on Sundays. She also leads weekday prayer services and serves on the SsAM Vestry. Click here to see her People’s Prayers website.
Click here to see Christina’s reflections.
