How To Entertain a Thought
After studying scores of great thinkers like Leonardo Da Vinci,
I think I've stumbled upon what really set them apart from the
rest of the folks living (and thinking) at the same time.
It's remarkably simple. They learned how to entertain a thought.
Aristotle said, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able
to entertain a thought without accepting it."
Hmmm. To entertain a thought without accepting it.
We need to do that. Everyone needs to learn how to be a good
host or hostess to new ideas. In fact, our goal should be to
become the Martha Stewart of mental entertaining!
What if you treated a new thought like a guest?
It's easier to think about mental entertaining if we put
together a to-do list, just like Martha. Here it is:
#1 Make the first move. First of all, you issue an invitation.
Nothing fancy. You don't have to make any major investment or
lifelong commitment. You're simply inviting this person in. It's
the same with initiating the entertainment of an idea. You might
see a quote on the side of a bus somewhere, and decide you'd
like to explore that concept more deeply. Or, maybe you find
yourself bumping into the same topic all the time, and so you
make up your mind to learn more about it. Either way, you need
to be ready to initiate the process. Don't hide--you won't meet
new ideas if you scurry away whenever the doorbell rings.
#2 Prepare. Uh-oh. Your house is a mess. You'd better do some
cleaning. You're not really trying to impress, but hey, you
could certainly do some sprucing up and get the place looking
neat and inviting.
Prepare for a new thought in the same way. Make some space in
your mind to think about something new. According to Deepak
Chopra, the well-known author on health and longevity, the
average human has 60,000 thoughts a day. Pretty impressive?
Well, here's the kicker: 57,000 of those are the same ones you
had YESTERDAY! Now that's some serious clutter! Get rid of a few
of those dusty old thoughts and make room for new ones.
#3 Offer a warm greeting. When your new guest arrives, be warm
and inviting. After all, you're hoping to start a friendship.
Put your best foot forward.
It's the same with an idea. If you face it with skepticism, fear
or detachment, you won't be entertaining it for long. You'll be
eyeing your watch, yawning, or looking for a way to end the
discussion early. You've got to be open and full of anticipation
to prepare an environment in which new ideas will be explored
and integrated fully. Just as it's no fair making lame excuses
or having your friend call to interrupt the visit, it's also
cheating to cut out too soon when it comes to entertaining an
idea.
#4 Make introductions. T This is the big one. You would
certainly introduce your guest to everyone at the party, with a
special effort to connect them to those with whom they may have
something in common.
Any new idea you consider will be more likely to be welcomed if
you actively and intentionally introduce it to your other ideas
and interests. Look for unusual and inspired pairings. How does
it fit? Where does it fit? DOES it fit? You won't know until you
try.
Picture Leonardo Da Vinci's mental entertaining. His new idea,
Human Flight, arrives, and immediately Leo sets about
introducing him to others. "Human, meet my good friend,
Engineering, and his lovely wife, Fabric Design. Oh, and have
you met Bird Anatomy? She lives just around the corner from you.
Oh, Dr. Entomology has arrived! Listen, Dr. E is absolutely
brilliant, but a bit hard of hearing. Ask her about her recent
work on the wings of insects! Now, you all make yourselves comfy
and I'll go get some more wine."
What happened at that party? Leonardo threw these ideas
together, and BAM! What emerged was the idea for a perfectly
designed parachute as well as a remarkable helicopter--hundreds
of years before the Wright brothers started building their
flying machines! Talk about a soaring success! Don't you wish
you'd been there?
#5 Offer the best seat in the house. You usually sit in that
nice chair there by the fireplace, but when a special guest
comes over, you graciously offer it.
When you are entertaining a new thought, give it the
consideration it deserves. Every time you think a new thought,
your brain is actually creating a new neural pathway. It's like
a jungle in there, full of nerve endings and ganglia and all
kinds of connections. Help it along. Make it comfortable.
Once you've considered an idea, that pathway is there. All you
have to do to keep it "live" is to keep going down that path
often enough to clear the trail, but not so often that it
becomes a rut.
#6 Listen, inquire, and show interest. Ask questions. Dig a
little deeper. Find the connections to other people, places, and
activities. Learn as much as you can about your new idea.
#7 Relinquish control. Just like when you introduce guests to
each other, you should not try to control the outcome. Some
guests might hate each other on sight, while others click
instantly. People might argue, or a married guest might sneak
off to a back room with someone other than their partner.
Anything can happen!
That's not up to you. You're having this party to offer an
opportunity for people to connect. Make introductions, insert a
few comments, smile and acknowledge everyone, but for the most
part, just let things happen. Don't direct the flow of ideas.
#8 Leave room for future possibilities. Even if you decide this
guest of yours is insufferable, you don't want to burn any
bridges. Be gracious, and be glad you were excellent enough to
offer the invitation.
You're not going to like every idea that comes your way. And you
might not find any other interest or idea that connects with it
initially. That's fine. You need to develop the ability to
recognize useful concepts and distinguish valuable and valid
ideas from those lacking a strong foundation. That's what
critical thinking is all about.
But you also need to file that idea away so that you can look it
up if and when you DO meet a likely candidate for another
gathering of thoughts.
There is a great deal of room for different styles of mental
entertaining. Maybe you're best at dealing with only two ideas
at a time, or maybe you want to throw a huge bash and welcome
all comers.
Entertain in whatever style suits you. Tete-a-tete or
bacchanal--it doesn't matter, as long as it's happening.
Learn how to entertain a thought. With a little effort, you'll
become a perfect host or hostess to new ideas that come your
way. And guess what? You'll have no hangover, no cleaning up,
and no regrets.
Party on!