Shortcomings of Thought

Proof that thinking is contrary to the fulfillment of some tasks:

One foot goes in front of the other. A woman walks upon a wire. If she thinks about how she is balancing, she tips over.

Red moves from left to right. A man spots the rotation of a ball. If he thinks about where his elbow is in relation to his wrist, he will swing and miss.

The hunter runs around and around. A cartoon coyote runs off a cliff. If he looks downward to see where he is, he falls down.
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Even in the rules of created works, thinking undermines goals. Theory is opposed to practice insofar as it works with unrealistic materials (i.e., the subject matter--a thought or an object respectively). Practice always maintains its grip on reality, for practice is always in the act of gripping. Theory fumbles.

Does it always fumble? No. Sometimes theory is educated by practice. Then, provided that the material theorized about is similar enough to the material practiced on, the theory will function as it should.

Balancing, hitting a baseball, and chasing a roadrunner are all acts that rely on immediacy. One lacks the time to think. Should one think despite the requirements of the circumstance, one will fail because time continues.

Thinking prior to the acts discussed here may help prepare for the practice. One may visualize and thus become familiar with real possibilities without the risks of practice. Circumstances may require one to be reserved, and waiting to be risky until the opportune time is wise. Waiting, though, is always less preferable to the immediate actor. If the goal is to participate in an immediate act (i.e., to be an immediate actor), thinking is scantly valuable. It is better to practice and fail repeatedly than simply to theorize extensively and then act. One draws nearer to the goal in failure than one could in theorizing.
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What else is immediate (i.e., contrary to thought) besides actions? Emotional states. Is thinking not affective? Can one not think oneself into happiness? Surely it is possible. One can imagine oneself in a happy situation--say with friends, in a serene climate, laughing and carrying on. Your significant other is nearby, puts an arm around you, and kisses you on the cheek. Everyone is enraptured by your story-telling. Is one now not genuinely happy thinking thusly? Oh, certainly one is happy. Now one is thinking about being happy, about thinking, and now one has returned to a calmer--if not morose--state. Curses! The affect only lasts as long as one is imagining, and maybe a little longer. Then one returns to the undesired original state, and may feel worse for becoming aware of the disparity between theory (where one wants to be) and practice (where one is).

Here lies the riskiness of thought to affect happiness. A person is not always happy where she is, but is always more happy where she is when she is where she wants to be than in thinking of where she is when she is where she wants to be. Thinking is an act of creation apart from the livable world. The emotional state of happiness is greater in a context of lived fulfillment rather than imagined fulfillment.

Can one think oneself into sadness? Surely it is possible. One can imagine oneself in an unhappy situation--say alone, in a dreary climate, drinking and writing. Your significant other has left you, and you are confused. No one will listen to your sad story. Is one now not genuinely unhappy thinking thusly? Oh, certainly one is unhappy. Now one is thinking about being unhappy, about thinking, and now one has gone to a different state. For one is now alone and knows one was alone during the thought process. The analogy is drawn between theory (the imagined situation) and practice (the actual one).

Here lies the potency of thought to affect melancholy. A person is not always sad when alone, but is often more sad alone than in company. A person is not always thoughtful when alone, but is always alone when thoughtful. Thinking is an act of drawing in and away from the world and from others. The emotional state of sadness resonates along this drawn line.
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We have seen that there are times when thinking is inappropriate. I advise you, then, to not think too much.