"90% of all genuine thoughts go unspoken" | stanley bing

What is a genuine thought? Some synonyms are “honest”, “authentic”, “candid”, and “natural”. I tend to believe that a genuine thought has nothing to do with the “quality” of the thought, and more to do with honesty – the lack of a filter. If this is the case people are frequently having genuine thoughts. I do not say frequently because I believe that many of our filters are internalized. We are unable to be honest with ourselves. When we do not test each thought’s motivation, it shows in our actions. How much would our lives, and consequently our world, change if we our actions were dictated by confidence, diligence, and love?

Instead, our thoughts and actions are filtered by insecurity, laziness, and pride. Out of insecurity we do not speak. We fear we will be laughed at or disrespected in some way. Out of laziness we do not pursue thought or speak our minds. An honest thought can cause our stable and predictable worlds to change dramatically, making life more difficult or interesting depending on your point of view.
According to the thesaurus, good is also synonymous with genuine. I am not at all of the opinion that what is natural to man is necessarily good. Many genuine thoughts are cruel. Perhaps we do not speak them in order to save others from being hurt. Or do we repress hurtful thoughts to save ourselves? Do we remain silent to preserve an image?

For other reactions to this quote visit Chris Wiersma's blog.