Trying to figure out WTF is going on Oh, look! Karen Adam has come up with a new rationalisation for the SNP / Scottish Government's failure to progress Scotland's cause! It seems we've been thinking about it all wrong. We've been thinking of independence being restored the moment the Union is ended. Apparently, independence is something that can be 'built' even while making no moves towards ending the Union. It's not that there has been a complete lack of any action on the constitutional issue. The 'correct' way to look at it is that whatever the SNP / Scottish Government does should be regarded as 'building' independence. From this perspective, even the ghastly mess of self-id is rightly perceived as part of the process of 'building' independence. Even the idiocy of referring the draft Referendum Bill to the UK Supreme Court has to be seen as part of the 'building' work. Here we were, foolishly relying on the evidence and our own intellect to conclude that zero progress had been made towards the restoration of independence in over a decade, when we should have been ignoring facts and using our imagination to see everything the SNP / Scottish Government does as a great leap forward for Scotland's cause. Or should I say, another stage of the construction process completed? All that stuff about 'paths' and 'routes' and us being on a 'journey' with independence as the destination? Forget it! Forget all of it! A better analogy would be playing with an endless supply of Lego pieces; constantly adding components of different sizes, shapes, and colours in what might appear to the uninitiated as a random manner but which we must always believe is creating a shape that is independence no matter what shape we see when we look at it. What Karen Adam is peddling here is the notion of devolution as 'building independence'. It is an argument for resigning ourselves to devolution by telling ourselves it is like adding pieces to a jigsaw puzzle and that if we don't yet recognise the picture as independence then we just have to be patient while she and her colleagues get paid handsomely for pondering which piece to add next. But it is a curious jigsaw puzzle. There are no edge pieces. The puzzle is never finished. The picture is never complete. But if the people tasked with working on the puzzle tell us it's a picture of independence, it's best to just accept this lest one be accused of being stupid or treacherous. Best to let them keep on working at it for another five years. Aye, right! Invite your friends and earn rewardsIf you enjoy Peter A Bell, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe.
|
Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Lego or jigsaw puzzle?
Monday, 24 March 2025
MAKING MY PEACE … with the tipping point between reflecting and over-thinking
MAKING MY PEACE … with the tipping point between reflecting and over-thinkingPause or spiral? Reflect or reflect too much …
Reflection can be a powerful tool for personal growth. But sometimes, that quiet reflection about a specific situation or problem – when we reflect and reflect and reflect – becomes over-thinking and over-analysing. It becomes a mental spiral that leaves us drained rather than enlightened. What is the difference between reflection and over-thinking – and when is the subtle tipping point when reflection tips into over-thinking? And how can we keep our thoughts from becoming tangled knots instead of clear insights? Reflection is a deliberate, calm process of thinking through an experience, feeling, or situation. It’s asking: -What happened? -How did I feel about it? -What did I learn? -What might I do differently next time? Reflection usually brings clarity, a sense of acceptance, and perhaps even peace. Reflection is not about judgment. It’s about understanding the situation and our reaction to it. Over-thinking and over-analysing is when thinking becomes stuck. It’s: -Replaying events repeatedly. -Searching for hidden meanings or signs that may not exist. -Blaming yourself or others excessively. -Imagining endless “what if” scenarios. -Feeling more anxious the longer you think. Instead of clarity, over-analysing leaves us feeling exhausted and often more confused. We over-analyse due to perfectionism, fear, and uncertainty. Perfectionism is the desire to get everything right. Fear is worrying about consequences or judgements, and uncertainty is when we lack closure – our minds fill in the blanks, sometimes obsessively. Defining the tipping point: The line between reflection and over-thinking is often blurry because they both stem from a desire to understand. The tipping point, though, occurs when thinking stops being constructive and begins to create anxiety, worry, or self-doubt. Some signs that the line between reflection and over-thinking has been crossed: -You’re asking the same questions repeatedly without finding answers – known as the circular argument, or going around in circles. -You feel more agitated or worried the longer you think. -You feel more confused the longer you think instead of gaining more clarity. -Your thoughts go from understanding what happened to trying to control every possible outcome. -Instead of closure, you feel mentally stuck. The difficulty lies in the fact that each of us has different thresholds – different tipping points. What might be helpful reflection for one person could feel like over-thinking for another. Timing, emotional state, and even fatigue can push us toward over-analysing without realizing it. What to do if you think you’ve crossed the tipping point: -Check your energy: Do you feel calmer or more anxious? -Notice repetition: Are you looping over the same thought? -Sense your body: Do you feel tight, restless, or uncomfortable? -Ask yourself: Am I searching for insight, or am I stuck in fear? Then: -Set mental boundaries: Decide when to stop thinking and start doing. -Talk to someone: Sometimes saying it aloud shows you when it’s too much. -Shift focus: Change your environment or engage in a simple task. -Remind yourself: Not every question has an answer. Making my peace with reflection and over-analysing, I do the following: -Ask whether I feel peaceful - if so, I am reflecting. -Ask whether I feel worried - if so, I am over-thinking and over-analysing. -Ask whether my thoughts are helping me work out the problem – if not, do one or more of the following: -Give myself 10-15 minutes to reflect then move on. -Write out my thoughts in a journal to help structure them into positive, negative, and ‘interesting’ categories to prevent circular arguments – which might lead to solutions and actions. -Know that not everything needs a solution – some things just need realization and acceptance. -Be physical – a walk, run, exercise, or any physical movement interrupts mental circular loops and over-thinking. -Take a walk outside in nature to clear my mind.
Can’t see the whole article? Want to view the original article? Want to view more articles? Go to Martina’s Substack: The Stories in You and Me More Making My Peace … articles Rainy Day Healing website Invite your friends and earn rewardsIf you enjoy The Stories in You and Me , share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe.
|
-
The power pose of personal peace - with psychological benefits ... ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ...
-
petrini1 posted: " For Week 7, the theme of genealogist Amy Johnson Crow...
