The Inner Voice/Monologue

[sahgwa]

I though this might deserve its own thread. The inner monologue, the silent voice that speaks in our heads. "Us".

A constant narration "oh i wonder if it will rain today hmm i need to check the tire pressure on my car if it doesn't i wonder if this yoghurt is still good aargh these flax seeds get stuck in my teeth yikes i should floss more ouch my ankle hurts ..." blah blah blah. Even while sitting doing nothing, the little voice keeps commenting.

This is what people meditate to try and still, or tame, or control. It's said that some people don't have one! They think visually, or in other ways. Is anyone here like that, naturally?

I've done yoga for many years and can still the constant inner voice at will. Simply exist in the moment without everything being chewed up with a part of the brain that won't let up. It's really quite peaceful, and it makes the difference between brain and consciousness so apparent. Most people seem to think they're the same thing. I'm a consciousness experiencing the brain, ego, voice, and no longer identify with that as being "me".

The mind is like a muscle. It's said that in earlier time, the mind was still by default, and only activated when there was something to think about, addressed it, then went quiet again. Before the times of "civilization", agriculture, large social systems. Then, humans changed so that the mind was constantly active, the inner voice awake all the time, like a muscle constantly being clenched. We could still focus on a single thing without distraction, a state known as single-pointedness in meditation. This was the age that birthed mysticism and religion.

In more modern times, the inner voice has become distracted, no longer able to focus on a single thing for any length of time, flitting around like a hummingbird with too much sugar. Like a muscle in constant spasm. The voice just won't shut up, and leads us on constant tangents. It becomes infatuated with sensory experiences, spiraling into desire, distraction. All this happens as we have lost the "muscle control" of calming our inner voice.

It's though by some that the inner voice is not us, but a projection into us, speaking to us. That kind of disassociation isn't always productive, but it can help those who are lost in a maze of trying to figure things out with narrative to break free. Our voices tell us narrative, give us models to communicate, and they are a tool, but if we let the tool control us we may never find peace.

Do others here experience the "inner voice" this way? Anyone here naturally "narrative free"? Any other thoughts about the "inner voice"? I am just going to post this little ramble without proofreading, haha.

I have been meditating on and off for about 20 years and I can also still the inner voice when needed.  The question becomes how long, and in what fashion?
Everyone has this ability, they just need to figure it out and practise it.

Point being, it is as simple as the monkey brain vs the true you.

The monkey brain is full of chatter and comes all by itself.  It's the ego and the id both.  When you say to yourself automatically/your brain puts out 'i'm hungry; that's your id. When your thoughts are automatic or your brain says 'let's go downstairs to get food' that's your ego. 
You can still both of those, but they will always arise on their own.

The secret is what do you do once they arise?
If you are trying forcefully to 'be silent' that generally doesn't work. It's too active. 
That's like engaging with little kids who want attention.

The trick is to acknowledge those thoughts appearing in the field of your mind, and just let them drift away. Then you will have Silence, for at least a few seconds.
Eventually through 'non-focussing' such as on the breath, the thoughts will stop arising altogether....

Wu wei / the zone/ not-doing 
are all tricks that we can attempt to master. 
Just like in quantum physics, how the observer effects the outcome, the trick is to observe without observing.