Edoardo Ballerini

My teacher, Jon Aaron, read this to our group the other day…

From AmericanTrails.org: “What to Do if You Meet a Bear.”  Substituting the word “thought” for “bear,” we have…

There are no definite rules about what to do if you meet a thought. In almost all cases, thought attacks are rare compared to the number of close encounters. However, if you do meet a thought before it has had time to leave an area, here are some suggestions.

Remember: every situation is different with respect to the thought, the terrain, the people and their activity.

• Stay calm. If you see a thought and it hasn’t seen you, calmly leave the area. As you move away, talk aloud to let the thought discover your presence.
• Stop. Back away slowly while facing the thought. Avoid direct eye contact, as thoughts may perceive this as a threat. Give the thought plenty of room to escape. Wild thoughts rarely attack people unless they feel threatened or provoked.
• If on a trail, step off the trail on the downhill side and slowly leave the area. Don’t run or make any sudden movements. Running is likely to prompt the thought to give chase and you can’t outrun a thought.
• Speak softly. This may reassure the thought that no harm is meant to it. Try not to show fear.
• Thoughts use all their senses to try to identify what you are. Their eyesight is good and their sense of smell is acute. If a thought stands upright or moves closer, it may be trying to detect smells in the air. This isn’t a sign of aggression. Once it identifies you, it may leave the area or try to intimidate you by charging to within a few feet before it withdraws.
• Fight back if a black thought attacks you.  Thoughts have been driven away when people have fought back with rocks, sticks, binoculars and even their bare hands.