"I've been thinking a lot about how we are all improvising in life. We are confronted by the unexpected - things we see, people we talk to, even thoughts that enter our heads, and we have to react in the spur of the moment. It seems to me that many of us spend a lot of time fighting against our spontaneous reactions to what we experience in favor of what we think is appropriate. In some cases the thoughts that come into our head when we experience something seem strange and out of place and we are encourages to ignore these ideas and "focus". It is a bit frightening to realize that you don't have much control over what thoughts pop into your head.

I'm interested in what happens when you give up that control. Free association can feel very disorganized and odd, but it is a way to experience parts of yourself you don't know that much about. It seems that this is what is at the root of a good brainstorm - talking without knowing what you are going to say next. It is having faith in yourself beyond what you can mentally grasp at that moment. You get to experience first hand what your mind consists of. Try it. Look at something and start talking. Say what the thing reminds you of and let that thought trigger another. The way you connect ideas is different from anyone else.

I think its what freedom feels like." --zefrank

I think zefrank has an interesting idea. Because it is true--a lot of people try to hold back their initial thoughts and reactions because they're afraid of what people might think, or ashamed or shocked that they reacted that way themselves; but it's totally natural. Why hold back? It might be the way to living a longer, more satisfying life. Or it might be the quickest route for everyone hating your guts....