It’s quite amazing that there is actual science on measuring the speed of thought. Our brain cells and nerve cells function like an information superhighway, and there are actual tests to measure how fast we think. For anyone outside of neuroscientists and biologists, it is natural to believe that thought is essentially instantaneous.
I started to imagine a catcher catching a 100 mph pitch, or even more challenging, the special pitches that curve and dive. For a non-baseball player, it can seem ridiculous to try to hit the ball or catch the ball when it’s going that fast. In fact, baseball players likely couldn’t do what they do if they had to break down every action into thinking, it happens too fast and they simply need to let their body react.
But with training and the fact that the catcher signals to the pitcher what kind of pitch they want and where they want it, there is some anticipation along with the repetitions of taking pitches, it is just an everyday task for a pro baseball player.
Meditation could be like that. Even though your thoughts seem like they happen in a blink, within milliseconds, if you set yourself up like a catcher, practice and get used to anticipating where the thoughts will go and what kind of thoughts they will be, then you can become more mindful.
