Thinking with my mouth open
Conversing again with M’Learned Friend Johnnie Moore Esq
Conversing again with M’Learned Friend Johnnie Moore Esq, I opined a truth. Some people cogitate deeply before committing their ideas to paper. Some people weigh every word and sentence to ensure it conveys their intent as effectively and efficiently as possible.
I am not one of those people.
I am lazy and I only really think when I have to. A conversation requires me to formulate my ideas in words. They cannot remain as perfect Platonic forms beyond mere speech. They must be earthed.
I have to put my mouth where my brain is. I have to think with my mouth open.
If I don’t have many such conversations then I am never forced to actually convey my ideas to other people. Of course, they will ask questions and misunderstand what I say and even improve it. All of this is creative. It is generative.
I don’t think this phenomenon is unique to me. I think most of us have. And what we need are “safe spaces”. Not spaces where no one criticizes us but where thinking with your mouth open (which often feels revealing, like you are stripping) is accepted and supported rather than punished in some infantile attempt “to win the debate”.
Thinking with your mouth open can be risky.
But no risk no reward.
Are you an extrovert? I've noticed that my extroverted friends need to think with their mouths open, that they can't seem to go deeper with an idea unless they talk it through. That talking through is how they do their deep thinking. I'm an introvert so I'm the opposite - force me to talk a new idea through and I'll lose it. LEAVE ME ALOOOONE! As a mentor, I do wonder if you're right - that most people need to think with their mouths open. During my sessions with people I often see them talk their way into deeper reflection and surprise themselves (I see it on their faces) as they hear profound words come out of their mouths. It's a privilege to bear witness to that.
I've learned to caveate that I think out loud. I can have all the thoughts in my brain that I want but when I speak them they sound so much different. I love ruminating over topics with people. The issue is that many don't realize that this is important for me. Worse, they don't pay attention to see how the ideas are evolving adapting, incorporating, adjusting, rejecting, and formulating new ideas. They want me to listen more while not 'hearing' what's really going on.