Thinking is Wanting
- Madhukar Dama
- Jun 7
- 5 min read
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INTRODUCTION: THE ILLUSION OF THINKING AS NEUTRAL
Most people believe that thinking is a neutral activity—like air flowing through a room.
They think it is an objective function of the brain, happening for the sake of logic, clarity, or truth.
But this is an illusion.
Every thought is already tied to a want.
The moment a thought appears, it is trying to move something, fix something, change something, explain something, protect something, or gain something.
There is no pure thought without motive.
No clean idea without a hunger hiding inside it.
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I. THINKING BEGINS FROM RESTLESSNESS
The mind does not start thinking when it is completely at peace.
It starts thinking when something feels missing.
Even a small discomfort—a hunger, a boredom, a fear—starts the engine.
Examples:
A person alone in a room starts thinking about dinner: wanting food.
A mother whose child is late starts imagining worst-case scenarios: wanting safety.
A teenager wonders why people don’t talk to him: wanting connection or approval.
A spiritual seeker tries to silence the mind: wanting silence (ironically, creating more thoughts).
Thinking is not passive.
It is a tool used to reach something.
Always.
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II. HOW THINKING HIDES ITS HUNGER
Most thinking appears as “important”:
Making plans
Solving problems
Understanding the past
Predicting the future
Studying
Debating
Imagining
Strategizing
But underneath, it is always personal hunger.
It wants control, success, comfort, relief, escape, pleasure, or recognition.
Example:
You are “studying history.”
You may think you are just learning.
But if you look closely, you’ll find:
You want to appear knowledgeable.
You want to avoid failure in an exam.
You want to feel confident.
You want to understand your identity or past.
Nothing wrong with it.
But it’s not neutral.
Thinking is always wanting.
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III. THE MANY FORMS OF WANTING THAT MASQUERADE AS THINKING
Let’s break down how wanting hides behind thinking in different areas of life.
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1. RELATIONSHIPS
Thought: Why is she behaving like this? I should say something. Maybe I should stay silent. But then what will she think?
Hidden wants:
Wanting to be loved
Wanting not to lose control
Wanting to appear mature
Wanting to avoid conflict
Wanting to be safe from abandonment
All arguments, plans, overthinking in relationships—are never about "understanding."
They are about fear, attachment, insecurity, control.
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2. PARENTING
Thought: What school should I put my child in? I want her to be successful.
Hidden wants:
Wanting to protect
Wanting to control the child’s future
Wanting to not feel like a failed parent
Wanting to be respected by society
Even the most loving thoughts for a child carry your own fears and dreams.
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3. CAREER AND MONEY
Thought: Should I change jobs? What if this isn’t secure? What if I never grow?
Hidden wants:
Wanting respect
Wanting financial security
Wanting to escape boredom
Wanting to feel "worth something"
Even thoughts about “doing your passion” are loaded with identity and ego.
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4. SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION
Thought: Who am I? Why do I suffer? Is there something more?
Hidden wants:
Wanting peace
Wanting relief from pain
Wanting certainty in an uncertain world
Wanting to feel special
Wanting to transcend ordinary life
Even the most “noble” spiritual thoughts are rooted in discomfort and seeking.
Not a crime.
But not neutral either.
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5. SOCIAL MEDIA, POLITICS, AND DEBATE
Thought: This opinion is wrong. People must be educated. I must speak up.
Hidden wants:
Wanting to feel right
Wanting to belong to a group
Wanting to look intelligent or moral
Wanting revenge against unfairness
Wanting power or visibility
Thinking becomes noise when it is used to mask ego and emotion as “logic.”
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IV. THE TRAP OF “INTELLECTUAL THINKING”
Intellectuals often believe their thoughts are clean, objective, above desire.
But intellectualism is one of the most ego-loaded forms of wanting.
It seeks:
Importance
Uniqueness
Control over language
Influence over others
Escape from emotional confusion
The person who is always “thinking deeply” is often the person who cannot bear not having answers.
They seek control by using words.
Words are the walls of their safety.
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V. THE ILLUSION OF “SOLVING” THROUGH THINKING
We often think problems are solved by thinking harder.
But the need to solve is itself a form of wanting.
And most suffering continues because of overthinking, not because of the problem itself.
Examples:
You have a stomach pain → You start Googling diseases → You become anxious → You spiral
You feel lonely → You start analyzing why nobody likes you → You feel worse
You make a mistake → You think endlessly about how to fix your image → You become stuck
The mind thinks it’s helping.
But it is feeding itself.
It keeps itself alive through wanting.
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VI. THINKING IS EXHAUSTING BECAUSE WANTING IS EXHAUSTING
You don’t get tired from lifting thoughts.
You get tired from needing them to go somewhere.
That is why rest only comes when thinking stops.
A quiet moment on a farm, or under a tree, or beside someone who doesn’t demand anything from you—these moments heal.
Not because you “figured life out.”
But because for a while, you stopped wanting.
Thinking is movement.
Wanting is the fuel.
Stillness only comes when both stop.
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VII. DOES THIS MEAN THINKING IS BAD?
No.
Thinking is useful.
It helps solve practical things.
But the problem is not knowing when to stop.
You think about food → You cook
You think about income → You get work
You think about illness → You seek help
Fine.
But then, you keep thinking even after acting.
You ruminate.
You worry.
You imagine.
You prepare for things that are not even real.
That’s when thinking becomes suffering.
Wanting doesn’t know how to stop itself.
It wants more.
And more.
And more.
So the thoughts never end.
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VIII. SO WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE?
Not silence.
Not positive thinking.
Not chanting mantras.
Those are still thoughts.
Still wanting.
The alternative is clear seeing.
Seeing that each thought has a hunger behind it.
Seeing that even your noble goals are rooted in discomfort.
Seeing that most mental noise is not needed at all.
And then—watching it.
Letting the thought pass.
Without feeding it.
Without needing to act on it.
You will still think.
But you will stop worshipping thinking.
You will see it as a tool, not a god.
And you will start living more in direct experience, not mental planning.
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IX. IN SIMPLE WORDS
You think because you want.
Every thought is a symptom of some inner discomfort.
Most people are addicted to thought because they are addicted to wanting.
Peace is not found by controlling thoughts, but by losing interest in wanting.
Thinking becomes clear and simple when wanting goes down.
The less you want, the less you think.
The less you think, the more you live.
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EPILOGUE: THE COST OF NEVER SEEING THIS
If you don’t see that thinking is wanting, you will live your whole life chasing thoughts like ropes tied to wind.
You will assume your mind is your master.
You will chase problems that do not exist.
You will drown in regrets, plans, imaginations, arguments, fears, and theories.
You will look intelligent outside.
But inside, you will be tired, confused, and never fully present.
Once you see that every thought is just a want in disguise,
you can drop many of them before they even begin.
And then begins something rare:
Not a “better life.”
But a clearer one.
A life not ruled by the machine of thinking, but guided by awareness.
Thinking is wanting.
The day you see it, it starts losing power.
And that is the beginning of real peace.
