Thought and Action

Media and World Religions, Midterm
Question 1:

Describe and comment on the relationship between thought and action.

Thought and action are inextricably related. In fact, even sayings and phrases can be attributed to mankind’s recognition of this universal truth. In the Book of Mormon, we read “…if ye do not watch yourselves , and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds…even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.” (Mosiah 4:30) This warning is reflected in a common phrase “think before you speak” which brings to mind the many times that you, or someone you know has regretted the things they said—things they probably WOULDN’T have said if they had thought about the consequences.
In this season of political turmoil, political slips of the tongue—or gaffes—seem to highlight the headlines in our media. While much of political discourse is premeditated and carefully planned, the things that seem to have the greatest effect on potential voters are the unscripted, unrehearsed things that slip out. Consider the now-famous statement by Governor Sarah Palin that you can see Russia from her home state of Alaska. This single statement, though initially innocuous, has evolved into oft-repeated versions of her statement that have lost the original meaning. Versions such as “I can see Russia from my porch” permeate the media more than any actual statement that Palin has said. In today’s hyper-active mediated world, it has become almost impossible to avoid such misinterpretations of even harmless statements. Indeed, the permeation of the media into the lives of public figures has created an unattainable ideal for them…for who, ever, is flawless part of the time, to say nothing of all the time.
Jean Gebser outlined five stages of consciousness that do much to help us understand the evolving societal standard of the relationship between thought and action. In the first—or archaic—stage, mankind is barely aware of their communal existence. In this setting, it was often every-man-for-himself, and any sense of thought before action would have been minimal. In the quest for survival, actions were often as instinctive as anything. In the second—or magic—stage, a sense of community begins to emerge, and relationships are unavoidably formed. Society is characterized by superstition and magic like voo-doo. These beliefs are reflective of the thought that their actions had begun to have consequences. Thus, you would do or not do certain things to get or avoid the result. In the mythic stage, the concept of “I” begins to emerge. You start to see divisions in society, and people’s thoughts about possibilities even beyond the laws of nature begin to dictate their actions. In the perspectival stage, individuals are beholden to a rational or mental perspective. In this stage, every action is seen as having an “equal and opposite” reaction. This logical state of consciousness is where we most fully see ourselves at this time. If I do this, then this will happen. It is the foundation for every law-based society. The very functioning of the legal system is predicated on the fact that there are consequences for our actions. In fact, we make distinctions between pre-meditated crimes and crimes of passion. Pre-meditated crimes indicate thought before action, a weighing of possible consequences, and a decision to commit the crime anyway. These pre-meditated crimes bring harsher punishments, as a logical person would expect. The final stage of consciousness is the integral stage. In this stage, people begin to see all parts at once. The art equivalent of this concept is cubism—the most famous cubism artist was Picasso, and his art is characterized by seeing all sides of an object or person simultaneously on a two-dimensional plain. Our “modern” world seems to be moving toward this integral stage, and examples abound. To return to the example of the legal system, in this stage it becomes more than a matter of what is logical. If someone has committed a crime, a logical society would say that they should be punished. An integral society might say that his rights—to life, for example—supersede the punishment affixed.
So, while the evolution of the relationship between thought and action has evolved in meaning over time, the relationship between thought and action is undeniable.