Dark Thoughts

Dark thoughts. We all have them. I am not necessarily talking ones of a sexual nature though they would certainly fall under that umbrella. They can revolve around comments about individuals or groups of people. They can focus on the characteristics or qualities of individuals, including ourselves. They can include actions we could take regarding our own preferences as they apply to ourselves or even others. The list of examples is pretty much endless. Whatever the specific subject or focus of  these kind of thoughts, generally a striking similarity they all share is that they are thoughts we keep to ourselves.

We keep them "dark" because if known to others, then would either be very embarrassing, lead others to think less of us, or possibly trigger negative actions toward us. Consequently, as a rule, we keep them safely tucked away in our own minds. One interesting characteristic of these kind of thoughts is that we do not mean them or, even if the opportunity presented itself, we would not act on them. So, one might ask, why have them? Despite their inappropriateness or even ugliness, they can be fun to have; serve as a safe release to help us deal with our anger or frustration. For instance, would I really want to "kill" that driver who cut me off in traffic? No way. Not ever.

Dark thoughts represent a common step in our own internal communication process that we often take on our way toward formulating thoughts much more appropriate for public consumption and even action. Dark thoughts, then, are nothing to be ashamed of unless they do see the light of day and end of being used against us. Sometimes folks make the mistake of sharing inappropriate or dark thoughts that should never be unveiled. Generally, this is a mistake unless the person on the receiving end can be trusted not to pass them onto others. Dark thoughts, then, are ok so long as they are kept in their proper place.