What Happens When Your Brain Has Nothing to Do
Scientists discovered your "inactive" mind does the most crucial work of all
Your mind is being robbed, 5.4 hours at a time.
Not your attention—though that’s being stolen too. Something deeper. Something that happens in the quiet moments between thoughts, when your brain does its most important work: making sense of your life.
The other day, I wrote about the theft of attention and how we trade our attention whenever we receive new information.
One of the key insights was that we need to ensure the information we consume is worth our attention. If not, we feel drained, sapped, depleted—this powerful resource taken from us without us even knowing it.
But there’s another theft happening. One that’s more subtle, more devastating, and almost entirely invisible.
The Invisible Loss
We were born with legs to run—but don’t run anymore because we drive everywhere, thanks to the invention of the wheel. Our senses of sight and sound are diminished, not because we don’t use them, but because we overuse them through radios, TVs, and endless screens.
The technology we create to improve our lives inevitably changes our humanity. And it doesn’t always change us for the better.
So what is the newest technology—AI—stealing from us? I’ve explored this before, writing about how ChatGPT begins to think for us and how humanity is falling in love with it because it taps into one of the primordial forces of reality: language.
But there’s something else being taken. Something scientists didn’t even understand until recently.
What Scientists Discovered About Your “Inactive” Brain
Scientists used to think that when we aren’t focused on a specific task, our brains are more or less inactive. They were wrong, no surprise, as they were initially looking at this from an entirely materialistic view.
Research has revealed the opposite: when we let our minds wander and passively watch the world go by, our brain engages in crucial unconscious processes. It helps us make sense of our lives, integrate past experiences into a coherent story, and plan for the future.
I mentioned some strategies in that article, but one important piece I didn’t call out was the phenomenon of mind wandering.
From the same
video we mentioned in the attention, information heist, we learn about the neurologist Marcus Raichle, a leading expert on mind-wandering, who discovered that the more we allow our minds to drift,“the better [we] are at having organized personal goals, being creative, and making patient, long-term decisions.
You will be able to do these things better if you let your mind drift, and slowly, unconsciously, make sense of your life.”
This quote echoes what I wrote about in “Three Behaviors That Industrialization Stole from Us,” specifically, our ability to think. Not just actively thinking about something, but passively allowing the mind to wander so thoughts can enter our mental atmosphere.
The Difference Between Thinking and Receiving
In one of my very early works—years ago at this time—I wrote an article called, “Don’t Believe Everything You Think.” In that article, it shows the difference between “active thinking” and “passive thoughts.” [Please bear with me with that first article, as I was still finding my voice as a writer]
There’s a profound distinction between when we actively think and when we passively allow thoughts to come to us.
These passive thoughts are the “aha” moments that arise when our subconscious has organized information from our active thinking. We’ve all experienced these moments of spontaneity—in the shower, on a walk, lying down with eyes closed.
These scenarios create fertile ground for the mind to wander. The mind—though associated with the head—extends far beyond it, existing as an etheric field of information that resonates with our brain. This view is scientifically supported, even if not widely known.
But here’s the problem: your devices have colonized these moments.
The Space Where Insights Live
The mind needs to wander. It needs to take all your active thinking and connect the dots. But those dots can only be connected if we intentionally choose to let it wander—not filling every moment with devices and distractions.
This understanding drives my article “We don’t have ideas, Ideas have us,” where I show how moments of insight are ‘downloaded’ to our consciousness when we cultivate space to receive them.
But in our technology-saturated world, we’ve eliminated this space. As one American titan said—either Ford or Rockefeller—“I don’t want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of doers.”
Society doesn’t want you to think. That’s why industrialization replaced “boredom” with “entertainment”—literally entrapping the mind.
Reclaiming What Was Stolen
This very article emerged from me going for a walk and reflecting on my previous piece about attention theft. That’s mind-wandering in action.
Technology is here to stay. We may not run as much as our ancestors, but with awareness and intention, we can correct what society has taken from us.
To return to our humanity, we must be intentional not just with our attention, but with our non-attention. We must consciously do nothing, allowing the subconscious to work.
As this weekend begins, take time not only to actively plan your attention, but to let your mind wander.
You’ll be amazed by the insights you download.
The deeper you think, the more clearly you see. Be the person who creates space for wisdom in a world that’s forgotten how to be still.
As always, thanks for the time and attention. Have a great and wonderful day.
Ashe,
Franklin O’Kanu.
Understanding Technology’s Impact on Humanity
Below are the following articles that I have written on how technology changes us:
The $0 App That’s Stealing Your Attention (July 2025). We swap our attention whenever we receive new information, and most of the time, that information isn't worth our focus. This leaves us feeling drained as our most powerful resource gets stolen without us knowing it.
Don’t Believe Everything You Think (March 2023). The crucial difference between “active thinking” and “passive thoughts” - and why understanding this distinction is essential for reclaiming your mental sovereignty.
Three Behaviors That Industrialization Stole From Us (August 2024). Society systematically removed our natural human capacities, including our ability to think deeply. What we lost wasn’t just physical—it was mental and spiritual.
How ChatGPT Begins to Think for Us (January 2025). We’re outsourcing our thinking to AI instead of developing our own cognitive abilities. When machines do our thinking, we lose the capacity to think for ourselves.
Why People Are Falling in Love With ChatGPT (July 2025) ChatGPT taps into language - one of the primordial forces of reality - which explains why humanity is becoming so deeply attached to this technology.
We Don’t Have Ideas, Ideas Have Us (February 2025). True insights are ‘downloaded’ to our consciousness when we cultivate the space to receive them. But that space is disappearing in our technology-saturated world.
A Spiritual Guide
If you’re already aware about this world, but want to take a step toward becoming the best human you can be, you can check out my guide.
11 Insights for Being The Best Human This 50-page guide is the clearest map I’ve created for navigating the madness of modern life. It blends ancient wisdom, spiritual clarity, and grounded daily ritual — helping you remember who you are and why you’re here.
If the world feels off, this guide will confirm why — and help you take back control.
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Years ago I took classes for Transcendental Meditation, and that included "let your mind wander" as you describe. I need to practice it more today. Thanks Franklin.
Richard just reminded me of Transcendental Meditation, thanks Richard. Every night, as a wind down, I go to my room and talk to my family. "Hi Ma. Daddy, can you take care of the boys while I shop. Juanita, I'm making apple crisp for you. Connie, lets go shopping. Roger, I miss you so much". I talk out loud to my lost family remembering so much that I no longer have.
For years I cursed God for taking my husband away from me. One night, I started crying and couldn't stop asking God to forgive me for blaming Him. In a sudden quiet moment I realized that God put him in my path, a man whom I could not pass by and He gave me 30 years of the greatest man I have ever met. This is what happens to me when my mind has nothing to do.