Great piece and I love the analogy with hunger. We create meaning with our values which is a mixture of our upbringing and societal lens.. The more visible the meaning, the easier you can connect with that feeling. I do think there is value in deep thought and rumination. Admittedly, when you look at the sum output of your life's ponderings, it is hard to point at where it had an impact on your life and overall well being, but of course, it had a big impact and is an important part of being human. These are the moments of deep despair and apathy as we reconcile ourselves with a new challenge or change. It is the crux and intensity of the narrative arc, and many have fallen victim to the inability to change. They are then unable to live with themselves staying the same and often self-destruct. Our capitalist world loves change. People less so. Time and outlook plays a huge part in how we react in these moments of despair and turbulence. We all journey on the rollercoaster of life and we will all eventually hit the drop. The intensity of the fall, will determine the speed of recovery. Movement is important, to slow the whirling turbines of the mind, and so is perspective. Sometimes it helps to think about the now and sometimes it helps to think long term. Sometimes it helps to think that we will all die one day and sometimes it helps to focus on the present. Sometimes you want to be all alone and sometimes you want to be loved. Sometimes you want to lead and sometimes you want to follow. Sometimes the pain of staying the same needs to be worse than the pain of changing.