I'm not sure if I could tell the difference-between just staring into space and thinking. We're usually thinking all the time, aren't we? Not that we live in order to think, but the opposite isn't true either-that we think in order to live. I believe, contrary to Descartes, that we sometimes think in order not to be. Staring into space might unintentionally have the opposite effect.
In Haruki Murakami's "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman," the author explores the nature of thought and existence. He questions whether there is a distinction between thinking and simply staring into space, suggesting that we often engage in thought without conscious intent. This raises the idea that while thinking is a part of life, it does not necessarily define our existence.
Murakami challenges the philosophical notion that "I think, therefore I am" by positing that sometimes, thinking can serve as a means to avoid being present. He implies that when we lose ourselves in thought, it can distract us from our reality, almost suggesting that such distraction might lead us away from true existence.