Truly Rational?

More of a musing, but the other day I reflected that thoughts have a powerful ability to present themselves as 100% rational to our minds. There's this special feeling (that usually goes unnoticed) that causes any thought that arises in my mind to feel as though it were fully and thoroughly rational (as well as 100% true).

It can be a hard thing to catch sight of, but I had a moment where I was doing walking meditation, and I heard someone else walking nearby. My immediate thought was "Oh, I'll stop walking for a moment and stand over here so they don't see me." Which of course was fully rational. Until I paused to reflect -- "Wait, why does it matter if someone sees me? Was that truly a rational thought? Or was it founded in self-consciousness and in a desire to present a particular image of myself to others?"

Definitely the latter.