Men obviously (though clearly not, obvious most of the time to most of the world’s
civilized, intellectualized men) are in no literal danger from thoughts;
the only actual harm sufferable is via physical assault on their bodies,
yet to hear the talking heads tell it --  the most meaningful threat to sophisticated humans is aimed at their thoughts  --  by  other thoughts;
only where the conditions for minimal survival are unstable do men feel themselves primarily in physical danger,
under all other circumstances (read: those of our readers),
the potential oppression is felt  to be one of an intangible nature
with the weapons being ones of words & ideas
(a starving man has no interest in whether Wittgenstein is covertly derivative of Russell,
while a well padded sophisticate will ignore the meal before him as he passionately debates
political philosophy with his dinner companions;
the simple matter of natural hungers [both physical & otherwise] taking their appropriate course, finding their proper expression).
 
 

The body seeks physical shelter when attacked from without;
mind runs for cover when besieged by thoughts --  but where does it go?
Where can it go, but to itself  --  to thoughts.
For the certain man, this matter would present no problem --
if the mind  --  by its nature  –  did not take it to be something serious.
He who cares enough to see it can easily determine that the human mind, from a certain view, is even more defensive and self protective than is the body
(which on the surface defies all reason in that it is man’s physiology & anatomy
that is essential for existence, and not thought),
but the clear evidence for this is strung everywhere throughout history,
and everyone’s contemporary times;
when you begin to see what is going on for yourself, the reason for mind’s
exorbitant sense of needing to defend itself at almost any cost becomes clear:
perfectly understandable for the collective, and quite unacceptable for the certain man who beyond the popular pale privately perceives the situation for what it is.
 

When the thoughts native to the certain man’s mind seem under attack --

he secretly rejoices over the fact that he is now alert enough to hear his
genetic, neural corns squeal when stepped on;
the terminally ignorant brag out about their gaining of knowledge,
while the solitary man on his way to the real picnic
is silently delighted over his increasing ignorance;
and he has a way of recognizing radical ignorance that is unique to him,
(and would sound insane to the crowd):
when something his brain/mind believes it knows feels under attack,
he relishes in the realization that once again, stupidity-in-him
has helplessly stepped forward, confessed and unintentionally identified itself.

A man with a non routine mind never runs for cover  --  forsooth --
he may for a time even actively run toward potential idea-adversaries
(you have simply got to whip those neural connections into shape; forcing them relentlessly into the gym  --
making them work on their muscular development
[a popular cliché says: “It’s a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it”
which herein takes on some real interest as per the query:
“When I am making my mind move in this way --
what is making ME make it do it?” --  but
we can ignore that for now since (again as people proverbially like to say):
“One million things at a time” huh?!])

For a man intent on seeing what is really going on,
not only is there no mental protection --  he wants none,
and would not thereof avail himself even were it extant;
attempting (as is the mortal norm) to protect & defend the thoughts
magically populating the bark of your brain’s brow
is not only natural, comfortable and effortless,
but also assures that man’s inherent misunderstanding of his inner world can be sustained in you for another seventy or forty years.
An ordinary man and his ordinary mind engaged in their normal defense of what goes on automatically in his brain at the level at which thought is produced is like a chipmunk always on guard and constantly seeking the shelter of a hole, while the dangers he unwittingly fears are holes
(if this is presently too bizarre then substitute, "chipmunks" for "holes").