When it is not doing that, it is rejecting, denying or avoiding anything that conflicts with its perception. On one hand, thought wants to know something so it can end its investigation. That is why it seeks answers and conclusions as opposed to possibilities and probabilities. Although thought wants to end its investigation, it accumulates knowlege so that it can substantiate or prove that its perception is accurate. Thus, thought is constantly in conflict with itself or its environment.
Conflict creates conflict, never peace.
That is why thought is unable to resolve the conflict it creates. To have peace, you must begin with peace. That is why it is so important to set aside at least twenty minutes a day to allow the mind to quiet down. Thought will come to an end if you attentively observe it. Quiet and attentive observation is meditation.