Pathwalking 121
Critical thinking takes time and energy.
We live in a society where things happen almost impossibly fast. We can communicate instantly across the globe, we can pull up the weather on our smartphones in seconds, we can research information across the internet with a few keyclicks and so on.
We have come, as such, to expect instant gratification. We want what we want, and we want it NOW. We get caught up in our mundane routines, and we let them carry us along without pausing very often to explore whether we want to go with this flow or find another. We live in a society that has come to accept a victim mentality, where accountability and intellect are considered rebellious and dangerous and extremist. We are always on the go, always in a rush, and we are led to believe there is nothing we can do about it.
This is simply not true. We CAN do something about this. We have so very much more control over our lives than we accept. We have the power to be empowered by ourselves, and we do not need to let anyone else do our thinking for us.
Now here’s the rub. By and large, critical thinking takes time. It is not something that fits in with our society, it is not an instantaneous process we can simply breeze by. Critical thinking requires a process of discovery, of analysis, of exploration, contestation, and either acceptance or denial of the idea once the steps have been completed and the notion evaluated.
Last week I looked at The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Jose Ruiz. The fifth agreement states plainly – Be skeptical, but learn to listen. It does not matter whether you ascribe to the rest of the philosophy espoused in the agreements, this one can be literally translated to think critically. It is only with critical thinking that we can take and have control over our own lives, and our own destinies.
Pathwalking is not about making blind choices and pushing with simple faith and positive attitude to attain a goal. Pathwalking is not about taking control and trying to live life in a way that is strictly counter to the norm. Pathwalking requires critical thinking.
I can’t just look at the paths before me, close my eyes, and choose. If I do that, I wind up back at the crossroads, because in truth I made no real choice. There will ALWAYS be paths, always be choices, and for every action this is an equal and opposite reaction. I have explained before that Pathwalking requires analysis, it requires exploration, and as such it requires critical thinking.
This is an ongoing process. Practically no decision is final, practically no choice cannot be reversed, we can discover along the way that any given path can be changed, altered, even discarded for another. This is why critical thinking is so deeply important.
News headlines today are sensationalist and misleading. Modern journalists, or probably more importantly modern editorial staffs, are aware that the more catchy and sensational a headline, the more likely someone will buy it. They also recognize that in our busy, high-speed no-time world, many will never go past the headline, and take what is there as cannon.
This is why we need critical thinkers. If we analyze what we are being fed, if we critique the information and stop to really examine our world, we can see where the cracks are. We can see what the problems REALLY are, the ones underlying the sensationalist ideas and partisan notions we are being fed. We might begin to judge and choose more regularly for ourselves, and to make this world a better place.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The problem with opinions and our world today is just how often critical thinking has not been employed before they are formed. The headline tells you about problem “X” or issue “Z”, and an opinion is instantly formed before any exploration of the story has occurred. You might wind up forming your opinion based on less than a fraction of fact, and then go on and perpetuate a fiction.
Pathwalking and choosing my own destiny, my own way, my own present requires critical thinking. I have to not just make uneducated choices for how I want to live, I have to apply critical thought, take the necessary steps, and see if this really is the path I want to choose.
Why should I take the time and expend the energy for critical thinking? Because when you analyze your choice and critique it from multiple angles, you will find more satisfaction in it. I know from my own experience that when I have critically thought about a given choice, once made the choice provided the fulfillment I desired in the first place.
If we use more critical thinking and spread the idea around, we can open more eyes and show more people that while you are entitled to your own opinion, it is imminently more worthwhile when it is formed thoughtfully and following analysis rather than spontaneously without basis in fact or reality. As we think critically and take back control of our own lives, we can show others the benefit of doing the same, and the optimist in me believes the positivity so generated can make the whole world a much better place.
Let me conclude with this: Don’t take my word for it. Critically think about it. Analyze it. Poke holes in the idea if you can. I believe if you do this, my point will resonate with you, and you will find on your own that the time and energy spent in critical thought is well worth it.
What are you thinking about now?
This is the one-hundred twenty first entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog. Thank you for joining me.
The first year of Pathwalking is available in print and for your Kindle.
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