Often we talk about resolutions to change something in our lives at the start of the new calendar year in January but with trending cooler temperatures with the advent of Fall, I thought of a good one for everyone to work on.
Work with more effort to be a critical thinker.
This dawned on me from reading so many opinion pieces and also social media commentary where people just seemed to mouth statistics, ideas, thoughts, feelings, like they were a robot of the next person.
SO OFTEN, the underlying premise of what they were talking about, was built on a FALSE FOUNDATION, or the conclusion about their thought, if they looked at it in any slight greater depth, was ALL WRONG. Now using the word WRONG these days can get you in all sorts of trouble, if something is subjective or built on OPINION. But often this is NOT the case. There are real facts behind some things that cannot be ignored. Well they are indeed ignored. You know the fun saying, "Don't bother me with the facts!!" Pick and choose your battles, your engagements, with telling people they are not understanding something based on FACTS. They often DO NOT want to hear this I have found. We have these TRIBES nowadays where little groups just want NO DISCUSSION when it comes to disagreement, just nodding heads saying what you say is WONDERFUL.
But individually at least, BECOME A CRITICAL THINKER, and learn what is going on FOR REAL for yourself.
- read many sources
- listen to many people
- do not be quick to judge and summarize and conclude so fast
- relish in being an open minded person
- be kind to everyone and not lash out that they are wrong but point out facts
- do not be dissuaded that you are attacked for presenting "truth", just present, and move on
- be open to early evidence you learn that there may even be contrary evidence that a conclusion might not be definite, but both sides have a point. Some issues turn out that way
- be at peace, that the why of something, may never come, we do not always get all the answers we seek
- FIND those few people in life you can discuss things with you, who may even vehemently disagree with you, but will still be your friend. They are rare
- Be proud that you have become a critical thinker, and not a robot with someone programming your mind. You too will find YOU have become a rare bird in today's modern world. There are not many critical thinkers left.
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