TOO LAZY TO REALLY THINK

Why Many Choose Instead to React

I read somewhere recently that the true purpose of thinking is to understand our world as best as is possible. It is a fact that our minds have evolved over the centuries to think… if we care enough to exercise that important activity in earnest. When I say think, I mean to seriously think about a matter or matters in a mature, careful, considerate and thoughtful manner.

Need To Engage in Thinking Seriously

Why is it necessary for us to indulge seriously in the act of thinking? This is because we can then better understand and adapt to our environment. By indulging in the serious act of thinking, rather than mindlessly reacting to issues, individuals or situations, we are better able to make smarter decisions. In this manner, we are better able to ‘survive’ and live regardless of whether we are dealing with a family situation, an office environment, a neighbourhood association or even a social club setting.

Biased, Distorted and Uninformed

It is a fact that much of the so-called low level, what I term as ‘Division 3’ thinking is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed and/or downright prejudiced. Just listen to the speeches or utterances of hate mongers throughout the world and you will understand what I mean. These hate mongers shamelessly and recklessly peddle their version of ‘the truth‘ badly disguised as information. In this manner, they appeal to Division 3 individuals who are much too lazy or indifferent to think and evaluate the speech or utterances for themselves.

Politicians Appeal to This Segment

In the recent general elections held in Australia, a number of far right politicians from a few countries in Europe and the United States were quick to seize the opportunities presented by a biased print and electronic media. A few of these media companies have impressive but hollow tag lines such as: ‘The Most Trusted Source of News’.

Many news organisations have chosen to conveniently forget or ignore the basic tenets of professional journalism. A quick check to discover the owners of these news organisations will reveal why they have opted to adopt this biased and unprofessional approach. The fact that these organisations have to broadcast this tag line repeatedly, seems to me, an indication that many do not trust these bodies to give clear, unbiased news to their viewers/ readers. Many of the hate speeches and utterances were repeated with annoying frequency on television as a daily diet for

Division 3 thinkers.

And it worked because these individuals voted en masse for such candidates and voted also on important issues in their respective countries. In addition, because these politicians understood the mentality and the poor thinking skills of Division 3 individuals, they were able to tailor their messages for such lazy thinkers.

Benefits of Critical Thinking

We must understand that the desire of an individual to engage in critical thinking has to be both self–guided and self-disciplined.

The onus is thus on the individual to first carry out an honest audit of his current level of thinking skills.

When we engage in critical thinking, we are indulging in reflective and independent thinking. Mobs of lawless individuals running around causing havoc and mayhem are often under the influence of a puppet master. None of them are able to think for themselves and readily take their cue from the puppet master. When asked the reason why they participated in the protest or demonstration, they appear clueless and stunned.

These then are some of the benefits of critical thinking:

1 2 3 4 it improves our ability to better understand logical connections between ideas; it assists us to carefully identify, propose and evaluate arguments; it assists us to detect inconsistencies in reasoning; and finally, it helps us to solve or overcome problems with a degree of confidence.

From my experience, it takes humility, patience, courage and maturity to develop the ability to think and that too, to think critically! Understand that most problemsolving efforts will require us to engage in creative thinking as a natural consequence. The same is also the case for proper planning and decision making.