Iconoclast: Reclaiming our Mind

This will be the first of a series of blogs that will draw a basic picture of a new way I've chosen to think in terms of life and the world. My hope is that others will read these blogs and make the informed decision to look at the world from a different perspective just as I've chosen to. Personally, I think it would be a disservice to everyone if I withhold this information. For the sake of space and time, these blogs will be brief yet descriptive. Eventually the content within these blogs will be incorporated into my first non-fiction book that I may or may not publish on the public market in the distant future.

***

Recently, I decided to step away from the political field for good. Now it wasn't like I woke up one morning and told myself, "I don't think I'll vote anymore." It was instead a series of circumstances that brought one revelation after another. Now I don't want it to sound like I was some kind of prophet that started receiving visions one day. What did happen though was the constant need of keeping my mind busy. This allowed me to stumble across several videos which then led to the purchase and reading of several books that all taught me one vital skill that most do not have today. "Critical thinking."

When I was younger, I remember learning in middle school about the term, but I cannot remember actually being taught the skill itself. My guess is that the skill was only encouraged on the academic level. We could critically think about a text we just read out of some fiction book, or a hypothetical scenario, but to actually think critically about everything you've ever been taught was not only not taught, but it was subtly discouraged.

What is critical thinking? Basically it's asking questions. How many times have you heard something repeated over and over and you just accepted it as fact? Either because you truly believed it as fact or because you didn't care to question it? All of us have, still continue to do so, and probably always will. However, once you begin questioning things, that is when you are on your way to finding the actual truth. Socrates laid this skill out in what is referred to as the Socratic Method.

• Listen to the other person's view and point.

• Reflect on what you heard

• Cross examine and refine (ask for sources and test their position)

• Restate the new viewpoint based off the provided information.

• Repeat.

Let me give a personal example. For most of my young adult life I was always right leaning on a lot of things. Unquestionably (pun intended). Something the right is always known for is doomsday thinking. Tell me I'm wrong, we want our guns because of potential threats, we want a strong military because of potential threats, we want to build bunkers because of potential threats, we don't trust most of what the government says because of potential threats. You get the point. Now let's say hypothetically that a certain voice of the right says, "such and such group has said in a dark room somewhere that the water is going to be poisoned on this day." and lets say this information goes viral on all right-wing platforms. What is it those who devoutly follow these platforms do? They rush out and fill their Amazon carts with water purification systems, they fill their grocery cart with gallons of distilled water, and they buy guns to protect the water they just bought.

On the contrary, a critical thinker would say, "What group is this? What body of water or water system are they specifically referring to? Poisoned in what way? What means do that have to even accomplish this? Or simply just "What evidence is there of this?" Even if the questions are answered, the critical thinker could even go one step further and do their own research based off the answers they hear with the open mind that their own assumptions could be wrong. This is how scientists think. They are willing to accept the possibility of being wrong.

Now let's look at things from the left side. Let's say a leftwing voice says "such and such has said this particular human right is going to be taken from you." A critical thinker would ask, how could they actually pull this off? If so, how would it be enforced? Is the language the messenger is using intending on generating an emotional response or are they simply relaying information? Are they telling us this to inform us or are they trying to stir up trouble?"

As you have probably noticed by now, this is a skill that is severely lacking on both sides. Neither side bothers to listen to the other side because both sides are convinced they are right and all other viewpoints are wrong. Our debates are centered around the sake of being right rather than learning from one another. I will give the left credit and say that they are usually more willing to hear a difference of new viewpoints but they still have those who are not willing to hear more traditional ideals. We have such a fear in this world of being wrong that we never ask ourselves, "what if I'm wrong?" That one question alone can open your mind up to a lot of possibilities. It's a natural instinct to be close minded because we think we are guarding our minds by doing so. When the reality is that we are more vulnerable this way, it can cause us to be easily manipulated by the biggest influence of our respective echo chamber.

A true critical thinker would even go so far as to question the very system that these polarized sides exist under. Is democracy truly the best system? Are we even in a democracy? What system would be better for humanity as a whole? We are afraid of asking such questions because we are afraid of being called every name under the sun. (Marxist, traitor, terrorists, commie, extremist, troll, etc...) Even worse is the idea of being called these things by those who are close to us. We need to remember though that these are just ad homonyms, and don't actually define what we are. You are none of these things unless you want to be. What you actually are is a critical thinker.

To be clear, critical thinking is not the same as being a conspiracy theorist. A conspiracy theorist will form theories based off unanswered questions to explain a scenario or flat out refuse to believe the available information. (cough...cough...flat earthers...) A critical thinker will accept the fact that not all questions have an answer. For example, we know gravity is real but the critical thinker understands that we do not yet have enough information to understand what it is. Whereas the conspiracy theorist will claim gravity is made up simply because we don't have those answers,

I'm going to save going in depth politically for the next blog entry, but as we approach election season, if you insist on continuing in the same pendulum system that we've grown accustomed to, try doing this for everything you hear coming from the mouths of both sides. I know this sounds like elementary advice, but if this practice was applied more often, things wouldn't be so divided as they are now. How many times have you heard, "Don't like it than leave." Why is this such a common phrase? Is America not the country that is the refuge for free thought and expression? Suggesting a better avenue for us to live under falls under free thought does it not? True freedom means you have the freedom to care or not to care. The freedom to vote or not vote. The freedom to suggest a better course or suggest we stay. If you agree with these things, then use them as a template to question yourself on where you stand politically. Are you there because it's how you were raised? Are you there because you've never truly listened to the other side? Or are you there because you really want to be?

Even outside of politics its good to practice this skill with everything in life. Your workplace, your religion, your relationships, and your overall stance on life. Think as Socrates did and how the scientists do, and be willing to not only admit when you're wrong, but be willing to accept it as well. Once we overcome the desire to always be right, there is no greater feeling of freedom. Be careful though not to go overboard in doing so, not everything requires constant questioning. Don't question everything your partner says to you and destroy your own trust and harm your relationship. Instead, use discernment and guard your mind against those who attempt to sway it through means of emotional manipulation or propagandized discourse. After some practice, you'll be able to recognize both. For me, once I began doing so, I was constantly surprised at how often I found myself disagreeing with the voices I used to think were well versed in the things they talked about. It helped me to understand that it's possible the viewpoints I always held are wrong at times, and those in places of influence are human and not gods.

For the remainder of this series of blogs, everything mentioned will come from using this simple skill. It's helped in my writing career, it helped in my personal life, and it helped me to break free from political, mental, and emotional enslavement. I promise it will do the same for you.