Original Thinking

Although my memory is horrific, there are certain comments that take up permanent residence in my consciousness. 




More than a decade ago, a young friend of mine bemoaned the "lack of any original thought in general conversation." 
Recollection of that comment always brings to mind a teacher's comment made to me over 50 years ago:  "You are not here to learn what to think, but rather how to think." 




What do we think?  And why do we think it?  Is there any value in sharing our thoughts?
It seems to me that -- before radio, television, and all such airing -- conversation and connection were made up of shared thoughts.  That is, we shared our individual thoughts with one another -- not we all shared the same thoughts.




However, as my teacher would say, learning how to think -- like every other skill -- requires practice.  Critical thinking or individual thinking or original thinking -- is a learned art.  It takes place in arenas rather than vacuums.  Without a voice separate from our own -- asking, challenging, agreeing, reframing -- we are stuck in our own heads and stunted.  When the vast machinery airs its messages, we hear, accept what to think, and regurgitate it to and at each other.




The thing is -- and here comes one of my pet theories -- I believe that, as all snowflakes are said to be unique and all grains of sand are said to be different, every human perspective is absolutely unique and different from all others.  The sharing of perspectives builds knowledge, understanding, unity and community, i.e., broadens us.  The development of individual perspectives builds self-knowledge, purpose, character and life.  Regurgitation, no matter how you look at it, seems an antithetical waste.




To read is to partake of the thoughts (or regurgitations) of those who are not readily available to converse with us.  To read is to take in a voice separate from our own -- a voice expressing thoughts that might challenge, reframe, refute, confirm, and/or expand our own thoughts -- help to develop and refine our own perspective.
 
I have a great respect for classics and experts.  Classics are those works that stand the test of time.  Experts are those who have spent a great deal of time engaging with their subjects.  I have lately been reading C.S. Lewis, the great apologist and author who spent a lifetime reading, studying, writing, listening, dissecting and talking about theology.  I can't begin to articulate how his thoughts affect my own.


They say that "the world is moving at a fast pace."  They say that this is the "information era."  A wide and varied quantity of information trumps quality and depth of understanding.  Sound bytes replace conversation.  We are all out of our depth.  The same 12 months a year that C.S. Lewis and countless others focused on one subject, we must spend on hundreds.  We reinvent the wheel and regurgitate the facts.  Education is now synonymous with job training.  Not only are our perspectives imitative and manufactured, our thinking is masturbatory, and our literacy is limited to 140 characters.  We have few original thoughts to offer each other.  Our connections are shallow and our relationships are temporary.  They say that our children can read at grade level, but that most struggle with "comprehension." 


What are your thoughts about all of this?  Do me the favor and the honor of sharing your own thoughts that challenge, reframe, refute, confirm, and/or expand my own.


Here is my aside.  This line of thought always brings a particular movie to my mind.  Have you seen it?  "The Great Debaters" with Denzel Washington.  Wonderful.  :-)

I feel like movin' on

Whenever I peek into my future -- aside from all the question marks I encounter -- I consistently have the out-of-body experience of seeing myself immersed and engrossed in reading and writing.  After decades of this, I now have the happy realization that my future has arrived!  I have sincere hopes that this confluence bodes well for this blog. I am fairly bursting with things I want to share with you!

Among other things, I am reading THE SECRETS OF MARY BOWSER by Lois Leveen. It is based on the story of an emancipated slave who, after completing an extensive education, returned to Virginia -- and thus to slavery.  Interesting - very - so far.

I am also reading an autobiography by C.S Lewis called SURPRISED BY JOY.  This is my favorite type of book.  It is dense and detailed, offering lots of opportunity to see some of one's thoughts and/or experiences reflected on its pages.

A similar tome - and one which I plan to revisit next - is THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS, a creative examination of The Great Migration.  This is a wonderful book that is, happily, now in paperback.