Thinking is hard but rewarding

I.M Soni

Many youngsters think that they are good thinkers without realising that thinking is the hardest thing to do because it is easier to live on ‘borrowed’ thinking. Ask any youngster the reason for his poor performance in examination and the spontaneous reply is that the question paper was out of the course. Others find refuge in chance, fate or coincidence because it is difficult to think and blame the self. Thinking requires a peep into the self and attempt analysing of one’s inner forces.

A misty mind cannot produce a clear perspective. Muddled thinking makes for ‘muddy’ decisions. This makes for inefficiency and indiscipline everywhere whether it is the class room or the teachers’ staff room.

On the other hand, a clear mind brings order out of chaos, saves wasting time on trifles, takes you to the core of your problem and shows you the way out. Fight a foggy mind!

Few students think more than two or three times a year, especially near the annual examinations.

In many cases, what they call thinking is nothing but a mental impute. They jump to conclusions which are confusions!

Prejudice which is preconceived thinking is a stumbling block as it stems from a mixture of fiction, half-baked platitudes and borrowed ideas. This is the outcome of an untrained mind which has been nurtured on ‘parrot’ learning. Examinations are a test of memory not intelligence.

A few loose facts about the ‘art of’ thinking will clear mental webs and put one on the path of clear thinking.

Learn to connect things and happenings as they do not just fall from the blue.

Judge your own self in a dispassionate way. It is your responsibility. One must remember that actions have consequences.

Examine what others say and weigh their words. Words have meanings and shades. They are like glow-worms. The glow comes from the meaning of the word and the word itself is like a worm.

Too much dependence on quotes cripples thinking. Read them and sponge on their meaning but do not use them as ‘crutches’. Too much dependence on borrowed thinking blurs critical thinking which is the like a spur to progressive thought.

Converse with minds superior to your own: Cross-fertilization of minds pays just as well as the one who wrestles with you strengthens your muscles!

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