Critical Thinking

Being clear, analytical and critical in one's thought or trying to evaluate every detail so as to come up with a sound judgment — that's sure what critical thinking is all about (or is it?)

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My mum studied for her masters in a seminary and while she was there, the course she was taking needed her to take classes in psychology and well, she did. Well, not a "regular" type of masters program because the lecturers there are "ever-present"

There was this day that she came back home saying the lecturer gave them an exercise which has to do with critical thinking. All they need do is choose a topic (or an event they have witnessed) and think over it critically. After that, record their findings ( things they discovered before and after the exercise)

Well, my Mum has never been someone to think hard over something, honestly (well, except for when it happens to be the only option)

And there was a challenge waiting for her which she gladly went for it! But it came with its challenges…

The first day she tried it out, she ended up with a bad headache which she attributed to the fact that she has had issues with her head at some point (after inhaling a chemical) and too much strain gives her headaches but something I noticed is that it got better with each trial. I guess she kind of slowed down a bit or maybe her brain adjusted to the new thing happening to it?

She chose a topic that she needed to understand more of and after the exercise, according to her, she was able to see things in a light that she has never seen before, revealing all of those intricate details that were somewhat hidden within the lines

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Critical thinking sure does have a way of expanding our reasoning potential, it challenges us and reveals hidden details

Critical thinking isn't at all bad if we use it for the right reasons but I think in situations that have to do with decision make it's it's important we give intuition a chance as well.

Because while our though might seem perfect, there is only so much it can do. I do believe that critical thinking should go hand in hand with our intuition when it comes to decision making

And when we apply our ability to think critically to our relationships with people around us or our loved ones, we may end up ruining relationships and the connection we have built with others. All of a sudden, those little flaws that didn't matter moments ago becomes irritating to you...

There are some fields that need one to be really critical in order to deliver their jobs well. For example, a detective do need the ability to think critically, else he is gonna end up flopping every case he will have to handle

Being able to think critically, however, doesn't mean we won't make mistakes because no matter how critical we may think things through, there are bound to be little loops where we may miss

A critical thinker is one that has the ability to solve problems when no one can, however, they can be one to create problems where there is none too. For example, in relationships...

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Once in a while, get out of your comfort zone, question those things you think you know, questions some of those beliefs and things you have learned over the years and see what you come up with.

It shouldn't be all about the flaws that have been in your journey or how wrong some decisions have been or even how "stupid" you feel for believing certain things, it's about understanding these flaws and taking steps towards making things better. It should also be about realizing all of those things you have done which you have taken for granted.

One of the issues critical thinkers tend to have is thinking endlessly over things without making efforts to do better things with their finding and that is really sad because it cripples the power of being able to think critically.

In the end, balance is key and also understanding where and when to use that ability (to think critically) which we all have, for the betterment of our lives and that of others as well.

Think critically if you need to, but don't forget to listen to your intuition too sometimes because they do deliver messages too, messages that thoughts can't easily bring.

Much Love — Audrey❤