There’s nothing more beautiful in life than the quest for wisdom.
The American Writer R. Buckminster Fuller once said,
“The more we learn, the more we realize how little we know.”
To quench the thirst, we introspect, we open ourselves to the possibilities, and we take notes on life — with deliberation. Wits lace the road ahead with lessons as tools and make it easier to trudge through life toward the aisle of our calling. This, however, cannot be gleaned overnight.
On some days we learn and translate learning into practice; on other days we just forget about the lessons — without realization.
There’s no such thing as being right all the time! Yet, we can increase this percentage through critical analysis and thinking.
The art of critical thinking takes time to sink deeper into our lives, but as they say, practice in the right direction beckons towards ascent.
When some stuff needing a critical view finds your way, here are three easy yet effective ways to attack it.
Probe into what seems rather less known
Despite all the love and longing for knowledge, there are things we don’t know — at least not in a complete sense. Oftentimes, we might know some stuff, but amid the lack of connectivity in our thoughts, the perspective lacks coherence. So the good rule of thumb that I have found useful (almost) always is to probe into the things we aren’t sure about. This invites clarity and connectivity from the inside out. Some philosophical questions, for example, can only be answered from a personal perspective. There’s no absolute truth for them; however, a deeper understanding knits your answer into the fabric of logical answers.
If someone asks you about real freedom of human life, the more you know, the easier it will be to facilitate the speed and connection in your thoughts and understanding for the other person.
Deep down, we all know where our knowledge about a particular topic stands. Using that intuitive guess to find out more about the topic at hand will cultivate depth in the way you look at things.
Inquire yourself about what does not always hold
Oftentimes, there are dents even in well-known arguments. What molds the layman’s impression of them? A thing that rings true for one party does not always hold for another.
To broaden the critical view, one must figure out those dents. Some questions might help along the way. For example: Why do they hold (or do not hold)? Under what conditions do they hold, and when don’t they?
For example, we humans have been bestowed with free will, but to assume that we are indeed free is an illusion. What makes things so? Possibly society, upbringing, experiences, knowledge, and most importantly, the consequences of freedom of choice.
Painting the canvas with an inquiry about dents designs a clear roadmap where you know the instances that beg to differ from held beliefs and notions. This completes step 2.
Dodge the judgments by chasing connectivity.
We, humans, innately have inclinations toward judgments. In the cascade of thoughts, feelings, and experiences, we make judgments our way. However, regardless of what these ripples have to say, the truth has connectivity- a flow. When we chase that flow, the thoughts, the feelings, and the experiences fall in line to align with intuition. Something that you went through somehow shaped your perspective; the thoughts are embedded in memories, yet there’s a gut feeling depicting the unseen light and hidden darkness.
Everything has a connection, they say. I have learned through my life experiences that a situation does not expect us to keep digging; it expects us to find a connection.
If we find a connection enveloped by a natural flow, we feel the joy of traveling the true road. Knowledge, of course, knows no bounds, but consistency is enough to develop a critical and broadened view of a topic.
Your takeaway
There’s no such thing as figuring out all about some things. When you go for an exam, you cannot search every nook and cranny of the internet for a topic. Yet, if there’s a surety that you know all you need to know at that level and there’s fathomable connectivity in all the pieces, you have satisfied the situation.
So, to improve your critical analysis, spotlight the keywords and phrases that you need to understand more, discern the context that adds dents in some arguments, and open yourselves up to connection in what you know, think, and feel because,
“When you pay attention to detail, the big picture will take care of itself.”-
Georges St-Pierre
