Christianity, Buddhism, philosophy and psychology all have elements in common when it comes to living well. Yes, they counsel us to be good, not to cheat or hurt others or ourselves. But they also advise honest, energetic thinking about our lives and our problems. Facing problems directly and squarely opens the door to critical analysis, that is, to our questions about what we are experiencing and feeling. Jack Kornfield and Phillip Moffitt describe students and clients who have a tough time getting to a place where they can admit to themselves what they have or haven’t done in life, what they think about their lives or problems or specific subjects of thought. Sitting quietly for a time can allow the current most vexing problem to come to the forefront.
During some conversation with Lynn, I learned about the woman named Byron Katie and her procedure of helping people ask “Is it true?” about a thought, such as “she doesn’t love me” or “I’m a failure” or “I need a drink” or “I can’t go on”. Yesterday, I attended a presentation by Prof. Dona Warren of the UWSP Philosophy Department. Prof. Warren emphasizes the connections between cognitive therapy and critical thinking. Teasing out what we must be holding as truth to believe as we do and getting those suppressed premises written down helps us decide if we are leading ourselves astray with our thoughts. The very same steps of analysis, asking if it is really true that she doesn’t love me or that I am a failure came up in Warren’s presentation as Katie uses. These are the same questions that thinkers and wonderers have asked about themselves and the world since the ancient Greeks such as Socrates started doing it more than 2000 years ago.
Lynn has a bumper sticker that advises “Don’t believe everything you think.” That’s it! That is the very definition of critical thinking. Asking if what came to mind is all that true is a tool worthy of the greatest thinkers and of you and me, too.
