The Need for Critical Thinking

In a world that continually pressures us to conform, it can be difficult living up to the things wwe truly believe in. We are are bombarded with huge amounts of information daily and constantly pressured to go along with the opinions of the majority. However, the majority can be wrong and each of us must come to our own conclusions in this life. This means we need to be good critical thinkers which research shows we're not. Critical thinking is the ability to gather information and as objectively we can, come to our own conclusion. Unfortunately critical thinking is hard work and we often take the path of least resistance. For example, it's easy to criticize our political leaders for spending cuts to education and healthcare. But what would you do if you were in their place? The economic situation means that choices must be made. Either we cut here or we cut there or perhaps we raise taxes. None of these options are attractive but choices must still be made. The challenge is to learn as much as you can about issues, think deeply about them and then make a decision. And, always recognize that you may be wrong.