Watch the video first—then, come back and catch your breath. Can you imagine what change for the better there would be in this country if every teacher were like the one in this video? Can you envision how much stronger the United States would be if every student were as willing to submit to such a thought process and learn to think for himself? Yes, there would be a remarkable difference.
Every day, we are exposed to opinions. We constantly hear that whirlwind of “He said . . . She said . . . They say.” But, as demonstrated in the video, we need to know not what they say, but what you think.
We need to learn the art of learning to think for oneself, to decipher fact from legend, to scratch the surface to see what’s really being said. We need to learn how to process information. We need to weigh both sides to get the full picture. Once we can do this, we can more accurately and fairly ingest information, as well as become more capable of explaining things to others.
When evaluating anything—whether it is a news or opinion article, an essay or tweet—it’s simple when you use the THINK process:
Take your time
Have some skepticism
Inspect the facts
Never be on automatic
Know your source
Let’s walk through it.
- Take your time. Be willing to let the article say its piece. Go back and read over portions that seem unclear, fishy, or repetitive. Break up the sentences. Dissect them to make sense of what is being said. Let it soak it; take your time understanding it.
- Have some skepticism. While you should be willing to let the article say its piece, it is also wise to have some level of skepticism. And if an author is continually bashing something or someone, or hastily attaches inflammatory labels, a red flag should fly up in your face.
- Inspect the facts. Examine what a source holds as a fact. There are some facts that we all know to be true. (The sun gives off heat. You are a human. Dogs have tails.) There are other “facts” which are in reality opinions inserted to mislead and guide your thinking. For instance, consider the fictional headline “New Footage Released Of January 6 Insurrection”. Whether you consider the events of January 6th an insurrection depends on your personal opinion and politics.
- Never be on automatic. This step is simple, yet sometimes difficult. Just because a source is reputable, don’t automatically accept their opinion for yours.
- Know your source. Check your sources. Some have a well-known history of stretching the truth or just outright lying. For example, if you are a Conservative reading a news article about Trump’s legal cases, and the same news platform also published something with a pro-choice slant, expect the news they generate to be biased. Be on your guard. Also, who the source quotes is important.
Remember, the more you practice THINK, the faster and better you’ll get at it. The key is to keep in mind it’s not what they say, it’s about what you think. We have the freedom and responsibility to discover what is right and wrong for ourselves. We need to push past the opinions of others, no matter how trendy they may seem, to form our own.
America, let’s start to THINK!
