Few have it, yet we all need it
Surprise! You can no longer trust anyone anymore.
Everything you see, hear, or read needs to be doubled checked.
I didn’t say fact-checked because who checks the fact checkers?
It’s to the point now where you need to do your own research on every question you ask. You should look at your own current beliefs and ask yourself how you came to that conclusion.
Are you Democrat or Republican because that’s what your parents are?
What are the specific reasons you love or hate Donald Trump?
The “news” will feed you all the bullshit you will accept. In order to compete with social media for your time, they have to.
They will show you more of what you already agree with you so that you will remain on the couch watching their network.
Social media uses our focus to make them rich. This means news networks are losing boatloads of cash. They need to do something in order to compete.
After all, every time you turn on the tv, they need to be talking about something 24/7.
This is a tough call to answer.
I explained all that to get to the main point. All of this means the need for critical thinking is at an all-time high.
People rarely ask themselves the questions above. they hear someone popular say something and they agree with it automatically. They don’t put in the effort to dig any deeper.
If you are a critical thinker and dig deep to find your answers, you are in the minority.
You are worth your weight in gold.
This problem is not getting better anytime soon.
The skill of critical thinking will only increase in value as the years' progress.
How do you become a critical thinker?
The first step is to question everything. Next time someone makes a claim about the other side, take it with a grain of salt. People say stuff all the time and they don’t even know if they believe it or not.
They are like a parrot and repeat what they heard. Instead of making their own decisions, they regurgitate information they don’t even know is true.
Step 2
Once you dig and find an answer you are satisfied with, look at the other possibilities.
A wise man once said that those who really understand something are able to argue both sides.
If you can only argue why abortion is good and not why it’s bad, that means you don’t know the topic well enough.
Continue to do research until you feel like you can represent both sides very well in an argument.
Once you understand why people believe a certain thing, your understanding of the topic itself will increase.
Once you have done your research and can argue both sides well, there is one more step.
Step 3
You need to keep an open mind.
Once you have made your decision on a certain subject, stick to it until you are presented with a point that makes you question it again.
If the point is strong enough, you should be questioning your current belief.
This is good.
Most people refuse to believe when another person is right or that another person may have changed their mind on something.
It is good to be able to change your mind on a topic with new information.
If you believe the same things you did 10 years ago, chances are you are not growing as a person.
There are certain principles that will never change, but beyond those, look for things to change your mind often.
Then stand firm in your decision until the next good point comes up.
This is what critical thinkers do.
Why it’s worth it
Once you have this skillset down pat, you will be worth a lot of money to people.
Again, this is a rare skill and it’s only becoming more scarce. Develop it now so that you may become wealthy in the future.
It might get to the point where you can go on Indeed and apply for a job title that reads Critical Thinker.
I’m not kidding. Companies will be willing to pay a premium for someone who can provide accurate information. They want someone who can provide reason and logic to their company.
Make sure you are working on the skills that will matter in life.
