You've been told to think for yourself, but really you can't



Bode was opportuned to work in a school. In the class he taught, he had an assistant–They both assistant one another.

This day, Lola went to the front of the classroom, moved to the board with chalk in her hand. In the next few minutes, she's done writing some Math  problems to be solved.

Then she turn to the kid's. "Who can tell me the answer?", she said.


Bode seeing that, his head went, wait! What?


Now, if it were to be Mr. Chan, he might not really bother. He knew Mr. Chan would have done that as means to stimulate the pupils brain. But Bode had worked with Lola for sometimes now to know enough about her approach. So he called her attention. "This kids know nothing yet", he said. "They can't think by themselves. All they can do is, garbage in garbage out."


Now, this is not about the kids or Lola, neither is it about Bode. It's about all of us. 

When people say "think for yourself!" I  wonder if they really know what they meant.


I have seen people who are brilliant enough to know which word and letter to connect in order to make up a proper sentence come to me and ask me, which word would best finish this sentence, "this one or that one?"


I don't know if you've been in a particular space where someone who seems to be the one in charge say, "I am thinking about this, but I need your opinion. What do you think?"


What is the first thing you notice?


Did you ever notice the room go quiet for sometime? Then, the one in charge of the room will now take on the job of persuasively prompting everyone to talk, as he tries to explain why everyone opinion is needed.

Then suddenly, somebody speaks. If the  question is FOCUSED ENOUGH, then you see others trying to make their own contribution too.


The truth of the matter is that, we can't think by "ourself"–this include the likes of Edison and Bill Joy.

 

Notice the singular form of ourself.


Everything we conjure up as a sentence or as thought is a response to something [which] someone had said or done.

The topic of climate change has been a thing, because everyone is contributing to it. And your own responses are formed based the opinion of others. You can't think on your own.


As you can see, this article itself is my response to something. I can't think on my own. That's why I often refer to myself as a curative.


In conclusion, I believe that if you and I can etch in corner of our mind that: EVERYTHING you had a thought about, is a RESPONSE to what someone has said, done or the things you have seen; that you can't think for yourself, neither can I, then, we would relate with one another better in a respectful way.

~PCI






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