Critical Thinking: A Workout for my Mind

     Critical thinking is not just accepting what I read or hear but it is looking deeper than the surface and questioning myself as to what I think.  Critical thinking involves careful analysis of a subject or an issue and requires looking at that issue from different angles.   When it comes to reading and thinking critically, I am rather lazy. For me when I hear ‘critical thinking’ I think of a brain workout and I’m not always in the mood to exercise.  When I read to learn I like to simply be told what the truth is and then accept it, however, I know that to do this is foolish because there are lots of opinions and biases even in sources that are supposed to be objective.  
     Whenever I come upon an issue that I question, I ponder it for a bit and then my mind wanders and I don’t return to analyze the issue in-depth.  This habit of dismissing analytical thought is found in almost all areas of my life.  When a critical thought enters my mind when reading a book I jot it down in the margins or on post-it-notes and continue reading, I almost never go back to explore those thoughts later unless I have an assignment related to the book. When watching the news I often wonder if there is more to the story than they are telling or I wonder what the other side is, but my thoughts stop at the wondering stage and never make it into the analysis  stage.  I do not like politics much therefore I do not spend too much time thinking about political issues and debates; however the dishonest reputation politics have has made me very critical of politics and I question the arguments, statistics, and sources that politicians use. When it comes to politics I would rather analyze the actions and results rather than the arguments and words.  
     In writing this, I have had to analyze what my critical thinking habits are and have made some self discoveries about how inadequate my critical thinking skills are. I now realize how lazy I am with deep thinking and know that I have a lot of room to improve. I expect this class to challenge me to go beyond casual wondering and really spend time discovering what I think about different topics and issues brought up in the books we will read and in the discussions we will have. I can’t say that I’m looking forward to this semester of critical thinking because I know that my inactive thinking muscles will get sore (who likes sore muscles?) but I am looking forward to the outcomes of the challenges that await me. 

-E