Let’s face it, thinking is painful! It’s inconvenient, time-consuming and just plain hard. Finding time is a chore, doing it is hard, and conclusions can make us uncomfortable.
Time
Critical Thinking takes time–lots of it. It takes your undivided attention. It is not possible to think through a problem while doing other tasks, no matter how mundane or simple the task.
Don’t believe me? Try this, get out an old high school math book and try a word problem. Most do not involve any special formulas, all it requires is thinking through the problem and using basic algebra. Simple word problems is one of the best ways to increase critical thinking. Even in advanced math you still have to do word problems.
As a matter of fact, try this problem:
Forty per cent of the number of beavers is 9 greater than the number of skunks. If the ratio of beavers to skunks is 3 to 1, how many beavers and how many skunks are there?
Easy right.
Now, try this problem, but turn on the radio to some talk show and when you finish the problem write a brief synopsis of what the radio host said.
The number of greens exceeded the sum of the reds and the blues by nine. The sum of the blues and greens exceeded 4 times the number of reds by 1. How many of each kind were there if there were 2 more reds than blues?
This is much harder. If you were able to do it at all it is only because these is a very simple question. It is impossible to develop a deep theology or reaction to a cultural phenomenon while distracted. You must give it quality time.
Work
Critical Thinking takes work–hard work. The above examples proved that. It took some effort to complete those problems. Thinking about life takes even more effort. It hurts. Everyone is lazy. It takes discipline and self-control to willingly work hard on abstract ideas. It is easier to mow the lawn than to sit down for 20 minutes or an hour to work out the morality of an issue.
There have been many times, I have seen an issue and thought about writing on it and deferred because, “That would take too much, and I’m too tired. It’s too much work.” If you don’t believe thinking is hard. Take the next ten days and write a one page essay on a moral issue ever day, and you will see how hard it is.
Inconvenience
Critical Thinking is inconvenient. Not only does it take time and work, but when you are done you often find that you have to change your views or lifestyle. You find that you have been incorrect in doctrine, or in practice, or you find people close to you are in error and need to be corrected. This is inconvenient. Correcting yourself or others is never a pleasant process, but a necessary one.
[...] I posted Thinking Hurts!. In light of that, why do Christians need to think? Since it takes lots of time and work; if [...]
I disagree with your some of your points. I find that Time really is not an issue in the original deliberation. well ,it is, what matters is how devoted one is to the subject at hand. Usually what I do to find time is do a deliberation over a longer period of time. Inevitably as one goes through the day there will be times to Think and even multi-tasking you can get a little thinking done (if not a lot) Still this spreading out over time takes longer and makes it harder for continuous publication of thoughts on Paper.
That brings me to what really pains me, writing. This is the part I dread. For many things I know exactly what to put down because I have though about it already. However, sitting down and typing out about 2 pages takes about 45 minutes a page and I don’t usually have that much time on My hand.
Still all in all, I agree with the majority of what you say, Many people dont think because it is a pain, but in the end thinking liberates the mind and helps both spiritually, morally, and mentally.
I think your comment makes my point exactly.
“Usually what I do to find time is do a deliberation over a longer period of time.”
No matter how you spread your time you still have to take time to think. Most people are too lazy to think through an issue even when they are bored and have nothing else to do.
And putting pen to paper is in my opinion, a critical part of the thinking process. I would say it takes you so long to write because you have to organize your thoughts and record them in a systematic, understandable manner.
[...] its good to think a little as said by my friend [...]