Wells today's topic is more about controlling your mind, and thinking critically, so when we do have Jedi's trying to make us do things we don't want to, we won't be weak minded.
Recently I read through C.S. Lewis's Abolition of Man. In this he spends a good deal of time referring to what he calls "The Green Book" which is a book that was used (I'm guessing in the 40's) for English (in Britain since that's where Lewis is from). His comments on the book are that the authors are conditioning the readers, secondary school students (equivalent of High school if you didn't know), to think differently than they have in the past. Now Lewis makes huge, incredibly deep claims on this topic which honestly I had a hard time understanding, but from what I understood he was stating this. When we look at a sunrise one might say that it (the sunrise) is sublime. I love it when I wake up and my girlfriend sends me a picture of the sunrise from on top of the hill on campus. Looking out towards the east, through the trees, phenomenal. I remember one morning I had an 8am and got up, went to class, and saw one of the most perfect sunrises I've ever seen. The sky had streaks of fiery orange, deep reds, and a deep purple, all fading into a pale yellow sky. Can't even put it into words. But those I would call sublime. Yet the authors of the Green Book wrote that the sunrise would not be sublime. It merely provokes sublime feelings in me, but it in and of itself cannot be sublime. Lewis takes this further, telling of what this thought process could lead to which is that nothing has any sort of value. It may lead to particular emotional responses from us, but those objects or events themselves cannot be worthy or merit the title of whatever (be it sublime, glorious, inferior, abominable, etc.).
The reason I bring this up is this: We have all sorts of different types of media, people, companies, and a whole host of other things trying to tell us how to think, act, what to buy, sell, want, desire, and over all how to live our lives. In particular we go to schools daily, yearly, and they tell us what to value, what to do and how to think. Sometimes, they do an alright job. Other times they drop the ball like it's a gigantic bowling ball. Through all of us we need to think critically about what we are being told.
Do I really need any type of Apple product? Absolutely not. Why? Well today's culture says that we need _____ and that _____ will make you like those you strive to be like, be it the star athlete at your school, your best friends, or your favorite movie star. But in reality, you become nothing like them other than you just dropped buko bucks on an over priced phone. Today's culture pulls you every which way demanding your attention and money, eventually leading to them wanting you to take on the identity that they give you. But going back to two posts ago, we need to work out our own identity.
Here's some scripture that supports that we (those who identify as Christians) should think critically.
John 7.24- Don’t judge by appearances, but with right judgment (compare this idea to Matt. 7.1), What is right judgment? How does on judge rightly? All relates to your values. Do you value what God values?
Matt. 7.1ff- There's a difference between judging and condemning. If you see your brother sin inform him of his sin. Look at and compare to Gal. 6.1-2. Need to think critically about someone’s actions and motives.
Prov. 1.2-7- 2-6 is to be strived (striven?) after, 7 marks of wise and foolish
And yes, I expect you to look all those up. It's only 3, deal with it. But first off read John 7.24 and Matthew 7.1 and tell me if there's a difference or even contradiction between the two. Then think, critically think, about them. Look at what I think, I think I'm right. Then again I took classes on both John and the Sermon on the Mount, so I might have some knowledge in the area.
So what kind of things should we think over?
A while ago I was meeting with a professor to work on some personal stuff. His undergrad was in psychology and he taught me that all thing, actions and emotional responses, stem from thoughts. Sometimes their incredibly quick, other times they take a while, a thought leading to a thought type deal. For example: I come up to you, whoever you are, and punch you in the face as hard as I can. First there will be pain, which is nerves sending signals to your brains saying, "You just got punched." These signals then trigger the thought that processes that you just got punched. Which leads to the thought, "What should I do about this?" Which will immediately be answered with, "Get mad bro." Which leads to the emotional response of anger. Which then leads to anger effecting (or affecting? never can tell the difference) your next few decisions, and your actions are based on that emotional response, your thoughts, and your decisions.
Now if you are in the habit of thinking critically, those nerve signals will be sent to your brain which leads to a quick thought leading to anger, and that thought can be interrupted by another thought such as, "Did I deserve that?" or "Now that was just uncalled for" or even, "No that one I deserved" or any number of different thoughts other than, "Get mad bro." You will be able to analyze the situation with a clearer mind and make a more rationalized decision. And at that point you begin to gain control over yourself, working on creating a new identity, one that thinks before they act, doesn't fly off the handle, and one who can think through a situation, even in a fast paced environment, and come away with a better decision than one that was based off of an unchecked emotional response.
Some good ways to prepare yourself for this are:
- Be learned- Having knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom go a long way in making correct decisions
- Know your values- Knowing these will form your worldview and effect how you analyze, evaluate, and think
- Take your time with Decisions- Having knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom go a long way in making correct decisions
My hope is that this will help you in thinking a bit more about different situations and how you make decisions. Sorry for the psycho font as well, this blogger is hard to format. Silly Google.
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