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Hi Community, It’s Dr Esha here! This week I am going to ask you to think about the very important part of critical thinking, called reflective thinking (RT). While I have mentioned RT a number of times before, I have not solely focussed on it alone. So, today, absolutely deserves it’s own letter. Without it you will not be a critical thinker. Many people believe that critical thinking is about being logical and rational. But if you do not have the ability to reflect on yourself, your emotions, and your thoughts, no amount of logic and rationalism will help you stand out as the person people want to listen to. You must understand yourself first in order to understand others and connect it all together. Becoming skilled with RT means you can become a thinking, feeling, knowing, BOSS! When you are not pausing to reflect, you are instead reacting with emotion. This is far to risky. In these cases you WILL almost always respond in a way which will NOT optimise opportunity for good outcomes. Stop. Reflect. Respond. We teach students RT in universities by asking them to write critical essays and through debating. RT is literally one of the main purposes of essay writing actually. The problem…students leave not really knowing why they were learning it, or how much it could help with cognitive control and sanity; or for addressing almost any issue they would face in their life. They leave, and almost never think about it again. The data supports this too. Employers say two thirds of new graduates commence work with no CT skills. This is a grand shame, as RT gives one the ability to have full control over thoughts and reactions. Imagine being within reach of this tool but letting it pass you by. When drawn on consistently and habitually, RT becomes a cognitive superpower. LEARN IT AND UNDERSTAND IT. So, let’s grow your cognitive resilience and learn how to train your mind to be a reflective thinker! WHAT IS RT? RT is the art of introspection. It is not about thinking about the past. It’s about actively engaging with our thoughts, experiences, and assumptions to uncover what fuels them, what drives them, and makes them as they ARE. Our thoughts, ideas and feelings, are all fuelled by so many aspects and they are not always right. No, it is not okay to simply react and act upon your feelings without consideration as to the WHY. You can do it, but it’s a shitty thing to do, and you are probably ruining other peoples days. And if you do not care about ruining peoples days, well then you have a lot of mental work to do. We are in a time where people believe they have a right to think, feel, and act in ways which demonstrate all their feelings truthfully no matter what the consequences. They believe the world owes them an apology. It doesn’t. And what’s worse, it will never ever apologise. It will simply eat you up. Once you begin to investigate what fuels the way you think, you slowly realise how detached you can be from the facts which govern your actions. This is where liberation lies. And I promise you, you will get there if you commit to these mind practices. Not only that, you’ll become pretty good at solving problems with logic, reason, and a by holding a sophisticated understanding of the role of emotion. RT is the process of turning on a mental kaleidoscope, specifically to examine the intricate patterns of your beliefs, and in turn, behaviours. You must understand the foundation which informs what you believe yourself to be. The biggest threat to RT however, is lack of courage. Most people do not have the courage to turn attention on themselves. You must be brave enough to confront your biases, as well as your assumptions, and challenge the things you think are certainties but they are really just what feels comfortable. If our thoughts we an onion, all the layers beneath are the various facts, events, ideas and experiences which have formed to build it up to the vegetable it is today. We have automatic, instinctive thoughts often. RT is the mechanism which can successfully interrupt the autopilot mode. It asks us to press pause, take a step back, and think about the broader picture, not just surrender to how we feel. Selfish people are particularly bad at reflective thinking, or bad reflective thinkers are particularly selfish. Can you spot them around you? Or… is it you? EXAMPLE Imagine a heated argument with a friend over a difference of opinion. In the heat of the moment, it's easy to lash out, to defend our position without truly listening to the other side. But RT prompts us to adopt a different stance – one of empathy and open-mindedness. It encourages us to ask ourselves: And most importantly, how can I engage in constructive dialogue rather than escalating conflict? People who are good reflective thinkers know how to deescalate an argument. Those who are not, are good as escalation. Which one are you? Now, here's where the rubber meets the road. I challenge you, my dear readers, to engage in a reflective activity. Take a few moments to think back on a recent disagreement or misunderstanding. What was your initial reaction? Did you pause to consider the other person's point of view, or did you jump to conclusions? What underlying assumptions or biases influenced your response?
Simply think about them in quiet contemplation or write them down as a story. There is a reason self-authorship has profound implications on mental healing as well as improving language, and articulation. It is because we are practicing our thoughts outwardly. Just like I am doing here as I write to you. This is self-authorship. I am writing to you through words, everything I have learnt. As I write, I learn, and reflect on what I feel and what I think I know. Remember, RT isn't about self-flagellation or dwelling on past mistakes. It's about empowering ourselves to become more discerning, compassionate, intellectually honest and intellectually courageous. INCESSANT WORRY OR STRESS I guarantee you, if you are a worrier and prone to easy cognitive stress and anxiety, over time if you use RT you will learn to take control over the thoughts which are currently controlling you. Picture this: you're faced with a problem which is worrying you. It could be anything. Small or big. The way you know it is a problem which requires addressing, is if it is taking up space in your mind where you find yourself frequently thinking about it and feeling negative emotions. Without RT, you will find yourself trapped in a cycle of worry, stress and anxiety, unable to see beyond the immediate issue. This become chaos for the mind—it is not good. Worry comes with uncertainty. That is, you have no viable solution. But often it is because you have not done the work to try and work out potential solutions. RT is a method which allows you to assess what you know, what you do not know, what you need to find out, or what you will never know. RT means you must step back from the emotions, and think about why you are feeling this way. Imagine a scenario where a colleague makes a snide remark during a team meeting. Without pausing to reflect, we might instinctively fire back with a cutting retort, escalating the tension and damaging professional relationships. To make things worse, we end up feeling terrible about the way we handled a complicated and delicate situation. With RT, we pause and consider the underlying motives behind the remark. We try to understand the reason behind the person’s behaviour and to respond with empathy and diplomacy. This does not mean to respond without defending yourself. It simply means you will defend yourself with more influence and less conflict. Its a sophisticated skill for managing people. Think of the concept of ‘bullies who bully are being bullied by bullies’. I want you to think deeply, and reflect on this statement. It is almost never about you. And if you spend your time thinking the world is cruel just to you, you are most definitely very wrong and very doomed. But if you want to change—you can. Your mind is capable of so much wisdom, power, and freedom. Make a commitment to use energy to understand the root causes for your worries. Worry and stress will cause you to feed the chaos and it will also cause you to lose. Pausing to assess the situation and devise a plan, will enable you to do your best with grace and self-respect. Without RT, you are risking being swept away and drowned by emotion, bias, and unconscious habits. It causes conflict, misunderstanding, and regret. The cognitive stakes are high! So, I challenge you, dear readers, to embrace the practice of RT in your daily lives. Take a moment to pause, to breathe, and to think. It may not always be easy, but the rewards are immeasurable. Until next time, keep reflecting, keep growing, and above all, keep thinking critically. Stay tuned for the Sunday Synapse, which will be delivered to your inbox every Sunday! Get ready to take on a new week better than you were last week! If it does not bring value to you, just hit the unsubscribe button below. Send me an email with feedback, what you like, don’t like, want more of, or just to say hi! Until next Sunday, take care. Dr. Esha.
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