Hello Friends!

Today I write this letter to you from Istanbul in Türkiye, previously referred to by the world as Turkey.

As I have been travelling these last few weeks meeting people, I have realised not too many people know of Tükiye’s formal United Nations name change, or perhaps they do not care.

For me, information like this matters.

Ever since I have taken the time to carefully listen, hear, and think about the logical value, and emotional meaning of every piece of information, it has become evidently clear that my mind has a profound capacity beyond my imagination.

So, I make sure I continue to apply changes to what I think and say dependent on the evidence which supports the reason for me to apply that change.

Now, all this conversation is in relation to a name of a country.

Why am I focusing on this in a Newsletter about critical thinking?

Well because to be a critical thinker, you need to be able to assess the value of information.

But you need a baseline first.

That is, knowing and finding the reason for the purpose of thinking.

For me, thinking it is for cognitive contentment and personal meaning. It is so I can go to sleep at night feeling good, as opposed to bad. It is so I can make decisions which make my life better, and not worse.

Negative thinking patterns are the cause for most unhappiness in the world.

Critical thinking skills will be able to help you break those patterns.

Basically, you must ask yourself every time, what is critical about the thoughts you are engaging in and what is not?

Let’s use the name change from Turkey to Türkiye as a simple example on how to think critically about it.

This name change is now an unmoving FACT.

It can be traced to formal record which evidences that Tükiye as a sovereign country, has officially changed it.

There may be those who refuse to acknowledge this change, continuing to use its former more familiar and Western name. This choice is meaningless as those who live in Türkiye get the final word on the matter.

You can confidently therefore assert that it is wrong to call it Turkey and right to call it Türkiye.

However, while it may be annoying to hear people continue to refer to it as Turkey, they can! It is also futile to argue a point with those who are pointless to argue with.

I think often about why I think the way I do. This is the key to critical thinking. It separates the way thoughts form and are, from you as a person.

It is a sophisticated form of disassociation and deep cognitive awareness.

I travel a lot and purposefully choose to hear stories and perspectives of people around the world.

Every single time I hear a story through another person’s eyes accepting the words they choose to use, I see and feel culture, politics, social life, personal desire, hope, dreams, and personalities.

SEEK OUT DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES—IT WILL TEACH YOU NOT TO TAKE YOUR OWN SO SERIOUSLY.

I form opinions based on what I see and hear, but also unite that new knowledge with what I already know.

There is so much to know, and one thing is for sure—when you have been only in one single place, amongst the same ideas and a fairly consistent type of worldview, it is difficult to realise how much you do not know.

The most intelligent thinkers seek knowledge that hides within what most people believe do not exist.

As soon as you broaden your exposure to different experiences, ideas and places, you quickly realise you cannot participate in such profound ignorance as to believe in just what you know.

Once you go outward, and see how big the world is, with all its flaws and beauty, you begin to see the connections between people and place and how similar we all really are.

My choice to be here in Türkiye, has provided me with rich explosion of cultural diversity.

I tell you where I am in the world as all of these experiences I participate in, fuel my worldview as well as provides you with information about how I may form the ideas I do. It gives you knowledge about me and my perspective.

INTELLIGENT THINKING PRACTICE

I have average intelligence like most of us.

However, there is likely a huge difference between the way my mind works and how others use their mind.

It is hard for me to feel stress. I still do from time to time of course, as I am human, but I am particularly adept at compartmentalising information.

I have spent time practicing higher order thinking skills. This has resulted with my mind now operating at a higher level than many others. Higher level thinking means ordering thoughts and placing value on them based on logical and emotional assessment.

This type of engagement with information also means I reflect and decide on matters I do not have the influence to change.

It is important to know what you cannot change and move on from it.

Unless you will dedicate real time to change it, the time spent allowing the thought of it to bother you and cause you cognitive stress, is futile.

It will only weaken you emotionally and therefore cognitively over time.

If it bothers you that much, do something about it to make it better, otherwise move on or it will rob you of your happiness.

It is easy to become stuck on topics which we have almost no control over yet we allow the emotional frustration associated with those thoughts to control our mind.

Those of us who can compartmentalise unnecessary thoughts and stop engaging with them, live happier cognitive lives.

We can participate in more meaningful experiences as we are not distracted thinking about issues beyond our control.

The quicker you assess the value of information and allocate it appropriately within your mind, the quicker you can attend to things which bring you positive emotion.

Human beings are all operating in the same ways no matter where they are. They want one thing—meaning to their one life to survive.

I have lived within the political and social systems of four countries—Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, and Croatia.

On top of that my husband and his family were born in Bosnia, fled a political war, and my grandfathers were from India, many of who were stolen from their families as children taken to work as slaves in Fiji.

I live a privileged life now, but only as a result of the suffering of my ancestors. It is a complicated thing to be happy with my life now but know it could have been very different if my family did not suffer first.

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain” (Dolly Parton). The symbols within this quote has been reflected in numerous ways in philosophical texts throughout history.

My life has exposed me to multiple opportunities to discuss and reflect on political systems, social processes and the links in-between all of that which influence and affect general life and ideas.

Intellectual thinking goes beyond acceptance of what you see, instead it asks you to wonder:

• Why do people act and behave the way they do?

• What elements of life push them to make certain choices?

• Is it social, biological or psychological?

• What intersections matter?

This curiosity enables you to answer your own questions and seek answers of you did not know.

After working with the least privileged people in society and spending time amongst the most privileged in society as well as living in and visiting poor societies, and wealthy ones, the only thing between living and living well, is the quality of the mind.

I am firm on that fact now.

I observe those with fewer social resources prioritise mental health, while in affluent environments, superficial distractions often overshadow the importance of nurturing one's mind.

If you want to be a critical thinker and you want a healthier mind, you must push yourself to ask deeper questions about humanity and the world.

Accepting superficial answer will keep you at the surface of your experience attending only to what you see and hear as opposed to learning what is below the obvious.

Depth of awareness and understanding is what gives you the chance to learn about the complexity of the world.

This ability to know how deep the well of information is, makes you humble to the core and shifts your attitude towards the perspective of the human being.

Choose to ask rich intelligent open questions which trigger discussion.

• Where are you from?

• Why are you here?

• Why did you choose that?

Enable yourself to engage in critical thought and reflection.

This practice is riveting as it is raw social connection with human beings to learn with profound openness and flexibility.

Engaging in any exchange where your brain is being fed new information results in your brain bursting with energy, forming new ideas and thoughts as well as massaging the brains synapses.

You do not have had to live in multiple societies, travelled the world, or have a PhD to use your mind in this way.

All you have to do is have a mind, the desire, and someone to trigger these reflections in you.

Methods to trigger the mind:

• Reading the ideas in this letter.

• Reading a challenging new book with ideas that opposing your own ideas.

• Reflecting on why you felt emotional after a movie.

• Thinking about why you felt frustrated during a conversation.

Think.

I can not push the value of learning how to trigger quality thoughts enough.

It has the power to enrich your life and take you to a cognitively healthy place you never knew was possible.

The aim, to develop habits to always be awareness of how much your experience is connected simply to how you think.

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!

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Until next Sunday, take care.

Dr. Esha.