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"When the need arises, the mind awakens." — Jiddu Krishnamurti The Knowledge We Own: How Necessity Activates the MindWe will only recall and retain information that matters to our lives. Everything else, we are likely to reject, resist, or filter through our biases to reinforce what we already believe—or at best, engage with superficially and quickly forget. Before social media, we engaged with ideas from the people in our actual social circles. These ideas mattered in some way or another because, generally, the only people we engaged with and heard the ideas of were those close to us or in the communities we were already part of. We had a personal reason to maintain some form of good behaviour inside those groups. Our mental and social health depended on it. These were very important networks for our cognitive health. You must make sure you are part of a healthy community that keeps your mind thinking every day. Do not underestimate the significance of this on your cognitive health. It is even more important now as the amount of time people spend online rather than engaging with real humans means we are experiencing a global collective cognitive crisis. The overuse of social media and time spent online is killing our ability to learn, reflect, and retain information in the way that serves us best. Today’s letter is about how critical thinking—or intelligent thinking—happens when we care. We have to care about the phenomenon we are thinking about, or we will not be moved to think deeper about its flaws, its origins, or its necessity. THE SAHARA Interestingly, I am writing this letter from the Morrocan desert. Yesterday, my husband, our three kids, and I came out of the Sahara Desert after a few days far from civilisation. We spent time in the desert with Indigenous Amazigh families, drank endless mint tea, and shared stories around the fire and to the beat of T’Bel and Bendir drums. We were also stuck in a hell of a sandstorm that lasted 24 hours. We purposely place ourselves in these situations so we feel the discomfort required to truly retain information. This is how I parent and live life—through triggering feelings. We learn through feeling because that is when we really remember. My body will never ever forget this trip. MOHA While I was in the Sahara, I met Moha. Moha taught me so many things, and I will never, ever forget him. He spent most of his life as a Sahara nomad. He is Amazigh, the Indigenous people of North Africa. Amazigh means “free people”; after meeting him, I understand why. The concept of being free is deeply important to him. They live that philosophy. These are the values that form the foundation of his behaviour. Moha looks like he’s between 28 and 32, and when I asked, he said, "Yes, I think I am somewhere around that." He has seven sisters and two brothers. His parents didn’t know how to read or write, so recording birthdates wasn’t a priority. They didn’t attend school. They roamed the North African Sahara, moving their animal flock from oasis to oasis so both the animals and their family could survive and thrive. Later, they joined a permanent village—a small one, with only 12 families, living a private, simple life near an oasis. They grow their own crops. They are completely self-sustainable. Moha is one of the most incredible people I have ever met. And not because of his unique story, which naturally enchants those who rarely hear much outside their own narrow lens. But because this young man can read. He can write. And very well at that. He is now managing a business and every single requirement that comes with it. He organises tours and expeditions. He manages the desert camp and every single detail that goes into running this multifaceted business. His communication skills are top-notch. His people skills are out of this world. He is likable. He is a highly skilled human being. He is happy, helpful, and conscious. He is kind. He sings. He plays many instruments. He speaks five languages. And he taught himself every single thing. I was fascinated by this self-learning and asked him curiously how he achieved this by himself. He told me that many of the Amazigh people speak multiple languages and have taught themselves, not out of casual interest or weak motivation, but out of necessity. For survival. He said for example some Amazigh are camel shepherds and they take tourists on camel rides they hear all the languages. And because they need to know them they learn quickly. They are alert. What struck me even more was how deeply interconnected they are. Moha told me that despite the huge variation in religions and beliefs across the Amazigh people, they share, accept, and hold no ill feelings toward one another. There is no space for division because their survival depends on one another. They maintain the oases throughout the Sahara as a collective, operating as a cooperative community rather than as separate, competing groups. These oases—lifelines in an otherwise harsh and unforgiving environment—are shared, sustained, and protected by all. Their way of life is built on giving, helping, and sharing without judgment. They do not waste energy condemning each other’s differences because they know that interdependence is what keeps them alive—not just physically, but mentally. Their minds stay clear, focused, and free, because they are not weighed down by the need to control or diminish those who are different from them. They are free people, not just in movement, but in thought. Why Am I Sharing This in a Critical Thinking Letter?Because this is how real learning happens. We are far more likely to think deeply, activate our cognitive faculties, and absorb new knowledge when we have a personal reason to do so. The Amazigh nomads who teach themselves multiple languages and practical survival skills don’t do so out of idle curiosity. They learn out of necessity. Their minds stay sharp, adaptable, and alert because their survival depends on it. Motivation matters. When knowledge is forced upon us in school, in work, or in society, it often doesn’t stick. Take a moment to reflect on that. What type of information do you easily seem to retain? Notice the patterns in what you remember easily versus the things you were forced to learn but can barely recall. When we personally need or want to understand something, our brains open up in ways that make learning faster, deeper, and more meaningful. This is the difference between memorising facts and thinking critically. I learned to write critically because I had to—my thesis required arguments that demonstrated critical thinking. I was forced to do it, and by the end, thinking critically became important and easier. This letter is a reminder that when you fill your mind with judgments and engage with things that don’t personally matter to you, you’re wasting cognitive space. Activity: Is This Worth Your Cognitive Space? Next time you find yourself engaging with an idea, debate, or information, run it through these four quick steps to assess whether it’s worth your mental energy: 1️⃣ Does this directly impact my life or personal growth?
→ If yes, engage with it thoughtfully. If no, move to step 2. 2️⃣ Am I emotionally reacting, or am I thinking critically?
→ If your engagement is purely emotional, pause and reflect. Why is this making me upset? Why do I feel triggered? What do I need to deal with privately? If it’s genuinely thought-provoking, continue. 3️⃣ Will this knowledge be useful to me in the future?
→ If it has practical value, keep exploring. If it’s just mental clutter, let it go (this means do not engage, not everything is worth it!). 4️⃣ Am I engaging out of curiosity, obligation, or habit?
→ If it’s curiosity, great. If it’s obligation or mindless habit, reconsider why you’re investing your energy. By asking these four questions, you can filter out cognitive distractions. Mental health is achieved when we know how to filter out irrelevant thoughts and allocate them to where they belong. The less clutter you have the more time for cognitive growth.
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