Critical Thinking is Key

…but it won’t be put to use in the absence of emotional maturity

Think on this scenario. You’re a little girl on the playground and another girl, one of your friends, whispers to you that some other schoolmate has said some evil thing about you behind your back, or perhaps they’ve done something unworthy.

Critical thinking skill means you would instantly approach the schoolmate and ask them if the story is true or not, get their side of the story. Seems simple but not necessarily so. What are the possible repercussions of you being so open and inquisitive? What if your friend grabs you and demands you not talk to them, even threatens you? What if you know already that the friend will do the same thing to you if you cross her, and you know that nobody else will check her story but instead hate on you, too? What if you find out that the story is fabricated by the friend, now you have to face the fact that someone you like, you totally misread, do you want to face that shock? What if you will feel personally embarrassed about yourself being so easily manipulated? What if the friend you know very well could easily turn all your present friends against you just for having tried to protect the reputation of a possibly innocent person? What if all your friend group is mobilized against you and the schoolmate as both being unwanted? What if demonstrating that much more virtue than the others would actually cause them to loathe, fear and hate you?

I know there are 8 year olds who wouldn’t hesitate to face their fears without having had any training on critical thinking, and there are 80 year olds who are still the manipulative personality who continue to cause havoc, never mind standing up for anyone else. I’m saying if you want critical thinking, then focus on the root cause from which it emerges, emotional maturity, otherwise good luck with that. I agree that being put into a position where we need to practice critical thinking will promote emotional maturity, certainly. I’ve been through that crossroads many times and have had to make difficult choices depending on whether I protect my inside vs my outside.

Emotional maturity means you don’t care what other people think about you, you never submit to your lessers. Without robust emotional maturity, how many would think critically in that situation, even if they’re taught what it is and how to do it? What would you have done then, compared to now?

At the end of the day, the degree to which you practice critical thinking demonstrates how much you value your ‘inside’ vs your ‘outside’.