French philosopher Rene Descartes famously wrote, “I think, therefore I am.” In today’s culture, this philosophy’s importance and meaning has changed drastically, as thought in modern society is lacking tremendously. If something requires critical thought, it is often deemed too hard and ignored. We see this in the decreasing aptitude for mathematical word problems. Regardless of the questions degree of difficulty, more than three sentences constitutes something that may require more than ten seconds of thought, thus, it’s easier to just wait for the teacher to provide the answer.
We see the lack of thought process in all other areas of education, but particularly in English class. Students are unable to make connections between the texts and their lives, never mind comparing two different works of literature. If an answer does not strike immediately, we give up. In the age of Google and don’t-fail-your-students-or-something-is-wrong-with-the-educator teaching culture, answers are provided, not deciphered. Why would someone want to discover the thematic elements of a classic novel like The Great Gatsby, which may take an hour and a few chapters worth of reading, when the answers could be determined and committed to memory within a minute and a half with the aid of a computer and a fast enough connection to the Internet? Life has become much simpler, but so have our minds. It’s absurdly easy to find erudite synonyms in order to appear scholarly, but there is a difference between sounding smart and being educated.
Part of the reason thought is lacking in our society lies on the fact we’ve “dumbed-down” America. Newspapers and the television news use eighth grade vocabulary in fear of alienating viewers (needless to say, no one in that study took into account there are people who understand the use of three syllable words), lyrics in music lack depth, and modern technology requires little or no use of a library card. In schools, we promote the idea of college-going societies, when in reality, college is not for all students. Some people are destined to become mechanics or chefs or day-care providers. In public schools, we continue to create this illusion by doing the equivalent of a baseball coach setting the ball on a tee and expecting the gaudy numbers of his players to propel them to Major League Baseball. Real life is hard, real life demands intelligence and the ability to think critically. Sadly, this, despite the well-intentioned advocacy of higher education, is not what gets accomplished.
Even in every day speech, in conversation, the lack of thought is evident. We rarely use the appropriate words, in fear they may be too intellectual for the other person, and in fear of sounding pretentious or linguistically ostentatious. Haste is also an issue. In conversation, we expect answers immediately and view any delay, even in search for some enlightened thought or apt proclamation, as a sign of indecisiveness or feeblemindedness. We don’t speak of the arts – movies, books, plays – either out of apathy or because we keep those interests and thoughts (if we have them) to ourselves. Instead, we trouble ourselves with other people’s issues. In regards to the concerns of others, surely, we always will have an opinion.
Another aspect of the lack of thought is that thought requires a certain amount of isolation and solitude. In an increasingly dependent society, solitude is primarily viewed as a punishment. In prisons, misbehaving inmates are subject to “solitary confinement.” When we are children and we do something wrong, we are sent to our rooms to “think about it.” That was a terrible punishment. So the term “solitary” is usually associated with reprimand and deprivation.
Even noted psychologists condemn solitude.
Sigmund Freud suggested – or rather theorized – that human happiness stems strictly from intimate human relationships. Intimacy is the key to happiness within all people; we all instinctually search for it, we all need it. It can be concluded, then, that Freud’s analysis implies that, without a partner, man is lost, crazy, or peculiar.
What lacks in this theory is that, given amply time in isolation for thinking, a person can discover new insights, find solutions to their problems, and realize, more than when in crowds of people, the individuality of their own self, their own minds. Our culture doesn’t understand or look favorably on people who prefer time alone, and time spent in isolation is commonly misconstrued as a time for self-pity and unhappiness.
I recently heard a student comment on another students’ incredibly well-done project, “wow, she must have a lot of time on her hands.” While there was no doubt an incredible amount of time and effort put into the project, it was definitely the best thought-out design and most insightful project of the bunch. This student’s success on her project was not based on boredom, but on her desire to succeed, which, much to the chagrin of the rest of the students, took a tremendous amount of thought to go with her desire for a high mark.
Additionally, we’ve let our teachers, our peers, and the media dictate what our feelings should be. Original thought is atypical because of the fear it may be against the norm, so why risk being at odds with everyone else? The beauty of the human mind lies in its uniqueness. Our experiences and values lead us to opinions and insights that are uniquely our own. Unfortunately, this takes effort and time, neither of which, as some see it, is at a premium. There is always somewhere to go or something to do, always a different channel to watch at commercials, always e-mail to check. Even in the solitude of a commute home from work, in the comfort of our cars, the car radio provides companionship in lieu of having to assess the day ahead or just past.
If we took time to think about our lives and the world around us, we wouldn’t be as ridiculed a generation. It is proven that the Asian countries are ahead of the United States academically, but some would contend that what we trail in academics we make up for in personality and social poise. What is holding us back from reaching a happy medium between the two extremes?
Let us think on it.
