An Ode To Thinking Critically

I ask myself often if I'm a smart person. And, even though that's a bit on the "off the rocker" side, I'd like to believe that I am. I completely fail when it comes to math and sciences, but I enjoy writing immensely and I think reading is something that everyone would love if they give it a chance. Thinking ciritically, for me at least, goes along with reading and writing. To me, thinking critically is a constant thing. You need to be very aware of the material you're reading as you're reading it. To be critical of something (I'm really very good at this) is to question as much as you want. Is the source credible? Do I buy into what the author is selling? This is thinking critically. Now, I did not always do this when reading and I'll be honest enough to admit that I still don't do this whenever I read.

Normally when I'm reading, I'll read through it once at a leisurely pace, not really thinking too hard on it. Then, I'll read it a second time, making myself aware of the text. Maybe I'll take notes or write questions; I'm a big believer in writing in the margins. I think that thinking critically is just being aware of what you're reading; knowing that just because someone wrote it, doesn't mean it's true. You don't have to believe it if it's not something that you can be convinced about. I think this is very important. Because so often people will let others be critical for them. This isn't what critical thinking is about. Critical thinking is different for each person and we've become so accustomed to taking other's opinions as our own that we've forgotten about how we feel altogether.

As for other areas in my life, I'd like to think that I'm a critical thinker there, but my best friend, Heather, often says that I'd miss everything unless it was pointed out to me. Which, is probably true. However, I'm not a complete idiot, so I'm going to say I try. :) When things are right in front of my face; like big-scale media stories or politics, I'm very critical. I've got opinions and, when it's important, I'll open my mouth only when I'm educated enough on the topic.

Ultimately, I'd like to come out of this class with an awareness on being a critical thinker that's higher than what it was before I enrolled. If that made any sense. I can be pretty clueless when it comes to certain topics and genres in my life that thinking critically just flies out of the metaphorical window. I'd like to achieve an awareness in all aspects of my life; even if I'm not too particularly interested in certain said "aspects".