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Critical Thinking
Assumptions
1
Content:
We can really get messed up in our problem solving and critical thinking if
we continue to proceed in our actions based on invalid assumptions. We must
always validate and test our assumptions to be sure that our assumptions are
based in reality. The following poem and stories are heart rendering tales of how people's
original assumptions can be way off the mark. Fortunately the people involved did not act on
their original assumptions but rather chose to act on their "heart's directing."
There are real lessons to be learned about our critical thinking by addressing
and reality testing those assumptions under which we typically make our
decisions, solve problems, resolve conflicts, and relate to people.
Poem for Life
-
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered ~
Forgive them anyway.
- If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives
~ Be kind anyway.
- If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true
enemies ~ Succeed anyway.
- If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you ~ Be honest
and frank anyway.
- What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight
~ Build anyway.
- If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous ~ Be
happy anyway.
- The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow ~ Do
good anyway.
- Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough ~
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
- You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God ~ It was
never between you and them anyway.
You
Never Know the Power of Your Actions
One
day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking
home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his
books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a
Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties
and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my
shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward
him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so
he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass
about ten feet from him.
He
looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went
Out
to him. I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses. I
saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are
jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey
thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that
showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he
lived.
As
it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen
Him
before. He said he had gone to private school before now.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.
We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be
a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with my
friends and me. He said yes.
We
hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked
Him,
and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and here was Kyle
with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are
gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!"
He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over
the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were
Seniors,
we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to
Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a
problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football
scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time
about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation.
I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation
day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found
himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.
He
had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was
jealous.
Today
was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I
smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He
looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.
"Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat,
and said "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it
through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a
coach, but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend
to someone is the best gift you can give him or her. I am going to tell you a
story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of
the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked
of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and
was carrying all his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little
smile. "Thankfully, I was
saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."
I
heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all
about his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that
same grateful smile. Not until that
moment did I realize its depth.
Never
underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a
person's life, for better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to
impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.
The
Plan
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
the father of one of the school's students delivered a speech that would
never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its
dedicated staff, he offered a question.
"Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son, Shay, cannot
learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children
do. Where is God's plan reflected in my son?"
The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I
believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child
like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents
itself. And it comes in the way people treat that child."
Then, he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park
where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think
they will let me play?"
Shay's father knew that most boys would not want him on their team. But the
father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him a
much-needed sense of belonging.
Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay
could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none,
he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six
runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and
we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but
was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove
and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously
ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved
to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two
outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was
scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this
juncture and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but
impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less
connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher
moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able
to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As
the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the
pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown
the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have
ended the game.
Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field,
far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run
to first. Run to first." Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first
base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled,
"Run to second, run to second!"
By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He
could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right
fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the ball
high and far over the third baseman's head.
Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously
circled the bases towards home. As Shay reached second base, the opposing
shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted,
"Run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were
screaming, "Shay! Run home!" Shay ran home, stepped on
home plate and was cheered as the hero, for hitting a "grand slam" and
winning the game for his team.
"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling
down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the
Divine Plan into this world."
Jumping
to Assumptions
It
is so easy to jump to assumptions. You see something which does not seem correct
or appropriate and immediately you jump to conclusions based on your faulty
assumptions. Before you do anything brash or hasty, you must first test out your
assumptions. You need to find out if your assumptions are valid or not, before
you proceed to taking action based on them. This following beautiful story and
then the cute items which follow, bring this
message clearly home.
The Rose
Red roses were her favorites, her name was also Rose. And every year her
husband sent them, tied with pretty bows. The year he died, the roses were
delivered to her door. The card said, "Be my Valentine", like all the
years before. Each year he sent her roses, and the note would always say,
"I love you even more this year, than last year on this day. My love for
you will always grow, with every passing year." She knew this was the last
time that the roses would appear. She thought, he ordered these roses in advance
before this day. Her loving husband did not know, that he would pass away. He
always liked to do things early, way before the time. Then, if he got too busy,
everything would be done. She trimmed the stems, and placed them in a very
special vase. Then, sat the vase beside the portrait of his smiling face. She
would sit for hours, in her husband's favorite chair. While staring at his
picture, and the roses sitting there.
A year went by, and it was hard to live without her mate. Loneliness and
solitude had become her fate. Then, the very hour, as on Valentine's Days
before, The doorbell rang, and there were roses, sitting by her door. She
brought the roses in, and then just looked at them in shock. Then, went to get
the telephone, to call the florist shop. The owner answered, and she asked him,
if he would explain why would someone do this to her, causing her such pain?
"I know your husband passed away, more than a year ago," The owner
said, "I knew you'd call, and you would want to know. The flowers you
received today, were paid for in advance. Your husband always planned ahead, he
left nothing to chance. There is a standing order, that I have on file down
here, And he has paid, well in advance, you'll get them every year. There also
is another thing, that I think you should know, He wrote a special little
card...he did this years ago. Then, should ever I find out that he's no longer
here, That's the card...that should be sent, to you the following year."
She thanked him and hung up the phone, her tears now flowing hard. Her fingers
shaking, as she slowly reached to get the card. Inside the card, she saw that he
had written her a note. Then, as she stared in total silence, this is what he
wrote... "Hello my love, I know it's been a year since I've been
gone, I hope it hasn't been too hard for you to overcome. I know it must be
lonely, and the pain is very real. Or if it was the other way, I know how I
would feel. The love we shared made everything so beautiful in life. I loved you
more than words can say, you were the perfect wife. You were my friend and
lover, you fulfilled my every need. I know it's only been a year, but please try
not to grieve I want you to be happy, even when you shed your tears. That is why
the roses will be sent to you for years. When you get these roses, think of all
the happiness, that we had together, and how both of us were blessed. I have
always loved you and I know I always will. But, my love, you must go on,
you have some living still. Please...try to find happiness, while living out
your days. I know it is not easy, but I hope you find some ways. The roses will
come every year, and they will only stop, when your door's not answered, when
the florist stops to knock. He will come five times that day, in case you have
gone out. But after his last visit, he will know without a doubt to take
the roses to the place, where I've instructed him. And place the roses
where we are, together once again.
Pink Ribbon
A handsome, middle-aged man walked quietly into the cafe and sat
down. Before he ordered, he couldn't help but notice a group of younger men at
the table next to him. It was obvious they were making fun of something about
him, and it wasn't until he remembered he was wearing a small pink ribbon on the
lapel of his suit that he became aware of what the joke was all about.
The man brushed off the reaction as ignorance, but the smirks
began to get to him. He looked one of the rude men square in the eye, placed his
hand beneath the ribbon and asked, quizzically, "This?"
With that the men all began to laugh out loud. The man he
addressed said as he fought back laughter, "Hey, sorry man, but we were
just commenting on how pretty your little ribbon looks against your blue
jacket!"
The middle aged man calmly motioned for the joker to come over
to his table and invited him to sit down. As uncomfortable as he was, the guy
obliged, not really sure why. In a soft voice, the middle aged man said, "I
wear this ribbon to bring awareness about breast cancer. I wear it in my
mother's honor."
"Oh, sorry dude. She died of breast cancer?"
"No, she didn't. She's alive and well. But her breasts
nourished me as an infant, and were a soft resting place for my head when I was
scared or lonely as a little boy. I'm very grateful for my mother's breasts, and
her health."
"Umm," the stranger replied, "yeah."
"And I wear this ribbon to honor my wife," the middle
aged man went on.
"And she's okay, too?", the other guy asked.
"Oh, yes. She's fine. Her breasts have been a great source of loving
pleasure for both of us, and with them she nurtured and nourished our beautiful
daughter 23 years ago. I am grateful for my wife's breasts, and for her
health."
"Uh huh. And I guess you wear it to honor your daughter,
also?"
"No. It's too late to honor my daughter by wearing it
now. My daughter died of breast cancer one month ago. She thought she was too
young to have breast cancer, so when she accidentally noticed a small lump, she
ignored it. She thought that since it wasn't painful, it must not be
anything to worry about."
Shaken and ashamed, the now sober stranger said, Oh, man, I'm so
sorry mister."
"So, in my daughter's memory, too, I proudly wear this
little ribbon, which allows me the opportunity to enlighten others. Now,
go home and talk to your wife and your daughters, your mother and your friends.
And here." The middle-aged man reached in his pocket and handed the other
man a little pink ribbon. The guy looked at it, slowly raised his head and
asked, "Can you help me put it on?"
Do regular breast self-exams and have annual mammograms if
you are a woman over the age of 40. And encourage those women you love to do the
same.
A State of Affairs
A bus stops and two guys get on. They sit down and engage in an animated
conversation. The lady sitting behind them ignores them at first, but her
attention is galvanized when she hears one of the men say the following:
"Emma come first. Den I come. Den two asses come together. I come
once-a-more. Two asses, they come together again. I come again and pee
twice. Then I come one lasta time."
"You foul-mouthed swine, " retorted the lady indignantly. "In
this country we don't talk about our sex lives in public!"
"Hey, coola down lady," said the man. "Who talkin'
abouta sexa? I'm a justa tellin' my frienda how to spella Mississippi.
Boots
There was a teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put his
boots on. He asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him
pushing, the boots still didn't want to go on.
When the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost whimpered
when the little boy said, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet."
She looked, and sure enough, they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the boots
off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they
worked to get the boots back on - this time on the right feet.
He then announced, "These aren't my boots." She bit her tongue
rather than get right in his face and scream, "Why didn't you say so?"
like she wanted to. Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill- fitting
boots off. He then said, "They're my brother's boots. My Mom made me wear
them."
She didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace to
wrestle the boots on his feet again. She said, "Now, where are your
mittens?" He said, "I stuffed them in the toes of my boots..."
Two Tough Questions
Question 1:
If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were
deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis;
would you recommend that she have an abortion?
Read the next question before scrolling down to the answer of this one.
Question 2:
It is time to elect a new world leader, and your vote counts. Here are the facts
about the three leading candidates:
Candidate A: Associates with crooked politicians, and consults
with astrologists. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to
10 martinis a day.
Candidate B: He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used
Opium in college and drinks a quart of whisky every evening.
Candidate C: He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian,
doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and hasn't had any extramarital
affairs.
Which of these candidates would be your choice?
Decide first, no peeking, then scroll down for the answer.
*
*
*
*
*
Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt
Candidate B is Winston Churchill
Candidate C is Adolph Hitler
And by the way, the answer to the abortion question:
If you said yes, you would have just killed Beethoven. Pretty interesting isn't
it?
Moral: One must use critical thinking skills before judging someone.
The
Scarlet Oppressor
There
once was a young person named Little Red Riding Hood who lived on the edge of a
large forest full of endangered owls and rare plants that would probably provide
a cure for cancer if only someone took the time to study them.
Red
Riding Hood lived with a nurture-giver whom she sometimes referred to as
"Mother," although she didn't mean to imply by this term that she
would have thought less of the person if a close biological link did not, in
fact, exist. Nor did she intend to denigrate the equal value of nontraditional
households, although she was sorry if this was the impression conveyed.
One
day her mother asked her to take a basket of organically grown fruit and mineral
water to her grandmother's house. "But Mother, won't this be stealing work
from the unionized people who have struggled for years to earn the right to
carry all packages between various people in the woods?" Red Riding Hood's
mother assured her that she had called the union boss and gotten a special
compassionate mission exemption form. "But, Mother, aren't you oppressing
me by ordering me to do this?" Red Riding Hood's mother pointed out that it
was impossible for women to oppress each other, since all women were equally
oppressed until all women were free.
"But,
Mother, then shouldn't you have my brother carry the basket, since he's an
oppressor, and should learn what it's like to be oppressed?" And Red Riding
Hood's mother explained that her brother was attending a special rally for
animal rights, and besides, this wasn't stereotypical women's work, but an
empowering deed that would help engender a feeling of community.
"But
won't I be oppressing Grandma, by implying that she's sick and hence unable to
independently further her own selfhood?" But Red Riding Hood's mother
explained that her grandmother wasn't actually sick or incapacitated or mentally
handicapped in any way, although that was not to imply that any of these
conditions were inferior to what some people called "health." Thus Red
Riding Hood felt that she could get behind the idea of delivering the basket to
her grandmother, and so she set off.
Many
people believed that the forest was a foreboding and dangerous place, but Red
Riding Hood knew that this was an irrational fear based on cultural paradigms
instilled by a patriarchal society that regarded the natural world as an
exploitable resource, and hence believed that natural predators were, in fact,
intolerable competitors. Other people avoided the woods for fear of thieves and
deviants, but Red Riding Hood felt that, in a truly classless society, all
marginalized peoples would be able to "come out" of the woods and be
accepted as valid lifestyle role models.
On
her way to Grandma's house, Red Riding Hood passed a woodchopper, and wandered
off the path in order to examine some flowers. She was startled to find herself
standing before a wolf, who asked her what was in her basket.
Red
Riding Hood's teacher had warned her never to talk to strangers, but she was
confident in taking control of her own budding sexuality,
and chose to dialog with the wolf.
She
replied, "I am taking my grandmother some healthful snacks in a gesture of
solidarity." The wolf said, "You know, my dear, it isn't safe for a
little girl to walk through these woods alone." Red Riding Hood said,
"I find your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it
because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of
which has caused you to develop an alternative and yet entirely valid worldview.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I would prefer to be on my way."
Red
Riding Hood returned to the main path, and proceeded toward her grandmother's
house. But because his status outside society had freed him from slavish
adherence to linear, Western-style thought, the Wolf knew of a quicker route to
Grandma's house.
He
burst into the house and ate Grandma, a course of action affirmative of his
nature as a predator. Then, unhampered by rigid, traditionalist gender-role
notions, he put on Grandma's nightclothes, crawled under the bedclothes, and
awaited developments.
Red
Riding Hood entered the cottage and said, "Grandma, I have brought you some
cruelty-free snacks to salute you in your role of wise and nurturing
matriarch."
The
wolf said softly, "Come closer, child, so that I might see you." Red
Riding Hood said, "Goodness! Grandma, what big eyes you have!"
"You forget that I am optically challenged."
"And
Grandma, what an enormous - er - what a fine nose you have."
"Naturally, I could have had it fixed to help my acting career, but I
didn't give in to such societal pressures, my child."
"And
Grandma, what very big, sharp teeth you have!" The wolf could not take any
more of these specialist slurs, and, in a reaction appropriate to his accustomed
milieu, he leaped out of bed, grabbed Little Red Riding Hood, and opened his
jaws so wide that she could see her poor grandmother cowering in his belly.
"Aren't
you forgetting something?" Red Riding Hood bravely shouted. "You must
request my permission before proceeding to a new level of intimacy!"
The
wolf was so startled by this statement that he loosened his grasp on her. At the
same time, the woodchopper burst into the cottage, brandishing an ax.
"Hands off!" cried the woodchopper. "And what do you think you're
doing?" cried Little Red Riding Hood. "If I let you help me now, I
would be expressing a lack of confidence in my own abilities, which would lead
to poor self-esteem and lower achievement scores on college entrance
exams."
"Last
chance, sister! Get your hands off that endangered species!
This is an FBI sting!" screamed the woodchopper, and when Little Red
Riding Hood nonetheless made a sudden motion, he sliced off her head.
"Thank
goodness you got here in time," said the wolf. "The brat and her
grandmother lured me in here. I thought I was a goner." "No, I think
I'm the real victim, here," said the woodchopper. "I've been dealing
with my anger ever since I saw her picking those protected flowers earlier. And
now I'm going to have such a trauma. Do you have any aspirin?" “Sure," said the wolf.
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