3. Critical Thinking

Many experts in psychology agree that Critical Thinking is the ability to interpret, evaluate, and analyze facts and information to form a judgment. This skill, ability, or capacity allows the Critical Thinker to rethink their ideas, perspectives, beliefs, and decisions, whereas most people are arrogant and stubborn; they would rather die than rethink their posture. They would rather die than make a reasoned judgment based on facts and reliable evidence. Critical Thinkers look at all their options and possible solutions before making a decision or choice. Here are some experts on the topic defining Critical Thinking in their own words:

• ...the ability to analyze facts, generate and organize ideas, defend opinions, make comparisons, draw inferences, evaluate arguments, and solve problems (Chance,1986, p. 6);
• ...a way of reasoning that demands adequate support for one's beliefs and an unwillingness to be persuaded unless support is forthcoming (Tama, 1989, p. 64);
• ...a conscious and deliberate process which is used to interpret or evaluate information and experiences with a set of reflective attitudes and abilities that guide thoughtful beliefs and actions (Mertes,1991, p.24);
• ...active, systematic process of understanding and evaluating arguments. An argument provides an assertion about the properties of some object or the relationship between two or more objects, and evidence to support or refute the assertion. Critical thinkers acknowledge that there is no single correct way to understand and evaluate arguments and that all attempts are not necessarily successful (Mayer & Goodchild, 1990, p. 4);
• ...the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action (Scriven & Paul, 1992);
• ...skillful, responsible thinking that facilitates good judgment because it (1) relies upon criteria, (2) is self-correcting, and (3) is sensitive to context (Lipman, 1995, p. 146).

From my perspective, critical Thinking is just the ancient human capacity of discernment and scrutiny. It is the capacity to judge without being influenced by our ego, egoism, envy, antagonism, or religion. It is the ability to scrutinize people, countries, circumstances, and institutions open-mindedly.

How can we improve our ability to think critically? Firstly, ask questions, practice active listening, research, and constantly pray to God for Intelligence, Will, and Consciousness. In addition to that, it is essential to work with our Intentions.

Let’s delve into this!

Our sages agreed that there are only two Intentions: the Intention to Take Advantage of your Neighbor (Ego-ism), and the Intention to Benefit Your Neighbor (Love), also known as the Desire to Receive and the Desire to Bestow. These two different approaches or intentions will change your way of thinking by a hundred percent. If you don't have the Intention to Bestow, applying your Critical Thinking skills will be impossible since your way of thinking will be corrupted.

Suppose we honestly want to develop Critical Thinking skills. In that case, we must detach ourselves from the Desire to Receive or the Desire to be Right, putting our ego and arrogance aside. These innate human characteristics block our Critical Thinking skills and capacity for questioning, analyzing, and forming judgments based on reliable evidence rather than preferences or beliefs.

Therefore, I conclude that while our beliefs and preferences are important, engaging with diverse beliefs and preferences beyond our own is equally important. Establishing a Balance (Middle Line), or Critical Thinking, is the idea. You can be assured that the world will be a better place to raise our children if we develop Critical Thinking or the capacity to rethink our opinions, beliefs, religions, and perspectives. Call it Love, Respect, Consideration, or Critical Thinking. Benito Juárez once said, "Respect for the rights of others is Peace."