What Next?

Tribal thinking or tribalism is the word for 2018 according to some political analysts and there have been several books published this year reflecting on this trend.  I haven’t read any of them although I have listened to the authors as they have been interviewed on various television shows.  People find comfort in being part of a group or adhering to a certain ideology.  This can make one vulnerable by believing that what we hold dear is reasoned and principled thinking.  While there is nothing wrong, in theory, in having ideas or an ideology it is vital to one’s understanding on how that idea or ideology was first entered into one’s mindset or values “package” so to speak. 
Reflective thinking on a subject that one holds dear is crucial to understand one’s self.  To simply accept a set of values held by a political party, for instance, is a very shaky way of accepting them as one’s own, in toto. Ditto any religion one may embrace.  Politics and religion are two huge influencers in many people’s lives, indeed I would suspect more than 50% of people around the globe base the majority of their values and ideas via one or both of these.  Today another big influences is social media, particularly Facebook. 
So how does one come to an understanding of where, when, how, what and why we have the values and ideas that we have?  Taking time to reflect on them is essential.  John Maxwell suggests setting aside as little as 15 minutes a day, in an assigned location that is comfortable to you, that is quiet and away from interruptions and with pen and paper so you can jot down points as they come to you is essential to good thinking. 
“To be able to concentrate for a considerable time is essential to a difficult achievement”  Bertrand Russell