Examining One's Thinking - again and again

My readers know that I love John Maxwell and regularly use his workbook Jumpstart Your Thinking so I can speak with some authority on Thinking.

Yesterday I wrote

I believe that one should examine one’s personal thinking on a daily basis and as one ages it is vital to do so because it is so very easy to fall into grooves and patterns of thinking.

Here are some of the reasons why I suggest this examination. The other day on The View they discussed Kevin Hart’s situation with respect to his withdrawal from being the host of the Oscars because the producers were asking him to apologize for homophobic comments he made in 2009. He refused to do so because he said that he had already apologized many times over the years and he did not think he should have to go through life apologizing over and over again. The discussion essentially came to the same conclusion as both Kevin Hart and I – that people evolve, people change their opinions as “issues” become more normalized and understood.

Homosexuality has been condemned for 2,000 years at least, in large part due to Christianity’s view. During the AIDS crisis a more compassionate view of homosexuality began to emerge and over the past thirty years the western world at least has essentially accepted homosexuality as (an appropriate word is failing to come to me, so forgive me) normal, valid and right for certain individuals. True there are still many people who cannot overcome their prejudice against gay people but overall acceptance is there and laws are in place to protect their rights.

So people’s thinking evolved and can accept something that was considered wrong once upon a time. Another reason for examining one’s thinking is to keep current with what is happening in the world today. Countries change, politics change and people’s attitudes change. In order to stay current and fresh it is important not to fall into the groove of bemoaning “the good old days”. The fact is that the good old days are largely a myth in your own mind. When my mother starts harking back to 1936 I ask her “Mom do you want to wash diapers by hand again?” When she gets on her favorite treadmill talk, bemoaning that there is no bus service to my house, I cut her short and simply tell her I am not going to go over the arguments for the 500^th time. Then I ask her “where do you want to go?” and she says nowhere. Case closed.

My mother is my cautionary tale to myself and I remind myself that one of the joys of thinking is to stay creative and curious and being open to possibilities. It’s important to listen to world renowned figures, to read good books and to talk to those around us to get their views. I am always questioning my cousins in Denmark about what is going on because Mom only talks with her sister who is also an octogenarian and believe me it is so worrying to have them go over the same subject, every week and never come up with any conclusion except that they shouldn’t be letting foreigners into the country. I shake my head and tell Mom “I don’t want to hear it again unless it’s something new”. Sadly it never is.

The other day I made her listen to Louise Arbour, Special Representative for International Migration, who spoke most reasonably about international migration. She listened with full attention, I thought, but two hours later in a discussion with my brother she said precisely what Arbour said WAS NOT TRUE – that migrants come with their hands out and not willing to work. I was so angry with her in going back into the same old groove but she stayed Jacobsen Stubborn. John says be patient you can’t teach an old dog new tricks but I am stubborn also and I refuse to let her get away with talking such piffle!

So there we are . . . do what I say and also do what I do . . . refuse to listen to piffle! J