We know we have the right to ask questions, but we exercise that right mostly by asking questions to others and expecting answers, solutions, explanations, excuses, justifications, advice.
We seldom exercise that right with ourselves. When we do it, we neglect to take the time to listen to our deeper response. We are accustomed to just jump to conclusions, propelled by thinking habits and pre-set emotional reactions.
Especially when it comes to our beliefs and convictions, we strongly uphold our views, directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously. Fortunately, the sudden changes that storm our lives help our minds not to die of stagnation. It’s usually the moment when we start asking ourselves questions, in a new atempt to understand the world and our existence.
Take nothing for granted, accept nothing on faith alone or based on someone’s praise and fame, honestly and positively question things about yourself, challenge your most basic beliefs and convictions. Inquire, listen, study, experiment and verify for yourself. Leave blind faith and afflictive doubt aside, and practice healthy skepticism accompanied by wisdom and compassion.
It is an extraordinary practice that teaches openness, flexibility and awareness. It can enlarge your vision about yourself and the world, and open the way to new understandings on the path of true knowledge, science and being.
Critical thinking, intellectual caution, suspended judgement, inquisitive doubt, thought experiments, continual testing, are means by which we can confront our prejudices, myths and theories that at some point we started to believe as truths.
Thinking a new thought… Isn’t that an exquisite emotion?
