The Rut Society Has Fallen Into
By Claire
As I sat down to write this blog post, I realized that I had no idea how to start. I almost opened a new tab and googled how to start a blog post, then I realized that was exactly what I sat down to write about. My inability to think for myself. I've become so used to just having the internet at the tip of my fingers to turn to for "advice." Except I don't really go to google for advice, I go for how I should think.
When did this happen? When did I give up thinking for myself in favor of having some super smart person think for me?
The answer? I don't know. I don't know when my brain decided to switch off, only working at the lowest levels possible. You want to know why? It happened gradually over the years. Suddenly, all those articles I read in my English 201 class make a lot more sense. The ones about deep reading, and about how the internet (while definitely having its good points) is slowly killing our deep reading and critical thinking skills.
But hang on, I'm an English major! I should have deep reading and critical thinking skills down to a habit by the time I graduate, right? Wrong.
As my Literary Analysis teacher explained to my class the other day, he was in a meeting with other English teachers talking about what skills all English majors should have by the time they graduate with their Bachelor's degrees. He mentioned critical thinking, and being able to write an analysis without researching anything on the analysis. One of the other teachers replied: "Shouldn't we just be teaching them how to find the information they will need in order to write?"
When did we get into that rut? The one in which we only know how to find things others have written, rather than thinking for ourselves? When did we start relying solely on the internet for our research?
I'll tell you when: It happened when we stopped thinking for ourselves. It happened when we became lazy and decided it was too much work to care and stopped caring. It happened when we stopped caring about others. Oh, did I just say "we"? I'm sorry, want me to not include you in this little generalization? Okay, I admit that many of you, my friends, have not fallen into this rut. But answer me honestly, can you truly say you haven't, even a little bit? Many of you can't.
So, my challenge for each of my friends today: Find something that interests you. Do some deep research on it. Read both sides of the topic, the good and the bad. Ponder it for a while. And then join the "never-ending conversation" my class talked about in Literary Analsis. Put your two-cents in. Listen to the opposing side, and then decide where you now stand and stick your opinion out there again with that adjustment, or the stronger argument. This is the only way we will get out of this rut the majority of us are in. I can guarantee you will learn something, and it will be good to have your opinion heard and acknowledged, am I right?
Thanks for reading, if you have any suggestions or comments post them below.
<3Claire
As I sat down to write this blog post, I realized that I had no idea how to start. I almost opened a new tab and googled how to start a blog post, then I realized that was exactly what I sat down to write about. My inability to think for myself. I've become so used to just having the internet at the tip of my fingers to turn to for "advice." Except I don't really go to google for advice, I go for how I should think.
When did this happen? When did I give up thinking for myself in favor of having some super smart person think for me?
The answer? I don't know. I don't know when my brain decided to switch off, only working at the lowest levels possible. You want to know why? It happened gradually over the years. Suddenly, all those articles I read in my English 201 class make a lot more sense. The ones about deep reading, and about how the internet (while definitely having its good points) is slowly killing our deep reading and critical thinking skills.
But hang on, I'm an English major! I should have deep reading and critical thinking skills down to a habit by the time I graduate, right? Wrong.
As my Literary Analysis teacher explained to my class the other day, he was in a meeting with other English teachers talking about what skills all English majors should have by the time they graduate with their Bachelor's degrees. He mentioned critical thinking, and being able to write an analysis without researching anything on the analysis. One of the other teachers replied: "Shouldn't we just be teaching them how to find the information they will need in order to write?"
When did we get into that rut? The one in which we only know how to find things others have written, rather than thinking for ourselves? When did we start relying solely on the internet for our research?
I'll tell you when: It happened when we stopped thinking for ourselves. It happened when we became lazy and decided it was too much work to care and stopped caring. It happened when we stopped caring about others. Oh, did I just say "we"? I'm sorry, want me to not include you in this little generalization? Okay, I admit that many of you, my friends, have not fallen into this rut. But answer me honestly, can you truly say you haven't, even a little bit? Many of you can't.
So, my challenge for each of my friends today: Find something that interests you. Do some deep research on it. Read both sides of the topic, the good and the bad. Ponder it for a while. And then join the "never-ending conversation" my class talked about in Literary Analsis. Put your two-cents in. Listen to the opposing side, and then decide where you now stand and stick your opinion out there again with that adjustment, or the stronger argument. This is the only way we will get out of this rut the majority of us are in. I can guarantee you will learn something, and it will be good to have your opinion heard and acknowledged, am I right?
Thanks for reading, if you have any suggestions or comments post them below.
<3Claire
:) will comment on facebook hoping to get you more readers :P
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