Thinking Critically

NOTE: I don't write political rants on my blog. So, please understand what I am about to say is neither in favor nor against any particular ideology or particular political party / agenda.

That being said, I have a deep concern over the apparent lack of critical thinking ability found in our culture today. Have you ever been at the checkout line when the cash register messes up, forcing the clerk to figure it your change manually? It is a NIGHTMARE!

In Saturday's NY Times, there was an article about a seven-year old in Portland 'outlaw' named Julie Murphy, who had set up an 'illegal' lemonade stand outside an art fair and was told by Health Department officials she must leave or pay a $100 fine for selling 50 cent lemonades.

Now I grant you that the Multnomah County Chief called the child's mom to apologize personally and also reportedly had a serious conversation with his staff about 'professional discretion.' My concern is that people who have been granted positions of authority simply cannot understand or discern the difference between a 7-year-old selling lemonade and a grown-up selling burritos out of a cart.

In a similar vein, we have Michael Vick, who spent 23 months in jail and was further suspended by the NFL after his release from prison and may have permanently wrecked his career over dog-fighting charges, while Donte Stallworth, a much lesser NFL player, spent 24 days in jail and missed one year of play for KILLING A PERSON in a vehicular manslaughter accident.

There are many traits that form the make-up of a creative person: the power to come up with ideas is vital, as is the ability to see things differently, but equal to these is the discernment to know which ideas to follow-up with, to know which of our ideas and projects are truly worthy to spend our time on. More to follow...