[Neurons] 2020 Neurons #32 FRAGILE THINKERS

Sun Jun 28 21:59:48 EDT 2020

From: L. Michael Hall 

2020 Neurons #32

June 29, 2020

Thinking for a Living series #18

FRAGILE THINKERS

Some people are mentally and emotionally fragile when it comes to their
ability to think- to entertain an idea, to try it on in their minds and then
to question and explore it.  After all, that is what true thinking is.  The
activity of actually thinking begins when you mentally consider a thought
which is new and different.  If you are just mentally repeating what you
already know, you are not actually thinking, you are rehearsing known
information. [You can find a detailed description of this in Executive
Thinking.] 

Yet for some people- those mentally and emotionally fragile, perhaps
untrained, undisciplined, insecure- they cannot do that.  When they
encounter a new thought or one that differs with what they already know,
they automatically disagree and reject it.  As a mental reaction, this is
not thinking, it is the opposite.  It is non-thinking reactivity.  And why?
Precisely because it differs with what they currently understand, because
they don't understand it, and because it puts them out of their comfort zone
-they feel insecure and anxious.  As a fragile thinker, they need others to
agree with them and to confirm them.  And because they are fragile- inwardly
weak and insecure, their basic ploy when someone contradicts them is to
react, to act like a tantrum-throwing child, a fascist dictator who has to
have things his way.

The very idea of entering into the intellectual arena where there can be a
battle of ideas scares the hell out of them.  They wouldn't dare.  And why
not?  Because of their worries, "What if I'm wrong?"  "What if someone has a
stronger argument?"  "What would I do then?"  What is behind or underneath
this?  Not only a basic insecurity, but a mis-use of information and
knowledge.  Instead of letting ideas battle things out as both sides of an
issue are presented, argued for, and examined for the quality of thinking
(reasoning) involved and then choosing the best ideas- people cling to ideas
as making them okay.  Instead of being okay as a human being who then plays
with ideas, entertains ideas, tests ideas, etc., they misuse ideas.  "My
ideas make me okay as a person."  "Being politically correct validates me as
a person."

The fragile thinker is a victim of the Confirmation Bias- they cannot live
in the intellectual environment where there are opposing ideas.  If someone
holds an idea, understanding, interpretation, or belief different from
theirs, they take it as a personal affront.  They then attack the person who
dares to challenge them.  Ironically, Colleges and Universities- which
should be places for true thinking, openness to ideas, willingness to hear
out different viewpoints- have become one of the most constrictive places
for true thinking.  Conservative views are not only not allowed, but are
politically unpopular, not "politically correct," and those who hold them
are treated as evil persons.

That's the non-thinking attitude of fragile thinkers.  Because their
thinking is not robust and cannot handle the battle of ideas, fragile
thinkers fear differences and any conflict with their views.  They whine
like little children, "I'm uncomfortable when you say that."  Or they accuse
the one who differs as offending them and demand that they be deprived of
their freedom of speech.  They avoid both differences and conflict as if
holding a different view was inherently a bad or evil thing.  They engage in
a pseudo-solution by condemning the opposite side as demonic.  They say
there are not two sides to an issue, there's only one side- the right side.
Their side!

Of course this is what any dictator does.  They refuse to allow others to
have their say and persecute those who hold different views.  Then, in an
ironic reversal, they call those who differ and who simply want their voices
heard -fascists.

What's the solution?  It is psychological.  It is to ground one's person as
a human being in unconditional value.  We call that self-esteem (not to be
confused with self-confidence, or self-image, or self-belief, etc.).  To
esteem one self on any condition constructs conditional self-esteem which is
the basis for any and all fragile thinkers.

The solution is to esteem yourself as a person unconditionally.   It is to
esteem your worth and value as a human being solely and simply on the fact
that you are a human being and human beings are innately valuable, lovable,
and of incredible potential.  If you base your worth and value on your
money, looks, strength, intelligence, racial heritage, religion, education,
status, etc., you are setting yourself up for your self-esteem to go up and
down according to your conditions.  You will then take things personal when
any of the conditions fluctuate.

To be a robust thinker who can "think for a living" and think in a clear,
rational, and precise way- start with distinguishing your "person" from your
"thoughts."   Thinking is something you do.  It is not what you are.  And
your thinking, like every other aspect of you, is fallible.  Regarding
thinking, you are often wrong.  Everyday you make mistakes in reasoning,
remembering, imagining, thinking things through, deciding, evaluating, etc.
A fragile thinker tries to avoid that reality.  A robust thinker embraces
this as the human condition.  By embracing your cognitive distortions,
biases, and fallacies, you can catch yourself in real-time and make
adjustments.  That will make you an excellent thinker and it will show up in
the quality of your understandings, decisions, and choices.

                            References: Executive Thinking (2018).  Secrets
of Personal Mastery (1997).

                            https://www.neurosemantics.com/products/ 

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D., Executive Director 

International Society of Neuro-Semantics 

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO. 81520 USA                             

               1 970-523-7877 

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