ACTIVITY 17
Devote Yourself to Critical Thinking

“Do not be guided by your dull eyes, nor by your resounding ears, but test all things with the power of your thinking alone”

—Parmenides

***

Everyone arrived in this world with the blank slate of innocence. We had no labels or judgments for others, and our thoughts and actions were genuine. There were no preconceived notions or assumptions. We did not decide that we didn't like broccoli just by looking at it; we waited until we tasted it before deciding. When we were curious about something, we asked a thousand questions until the curiosity was satisfied, often to the exasperation of our parents. The kids next door were just the kids next door, and it didn't matter how much we differed as long as we had fun while together. As time passed, we adopted the beliefs and attitudes of our parents. The strength of our relationships with others thrived or died based on their approval. The more we mirrored them—good or bad—the more love and acceptance we received. Our world expanded when we began formalized education. Textbooks told us stories of early civilization and world history as well as taught us economics and government policy. We formed new opinions and beliefs and accepted them as fact. While we may have debated and challenged the information back then, it still informs our thinking and actions today.

Humanity believed that the earth was flat until approximately 300 B.C., when Eratosthenes, a Greek mathematician, developed a method of calculating the circumference of the earth, which evidenced that the earth was round. He challenged the belief and proved it inaccurate. The Holy Bible describes Jesus as having skin like “burnished bronze” and “hair like wool,” yet every image displays the contrary, a man with white skin and long straight hair. Raised a Christian and educated primarily in Catholic schools, I was taught that one can't pick and choose which parts of the Bible to believe. Believe all or none as every word is true, and if one word was false, it rendered the entire book false. Teachers could never provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the contradiction in the biblical description of Jesus and the pictorial representations. My conclusion: imagery matching the biblical description is unacceptable to the dominant culture, so they created images in their likeness, making them acceptable.

Growing up, teachings of the explorer Christopher Columbus hailed his explorations, and we celebrated his discovery of America with a day off from school. As an adult, I learned the rest of Columbus' legacy—of his enslavement, outright theft, and the genocide of indigenous peoples. This part of the story was not told in my textbooks. As more Americans realize the harsh reality of our country's historical racism, Columbus Day remains a federal holiday, and folks happily flock to parades and celebrations in his honor.

Many people believe and act on political rhetoric like the labeling of Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals, Black people as violent and lazy, and Haitians as having AIDS. BBC.com reported in May 2021 that hate crimes in the Asian community rose by 1200 percent as Asians were targeted and blamed for the covid-19 virus. The long-held and incorrect belief persists that members of the LGBTQ community could heal themselves of homosexuality if they just tried hard enough. The fact of the matter is that there are rapists, criminals, AIDS victims, and those who are lazy and violent in all races, yet only marginalized groups are called out and subsequently victimized for it at a much higher rate than those of the dominant culture. My gay friends and family members will tell anyone who asks that their sexuality is no more a choice than that of heterosexuals. I have yet to meet a heterosexual who made a conscious decision to be so. Distorted views and fallacies presented as fact create false perceptions of diverse groups and cause harm, even death. Developing an inclusive mindset requires us to think differently and devote time to critical thinking. Maintaining ignorance and rigidity in our beliefs and opinions causes us to stay stagnant in our understanding. Critical thinking requires the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking.

We must gather and synthesize information from multiple sources as an active learner, rather than an uninformed consumer of information. We can choose to examine our beliefs and then choose to change them.

As champions of inclusion, we are on a learning journey. We should constantly assess what we think we know about groups, individuals, and institutional systems, and challenge our assumptions. What was true yesterday, last month, or last year may not be relevant today. Our world is changing so quickly, and we need to consider new variables that arise and that often serve as barriers to inclusion as well as create forces resistant to change. Just recently, as I write this book, the state of Texas outlawed abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, knowing that most women won't discover the pregnancy until around the sixth week. Further, a woman's right to choose was completely abolished shortly thereafter when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade after 49 years of enacting it into law. Prior to Roe v. Wade, women subjected themselves to illegal abortions or consumed harmful drugs claiming to induce abortion where many suffered and died as a result. Regardless of what we think about abortion, inclusion means thinking about the impact to female colleagues. The state of Florida introduced a bill banning discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools that in part requires school officials to disclose to parents information confided in them about a student's sexual orientation and gender identity—essentially outing LGBTQ youth against their will with potentially harmful effects. In these instances, critical thinkers are not focused on the laws, rather, their impact, and seek creative ways to make a difference. Controversial changes bring a barrage of opinions, facts, and so-called facts that inform our interactions. We've got to determine whether the information is fact or opinion, whether all facts were provided, and whether anything was left out. Champions of inclusion who employ critical thinking make better allies and can model different behaviors for others to emulate.

While we are well past the days of our childhood innocence, returning to our willingness to examine before judging and to be curious in all things is paramount as we strive toward inclusion.

Actions

Strike a Balance

As agents for change, we tend to focus on addressing problems that create barriers to inclusion and that can lead to burnout. Most of us are wired to solve problems as it is a highly sought-after skillset in the workplace. In addition to addressing the issues, leverage critical thinking skills to uncover opportunities for inclusion.

Collaborate with Other Inclusion Champions

Keeping a pulse on the issues and narratives affecting diversity, equity, and inclusion is time-consuming. When we collaborate with others, we gain more insight through diverse perspectives, resulting in greater impact.

Lead by Example

Use actions and influence to attract more inclusion champions. Model the behaviors that you want to see in others. You don't need to have a leadership title to lead. When you can mobilize others and do incredible things, you are, in fact, leading.

Develop a Framework for Critical Thinking

To be effective in critical thinking requires a structured process. A post from the University of the People recommends the following:

  • Define your question: When it comes to critical thinking, it's important to always keep your goal in mind. Know what you're trying to achieve, and then figure out how to best get there.
  • Gather reliable information: Make sure that you're using sources you can trust—biases aside. That's how a real critical thinker operates!
  • Ask the right questions: We all know the importance of questions, but be sure that you're asking the right questions that are going to get you to your answer.
  • Look short- and long-term: When coming up with solutions, think about both the short- and long-term consequences. Both of them are significant in the equation.
  • Explore all sides: There is never just one simple answer, and nothing is black or white. Explore all options and think outside of the box before you come to any conclusions.

Action Accelerators

Sources Cited

  1. BBC.com: “Covid ‘hate crimes' against Asian Americans on rise,” May 21, 2021, https://bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56218684
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