Ignoring This Leads to Misunderstanding
Earlier this fall I started a five- part series of posts on how to teach our children to think critically. Rule number 1 was “be gracious” to those who hold contrary views. Why? Because somethings can’t be reversed. Posts, texts, tweets, are permanent, apologies and retractions notwithstanding.
On to rule number 2. Ignoring this rule leads to misunderstanding.
From the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey tells a story that took place on a subway in New York:
People were sitting quietly – some reading newspapers, some lost in thought, some resting with their eyes closed. It was a calm, peaceful scene.
Then suddenly, a man and his children entered the subway car. The children were so loud and rambunctious that instantly the whole climate changed.
The man sat down next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to the situation. The children were yelling back and forth, throwing things, even grabbing people’s papers. It was very disturbing. And yet, the man sitting next to me did nothing.
It was difficult not to feel irritated. I could not believe that he could be so insensitive as to let his children run wild like that and do nothing about it, taking no responsibility at all. It was easy to see that everyone else on the subway felt irritated, too. So finally, with what I felt was unusual patience and restraint, I turned to him and said, “Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn’t control them a little more?”
The man lifted his gaze as if to come to a consciousness of the situation for the first time and said softly, “Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.”
Knowing and understanding the writer’s context, reading or listening to an argument and probing below the surface leads to a more complete understanding. Significantly so as the story above illustrates. Of course, if our aim (which I’m suggesting should not be our aim if we are truly wanting to engage in critical thinking) is simply to participate in argumentative dialog, then we should fire away. Why wait?
But, that’s not our aim if we are wanting to teach our children how to think and respond critically. Context matters. Back stories matter. Teach your children to probe below the surface and seek to understand where the author is coming from.
Thanks for reading!
Curt Bumcrot, MRE
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