Thinking about thinking

"We in America have everything we need except the most important thing of all--time to think, and the habit of thought." --Norman Cousins

Professor P.M. Forni has written about and taught courses in civility at Johns Hopkins U (http://krieger.jhu.edu/civility). This subject has led him to concentrate on critical thinking skills which are the basis of enlightened discourse. Forni contends that thinking is what separates our species from all others, therefore we should hone our thinking skills as a path to greater fulfillment. Twitter may be useful, but he laments the impact on scholarship of the 140 character soundbite mentality. He asks, Do we really need external stimulation via phone, Internet, email, text, etc. 24/7? Does external stimulation paradoxically reduce our ability to think for ourselves by helping us avoid thinking at all? 

In his interview with NPR's Diane Rehm ( http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-12-19/pier-forni-thinking-life ), Forni contrasts prayer and meditation. Buddhist meditation is good for slowing down the pace of life, for finding one's center, and for relieving stress by eliminating desire. While there is benefit to meditation, Forni is looking for an increase in deliberate periods of internal concentration and deep thought: a workout for the brain. Prayer is closer to this preferred form of mindfulness. Ideally, people would set aside large chunks of time for concentrated thought. We cannot thrive as humans without thinking. The quality of our lives follows from the quality of our thinking. 

Here is an excerpt from an Amazon review of Forni's new book (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Life-How-Thrive-Distraction/dp/0312625715/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312816526&sr=8-1). Professor Forni, founder of The Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins, is America's civility expert. In his first two books, Choosing Civility and The Civility Solution, he taught readers the rules of civil behavior and ways of responding to rudeness. Now, in The Thinking Life, he looks at the importance of thinking in our lives: how we do it, why we don't do enough of it and why we need to do more of it.

In twelve short chapters, he gives readers a remedy for the Age of Distraction, an age fuelled by the Internet, Blackberries and cellphones, all of which make constant demands on our attention, diverting it from one thing to another. After suggesting ways we can find time to think more, Forni shows readers how we can improve our abilities of:

—Attention
—Reflection
—Introspection
—Self-control
—Positive thinking
—Proactive thinking
—Effective decision-making strategies
—Creative thinking
—Problem-solving strategies

Personally, I believe that a good life starts with identifying one's passions and central values. This is followed by critical thinking which challenges (or confirms) and ultimately aligns with those values. Finally, one's actions implement plans and unite people around common causes creating positive social change.