The worst thing in life is a educated fool
The greatest injustice, if you ask me, is arming a fool with knowledge. We have this impression that knowledge changes people, and the more access one has to it the better he or she becomes. However, I do not agree totally to this statement because to be frank, some of the most dangerous people in this life have unlimited access to information and resources. That aside, I think another fundamental skill one needs to develop is the ability to think critical about every and any thing.
Most people think in quote. You cannot separate some people from what they know, in other words, you cannot convince them of other possibilities irrespective of the fact that these said possibilities are far more feasible and accurate than their current reality or truth. This is one of the reasons I am not fond of fanatics. They are so engrossed in their knowledge of the truth that they do not see other possibilities; they cannot make a sentence without making reference to a book or quote. It is important to give credit to whom it is due but most people do so in other to solidify their position. Their reference to a book or person makes their assertions unquestionable.
It's easy to manipulate people who do not think for themselves. We've seem most of the worst crimes against humanity being based on justice, and references been made to a holy book. In this part of the world this has created a profitability means for extortion and a breeding ground for very docile and complacent people. We have people who would rather pray than fight against injustice; we have people who would give offerings than engage in any meaningful work in expectation of some miraculous breakthrough. Most of these people are well educated but you see them falling for unintelligent tricks, this is because they do not have a mind of their own. Whatever comes out from a book is true. I used to think the same way as a young teenager who had a keen interest in books, and yes they did have a positive impact on my life, but one fundamental skill I developed is thinking critically about everything, or almost everything. This might have been as a result of reading books with contrary views, so you might say it was accidental and not intentional. This wouldn't have been possible if I had restricted my quest for knowledge to a certain kind of truth. Also, I developed my love for psychology and one of the books I bought then highlighted on critical thinking. Although I did not take it too serious then but I am beginning to see the importance of this skill in our current day world.
Having a mind of your own doesn't mean opposing everything, it is about weighing the merit and demerit of a thing and making an informed judgment.
I must also mention this idea has it's own demerit as we have large amount of people who are so keen on challenging every thing. Fake woke people springing up from every corner with their conspiracy theories that are not necessarily baseless but are light years away from the truth. The truth in this sense is relative.
If you think critically about this article you might agree with some of my assertions but you will also point out its demerits, as well as other ways of furthering the conversation.
In a nutshell, I believe it is important that we think for ourselves and not conform to every notion of the truth. This allows for opinions not to be polarised and it also creates room for furthering conversations and ideas.
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