One of my favorite essays is "Thinking as a Hobby" by William Golding, a British novelist. Mr. Golding describes three grades of thinking and his own evolutions through the grades - which grade are you in?
Grade 3 - commonly called thought. Grade 3 thinkers are often full of unconscious prejudice, ignorance and hypocrisy. Contradictions between speech and action are ignored, dismissed, excused or explained away. Examples might be the pedophilic priest, abusive mothers (think Monique's character in "Precious") or that guy who gave you the finger in traffic with the "Jesus is my Co-pilot" bumper sticker. Archetypes like the womanizing preacher, the murderous “black widow,” (why she gotta be a “black” widow though? :-)), and conservative politicians with hidden lifestyles come to mind. Golding felt Grade 3 thinkers comprise 90% of the population and since we are outnumbered and surrounded we better respect them. I admit that I’ve been (and still am sometimes) a Grade 3. Besides, how could I say I haven’t been? By definition I was oblivious when I did/do it! :-) How about you?
Grade 2 is the detection of contradiction without offering solutions. It is described as having the power to destroy but no power to create. While filled with fun and excitement (when used to expose Grade 3 windbags) it can leave the speaker out of depth. Examples of Grade 2 thinkers are your little brother/sister, the boyfriend/girlfriend who tried to turn it back on you when they were caught in a lie, or maybe even YOU and ME from time to time :-). At the height of power, Grade 2’s are prickly, divisive, spiteful, angry blowhards that hurt people so they can avoid dealing with themselves. At least hypocrites have the integrity of self-interest behind them – Grade 2’s have less than that. Pretentious little twerps who complain a lot but aren't willing to do anything to change what they're complaining about. Golding cites Pontius Pilate as a Grade 2 thinker. In John 18:38, in exasperation, Pontius asks, "What is truth?" to END his conversation with Christ. I admit, I’ve mastered Grade 2 thinking too – I’m sure my wife would co-sign on that one!
However, there is a higher level of thought that asks the same question as Pilate and then sets out to find the answer.
Grade 1 - the highest form of thinking according to the essay. Here is where the question, "What is truth?" marks the BEGINNING of a conversation instead of the end. Golding does not detail the attributes of Grade 1 thinking like he does with Grades 2 & 3. Instead, he relays the emotion he felt in a chance encounter he had on a small bridge at a park in Oxford, England. As he stood on the bridge a small man came & stood beside him to look too - Albert Einstein. Neither spoke the other man’s language. Sure that he looked awestruck, he says he would have given his Greek, Latin, French and a good slice of his English for enough German to communicate with Einstein. While Golding was struggling to keep his breathing level, Einstein pointed to the water and said, "Fisch." Golding says he desperately sought for a way to convey that he, too, revered pure reason. In a flash he used up half his German vocabulary and said, "Fisch." Ja. Ja." (LOL!) They stood side by side for a few more minutes and then Einstein amiably walked away and out of site.
Later, Golding says he dropped thinking as a “hobby” and turned "professional." At the time, his world was full of war between nations and continents. He proposed the dissolution of big business, centralized government, armies and marriage. That's as far as Golding goes in describing Grade 1 thinking (I'm puzzled as to why he would do away with those institutions since he believed 90% of the population is made of Grade 3 thinkers. Clearly, in his estimation, there aren't enough Grade 1 thinkers to make this world manageable (with all its Grade 3 thinkers) without such institutions.)
While I don't agree with all the ideas and places Golding’s logic took him, I do agree with the sentiment that thinking, for me, should not be a “hobby”, a past time. Instead, it should be a "serious matter" (let's hear it for the Alpha's one time :-)) to be engaged in professionally. Conversations absent of raw emotion (Grade 3), acknowledgement of self-contradiction (Grade 2) and questions that mark the BEGINNING of dialogue sidelined with periods of reflection and honest re-engagement (Grade 1).
Help me out, read the essay. What impression do you get on what Grade 1 thinking looks like, acts like, sounds like?
What I find to be interesting is the ability to face uncomfortable feelings that are expressed, or unpopular notions. To talk about such things in a way that all parties involved can hear and participate in the conversation. Not unemotional responses, but ones that don’t snuff out the other responses. People are so tightly strung that I believe it is impossible to be unemotional. The key thing here is to be able to rationally think, with or without emotion.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I am tired of thinking and prefer to be what a drone bee is to the bee colony. Basically, be born and created with a single purpose in mind, to do a specific task, be told what to do and how to do it. I know am being lazy given God has given us these big brains, but sometimes that is how I feel. J Most times that is not the case, but I often wonder if I am alone in feeling this way. I ultimately believe that we are not living a sprint, but a marathon. In marathon, there are moments of doubts and self loathing, but also moments of triumph and celebration of accomplishment. Let’s hope celebrative and triumphant moments out weigh the others. I am not sure how any of this relevant to your email, but this where I went with it. J
Stu