Critical Thinking and Defining Life - Term Paper Example

 Critical Thinking and Defining Life During the course of study in this class I have discovered that there are paths to success and that they can be traveled through ethical living that is supported by following ethical behavior and creating good habits towards effective living. Stephen Covey (2004) wrote a book that enlightens readers about the seven habits of effective people, highlighting aspects of life that promote community and healthy lifestyles. This course has taught me that the interaction of ethics and habits, as tempered with critical forms of thinking will allow that the outcome to most any endeavor I may undertake in my life will be more often than not successful. Life is understood through the perceptions people hold about how events take place, why they take place, and how much control they had over how they came to pass. Covey (2004) describes an event called a paradigm shift, which means that the way in which life is perceived shifts towards a new idea of how life can work. A paradigm shift happens when the way in which life is perceived is shifted to a new understanding. This initial concept created its own paradigm shift for me as I began to see how life could be approached in different ways from which I had originally believed. Through learning more about what Covey (2004) presented, I began to think that possibilities were broader and more available than what I originally perceived as my own limitations. Knowledge creates new ideas and transforms the way in which something is put into context with beliefs about the world. Learning, then, is the conduit through which knowledge can create meaningful change. One can say that multiple intelligences define how that learning is achieved and perceived. The understanding that intelligence comes in many forms supports the many levels of perception that exist (Gardner, 1983). Change comes then from how personal intelligences perceive and receive knowledge and utilizes it towards meaningful change. The way in which the individual approaches life can be seen through the centers on which they focus their lives. Covey (2004) describes the center by first stating that it is not necessarily an easy place to identify. The center of one’s life is defined by what is important, which is usually what provides security and guidance. Wisdom and power are not always derived from that center, but should be sought as a part of how one centers their life in order to elevate the nature of how life is lived. The center of one’s life can be a bad place too, which shadows every move they make and keeps them bound by rules they have defined, but may not be from a place of truth. Epiphanies and centers can come simultaneously at times. In reading the book Left to tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan holocaust, Immaculee Llibagiza (2008) I discovered that Immaculee found faith in the midst of a threat against her life. Her shift occurs as she takes her life from a place of fear to that of a place of faith in which she believed that God would keep her from harm. Her fears were so strong that they had been the center of her life, but in finding that she believed that God would hold her from harm, she shifted the center of her thoughts from fear to faith. How we see the center of our life and how our habits support that center creates effectiveness or ineffectiveness in achieving goals and outcomes. Habits, Covey (2004) writes, are “the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire”, which in the case of Llibagiza (2008) were no longer relevant to war time existence. Her daily habits and the knowledge and skill with which she existed were not a part of the new existence of living in daily fear and hiding. She had to shed all of her old habits and form new ones that matched her environment. Between the concepts of habit that Covey (2004) explains and the disruption that Llibagiza (2008), it is clear that habits often must be changed to promote survival, but without dire circumstances to motivate change, change can be very difficult. Character is also important in developing effective living. Covey (2004) discusses the differences between personality and character as they relate to ethics. Personality is how one is viewed socially, but character is how one conducts their behaviors in the social environment. Behaving in an ethical manner through integrity, values, and principles is character driven ethics rather than ways that win friends and influences others which is personality driven ethics. Character means being uncompromising on what is right, rather than utilizing and sometimes manipulating what is popular. I believe that in living through what is right and through defining one’s experiences through that filter, developing the seven habits as discussed by Covey (2004) will be a less difficult undertaking. `In learning the seven habits that are described by Covey (2004) and in looking them in relationship to my own life and the ways in which I learn, it is clear that there is some work to do. The first habit is to be proactive, which would seem to be one of the most difficult of these habits for me to achieve. Making decisions and acting on them takes courage, and I must admit at times I lack that courage to act, which means that I sometimes procrastinate which is a very bad habit. I do, however, understand the idea that one must begin a project with the end in mind, which is the second habit described by Covey (2004). Placing priorities is an important part of Covey’s (2004) seven habits, and this is one that I try to adhere to as well. In placing priorities, the fourth habit which is to reach ends that have come through means that are beneficially is more likely to occur. Who and what we prioritize means that how we get to our destination is done through what is best for our loved ones and those involved in a project or goal. The fifth habit means taking into consideration the words of others before expecting them to understand what you have to say. Being empathetic is crucial to good relations, which are crucial to success in life. This leads to the sixth habit which is combining the strength of people in order to create teamwork that is productive and positive. As much as there is much urban myth of the self-made man or the power of the individual, no one creates success without other people involved. The final good habit is to take care of one’s self, through good health, good lifestyle choices, and through spiritual connectivity. In addition, taking care of the mind is essential for success so that one is always sharp and on target. Being an effective person means taking care of one’s self as well as those around you, learning how to utilize the strengths of others and listening to what they have to say. The seven habits of being effective are based upon the idea that one should be a healthy member of a community and know how to act within that community towards mutually beneficial goals. These seven habits can be compared to the higher end of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Achieving the three higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy which is that of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, provides support for reasoning and making rational choices, using higher levels of thinking to get to those decisions (Moore & Stanley, 2010). Through designing one’s life by analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating the opportunities that are presented, outcomes are then placed within one’s own control. This is in tandem with the idea of the seven good habits because this more concise version suggests that a problem must be fully explored so that when action is taken it done with good knowledge. As I have set a course for learning, using these three aspects and filtering the good habits of Covey (2004) through them creates critical thinking on learning issues as well as how knowledge will provide for skills that can be used in the future. It is important to understand how circles of concern and circles of influences affect the habits that make for an effective person. As I look at my circles of concern, I see family members and my interests in political issues having importance. The circles of influences, as identified by Covey (2004), are those things I have control over and those things that I have no control over. One of my own personal bad habits is spending time worrying about those things I cannot control. In separating them and seeing how they influence my circle of concern, I see where more time devoted to those things I can control would provide better for those things I can have an effect on in my circle of concern. This can be extended through looking at Ellis’ (2006) 12 Rational ideas that Cause and Sustain Neurosis. Creating rational thought patterns supports interactions towards effective outcomes. In particular, Ellis’ (2006) wrote that “The idea that human misery is invariably externally caused and is forced on us by outside people and events -- instead of the idea that neurosis is largely caused by the view that we take of unfortunate conditions”. In looking at what Covey (2004) presents in relationship to taking personal responsibility for outcomes through focusing on what is healthy, what is community works, and what has the best benefits for all, the idea of external responsibility for human misery is minimized. In other words, when focusing on acting upon those things that can be controlled, those things that cannot will emerge as they will, but without the need to ascribe blame where proactive responses have compensated for those things that are outside of my control. As in the example of Llibagiza (2008), it was not the horrific experiences of her life that defined her but the way in which she used them to find faith and hope that supported the paradigm shift that she experienced. Current society is placed within the context of being post-modern and has accepted that consumerism is the core of belief and that which is more esoteric is at best secondary, and at worst irrelevant (Jameson, 1991). Thinking in terms of media, consumerism, and technology, purpose becomes more essential for the effective individual. Purpose is a foundation from which to utilize the seven habits in order to create focus. If one places this in context with the Law of Dharma, as framed by Deepak Chopra (2008) purpose can seem a method of control that once found, creates a path on which proactive choices and the use of community can allow for profound outcomes. Choosing to follow a purpose is still a choice, and an individual must be held responsible for that choice. However, for me, my purpose seems clearer and is allowing me to see which choices will develop community for the support of that purpose. Learning about critically thinking about one’s life and putting it into context with responsibility has formed a greater understanding of how I can assert my purpose in life. This class has shown that taking responsibility for choices means having the power to shift reality towards better outcomes that have been created because of not limiting how the world is perceived. It is never one’s failures that define, but how those failures are transformative. The experiences in this class have provided paradigm shifts in my life on how effectiveness is possible. In utilizing the seven habits and using them through character ethics, I can begin to see how good living that is true and well crafted can lead to success and ultimately, happiness. References Chopra, D. (2008). The seven spiritual laws of success: A practical guide to the fulfillment of your dreams. S.l.: ReadHowYouWant. Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change. New York: Free Press. Ellis, A. (2006). Albert Ellis. Personality Theories. Retrieved from http://webspace.ship .edu/cgboer/ellis.html Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books. Jameson, F. (1991). Postmodernism, or, The cultural logic of late capitalism. Durham: Duke University Press. Llibagiza, I. & Erwin, S. (2008). Left to tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan holocaust. New York: Read How You Want. Moore, B., & Stanley, T. (2010). Critical thinking and formative assessments: Increasing the rigor in your classroom. Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education. Read More