I think the biggest service I have done for my son is to teach him to “question everything”. It has been a mantra I have lived with my entire life. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. What does this have to do with being a freedom thinker? I was reading an article this morning that basically discussed critically thinking and how it has been, for the most part, lost. The author goes on to say, “question everything.” I thought, yes be a freedom thinker!
One of the biggest problems I perceive in society today is the inability to ‘think for one’s self.’ It is understandable to group together with like-minded people and celebrate your ‘togetherness’. What I still don’t understand, is how angry people get when they are given an opposing viewpoint that actually makes sense. I remember when my son was young, somewhere between 8-10, and he was being taught by a neighbor that when we die we just decay. That there is nothing more.
Now, two things immediately came about because of these talks she was having with my son. He began to reject any other ideals; especially relating to God. Some people would not take issue with this. I did. I have a very strong faith, but when it comes to religion, I believe people have to choose their own path. My child included.
The second thing that happened was that I stopped him from going over to see her for a while. Oh I know, I can hear your tsk tsking and thoughts of “that isn’t right, you were stepping on his free will.” You may go ahead and believe that if you want. I am not going to stop you.
I am going to say that, as a parent, I did what was in the best interest of my child and my family. Now, pay attention; IF you know your child, then you KNOW what is best for them. How they learn best. One of the most important things I needed my child to learn was how to make his own choices. To reach his own decisions. He was at a vulnerable point in his life where he was being influenced to believe things because one person said them. I wanted him to learn that, just because someone tells you something, even if it is your parents, you need to look at both sides and make your own decision. This didn’t happen overnight. It literally took years for him to decide that he didn’t want to be influenced by what other people were saying. He had to decide to be his own person. (Of course, I encouraged him along the way. I am blessed to have a very good relationship with my son.)
Later on (months/years) we have had discussions about religion and my beliefs. Early on, I explained that just because I believed the way I did, didn’t mean he HAD to. I told him that it was important to understand why you believe something. I encouraged him to go out and learn about other religions and to make his own decision. He did.
Not only has he done this when it comes to his faith, but he does it when it comes to pretty much everything in his life. (He is now a grown man in his early 20’s.) When he comes to a decision I can ask him why he made the choice he did and he will explain it to me. (No, I don’t always question his choices.)
Sometimes these decisions lead to very interesting discussions. We don’t argue, fight, name-call, over our difference in views. We accept that we both have the right to our opinions. After all, they are OUR individual opinions. Just because we don’t agree on which music is the ‘best’ (country for me/rock for him – if you were wondering) doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate the other’s view and grow in our knowledge from listening as well as being open to understanding where they are coming from.
You can do this with anything in life. However, you have to be willing to be a freedom thinker. You have to be willing to have an open mind to other ideas, viewpoints and opinions. You can’t sequester your thoughts and believe just what other people are telling you. You need to know why you believe it. Not just because so and so said it was true.
When you aren’t willing to get the information yourself, it is easy to be fed misinformation. It is easy to take a stance that you might not fully agree with, simply because you don’t know the entire story.
Remember, there are three sides to every story. Yours, theirs and the truth. If you are willing to look into both sides, you will find the truth. With that one simple practice, you can then make an informed decision and know why you believe what you believe. (Attempting to erase historical facts to suit your needs doesn’t change the truth.)
Are you willing to become a freedom thinker? It’s okay to choose to start today.