For Your Information

"Modern society is information rich and wisdom poor." -- Orrin Woodward

It is absolutely fascinating to consider the sheer volume of available information and the incredible speed in which it is now possible to consume. The Internet has made our desktops, laptops, tablets, cell phones, and even our iPods instant messengers and information retrieval systems. Anything you want to know, just type it in the search box. So, shouldn't we be just a little smarter? A little wiser? Are we?

If the above quote, by Orrin Woodward, is to be believed -- and I believe it is -- then we're really not any wiser at all. In fact, I would go as far to say we've lost a little ground here. Why? Because to some degree, it appears we have lost our desire to be critical thinkers.

Wikipedia says: "Critical thinking is a type of reasonable, reflective thinking that is aimed at deciding what we believe or what we are to do. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is always true, sometimes true, partly true, or false." By its definition, it requires "reasonable" and "reflective" thinking to process the vast onslaught of information and then arrive at a reasonable conclusion as to the validity and value of that information. In other words, is it true or false? Is it relevant or irrelevant? Will you learn something -- or just be entertained?

Our desire to be entertained may be at the root of the current critical thinking shortage. It seems we're more interested in somebody's 15 minutes of fame, than we are in somebody's 15 years of dedicated research, knowledge and practical wisdom. How can that be? We often know the names and lifestyles of all the current reality TV shows, but have no clue who represents us is local and national public office or what the most pressing and important issues really are.

Worse yet, we often cannot clearly articulate what we believe and why. Does it really make sense to simply listen to someone else's often uninformed opinion and adopt it as our own? Then when challenged give that deer-in-the-headlights stare? Knowing what we believe and why we believe it requires a healthy dose of critical thinking and the fortitude to do our own leg work on any particular subject. It never hurts to go offline. We need to read books, listen to CDs, and attend seminars and workshops in which knowledge and wisdom is shared.

I love the current commercial in which a young lady says she heard it on the Internet and if it is on the Internet it has to be true. When asked who told her that, her predictable answer is -- the Internet. Now I'm not picking on the Internet. It is a neutral channel for the most part, made up of good and bad. The Wikipedia definition I gave earlier comes from the Internet and it is helpful and truthful.

Perhaps the time has come to ask ourselves: "Where am I getting my information and how do I know it is true?" Perhaps more importantly we need to ask: "What good will it do and who can be helped by it?" After all, isn't it the responsibility of a true leader to be informed -- and to have well-thought out platforms from which to lead? Real leaders will never seek to minimize critical thinking, but rather will always demand it of themselves and embrace it in others. They know their real purpose is to serve through leading.

So next time someone says; "I heard it on the Internet", you'll know it's time to do a little research and a whole lot of thinking. You never know, you might just be able to say: "Well, for your information ..."