Rethinking Everything

Did you know that tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous? Before that, the Earth was thought to be flat. And it wasn’t that long ago that people drank radioactive water and wore radium pendants. Silly people, right? Well, it turns out that we humans do a lot of rethinking. Cigarettes used to be cool. Everybody smoked. But light up in public today and you’re a public offender. Unless, of course, you want to light up a joint, which used to mean you were one of “those kinds of people,” but now it means you’re cool and progressive.

I used to think that all this rethinking meant we were thinking better; you know, getting smarter. But now that I’ve thought about it, I’m forced to rethink my position. It could mean were missing something important.

Okay, I’ll go along with the rethink on tomatoes, the shape of the earth and radiation. And I’ll not argue about the health risks of smoking as long as I understand what we’re all supposed to think — cigarettes bad, marijuana good? Is that what we’re all supposed to think? Just checking.

Back to my point: A lot of our rethinking is the result of our not thinking at all. Somebody says, “Hey, I’ve got a great idea.” The rest of us haven’t thought much about it, it sounds okay, so we all go along. A few years later, someone else says, “That was a terrible idea. Let’s change it.” The first guy doesn’t agree, but the majority of us who didn’t think through the first idea enough to oppose it are now just as happy to go along with the second guy. Does anyone remember the nationwide 55 mph speed limit?

I’ve been thinking on this a lot lately as I hear people argue the hot topics of today. We as a society are in the process of rethinking some pretty major ideas that will dramatically affect how we live – the climate, morality, what should and should not be tolerated or even allowed, health care, sexuality…you know what I’m talking about. Pretty soon, decisions will be made, laws will be enacted, and like it or not, that will be our society.

I know where I stand on most of these topics, but that’s not the purpose of this post. I’d like to ask you a question: How exactly are you going to decide your position?

Are you going with what feels right to you?

Are you waiting to see where the most people land?

Are you giving these issues careful consideration, doing your own research, and coming to your own thoughtful conclusion?

Are you going with the side that shouts the loudest, has the best looking spokesperson, or appears most confident?

Are you honestly seeking the truth, and are you ready to let truth dictate your position, even if you don’t like it? (CAUTION: This one will almost certainly be the least popular)

Are you going to choose none of the above and just accept whatever happens?

Think about it. What’s really behind our rethinking? Where will it lead us? And will we have to rethink these same issues again? We usually do.