I have been thinking a lot about, well thinking. How do great minds think, and how do we learn to think? I don’t remember taking any class or instruction on how to master thoughts. Wanting to know more, I stumbled upon an essay by William Deresiewicz entitled Solitude and Leadership. In it, Deresiewicz states “Thinking means concentrating on one thing long enough to develop an idea about it.” It’s thought-provoking, and if you can ignore Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook for five to ten minutes, I recommend reading it. The concepts he discusses prompted me to explore how I process ideas, where I find my flash fiction and daily quotes topics, and how I arrive at my beliefs.

In school, I found silence was my refuge from the constant barrage the world inflicted. I consumed a steady diet of Herodotus Histories, Benjamin Franklin, Marcus Aurelius, Carl Sagan, and Steven Hawking. The Classics, including Heart of Darkness, were required, and welcome reading. I gravitate to intellectual debate, listening to other’s opinions, researching facts, and testing the validity of those reported data. I read articles that align with my convictions and those diametrically opposed to what I think I believe. I pull arguments part, examine logic, and expose them to the bright light of a healthy dose of skepticism.

I still allow myself the space to consider I am incorrect in my assumptions. And in pursuing discovery, I have endured ridicule because I hadn’t watched the latest episode of the newest mind-numbing series. Like Audrey, I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.

What do you believe in?
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Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer