{"ops":[{"insert":"There are so many ways to enter critical thinking and benefit from it. We can take any part of the theory and apply it to everyday life situations. In fact, until we do so, any theory we learn will be inert in the mind, rather than activated. It is when we apply critical thinking that it comes to life. For instance, I was recently in a drugstore, and began noticing some of the unhealthy things in the store ("},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"information"},{"insert":"). What hit me first was the toxic fluorescent lighting ("},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"information"},{"insert":") (read into the many health problems potentially caused by fluorescents).* I couldn’t help but notice the irony between the fact that a pharmacy should be advancing health when those florescent lights certainly do not ("},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"my inference based on the information"},{"insert":"). Then I began to analyze and assess, from the "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"point of view"},{"insert":" of critical thinking, many of the things surrounding me in that drug store - the rows of candy filled with processed sugar, rows of processed potato chips and other snack foods, toxic chemicals on the cleaning aisle, make up and skincare products containing who knows how many perhaps toxic chemicals and perfumes as well ("},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"all information"},{"insert":").\n           So critical thinking begins when you apply criticality anywhere at any time (in this case to the information surrounding me that I was noticing for the first time from a given viewpoint, focused on the question “How many things in the store, which should be advancing health, are actually unhealthy for people? Of course I was assuming that a pharmaceutical store should contain things healthy, rather than unhealthy, for people, which is perhaps a faulty assumption”). And we can practice critical thinking, well, even in a drug store. If more people did, perhaps these stores would at least get rid of those florescent lights that do potentially affect the health of shoppers even when they don’t add the candy and chips.\n\tCritical thinking entails an awareness and state of mind to be carried with you as you enter into situations, an awareness based in concepts and principles of skilled, ethical reasoning. The key is to take the time to step back and analyze and assess the situation using your higher order mind. Ask yourself, “what is wrong in this situation? How can I look at this in a deeper, more enlightened way? If I could change this situation, what would need to change and why? How can I keep from getting caught up in the minutiae of negativity that seems to surround us and instead apply my mind to help create solutions? What do I know for certain in this situation, and what am I less clear about?\n\tThe point is to enter critical thinking wherever you can, and as often as you can. Apply it here and now, ask a pertinent question, notice something you haven’t noticed before, put two and two together, stop running from something, stop lying to yourself, stop lying to someone else, stop blaming…yes, start anywhere - using the critical thinking skills you already have.\n\t\n*critical thinking question: Do I need scientific evidence to know that florescent lights are harmful when it seems only logical that there must be some problems with them, given my body’s physiological response? In other words, is my body's response enough evidence for me to make the decision to avoid these lights?\n\n"}]}