Think For Yourself

Think For Yourself

You’ve probably been told this at least once in your life, but what exactly does it mean?

When I looked it up online I found this definition:

“To form opinions or make decisions without help from other people.”

But is that actually even possible?

We are influenced by our upbringing, our experiences, and the people we surround

ourselves with. So is it actually completely possible to truly think for ourselves?

My thoughts are that thinking for yourself has more to do with not just going along with what others are telling you, but rather to do a little more investigation on your own. That doesn’t mean that you will end up changing your opinion, but at least you will have given it a little more thought. 

That way your thinking will align more closely with your values, experiences, and beliefs. 

Today we are bombarded by many different points of view. Sometimes it’s confusing to know for sure what you think. I struggle with wanting to know who is right and who is wrong. 

Unfortunately, there’s not always an easy answer to that, because different people’s values will produce different ways of thinking. 

Now what I do know is that in the end you must be true to yourself. If you are feeling uncomfortable there probably is a reason for that. If time and time again something doesn’t look or feel right then you should take notice.  

Don’t just go along with the crowd. Ask yourself why? Sometimes all it takes is one person to turn things around. Also, don’t be so quick to think that your beliefs are superior. I find that to be quite common today.  

Unfortunately in our modern world we have big tech making decisions as to which information we will even be allowed to view. Perhaps we’ve gotten comfortable allowing others to do the hard work, but the freedom to form your own opinions requires some responsibility on your part. 

“Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking about you.”

Henry David Thoreau