THE RIGHT WAY OF THINKING
Prevent Confusion
CONFUSION is a common phenomenon amongst most people today. More than 99% people are prey to confused thinking. Because of this, they get deprived of that great blessing that is called right thinking. Right thinking is but another name for sound thinking. The first thing for people to do is to gain expertise in right thinking. Without it, their entire lives will be made meaningless, intellectually as well as practically.
Confusion is something that only human beings suffer from. It is completely unknown in the entire animal world. No animal ever falls prey to confusion while deciding the course of its life. From an ant to a tiger, and from a fish to a bird, every animal’s action is always proper and appropriate. Every animal possesses, you could say, a predictable character. You can observe this enviable feature of animals on the popular Animal World TV channel. Animals always behave just as they should.
In contrast to this, human beings present a completely different picture altogether, an image of intellectual confusion. The basic reason for this is just one—and it is related to ‘thought management’. Among animals, thought management is perfect, while it is not so among human beings. Here, once again, the question arises as to why is there a difference between animals and humans?
Human beings have to manage their thoughts by themselves. They have to discipline their minds on their own, through their own conscious decision.
The reason for the difference is animals are controlled by their instincts. Their instincts are a definite guarantee of their thoughtmanagement. In contrast, man is a free creature. He thinks freely and forms his opinions based on his free will. In other words, human beings have to manage their thoughts by themselves. They have to discipline their minds on their own, through their own conscious decision.
In human beings, why does the process of thought management not continue in the way it should?
This is because human beings live in a jungle of information. They need to have the intellectual ability in order to discern the difference between what is relevant and what is not so as to retain the former and discard the latter. This is the only art that guarantees healthy thinking for human beings.
This point can be clarified with the help of some examples. Many people cite Darwinism to argue that life evolved through evolution and therefore, there is no need to believe in God. But this is a gross mistake. First of all, the theory of evolution is still not a proven fact.
And even for the sake of argument if one takes it to indeed be a proven fact, it does not prove that the belief in the Creator is false. At the most what the theory of evolution might prove is only that the method the Creator employed was not ‘special creation’, but, rather, ‘evolutionary creation’. The theory of evolution is about the process of creation, not about the Creator Himself.
Likewise, some people say that Quran cannot be a book which can give guidance for all times because the conditions of life keep changing. In changed conditions, it is necessary that people be given new guidance.
But this is another example of confused thinking, because Quran in its essence is a collection of certain basic principles, and no changes need to be made in the basics. Changes happen only in non-basics, and for this change in non-basics, Islam has provided for ijtihad (exercise of judgement with reasoning) as a method, which is definitely a perfect solution to this issue.
Consider another example to illustrate confused thinking. Many people cite the example of social workers who have devoted themselves to relieving people who are suffering from various ailments. They think that this alone is enough. While it is definitely a good thing to relieve people of their physical ailments and problems, it is not enough. This is because human beings are thinking creatures. So, if they recover from a physical illness, unless they are suitably trained, their minds are likely to fall prey to extreme mental sicknesses—for instance, phobias, pride, jealousy, revenge, lust for power, selfishness, tribalism, arrogance, selfishness, not acknowledging others' contribution, ungratefulness, etc. In contrast, experience tells us that if a person who faces challenges and struggles through them will have a sense of modesty and creativity and strength of mind develops in him. Such a person becomes an asset to the society.
Removing people’s physical difficulties is a partial or limited work. The complete work to do is to help people develop right thinking, to assist them in their spiritual development as well.
From the above examples one can know the importance of right thinking in every aspect of life be it personal or pertaining to society.