I try to put a great deal of thought and consideration into my views. It’s easy for to make snap decisions and cling to them for emotional purposes but I try to avoid that as much as possible. To see how I’m doing with this, I have a little test that I use on myself every so often. It goes a little something like this.
In addition to asking myself why I think the way I do, I also ask myself “What do I mean by that?” whenever I feel strongly about something. I make myself define my terms, explain things in more than just a few simple words or catchy slogans, and try to figure out why I think the way I do. I keep doing that as I go deeper and deeper into my thought processes to see if I have any inconsistencies or thoughts that I haven’t taken to their full conclusions. Taking ideas as far as they can go is crucial for seeing if they are worth keeping, changing, or abandoning. When I want to get even more out of this practice, I have someone I trust test me. Because they’re not in my head and therefore don’t automatically know what I think, I have to be much more thoughtful and thorough in my explanations. Additionally, they can think of better objections to my ideas than I can and often end up making me rethink some of my views.
Whether I do this by myself or with someone else, it helps me see what I actually think and why I think that way, which allows me to change something in my thought processes if I so desire. Since I’ve been doing this for a good while now, my positions have become more nuanced and less ideological. I can also see ideological tendencies more clearly in myself as well as in others. All of this makes it easier for me to empathize with people, understand different points of view, and communicate effectively on a wide range of subjects. Sometimes I go overboard with testing myself but mostly I save it for occasions in which I’m feeling up to the process as it can be difficult and draining at times. Testing myself has benefited me a lot in a variety of ways and, if you’re not already doing it, I highly recommend giving it a try and seeing what it can do for you.