A good friend of mine told me once that 85% of people don’t bother to think, 10% think they think, and about 5% actually think.

We like to think we think, but do we really think such things?  Do you think I think?  Do I think you think?  I think you think I think, because I think you’re reading this.  But just because I think it, do you think it too?  Or do I just think you do?

I don’t think most people think.  That is to say, I think most don’t think.  Most purported thinking isn’t — it’s just an unthinking reaction.  Even most of the so-called “great thinkers” don’t really think.  People just think they do.  Do you think you’re a great thinker?  Why, because you think well, or think a lot, or both?  Do you think I’m a thinker, just because I think about thinking?

Because that’s the thing.  Therein lies the thinking thing.  Not only must you and I both think, and also think we think, we must also think about thinking.  Because without actually thinking about how to think, we may not think rightly — we’ll just think we do, and go right on thinking wrongly.

What is thinking, anyway?  Do you think it’s worth thinking about, or does it hurt to think?  I like to think about thinking.  I especially like to think about the thinking process, the method of the structure of all the nuts and bolts of the recipe for thinking.

Do you think we know the meaning of life?  Do you think we know our purpose? Not without thinking, we don’t.  We may just think we do.

I think the purpose of life is to find the purpose of life.  What do you think?

Dr. Brewer’s writings have appeared in dozens of publications, including his own site.  His years as a teacher and engineer have given opportunity to help people rediscover the magical, liberating power of the words, “no” and “why”.