Does a Chicken Have Lips?
Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman is a book about two systems of thinking, an automated one and an “effortful” one. [1] This book is filled with so many ideas that a reader could discuss. For the purpose of this post, I have chosen four topics from the book to consider briefly.
The first of these is something the author called “priming”. [2] This is when something is done that cues right behaviors. The example was given at work using the honesty box for the coffee. This made me think of my own workplace. Too often, when the boss is not watching, people are not working. They lounge around in unused classroom spaces or offices and visit. I smiled thinking perhaps we needed to post his watchful eyes around those locations in the building to discourage this type of behavior. I wondered if it would be as effective as it was with the coffee honesty box.
The second thought I had came from something that was probably obscure in the reading. I will share it anyway. The author suggested that we ought to put our ideas in verse form to make them more likely to be taken as words of truth. [3] Southerners are known for their ability to turn a phrase, that is for certain. I would like to share just a few with you, and their meanings. If you ask someone if they want something, and they say, “Does a chicken have lips?” You might think they mean “No”, but actually, it is an emphatic “Yes”. If you are explaining something to someone and they don’t get it, or preaching to a dead crowd and they gaze at you blankly, you could say they “look like a calf staring at a new gate”. Lastly, if someone is in a foul mood, you might ask them, “Who licked the red off your candy?”
Thirdly, the author mentioned the importance of higher education and goal setting and the striking evidence of lifelong effects these have on people. [4] I can attest to this in my own life. I grew up a child of an alcoholic father, and very poor. I am one of many children. None of my siblings had ever graduated from high school, and there are 6 that are older than I am. Much less had they aspired to go to college. I was the first to make a decision for Christ in my family, and it changed me forever. I made up my mind as a teenager that I would graduate high school, go to college, and serve God internationally afterward as a missionary. I didn’t waiver from my goals. I knew if God could use others that had been in situations like mine before me, then He could use me as well. He has, and He continues to use me every day.
Finally, Kahneman mentioned that once you adopt a new view of the world, you lose your ability to remember much of what it was like before you changed your mind. [5] This made me think about my new life in Christ, and the transformation that He wrought in me. I was young, only ten years old, when my life changed forever because of Christ. I can remember that before knowing Him, I thought that Jesus Christ was a curse word. I didn’t know He was an actual Person that lived on earth, much less God incarnate. I remember the night I accepted Him as my Savior. To be very honest though, my whole life has been centered around knowing Him and serving Him, therefore it would be very difficult to recall much of what it was like in detail before knowing Him. Of course, I would never choose to go back now that I have found grace.
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[2] Kahneman, p. 57.
[3] Kahneman, p. 63.
[4] Kahneman, p. 401-402.
[5] Kahneman, p. 202.
About the Author
Tonette Kellett
Missionary, teacher, Bible student, traveler ... Having lived in Kenya and Korea, I now live in Mississippi and work with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.11 responses to “Does a Chicken Have Lips?”
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Tonette,
Thank you for sharing your personal testimony!
Did I read correctly that you are the seventh child in your family? God did a great work in your life at the age of 10! I am eager to know how God brought you to Himself!! He put some amazing aspirations in your heart and has helped you achieve your goals. May God be praised for His faithfulness and your willing obedient heart!
Thankyou for sharing this quote:
“once you adopt a new view of the world, you lose your ability to remember much of what it was like before you changed your mind.”
Prayer:
Father, we commit to you our learning as doctoral students. You have brought us to this point and you will be faithful to see us through. Please continue to provide learning that helps us see the world as you do.
I ask that you would let Tonette be a light to her family. May you shine bright, so powerfully through her… as she loves you and those she serves.
Kristy,
I am one of 13 children, the 7th from top and bottom. My parents were divorced when I was 10. It was a horrible year for me, and yet, in that year I found Christ because my best friend invited me to go to a little Mexican church that she attended. They spoke Spanish there so it took months for me to comprehend what was going on. Christmas night the children were acting out the Christmas story as it was being narrated in both English and Spanish. I was a shepherd in a bath robe and a towel on my head. It was the first time I had heard the entire story in my own language, and I understood why Jesus came and what “it” was all about. I literally stopped the play right in the middle of it and demanded to be saved right then and there. We knelt in the front of the church and prayed together and my life was forever changed. Today, most of my siblings are following Christ. Both of my parents were saved before they died. It’s a testimony of God’s amazing grace!
Wow Tonette,
13 children in your family. amazing!
Thank you for sharing this story of how you came to Christ! It is a joy to know that your family has come to know Christ!
Great questioning by Kristy, and Tonette it was an absolute honor to learn about your testimony. I can imagine that going to a church where they were not speaking your language was hard. What made you go back week after week when you were not clear what they were saying? Was it a feeling or something else?
Hi Tonnett,
This quote stood out to me: “once you adopt a new view of the world, you lose your ability to remember much of what it was like before you changed your mind.” When I read it, I thought “Ah, yes, threshold concepts!” This is what it is like to pass through the portal of a threshold concept: you no longer remember what it was like before you understood such a concept!
Also, I am deeply inspired by your story of growing up in a rough family situation. I am a big believe in the effects of our environment. What we are surrounded by shapes us. Yet, you went a very different direction than your siblings. Your environment suggested a different future for you. I know you made a decision to follow Jesus, and that was THE factor for the change, but what were some of the factors that led to this decision to pursue a different way of life?
David,
Thank you for your question. Right after my parents were divorced, I was invited to church by a friend. The older man that began taking me became like a grandfather to me… Almost even a father figure. He was a godly man. He had a heart for the Lord and a heart for missions. He loved to read, and passed books to me that opened my eyes to a new world I had known nothing about previously … Amy Carmichael, Mary Slessor, Hudson Taylor, and so many other missionaries. He himself was the single most influential figure in my young life that helped to pull me out of poverty and despair outside of Christ Himself.
Hi Tonette,
I like how you took Kahneman’s lengthy work and highlighted four concepts that stood out for you; and then illustrated and built upon each concept with practical examples from your own life, making them tangible and relevant. The way God has worked in your personal story is inspiring, as are the details in your comments below your blog! Your earnestness as a child when you stopped the play and demanded to be saved right then is incredible. That was one quick, life-changing decision you made as a 10-year old girl.
I wonder, do you see that same earnestness in your students that you teach everyday? Do you see them setting goals as you described yourself making as a child? Do you see a teacher’s role in developing the decision-making processes of your students?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your story. I so appreciate reading your blogs!
Jenny,
I do see my role with the Choctaw Indians as that of my own mentor that helped to lift me out of poverty and despair so many years ago. I try to help them set goals for themselves and see what the future might hold for them… It all has to start with salvation.
Thanks for your reply, Tonette. Teachers have a powerful impact on their students. You must be such a gift to the young people you teach.
There is a hero’s journey in this post. Your new status quo after your dedidication to Christ at 10 years old! I’m sure there will be more in the future.
Keep being a hero, Tonette. You’re good at it!
Tonette,
I have to use the saying “who licked the red off of your candy”. I thought that was hilarious and I could ‘hear’ you in my mind saying it out loud.
On another note, I came to Christ at the ripe age of 36 and I can vividly remember what life was like before Christ. I think it’s important to remember the old life because it keeps us humble and the memories become a part of our testimony.