During college I suffered a torn ACL that later required surgery. Because I was a part of the football team, my trainer was responsible for my rehab. He was a bit of a no-nonsense guy, a perfect trainer for a college football athlete. After the initial surgery, there is a period of rest to allow for swelling to dissipate before rehab begins. During that time, I had learned how to walk around gently on my recovering leg to be able to do everyday activities. I had gotten pretty good at moving around. When the day came to begin my rehab, the trainer asked me to stand up and walk in place. So, I stood up and began walking in place and he burst out laughing.<\/p>\n
“What are you laughing at?” I asked him.<\/p>\n
“You! You look ridiculous.” He responded in between laughs.<\/p>\n
The strange thing is that I didn’t feel ridiculous. In fact, I felt like I was walking normally. It wasn’t until he turned me around and made me walk in place in front of the mirror that I saw just how ridiculous I really did look.<\/p>\n
Kahneman’s book on Thinking, Fast and Slow observes the important role that two systems play in our ability to think and observe the world around us.<\/p>\n
System 1 is your automatic brain that helps you think fast, make quick judgments and decisions. However, it can also give you impressions and information that is biased.<\/p>\n
System 2 is your effortful thinking that helps you do complex math and think slow. However, one of its main characteristics is laziness and has a reluctance to invest more effort than is strictly necessary.<\/p>\n
System 2 adopts the suggestions of System 1 with little or no modification. This is where biases and error can occur.<\/p>\n
Kahneman suggests that, “the best we can do is a compromise: learn to recognize situations in which mistakes are likely and try harder to avoid significant mistakes when the stakes are high. The premise of this book is that it is easier to recognize other people’s mistakes than our own.” (28)<\/p>\n
In my need to walk around my house post-surgery, I had developed a significantly ‘biased’ way of walking that felt completely normal to me, but that looked ridiculous to everyone else. I needed someone to criticize me and show me in a mirror just how “biased” my walking was so that I could learn to walk properly again.<\/p>\n
Kahneman’s book has shown me the desperate need each of us have for a trusting community of mirror-holders who will lovingly, and but critically, help us see the errors or bias in our thinking.<\/p>\n
It also reminds me of the importance of food and rest.<\/p>\n
In a study done of parole judges in Israel (pg. 44), it was discovered that the judges were less likely to grant parole when they were hungrier, then when they just had a meal. This research, as well as others, shows the importance of nutrition and healthy eating to fuel a properly functioning brain. Am I aware of the food that is fueling my body? Is it making me a better thinker? “People who are cognitively busy are more likely to make selfish choices, use sexist language and make superficial judgments in social situations.”(41) This is neurological in many ways. Baumeister’s group discovered that “when you are actively involved in difficult cognitive reasoning or engaged in a task that requires self-control, your blood glucose level drops.” (43) In fact, I’m posting this blog past my lunch time and realizing as I’m writing and editing that my desire to put together a meaningful and effective post is dropping because of my hunger. I need to eat something \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
Also, while much of what I do is think for a living as a pastor, teacher and parent, am I taking the time to engage in restorative practices that support rest and critical thinking?<\/p>\n
Am I taking time to check my work? Evaluation and reflection with the presence of the Holy Spirit (the prayer of examen as a daily discipline, for example) and from others that know me, are differentiated and can critique me, is in my best interest if I want to grow and mature. How do we cultivate this?<\/p>\n
Kahneman also helped me to think about when and where I do my best thinking. For me, I’ve realized that I do some of my best thinking when I’m walking outside. There is something about movement that seems to activity my System 2 thinking, some about being outside that helps. My co-workers call it, “going outside to look at trees” but it’s where I’ve done my most creative thinking.<\/p>\n
One of Kahneman’s most critical conclusions is that no one can completely overcome their biases. We need communities and organizations that we trust, who will critique us and slow us down, so that we make better decisions in important situations.<\/p>\n
Kahneman’s book has left me with more questions than answers for my own life and leadership.<\/p>\n
What about for you? When and where do you do your best thinking? Why might that be? Who do you have in your life than can be a mirror to help you see your bias or thinking error? Will you believe them when they do?<\/p>\n
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