The point here is that I think this is one part of what the liberal arts mantra of “teaching me how to think” is really supposed to mean: to be just a little less arrogant, to have some “critical awareness” about myself and my certainties… because a huge percentage of the stuff that I tend to be automatically certain of is, it turns out, totally wrong and deluded. (Location 102)
Tags: openminded
Note: You are likely wrong about many things that you are certain of
“Learning how to think” really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. (Location 151)
Tags: focus, thinking
It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. (Location 154)
Tags: attention
Note: .attention choose what to pay attention to
This, I submit, is the freedom of real education, of learning how to be well- adjusted: You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn’t. (Location 278)
It is about the real value of a real education, which has nothing to do with grades or degrees and everything to do with simple awareness — awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over: (Location 357)
Tags: attention
Note: Focus on what is essential