Essentials of Rational Thinking

We descend from a lineage of great thinkers who never thought education required a formal setting. In the same way that there is no formal school to teach bees how to make honey from an assortment of fluids, there was no need for a formal school in the lives of our forebears. To them experience was school; one learned the ropes through experience. One was initiated into the circle of men or women through the rites of passage. Such an admission availed to one a certain set of infundo essential for rational thinking and conduct. Therefore, more often than never, age conferred upon one, certain rights, responsibilities and expectations.

Each time one utters a word, one is responsible for its effects; intended or not. That made conversation an art. Great conversationists were known for their skillful choice and use of words.  It has been argued that in some societies, free speech is a right. But then again only a fool would play ignorant to the responsibility that comes with an uttered word. It could destroy, just as much as it could built. If what one says does not have a damaging effect on another when it was intended to, it would, at the very least, have a reverse impact on he who uttered it. It then follows that one cannot hurt another unless one contains hurt. In other words one cannot give what one lacks.

Our forebears had values. They also had principles. Their spoken words were guided by the congruence between their values and their principles. When the difference between values and principles is obliterated, one achieves inner peace.

The purpose of this piece is to help Zambians to align their values and principles. Before we draw a contrast between values and principles, it is important to state here that the benefit is simply that one becomes a rational thinker. 

You may be familiar with the cliche, "think before you speak." It actually means, tontonkanishisha, langulak, etetula, elyo no kucilisha, shikatala mukusosa. After heeding the advice of the ancient, it will quickly dawn on you that our forebears were not only masters of conversation but before that, great thinkers. This is how their minds guided their thought process:

• Purpose - Why am I speaking? What am I trying to accomplish?  What is my central aim? My purpose?
• Question - What point am I making? What question am I raising?  What question am I addressing?  Am I considering the complexities in the question?
• Information - What question am I using in coming to that conclusion? What experience have I had to support this claim? What information do I need to support this claim? What information do I need to settle the question?
• Inference/Conclusion - How did I reach this conclusion? Is there another way to interpret the information?
• Concepts - What is the main idea here?  Can I explain this idea?
• Assumptions - What am I taking for granted? What assumption has led me to that conclusion?
• Implications/Consequences - If someone accepted my position, what would be the implications? What am I implying?
• Points of view - From what point of view am I looking at this issue? Is there another point of view I should consider?

The stack difference between the lives of our forebears and ours is the great rift between our values and our principles. Very few Zambians can claim to have a specific set of principles that they use to guide their daily decisions. Most of them are constantly walking in the shadow of those that they hold in high esteem. By this I mean they don't think their own thoughts. They simply regurgitate what they heard somebody else say. The only differentiating characteristic between them and the other person is either the side of town he or she lives, the car he or she drives, the complexion of his or her skin, the level of education that their idol has attained, or simply being a foreigner.

Zambians have a tendency to cede their control of their mind to the person they hold in high esteem. However, the most important lady in my life would argue that it is not only a Zambian thing, it is everywhere. She might have a point. But I am not concerned with everywhere else. My concern is Zambians.

It is from the Zambian thinking process where words such as ukwetetula, ukutontonkanishisha, ukupelulula, ukulangulaka and ukushikatala have escaped. Faced with a situation that does not resemble the ordinary, most Zambians would default to fikaisova, finshi ndeculila, wafwa walemana, awe ifwe ni fino fine, twalibelela, nasangamo ukufilwa, nani akansunga, ngafweniko fye, etc. One of my late friends used to call that the defeatist attitude. I call it second class thinking. He could not bring himself to understand how a normal thinking person would declare themselves a cultural ignoramus when they hail from abundance of wisdom.

The purpose of this piece is to repackage the mind. Because much of the thinking people are doing, left to itself is evidently biased, distorted, partial, uninformed or downright stupid. Am I being judgmental? Perhaps. Because to refuse to stand aside and watch while Second class thinking is ferociously boring the core of the Zambian mind. Second class thinking is the root of all evil, I think. Leave the love of money out of it. And don't blame it on the devil either. Second class thinking is costly, both in monetary terms and quality of life.

The antidote to Second class thinking is Rational thinking. It can be achieved by self-direction, self discipline, self-monitoring, and self-correction. In the absence of the support system that our forebears had, rational thinking requires rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use and a commitment to overcoming our internalized oppression which holds that we are inferior.  We are not. We are great people! We are the natural great thinkers. Impanda mano mu cinecine. If not you, then who?

Zambians, now more than ever before, are in need of rescuing from Second Class Thinking.