Category: Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Day 7 and 8

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We had a lot of discussion on religion, beliefs and their importance. I myself is a religious person and do have strong beliefs. During these 2 days I came across many different perspectives regarding religion and existence of God. Vardan sir’s session helped me understand that for being a good human (what all religions teach) we don’t need religion. We must have our own values which lead us to the right path. My new understanding after these classes is do think critically before following any belief and follow the practice which gives you peace. Your motive should be humanism and not religion. These sessions helped  me clear my knowledge potholes and biases.

Critical thinking- Priti Pimpalkhare

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I think religion is the practice created by humans for society. People with the same thoughts and beliefs created their groups and named them religions. They follow different authorities which they named god. These Gods have different names and their identity, they are from mythology or some saints.

I am not totally against some beliefs as far as it’s not harming society and my self-esteem. I believe in some positive power that keeps motivating me to do the right things. I also chose saints such as Swami Samartha, and Sai baba to share my thoughts to ask some questions in my mind for which I get answers by myself. The statues or photographs are not talking with me but motivate me to listen to my inner voice for a sure. I think it’s a faith factor and not following religion blindly.

I started keeping my points of view about my beliefs too. I don’t allow myself to go to some pandit, baba to solve my problems, as only I am the person who can work on them.

But there are many people who are grappling with some beliefs like we can not do pooja during periods, Different communities have to follow only their religion, Only particular reason is showing the right path, and Follow the authorities blindly without thinking logically etc.

Critical thinking helps to be more open-minded and think logically about religion and beliefs. I will surely be able to question myself whenever I might have to take any decision about my beliefs or how to the extent I need to participate in rituals.

Apart from this System, 1 and System 2 helped me a lot. I have gone through a couple of situations where I was able to apply Think 2, take a pose, and react.

Though I am an open-minded parent, I will definitely work on that I will not pass on my beliefs regarding religion to my daughter and let her decide what is religion for her or whether she believes or does not believe in that.

 

 

Confused.. still moving on..!!

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My journey of Critical Thinking so far has taught me to think two ways: Keeping your emotions aside as well as considering them.

There are many situations in every individual’s life where they have to think critically and hop to one conclusion. But is it easy?

I have learned to analyze a situation without overthinking. Critical thinking reflects that emotions and reasoning go hand in hand. It gives us ownership of beliefs. The decision between a fact and an opinion will be taken on grey areas and not black & white.

The question which still resolves is Who is God? I mean I have seen my family discussing about Lord Krishna because of which I have various images and types of GOD in mind. But, Now after the sessions and discussion, I am confused that no one has seen god, all these stories are assumptions that something of this sort must have happened and people are believing it since ages.

I never doubted on the existence of God! There is some creator and destroyer, there is some supreme being.

Religion what I believe is all man – made, people of same beliefs and location came together to form a group and then they made their own rituals and traditions and then domination started.

Also, learned that one should not be biased in taking decisions but think critically about what is actually important for us.

With gratitude,

Palak Joshi

Critical Thinking (2022-23)

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Critical thinking has helped me to understand about the difference between needs and want. During the sessions we’re got to know more about how everyone has difference perspective/perception on same thing. It was a experience about the peoples thinks critically about the religion too. For critical thinking you have to be open minded and think all possible ways of understanding which is highlight of it.

How your facilitator gives inputs during the critical thinking session is more important which can help you to know above it deeply. Guest speaker sessions was the perfect way, to clear the understanding of participants.

Call for broadening our Umbrellas

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Humanity is a religion most required for us and future generations. We need to be more open-minded towards each other so that this world becomes place where individuals with sensible logical brains co-exist heading towards betterment overall instead just worrying about me, my family, my community.

Training brain to think Critically only on required issues, is surely going to save lots of time and energy, keeping in mind that few times being ‘Emotional’ is OK!

Critical Thinking ( Day 7 & 8)

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On final 2 day of my Life class I came across many views on religion. Sessions were very interactive especially Vardaan Sir’s.

I myself have commented and argued a lot during my teenage years on different religious beliefs and rituals. But over a period I understood that there is no point doing it. I have also understood that finding common ground is essential for peaceful co-existence in the society.

Thanking both Bhargavi Ma’am and Shezin Ma’am for helping me to think critically from all the angles.

Chocolate – before and after!

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The first ever reaction that comes to anyone on listening to chocolate is pleasure and comfort. It makes the world go round. It is the ultimate happiness that anyone can savour. We would all agree that everything is good if it is made of chocolate. Most of us would relate chocolate as a way to deal with feelings instead of to satisfy hunger. 

 

We were all super-excited when we learnt that we were going to learn about chocolate. And this is the first thing that we got to read.

 

 

Imagine our disbelief when we learnt that our delicious chocolate has been termed as something that is suited for the consumption of pigs! And then we learnt that what we read was one of the first detailed accounts of the original chocolate that comes from the History of the New World (1564) by the Milanese Girolamo Benzoni, who travelled in Central America. 

 

So the story goes like this. In the early days, before the 16th century, chocolate wasn’t this creamy, rich, sweet, sensuous, soft, decadent and super addictive food that we know of. It was extremely bitter, gruelly, coarse, crumbly and too heavy to eat. More than a treat, it was a treatment, used as a medicine or fed to soldiers as an instant energizer to prepare them for war. 

 

It is only through the human desire to improvise, innovate and derive pleasure that we got the chocolate that we know. It is a great example of human ingenuity in action.

 

So if you were born before the 16th century, your experience with chocolate would have been very different. So different that if you time travelled and reached this day in Switzerland and tasted chocolate, chances are you wouldn’t be able to make any association of one with the other.

 

And this is the short video about the history and evolution of chocolate that we watched,

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibjUpk9Iagk

 

Chocolate has been known and loved for many centuries, not only as food but also as medicine. The process of how chocolate is created right from the cocoa beans that grow inside the pods of the cacao trees that are native to central South America to the bars that we relish was worth learning. 

 

So the next time you find yourself craving some chocolate, don’t dismiss it as simply craving for a sweet treat. It could be an important signal that your heart is in need of love. Give in to the desire and buy yourself a big bar.  

 

Mehman Nawazi Of Rander

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Mehman Nawazi

 

Today we decided to explore the long-lost gem- Rander. I have been in Surat for the past 20 years, but this part of Surat was unknown and untouched by me despite its proximity to our school. We explored and visited the various beautiful heritage sites and charming architecture of Rander. The history of Surat and the stories associated with it brought history alive. It felt like we went back in time. The Jain and the Muslim community living together with many temples and mosques next to each other showed us how the people here lived peacefully and happily together despite what is otherwise believed to be the case. 

The people here were so generous and welcoming, including ‘Abbas bhai’ who from his busy schedule gave us almost 4 hours to help us explore the place. He was polite, soft spoken, smiling and sharing with us all the knowledge about the place. Taking extra efforts to get permissions for places which were otherwise out of reach for us. 

After all the walking, we were not just ready but really hungry for the aloo puri and khawsa that we were here for. So the next stop for us was ‘Nakhuda Nasta center’. The place was brimming with aroma and enticed our tastes buds and we were welcomed here with a warm smile. We were first shown the process of how they make these iconic dishes. He took us to the kitchen, showed the making and answered all the questions. Someone revealing their business secret is something I saw for the first time. 

And finally we ordered everything they had on the menu- Aane do!- alu puri, cheese aloo puri, egg aloo puri, chicken aloo puri, rainbow aloo puri, veg khawsa, chicken khawsa, egg khawsa! After eating to our hearts content we wanted to drink something. He was really kind to get us drinks from another shop. This seemed like a local fav- RimZim which was really refreshing and reminded us of our childhood days. Next on our list was hand churned ice cream! And not just one flavor, Abbasbhai got us 12 different flavors! When the plates arrived on our tables we were all love struck- the colors and creaminess..After eating so much we were pretty sure we won’t be able to finish it but when we looked around after 10 mins all the plates were licked clean! 

“Atithi Devo Bhava “

Something I have only heard since I was a child, I experienced today. 

This Mehman Nawazi of Rander blew our minds and made the humble experience of eating aloo puri and khawsa into an unforgettable memory. In Rander you get not just good food but also truly authentic human beings!
This is the end of the story

Regards,

Payal Jain

Critical Thinking – Reflection

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The moral rules for a particular person is different but not wrong. The activity “Murder Your Darlings” helped to understand the confirmation bias for decision-making. Relevant examples and case studies were used by the facilitators to understand the concepts better. There were other interesting distinctions catered like Cognitive Bias and Affinity Bias. The discussions helped me understand not to jump on the conclusion but rather should be backed by facts and evidences. I learnt that critical thinking is about considering all factors (CAF). Other important concepts like moral reasoning, moral relativism, self-interest theory, deontology, utilitarianism, etc. were introduced which is going to help me both professionally and personally.

Critical Thinking Day 3 and 4

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When I opted for Critical Thinking I was not really ready to think critically as I was happy with my own likings and disliking. But to my surprise, the engagements and provocations are such that, I am actually looking forward for more sessions. I found the sessions interesting where I learned about the importance of critical thinking in life. On Day3 and 4 I learned about different types  of biases like Confirmation bias, Affinity bias, Anchoring bias, Availability bias, Inattentional bias, Hindsight  bias, etc. It  was an eyeopener for me and I  actually understood that my preferences are somewhere related to these biases. The best part was when I identifying my own biases. Through the sessions I got to know that we are pattern seeking  animals. Our brain has dots which joins or connects at times. It is difficult for humans to accept something new. I enjoyed the activity where I had to murder my daring by looking for the counter evidences.

Another interesting learning was abut Moral Relativism. Here I understood that my moral compass can be different from others. Our values are determined by the society we grow up in. No values are universal. They vary from culture to culture.

I am hoping to see myself applying my learning from these sessions and I am happy that I am learning to become a critique of my own thinking.

Looking forward to more such sessions!!!

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