Article by Robbie Soltz

We have enormous brains, capable of all sorts of fantastic things including recognizing and sorting important information, storing it and using it to decide what to do. Taken together, these brain activities are called thinking.  Now, there are all kinds of thinking including both wishful (we all know what this is) and critical thinking.  No one wants to be called “critical” but in thinking, being critical is the right place to be. It is the underlying practice in science, democracy and wisdom.

Critical thinking is a practice whereby someone 1) Recognizes a significant issue, comment or event, 2) Gathers information about it from a variety of sources, 3) Forms a considered opinion and, 3) reflects on it and acts (or does not act) accordingly. Simple, right? We are wired for this. But here’s the sticky part. First, with all of the data we can now access from our many devices and sources, it can be very difficult to sort which is important and which is just noise. That’s where the second practice comes in handy — gathering many perspectives. This means adding new sources of information, including some folks you may not agree with. Finally, there is reflection–adding new information, other sources and maybe changing your opinion. That, my friends, is the hardest part of all.

So, how does this relate to voting and wisdom?  In case you haven’t already guessed, our cherished freedom of speech pertains to preserving and promoting many voices in government. That is our right and obligation. Critical thinking ensures that our votes are effective and wise. And wisdom? I think that’s just a long term stretch of Critical Thinking — Identifying when significant issues arise, having the courage and stamina to consider as many pertinent  perspectives as can be gathered, knowing when and how to act to resolve issues and doing it again and again and again until the best solution is implemented.

Be A Voter. It Matters.

This article is co-published by Ellensburg Daily Record Newspaper on October 12, 2024. Robbie Soltz is currently President of the Kittitas County League of Women Voters and a Member of the Kittitas County Water Conservation Board. She is a retired University Instructor and a former State and National Executive Employee. She relishes Water Resource Management, STEM education her grandchildren, horses, cats and beloved husband Dave in Northeastern Kittitas County, Washington.