Chapter 2/1

“Thinking Made Easy”


In the preface to Michael Levine’s Lessons at the Halfway Point, he says, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few engage in it.”

Levine is wrong. Thinking is not that hard, if you know how to do it. Many things are hard work if you have no training and experience at the job, but not unusually hard when you learn the relevant skills, tricks of the trade, and have the right tools. For most of us, digging ditches would be grueling labor. The experienced ditch digger knows to sharpen the shovel before he begins work, and knows to wear boots that have sturdy construction, particularly a heavy sole and good arch support.

Supposedly, the work that more people fear than any other is that of public speaking. However, almost anyone who has earned the right to speak on his topic, and is enthusiastic about letting others hear his ideas can make a good speech. His passion will help override his stage fright, and his earned right to speak on the subject will supply the needed confidence.

Knowledge of such a simple outline as the following one can organize most speeches: Ho Hum, Point, Explanation, Example, So What? Assume your audience is about half-asleep or disinterested (Ho Hum) and begin with something that will wake them up. Then state your Point clearly, Explain what it means, how it works, etc., give a concrete Example or two, then let them know how you would like them to respond (So What?). With only a little experience along these lines, anyone can do a satisfactory job of speaking in public. And feel good about it.

No, Mr. Levine, thinking, like any other work, is not as hard as the untutored expect it to be. The hard thing about thinking is overcoming our inertia. To the lazy, any work is hard. Most of us follow the thinking of the herd. We live largely by habit, letting others do our thinking for us, and living by slogans and commonplace beliefs.