An article from Dan Beedell, “east to west” Communications [abbreviated]. [“east to west” is one of the charities Runnymede Deanery has worked with for many years, providing support workers with a Christian background for some local schools.]
“When was the last time you felt really challenged mentally? I’m not talking about the hardest level of Sudoku or the Times crossword but when you’ve had to wrestle with a life challenge or problem? One of the joys at the east to west office is that we challenge each other while respecting ideas and opinions even if we disagree; we tease and laugh with one another but we can also have heated debates, safe in the knowledge that we’re secure with each other.
The way modern society is headed, it often feels that the ability to think critically and to challenge someone else’s ideas and opinions is becoming dangerous grounds. In a recent training I heard young people described as ‘individual hypocrites’: actively encouraged to be anything they want to be, embracing identities which are as diverse and wide ranging as they are complex and confusing, yet while demanding that people don’t question their choices, feeling perfectly justified to be openly critical of others. This makes for an increasingly challenging playing field for the work we’re doing.
The key to critical thinking is the collection and evaluation of information which allows you to make informed decisions for yourself or your organisation but people increasingly shy away from it. They hear the word and up go the defensive barriers; self-worth and self-esteem become wrapped up in thoughts and opinions; challenges are viewed as personal attacks and changes of mind mean submission or losing something of ourselves….where in fact critical thinking is a tool to help progress people and organisations and when used well, it’s done from a place where everyone realises that they are seeking the same thing… the best for those around them or the organisation. The sign of a good organisation is how they manage the emotions and responses of those within the process and still step out in faith.
The joy of the discussions we have in the east to west office is that we seek to outwork these critical thinking ideals when we debate things. It requires bravery and trust to stay in hard conversations but ultimately, the outcomes, the quality and impact, the differences made, prove the value of sticking with it.”
east to west Prayer Requests: Please pray for all the staff at east to west, the way they interact with each other and at their individual work situations; for all the schools where east to west is involved and all the young people and families they work with; and for “their tiny acorns to grow into mighty oaks” of trust and healthy self-confidence in the vulnerable young people.