Deconstruction to Construction as Critical Thinking

It is important to look at the intrinsic value felt "within" systems of belief par excellence. Too often our convictions and persuasions are presented as hand-me-downs free from evaluation, e.g., political vantage, religious conviction, educational theory, etc. It is when these raggedy presentations are blindly accepted that one becomes irrelevant and dis-credible to conversation. Only when these "gifts" are handled and examined does one find true value, i.e., hidden value. Rhetorically speaking, do we take the time to taste, touch, and smell "conviction?"

Deconstruction is the process in which the particular ideology is gracefully taken apart so that each piece gone into its construction is opened up and made vulnerable. Here in this nakedness of thought the inner being and formation of belief can be adequately assessed. Even if the ideology is put back together the way it was "handed down" it is still a vital part of the process that goes into understanding why it "is" the way it "is." It is here that I am now able to understand and communicate what it is that I "believe."

However, if I find that I disagree with a number of the "parts" that are under examination then I have become responsible for either finding replacements or simply discarding the bits and pieces that are simply irrelevant. This type of territory comes with the need for discernment and critical thinking. One cannot violently rip open an orange and expect it to remain undamaged and able to be re-constructed. It takes soft touch and commitment to do this properly; it is an art to be discovered.

Without critical thinking one can not make "right" decisions; decisions that necessitate an understood context for the choice to be judged thus decided. I use the word "decide" not to represent finality but to symbolize movement in any direction. Thinking is traveling and to travel we must be aware of our surroundings and the relationships held between existing entities. Critical thinking is one of the most important tools needed to traverse the landscape of judgment. Otherwise, one is left holding the end of a rope as its dragged along in an unknown direction.