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I was speaking to a friend when I lamented how the school system is taking the joy away from kids when they provide the tools to thinking before the kids even have the chance to think for themselves! I remember tackling the Maths Olympiad questions myself without any “tools” as I discover different ways of solving different problems. There was no hurry for me to solve them then, so I just took my time. Things that were too hard, i didn’t give up and just let it simmer. Sometimes it comes to me later, sometimes it doesn’t. I was ok with it then as there was no pressure to perform. Just pure curiosity.
A similar phenomena is happening to the adults too. While reading Jim Kwik’s Limitless, he termed this phenomena Digital Dementia.
Yes, I believe it’s ok to outsource the “lower level” thinking to our digital devices so that our brain can focus on the more abstract, higher level thinking. What is not ok, is to outsource even the use of the lower level thinking, like getting to a place without the use of GPS. I’m definitely guilty of this. I find it too convenient to fire up my GPS and just drive. Even for familiar places, I do that too to see if there are shorter routes. I also do this when facing a traffic jam to see if there are any other routes to avoid the jam. Gone are the days (and the ability) to figure out what’s the best route or even just an alternative route. My internal mapping muscle has atrophied.
I believe it’s time to get back into the groove of activating those muscles, to get back into the Joy of Discovering Yourself - JODY. As Jim suggests, I will memorise a phone number today and progress from there.
What will you memorise today?
