I recently probed the topic of "thinking for ourselves" amongst the clamor and noise of secular voices in university today.

Now let's go deeper and poke the proverbial dead hedgehog with a stick.

I propose that there is a lack of critical thinking in our society today.

One roadblock to that critical thinking in culture is quantity of quiet and alone time it requires. This type of thought uses the imagination and digs deeply into ideas that one runs into throughout the day. Back when things weren't as fast-paced, people did this far more often.

Why should we think for ourselves? Why do we even think that's a good thing?

And how can we? We face more obstacles than ever before in trying to think for ourselves...

Obstacle Numba 1: Too Much Information (TMI) and Not Enough Time

Society is taking more information in than ever before. By goodness, we have the entire internet at our fingertips.

Yet very seldom, do we ever take a pause to run this information through our brains, measuring its value- chunking the bad parts and keeping the good.

When do we ever give our time to think and to answer the why's that occasionally flash before our eyes before we drown them out with another song, another show?

Nowadays society is constantly consuming entertainment. It is far easier to click a Netflix episode than to process the ideas and events of the day, cultivating our creativity and worldview. Modern convenience and easily acquired information leads to lazy brains and lost grit.

Solution: Actively make an effort to be alone each day to process ideas, pray, and read the Bible. Quit any activities that aren't breathing life into you or that you would regret wasting time on looking back. Don't spend as much time on social media and entertainment. You won't regret it.

Obstacle Numba 2: Lazy Brains and Lost Grit

We are not even willing to work for good things anymore!

This is a huge problem in society today that will have far reaching impacts. The average person no longer can even defend beliefs or maybe even have serious and well-developed beliefs!

Will we relegate all the critical thinking to one section of society? The people who are paid to do it and who often have an agenda fueled by their employers?

When we don't think, analyze, criticize, our beliefs are too flimsy to defend well.

Rather than being embarrassed when our views are knocked down by those who take the time to develop good arguments, the average person will just ascribe to culture and nod along with everyone, because if you disagree and step on the plank, rarely do you make it off the plank alive.

So about if we should think for ourselves..aren't there people smarter than us out there?

God gave us brains for a reason.

We live in community, but we are all unique individuals created with a purpose with something to contribute. What fun is it if everyone is exactly the same and thinks the same, or if everyone holds the same beliefs set by the "designated thinkers" of society.

But most important reason why we need to think for ourselves is that the goal is TRUTH.

Solution: Plain and simple, everything good requires effort. Learn to love work. Make yourself do something for a change. Seek out answers to hard questions. It'll be worth your time. Where's your True Grit?

Obstacle Numba 3: Lack of Absolute Standard for Truth, or anything..

There's a sort of moral compass for truth inside (most) of us and outside all of us. God has written His law, His truth on our hearts and in a book called the Bible. Lose God, and you lose the truth.

History has shown that we can't trust society to set us a standard of good. Culture and the intellectual elite almost never chase truth, good, and beauty. They are usually too busy pursuing pleasure, comfort, and power.

That's culture today. Chasing what makes it feel good, not what is good.

American culture rages crazily for diversity and tolerance in words while absolutely lacking the tolerance it preaches. Where is the tolerance for voices that oppose the left or popular culture, standing for traditional marriage and religion, etc?

There is no tolerance in those without a standard for truth because they will often have comfort at any cost.

Jesus Christ always makes people uncomfortable. He doesn't come bearing tidings of comfort, but rather those of self-sacrifice and freedom.

Solution: Hold the Bible as the absolute standard of truth. Make Jesus' Christ your life's foundation and live your life for Him. Nothing else works. Which leads me to another problem:

Obstacle Numba 4: Christians in America have gotten too comfortable and are now okay with laying down and getting stomped without a fight.

So Christians, the people that (should) know the truth best aren't even allowed a voice in culture or on the internet and are booed down as ignorant and "narrow-minded" because they aren't willing to be sheep following popular opinion like zombies, making society feel 'oh so good' about themselves. But then they aren't fighting for a voice either because they have also been infected by this pleasure and comfort Spirit of the Age.

We Christians have been reclining comfortably in our leather armchairs for far too long, eating Big Mac's and shouting at television sets. Jesus ain't about that life. He didn't even have a dadgum house.

Solution: Gird your loins. Throw your armchair out of the house and replace it with stacks of theological books. But really, we need to start following Jesus wherever He would have us go.

What can I take away from all this rambling and ranting and these random numbas, you might ask? (if you were thinking critically)

In summary, please don't just take people at their word, even me, and don't just take it in! Take it out and look for truth in it! I know I need to turn on my brain and use it to find the truth, the beauty, the good. There is an absolute standard for it all, and that is our awesome God.

In an age that numbs and kills and has a low view of human life and meaning. In an age that says truth is in us, maybe we should use our critical thinking and our precious time to develop our beliefs.

We'll need them in the future and even now.

I'm as guilty of brain neglect as anyone. Def not ready to give an answer for the hope I have in Christ or for many of my other opinions. But hanging on the 'wrong' side of the culture fence isn't an option anymore.

Time to find some solid ground.

Time to strengthen our convictions instead of our Insta game.

Time to utilize the mush inside our skulls.

Some things are worth dying for.. or at the very least, fighting for.

And if you're feeling apathetic, remember:

"What we do in this life echoes in eternity."