Free Thinkers: Think Free and Be Free, a Reflection on Free Thinkers

The room is full of students of all ages and the debate is about free thinkers.

"Think free and be free," I decide, as I reflect on the topic under discussion, "But I need to know what others are thinking about free thinkers too" and remain silent. 

"I am a free thinker!" a tall, dark haired man states emphatically, to the others in the room. "I don't think the way that normal people do."

"I wonder what he is actually saying?" I ask myself silently. "What is a free thinker to him?" He has caught my attention if nothing else.

"Is this free thinking something that is archaic and dredged out of antiquity or that which is new, different and more contemporary?" a young woman asks, from the far side of the room.

I am quite certain that I have heard the expression free thinker before, but I acknowledge to myself that I have never really thought much about it. I remain silent, deep into my own thoughts, as the discussion continued.

"I am a dinosaur," says someone else with a stern, solemn voice. I cannot see who it is, but suspect it is the older, gray-haired man sitting at the back of the room.

I decide that personally, I would take exception to the idea of being labeled as a dinosaur. So does someone else who is a bit more vocal than I tend to be.

"I am not a dinosaur. I am a human being, a real live person with thoughts and feelings."

I cannot see who is speaking, as I am still adrift in my own thoughts.

"Why does this guy think of himself as a dinosaur?" I wonder. "Is he that old?" He certainly does not appear old to me. For an older man, he is young looking.

"I am not locked into any traditional ways of thinking."

"Here is a think-outside-the-box kind of thinker," I realize. "Maybe there is hope for him yet?" I am locked into my own thoughts. "Pay attention," I tell myself, even though I know that I would rather be out on my bike.

"Freedom of thought is a basic, universal human right, essential to survival."

The long-winded discussion continues and I just listen, but now I am practicing active listening. I commend my self for doing that.

"Anyone who has any intelligence at all will be a free thinker!"

"Free thinkers can get themselves into a lot of trouble, very quickly!"

"Free thinking? What is that anyhow? I still don't understand the concept."

I quietly ponder the meaning and signification of free thinkers, because now I am beginning to wonder what they really are. I see that I am not the only one who is curious.

"Free thinkers? I have never even heard of such a thing! Who are these free thinkers? Do we have any? If we do, where are they?"

"Free thinkers, those are the troublemakers of our society! Everyone else conforms; non-conformity causes problems! Conformity is the norm of the masses!"

"This argument is beginning to get a little heated," I decide and back off from the group. I sense that this might get a bit unruly.

"I agree. Free thinkers don't abide by the rules."

"Well, who on earth ever said that there were any rules for free thinkers? Don't they break all of the rules?"

"What about these free thinkers? If there are any rules, you tell me, who wrote the rules? Where did they write them down? Can we see them? Who is going to enforce them?"

"Free thinkers are not welcome in today's world!"

"There is no such a thing as a free thinker, because we are all in some kind of bondage to norms!"

"Maybe you are," I think to myself. I know that I am not in bondage, and I am beginning to be glad that I have not said one word so far.

"Hey, where is all of this free thinking stuff coming from anyhow? Where is it heading? What would happen if everyone was a free thinker? Who would conform? No one, then we would be in big trouble, wouldn't we?"

"Stop yelling!" I tell him silently. I keep my head down. No way am I entering into this argument.

"Hey, I am not comfortable with this! Can you define what a free thinker is so that we all know what we are talking about?"

"Well, it is like this. The Bible says that there is one in a thousand. The free thinkers tend to be the leaders, who challenge the norms of the masses."

"Unlike dominoes that fall over, 'diminoes' stand the test of time because their thinking is based on truth," I realize, but still do not say anything. I don't feel like getting hammered over the head for speaking out at this point in the discussion. "They are certainly not going to be any of the ones that lean on each other and fall down together in the end."

"Does the Bible have a record of free thinkers? How about history?"

"What I would like to know is how to awaken the free thinkers. How can we elicit their free thinking? How many people are capable of being free thinkers, do you think?"

"I say, yes, no, maybe so, to the possibility of free thinkers. At least, we ought to allow the possibility!"

"I agree," I decide, silently and nod my head in agreement, as I wonder if I might be a free thinker. I would like to be one. It might have some merit.

"Yes, but don't you think that free thinkers are all bound to societal, cultural, moral and ethical rules or laws, at least to some degree?"

"The human mind has its own curious nature. It can think freely if it chooses to do so. Man does not have to be a free thinker."

"Do you think that we actually use our minds that way? There is always the option to do so, the possibility that we can be free thinkers. We have the option, right? If not, if we don't do that maybe we should ask why not?"

"Maybe it all comes down to the nay sayers versus the yeah sayers?"

I continue to reflect upon what they are saying.

"Maybe the not-free thinkers are simply saying no to free thinking, while the free thinkers are saying yes to free thinking. How would we ever know?"

"These free thinking men and women, and it sounds like they are people who are curious by nature, maybe a bit analytical? Like writers or poets? They get everyone thinking somehow, by what they write. Otherwise things might get boring."

"Maybe there is a place for free thinkers in the world after all, right up front or foremost among people teaching as though they were not teaching at all?"

"Maybe they become the playmates of the world too, accept the new challenges, find solutions, report on things like journalists do? Yes, maybe there is a place for free thinkers."

"How about as composers and artists?" I wonder. "Would they be considered to be free thinkers?" As I continue to reflect, my own curiosity about free thinkers is rising. "This might be a good topic to do some research on."

"I think a free thinker forms an opinion on things based upon reason. It is not necessarily under any kind of designated authority."

"Want to know what think? I think that the not-free thinkers are wallowing in bondage. They are the critical or hypercritical people who are locked into boxes. It is sort of a Pandora's box or maybe a Jack-in-the-box kind of syndrome."

"Maybe silence is the norm for free thinkers because if they speak out, they will get silenced? Silence can be enforced by authority. Maybe that is why they write instead?"

"The future does not lie with the not-free thinkers. They may not survive the world of change that we live in. You have to become free thinkers in order to survive in this day and age."

"I am starting to agree," I realize, but still deep in thought, I wonder if there is even one free thinker in the midst of everyone who is present.

"Free thinking involves a decision making process of some kind. It requires some faculty of judgment and integrity. It has ethical criteria with moral and legal obligations. Maybe it is an exemplary teaching role of some kind. What do you think?"

"I suspect that free thinkers are free in other ways. Their survival is guaranteed. My guess is that they speak quite clearly in poetry and prose, maybe in their music and artwork, too. Maybe they only speak in riddles. Who knows?"

"This is sort of like the pessimist versus optimist argument, but in the end, it is the idealist that wins. The pessimist and even the optimist have to try to live up to the ideal established by the idealist."

"Are we all dinosaurs or dreamers?" I wonder. "Think free and be free."

I decide that I had better not get involved in the free thinkers discussion. I am too busy doing my own free thinking to do that. Maybe I will write about it in my reflections for the year 2008 AD. I will call what I write, "Think free and be free."