People losing capability to think individually, says reputed scholar

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IMAGINE living in a world where everyone thinks the same way and wants the same things.

And this is what’s happening, according to Dr Kirpal Singh from Singapore Management University.

People must ask themselves each day, what have they done differently. —DR KIRPAL SINGH

The world, according to him, was in peril of losing the capability to think as individuals.

“The technology acceleration today has made us addicts to mobile phones and computers.

“We are numbed to the point of letting others tell us what we should want and how we should think,” he said during the recent Malaysia Festival of the Mind VII at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) in Kampar.

Dr Kirpal, a reputed scholar in the field of Shakespearean and post-colonial literature and author of numerous articles, essays as well as books, said people should instead practise asking themselves “Why not?” and “Why should it be like this?” more often.

“We are only able to think within the confines of what is available, which is what I’d like to call ‘potted-thinking’.

“This is dangerous because we lose the capability to imagine and to think individually,” Dr Kirpal said in his talk entitled “Keeping the mind Alive: Thinking in a *Potted* World”.

To keep the mind alive, Dr Kirpal suggested that people practise asking themselves each day what they had done differently.

“After your shower each day, ask yourself that in the mirror.

“If you have not, make a resolution to do something or think in a different manner the next day.

“Doing something differently will help keep our minds engaged and help us retain our ability to think as individuals,” he said.

Dr Kirpal also advised those present to read more.

“We often see children being able to sit in front of the computer, playing games, but cannot concentrate for even half an hour when reading a book.

“We should read books to open up our minds and stimulate our imagination,” he added.

Describing Dr Kirpal’s talk as illuminating, manager of Utar president’s office Chiew Siau Mei, said: “It sparks us to think beyond our boundaries.”