Stickman Charles — Independent Thinking
2026/7/6 GMT-4 Hi, I’m Stickman Charles.
What Is Independent Thinking?
The definition is actually quite simple.
Independent thinking means being able to evaluate information and ideas using your own reasoning, rather than being carried away by outside influences.
Why Do So Many People Struggle With It?
There are several reasons.
1. They don’t know how to think.
Many people have never really learned what thinking itself involves.
When they encounter a difficult question, they don’t know where to begin. Everything feels tangled together, like a knot that has no obvious starting point.
2. Their attention has become fragmented.
Much of people’s free time is spent consuming short-form content.
It feels enjoyable because it constantly stimulates the brain’s reward system, but it also makes sustained attention more difficult.
Thinking requires concentration.
Just as running long distances requires endurance, thinking requires mental endurance.
3. They become trapped in a feedback loop.
Many short videos compete for attention by exaggerating conflict and pushing ideas toward extremes.
These videos are often delivered with highly persuasive language, making it easy to accept their conclusions without examining the reasoning behind them.
Over time, the brain begins to recognize these reactions as shortcuts.
The next time a similar topic appears, the conclusion comes automatically, without any real thinking taking place.
How Can You Develop Independent Thinking?
Once you understand the causes, the solutions become surprisingly straightforward.
Simply work in the opposite direction.
If you don’t know how to think, start by learning the fundamentals of critical thinking.
Whenever you encounter a claim, ask yourself:
- Is this conclusion justified?
- What evidence supports it?
- Are there other possible explanations?
If your attention is constantly interrupted, spend less time on short videos and more time reading books or longer articles.
If you’re interested, you can also read my previous article, Attention, where I discuss this topic in more detail.
And if you want to break the feedback loop, make questioning a habit.
Whenever you hear or read an opinion, pause for a moment and ask:
“Does this actually make sense?”
With enough practice, independent thinking gradually becomes second nature.
Is Independent Thinking Just Arguing With People?
Some people worry that independent thinking sounds like disagreeing with everyone else.
You might wonder:
“If I’m the only person with a different opinion, won’t people think I’m strange?”
I used to think exactly the same way when I was in elementary school.
The misunderstanding is assuming that fitting in is always correct, while standing out is automatically wrong.
Neither is true.
It’s not healthy to reject every mainstream idea, but it’s also not healthy to accept every popular opinion without question.
Finding the balance between those two extremes takes time.
We develop that balance through reading, through conversations, and through continuous reflection.
That journey is part of growing up.
Growth has no perfect starting point.
It’s never too early, and it’s never too late.
Thank you for reading.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions about this article, feel free to contact me at charlesisworkinghard@gmail.com.
Keep thinking, and take care.