Moreover, people have been pushed, either intentionally or unintentionally, away from independent thinking. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer presents an important passage in his book "Essays and Aphorisms," specifically in his essay "On Independent Thinking," which can be summarized as follows: Independent thinking is rare because people tend to accept ready-made opinions and allow the ideas of others to replace their own. Throughout my life, I have strived to think independently. However, I am sometimes influenced by others, and I still tend to be swayed by preconceived opinions, allowing their views and ideas to affect me, albeit to a lesser degree than many others.
Throughout my life, I have been different from those around me, whether in appearance, dress, or way of thinking. For example, at a young age, I shaved my mustache, which, in the 1960s and earlier, and even today, is something some men touch when they want to pledge or swear to do something or affirm their determination to accomplish a difficult task. I want to emphasize that being different from the majority has never, in any way, made me better than them.
Schopenhauer, the philosopher of pessimism, said, "Some people never think, and when they do think, they merely rearrange their preconceived notions." This is one of the quotes that touches on bias, independent thinking, the dangers of following the opinions of others, and the idea that a person who does not think for themselves does not truly think at all. The essential characteristic of genius is the ability to think independently. Most people are incapable of independent thought. They are only capable of believing, especially when opinions come from influential people or have been repeated often enough. The power of opinions is so great that people may believe even the most absurd ideas if they are repeated frequently enough.
According to Schopenhauer, the stronger a person is, the less they need anything external. Therefore, society, or those who control it, does not want individuals to become strong, lest they become independent and have little need for others. Thus, we see that highly civilized or cultured individuals are more capable of living independently, and vice versa. Schopenhauer also said, "The greatest folly is to sacrifice one's health for any other kind of happiness." When we believe that drugs, smoking, or alcohol, for example, will make us happier and pursue them at the expense of our health, we will ultimately pay a heavy price.
This is the height of folly. . . .
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