A Day of Think: 'Oh, the thinks you can think if only you try'

Let's have a good think today.

It makes no never mind whether you are a disciple of Dr. Seuss and his "Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try" or long-ago French philosopher Rene Descartes, of "Cogoito ergo sum," or "I think, therefore I am" fame. You are thinking!

Debates rage over whether the fast-paced social media world of today creates thinkers or masses of little sheep following the herd. Today, we leave that debate to the more informed as we delve into our own minds.

Those much sager than I have observed that we cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking. But where does that leave inventor Thomas A. Edison's oft-quoted philosophy: "Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other 85 percent would rather die than think."

One thing is certain: If we think for ourselves, and if we think adequately, we will not so easily be manipulated in so many important aspects of our lives.

The thoughts of two noted men -- physicist Albert Einstein and industrialist Henry Ford who, long after their deaths, continue to influenced our lives -- are worth pondering on this Day of Think.

Einstein, as you will know, was the 20th-century German-­born genius who developed the general theory of relativity and influenced a philosophy of science that still guides us. Henry Ford was a 20th-century financial wizard who figured out how to bring affordable personal transportation to the masses.

Here are their thoughts on the importance of thinking for ourselves:

Einstein: "The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking."

Ford: "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't -- you're right."

Both are food for thought as we step further into 2016 and look at what is happening on the Mississippi Coast and the world around us.

Mardi Gras, which this newspaper section is flush with today because of an early Fat Tuesday barely three weeks away, might give temporary respite from deep thinking. But don't be tempted to turn your thinking cap into a parade throw. Please keep it securely fastened.

Because we must do our own thinking, I have no more to say and will end with the classic Dr. Seuss quote from Theodor Seuss Geisel's 1975 book about endless possibilities and dreams that imagination -- and thinking -- can create: "Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the Thinks you can think up if only you try."

Kat Bergeron, a veteran feature writer specializing in Gulf Coast history and sense of place, is retired from the Sun Herald. She writes the Coast Chronicles column as a freelance correspondent. Reach her at BergeronKat@gmail.com or c/o Sun Herald Newsroom, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535-45667.

This story was originally published January 16, 2016 at 6:36 PM with the headline "A Day of Think: 'Oh, the thinks you can think if only you try' ."