Art and Science of Reflection

Lt General Arjun Ray, PVSM, VSM (Retd)

Introduction - Why We Don’t Reflect?

Undeniably, modern man does not reflect enough. There are many explanations on

why this form of decisive thinking has been ignored in our country. To begin with, the

education system and the hierarchical nature of society systematically discourages creativity,

questioning, self-interrogation and critical thinking. All important decisions in one’s life

schooling, college, career, marriage, whatever, is taken by other people. A disempowered

individual cannot reflect.

Second, the biggest casualty of modernization and consumerism has been the

alienation and death of the self. Consequently, we are driven more by pleasure and power

than purpose in life. Money is the antidote to suffering and power is an aphrodisiac. Such is

the belief.

Third, when boredom sets in, life becomes one unending stream of activity. We are

constantly on the treadmill, running from one activity to another. Our runaway life has no

tactical or strategic pauses, no time-outs. We are afraid to think because thinking is painful; it

is the death of our illusions. We are forever stuck in fast-forward that leaves little or no time

for leisure, for contemplation.

I am reminded of the famous experiment on procession caterpillars by the French

naturalist, Jean Henri Fabre. He lined the caterpillars around a flower pot in a circle and

started them off in their procession. They went round and round the flower pot for three days

non-stop. On the fourth day he placed some pine needles, food for the caterpillars, in the

centre of the pot. But the caterpillars continued going round and round the flower pot without

eating the pine needles. On the seventh day they dropped dead from starvation and

exhaustion, despite food being six inches away. The lesson was clear: they had confused

activity with accomplishment!

And finally, critical thinking does not form part of schooling and college education, or

for that matter, even in work life. Very few are lucky to have been educated on its criticality

and processes.

Philosophical Origins of Reflection

In order to be a practitioner of reflection, it is essential to understand the philosophical

underpinnings of reflection. The origins go back to Socrates and Eastern religions, the

Upanishads, in particular. At his trial for heresy, Socrates rightly said, “The unexamined life

is not worth living.” He was on trial for exhorting his students to challenge accepted beliefs

of the time and think for themselves. He was put to death because he declined to give up his

pursuit for truth despite being offered an honourable exile.

The key in leading an examined life is reflection. While serving in the military I did not

lead an examined life, and the greatest spurt in my intellectual, emotional, and spiritual

growth came around the age of 55. At that time I was commanding a corps as my last

assignment before seeking premature retirement after serving for over 37 years. I soon

realized that “hierarchy-mindedness” can turn one into an arrogant individual who seldom

introspects.

The origins of reflection can also be traced back to the concept of non-dualism in the

Upanishads. Non-dualism is based on the philosophy that life is not bi-polar; it is indivisible.

For example, happiness and misery are not opposites. Life and death are not opposites.

They are two sides of the same coin. You can’t be happy unless you have experienced

unhappiness. In the Upanishads, God is within man - Aham Brahmasmi. Even Jesus Christ

was non-dualistic when he proclaimed that the Kingdom Of God is within you. Life is not

black and white, and understanding the bright and dark sides of life requires intense

reflection.

Purpose of Reflection

I went to wars in 1965 and 1971. I fought insurgencies in Sri Lanka and Kashmir; but

there was no transformation in me. It was much later, at the age of 55, while commanding a

corps in Ladakh that, I learnt how to reflect. Had it not been for the experience in conducting

a successful socio-political campaign to win over alienated communities into the national

mainstream, this may not have been possible. An experience without deep reflection is

meaningless. A corollary to this is that unless an experience is ‘crucible,’ the trigger for

reflection will not be powerful enough to start the thinking process.

Reflection is a thinking process for communicating inwardly to think back on what one

has done, how well one did it, and what one might do better. The process of reflection is a

dialogue with oneself in coming to terms with reality. This is possible provided we slow down

and find solitude - time to spend with our self, to contemplate. Self-dialogue enables

personal growth and the quest for excellence.

Reflection facilitates lifelong learning, especially self-knowledge. We know so much

about everything else in life, but very little about ourselves. Every experience, provided it is

emotionally powerful, creates cognitive dissonance and helps in unlearning and re-learning.

Reflection enables critical examination and evaluation of one’s experiences with a view to

developing teachable points of view that can be applied in real-life situations. In its deep

application, reflection must lead to the transformation of an individual as a result of a crucible

experience.

Reflection is a great learning tool to train oneself to be a leader. You become your

own guru. The reflective process makes one aware of one’s strengths, weaknesses, and

prejudices. It challenges one’s assumptions, changes one’s world view, and gives a set of

teachable points of view that ultimately lead to one’s transformation.

Process of Reflection

There are two essential processes for reflection. The first is basic and it addresses

daily learning an individual confronts such as classroom learning, workshops, seminars,

outdoor projects and experiences, reading books, films, visual art, and even ideas. A basic

model does not necessarily lead to transformation. Its more about change. A simple format

for reflection is suggested below.

What preparations did I make for this

session?

Suitable Conditions for Reflection

What was the most interesting thing I

Leisure time for contemplation.

read or experienced - why was that?

Set aside prime time to reflect as often

as possible.

What were the three main things I

learnt?

“You don’t know what you know till

you have written them down.”

What did I previously think was true,

but now know to be wrong?

Inter disciplinary reading.

What was new and surprising to me?

Annotate books/ articles as you read.

What have I changed my mind about as

Maintain Reflective Journal.

a result of the experience?

Develop a set of teachable points of

One thing that I have learnt that I can

view.

use in the future?

May need the help of a mentor to help

I am still unsure about.

you make sense of a crucible

experience.

What would I like to study in more

detail?

However, the second format for deeper reflection on crucible experiences is more

detailed and scientific, and requires training. Reflection is not merely an act of thinking; it

must transform the person. This model of reflection may initially need the help of a mentor

to help in making sense of the experience. Transformation will occur provided one reflects

over an experience that is crucible. The experience need not be direct. Even meeting great

leaders, interacting with proven mentors, reading evocative books, or watching a powerful

film, can be transformational. Crucible experiences are experiences that are emotively so

powerful that they lead to change in one’s identity - a new vision, and a new mission in life.

Reflection is a process that ends in transformation. See Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: The Process of Reflection

Reflective Journal

“You don’t know what you know till you have written it down.” In order to be a

lifelong learner, it is advisable to maintain a Reflective Journal that records your experiences

and converts them into principles and teachable points of view. You and the organization you

belong to are the greatest beneficiaries.

A reflective journal is not a personal diary. A diary merely records events and the

writer’s comments or reactions. At times there may be the occasional insight or random

thoughts. It is a scientific and scholarly approach to lifelong learning. I am a great believer in

structured forms of learning wherein thoughts and ideas are being documented and critically

analyzed.

Although there are suggested structures for a journal, it can be shaped to suit your

style and convenience. The journal can be online as well although a handwritten copy is

handy and likely to stimulate greater reflection. But this is purely a personal choice.

How Can Schools Develop Critical Thinking

Training for reflective thinking through critical thinking must start in classrooms.

Libraries have been written on critical thinking in schools. There are 27 million Google hits on

‘Creative thinking in Schools.’ but unfortunately schools do not encourage this form of

thinking. Teachers lay undue stress on standardized testing and on acquiring factual

knowledge, thereby denying opportunities for analysis, synthesis and critique. The following

will help in developing critical thinking in school:



As long as learning in schools is teacher-centric, critical thinking will never get rooted.

A key reform that schools must push

through is student-centric learning

Critical Thinking in Schools

wherein students are primarily

responsible for their learning. They

Student-centric learning.

are their own teachers. This is also

Wikipedization of lesson plans.

the foundation of lifelong learning.

Teach relevant concepts before the

start of every topic.

Experiential learning - application



Experiential learning is an excellent

of classroom teaching in real-life

methodology that invariably promotes

situations.

critical thinking. While the entire

syllabus

cannot

taught

Encouraging trans-disciplinary

experientially, certain key subjects

reading and research.

can especially through group and

Promote questioning in classrooms.

personal projects. Teachers must

Teach goal-setting and reflection.

define them as early as possible.

Change emphasis from problem-

solving to problem-finding.



Wikipedization of lesson plans for

every topic that is being taught giving

the background and sharing different

perspectives.

 Teachers must teach relevant concepts before the start of every topic.

 Get children into the habit of trans-disciplinary reading and research.

 Teaching concepts and abstract ideas first, and thereafter discussing their

relevance in today’s and tomorrow’s context. Let me illustrate this with an example -

the idea of government for six year old students of grade one. These children should

be taught to appreciate that when people live and work together they need clear rules

and regulations to ensure order. An example of homes and classrooms can be given.

Students should be asked to list out the rules that their families have at home, and

why these rules are necessary. Likewise, classrooms too must have rules or else

there would be chaos and learning would never happen. Thereafter, they should be

asked what rules there should be in society and who should be responsible to ensure

they are followed.

 Assist students in real-life application of whatever they are learning.

 Questioning must be encouraged in classrooms. In turn teachers should ask

questions where there is a wait time of at least five seconds. For example, instead of

asking what is the capital of India, the teacher could ask the following questions and

allow a discussion: What qualifies a city to be a capital? Does a country need to have

a capital? Can a country have more than one capital?

 Science and mathematics aim at solving problems and over time students become

adept in the problem-solving processes. To arouse critical thinking teachers should

change the emphasis from problem-solving to problem-finding. School projects

should aim at identifying problems and framing problems before recommending

alternative solutions.

Conclusion

Reflection requires solitude. One does not have to be sadhu or a monk to practice

solitude. Everyone is capable of being alone with oneself. Even walking alone with one’s

thoughts, reading and reflecting on an absorbing book, or watching a beautiful sunset

bestows solitude. At an organizational level, leadership retreats are greatly beneficial. They

help the leadership team to:

 Conduct a free and frank SWOT analysis of the organization.

 Take stock of what progress has been made and what more needs to be done.

 Redefine the core values of the organization and have a better understanding.

 Discuss goals and plans for their implementation.

 Brainstorm solutions to solve problems and come forth with creative ideas.

Leadership cannot be learnt through books and lectures because it is experiential. And

experiences are of value only if structured reflection is done. Setting aside quality time for

reflection will always be a challenge and there are no straight answers.