A Critical Status Report

Today, we'll take a well-deserved pause from our ambitious pace, not wildly crazy, but we certainly haven't been standing still, to look at how far we've come and where we are.

As our main point of takeoff for this discussion, we at Vantage Point want to make sure that everyone understands that we here are only part of the total we.

So much credit belongs to our growing number of listeners to whom we're most grateful.

And at the end of today's episode, I have a favor to ask.

So for now, here we go with Vantage Point, a critical status report.

When Ed Koch was mayor of New York from 1978 to 1989, and before that as a United States congressman from 1969 to 77, he used to get out and mix it up with the public during rush hours in the subway, at the bus stops, in the parks of New York, and ask them bluntly, how am I doing?

It may not have been the most scientific approach to voter approval, but it was highly effective, and it became his brand.

Hi, how am I doing?

Today, I'm going to share with you some reactions I've gotten from having done kind of the same thing.

Now that we're nearly five months and 27 episodes past launch.

This, too, is not scientific, but this, too, is real.

Also, many listeners ask why we do some of the things we do.

After all, we list and explain examples of different types of critical thinking in almost textbook terms.

We get, at other times, real anecdotal when we relate interesting stories about some of the great thinkers in history, great critical thinkers in history, such as Copernicus, Jonas Salk, Alexander Fleming, Ben Franklin, Samuel F.B. Morse, and many others to come.

We've dabbled in mind-stretchers, puzzles, riddles, paradoxes, optical illusions or references to, and great what-if questions.

None of this was an accident. None of the divergence in approaches was accidental.

The answer is to confront you with different situations that require different thought processes that you, on your own, must recognize the need for and then do.

Different people think different ways. different situations require different types of thinking, and learning takes place in diverse environments and situations.

Yet it is not the job of the instructor or the teacher or the podcaster to tell you what those ways are.

If I were to do that, I would not be serving the revival of critical thinking well enough.

There's a saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

Not good enough. I go beyond that. I don't want to lead the horse to water. I just want to make the horse thirsty. That's all.

And Albert Einstein used to say, I never try to teach my pupils, I always try to put them in an environment in which they can learn.

That's where we are, dear readers.

So from week one, when the launch occurred on June 15th this year, our very first week brought us surprisingly good news.

We knew we had something good going here, but now we had to make it happen.

The data reported that we had performed in the top 50% of all podcasts worldwide in the first week. Putting that in perspective, as I mentioned before, there are more than 5 million podcasts around the world. And we surpassed half of them in our first week. No advanced media buy, no public relations, no nothing. From a standing start, we got to the top 50% in one week. Less than six weeks later, we were at the top 25%, and we're continuously moving up.

We're extremely proud of that, but you know, Irving Berlin said that the trouble with success is you've got to keep on being a success.

We think we're on that road, as we're now in the top 25%.

Not that data is all we look at, especially me.

The feedback has been gratifying and illuminating. Here are some of the things that we've been told.

The podcast has a worthwhile idea and a thoughtful voice.

Intellectually appealing, the theme is strong, and the host has credibility.

The whole person argument is compelling.

This is a good concept with strong intellectual DNA.

And lastly, the aphorisms are memorable.

We told ourselves that if we couldn't do that and more, then we'd be wasting everybody's time, but we're still here.

That means we still have much to do, and resting on our laurels is not one of them.

So here's the favor I ask.

Pick five friends, business associates, family members, neighbors, and send them the link to my website, which is eliamdur.com. E-L-I-A-M-D-U-R.com.

Ask them to click on my podcast and listen at least to the first two episodes. The first of which spells out very clearly what we intend to do and why, and the second of which begins the rationale for how we're going to attack the problem of the decline in critical thinking. Then ask them that if they found any of this useful, interesting, educational or entertaining to please do the same and pick five of their business associates or friends or neighbors or relatives.

We really want to get the word out, and we know we're on the right track. We'd like a little boost here, so we'd like your help in helping us get there. Thanks for that.

This is a good time for me to take a break for a plug from our sponsors, whom we are very fond of and to whom we're grateful for continuing to support our podcast.

I'll be right back.

Vantage Point is brought to you by my friend Stephen Bozer, the founding sponsor of this show. In 2003, Stephen was a student in my graduate course at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Earlier, you heard me quote Albert Einstein, who always tried to put his pupils in an environment in which they can learn. Well, this pupil came back and he helped build one. Before we had a single listener, Stephen stepped up and backed this show.

Thank you.

Vantage Point is also brought to you by SingleTask, the team that produces this show. To everyone on that team, thank you for all you do to bring this show to you. As promised, I am back. And I'm going to combine the Great Minds and the What If into one quick little quip. We just passed Mahatma Gandhi's birthday last month, about a month ago. Gandhi was once asked what he thought of Western civilization, and he said he thought it would be a good idea. You didn't know Gandhi did stand up, did you? And now with that, let me sign off by giving you two of my favorite and oft-repeated aphorisms.

The first, the gambling we call business is no better than the business we call gambling.

A couple of big IPOs coming up soon. Everybody knows who they are. Good time to remember about the difference between gambling and business, which is not very much. And the other, much more serious.

Time is our only irreplaceable asset.

Creativity is our only sustainable asset. It makes sense then, does it not, to devote as much time to creativity as we possibly can.

That's it for me now. Thanks again for listening. This is Eli Amdur, and I approve this message. See you next time. Until then, keep questioning, keep learning, and keep thinking critically.