One year while studying in London, I found myself alone on Holiday. My church did not meet until late afternoon, so the morning stretched before me. I thought of my family, miles away, celebrating the day without me, and my heart felt empty and sad.

At first I wanted to indulge in self-pity, but then I began to wonder what I could do to make the day meaningful.

My mind turned to the people I passed daily in the crowded subways. As in many big cities, the subways often sheltered homeless men and women needing a handout.

My heart had often been touched by their need, and I realized that I wasn’t the only one in London spending Holiday alone. Helping strangers suddenly seemed like a good way to show my gratitude for the wonderful Holidays I had enjoyed as a child.

I made several sack lunches containing sandwiches, fruit, crackers, and drinks.

Then I headed to the subway, searching out the people I had sometimes avoided. Most were truly grateful for the food.

To each I said, “Happy Holiday!”

When I had one lunch left, I came upon a man who looked particularly downtrodden. His clothes were filthy, his face was lined with suffering, and his eyes held deep sorrow. As I offered him the lunch, he looked up at me in surprise.

“What is this?” he asked.

“It’s lunch, sir,” I replied.

“Thank you, thank you very much,” he said.

His expression suddenly changed to one of joy and gratitude. He clutched the sack eagerly, holding it as if it were a precious treasure.

“You’re welcome,” I said, touched by the look on his face.

“Happy Holiday, sir.”

“Happy Holiday!” he replied.

I also stand before God as a beggar. He reaches out to me, offering mercy. Someday when I stand before Him, my face will register profound gratitude, which I had glimpsed, in small part, on the face of this humble man.

Walking home, I began to weep.

My loneliness was gone, replaced with joy and a deeper understanding of mercy.

I silently thanked God for this man’s unexpected gift to me. I had offered him a simple lunch; he had returned to me a true holiday feast.

(An edited version by Marianne Monson in the March 2008 Ensign).

I have been working on my book about Critical Thinking and so that was on my mind when I ran across the above story. On the surface it just seems to be a wonderful story of mercy, gratitude, and service.

However, when you analyze it from a critical thinking perspective, it demonstrates one crucial point: thinking through to see the consequences.

Marianne was alone in a foreign country on a special holiday. She was sad and felt empty. She even considered indulging in self-pity, but she then thought through her predicament and instead, thought about what she could do to make the day more meaningful.

This actually is an everyday example of analyzing the situation and making assertions built on sound logic and solid evidence.

What evidence? What logic?

But think about it. If she wallows in self-pity: will she be happy or sad?

If she sits around all day alone: will she improve her day/week/life or will she just feel more alone?

Many small decisions seem small and insignificant so we do not take the time to go through the steps outlined in Bloom’s taxonomy, which aren’t just about how we learn, but also help us to apply what we know, make connections, make judgments, and so on, which help us make better decisions and solve problems.

Marianne has an actual problem and she has to make a decision as to what she will do, how she will respond. We encounter thousands of these types of scenarios every day.

If we become better thinkers, we make better decisions. Better decisions lead to better and more fulfilling outcomes. Better outcomes lead to a prosperous and happy life.

Learn to think critically…to be happy. (Simple enough?)

Note that Marianne decides to find a way to make the day more meaningful, then she finds a simple (and cheap…remember she is a college student) way to serve others in the time frame (she goes to church in the afternoon) that she has.

Clear thinking takes in constraints and weighs them in as well. (We used to call this: make do with what you have).

The consequences to choose from are either: negative (self-pity, being alone, sad) or positive (serve, work, find something meaningful or productive to do).

I think Marianne chose correctly.