My thoughts after listning NIN - Right Where It Belongs

Our generation, for I am Gen X or the early Gen Y, has had it's ability to think critically crippled by all forms of media including television and the Internet. We can't do anything with a TV set except change the channel or turn it off, but the Internet can be a wealth of REAL information. Just steer clear of anything with a brand name associated with it. Don't limit yourself to one idea, read lots of them and make up your own mind, and talk about it. ...if we're hiding in the trees then he's saying that we find security in those things we hold as fact or put our faith in. If we didn't have those things then what would we do? We fear the unknown, it's human nature. We need to surpass that human limitation and embrace change. Let me quote another artist, "I'm still just a rat in a cage." Well that cage is our own creation and it's constructed by our own beliefs and reinforced by our fears. That cage is our own mind. Question it all. Not so, that metaphor is based on an adage, "You can't see the fire for the smoke." or more specifically, "You can't see the forest for the trees." Meaning you are so entrenched in the situation or circumstances that you cannot possibly find a good unbiased vantage point to see where you are or where you're going. We all need to step back and question everything we hold as fact or put our faith in. Only then can we see clearly. Now... A lot of people choose not to see the truth, they cling to other peoples' ideas and refuse to question them. BEcause discovering that one or more of the ideals you base your existence on (not to get existential here) are in fact false. Then everything you believe based on those ideals is false or misguided. The comfort derived from those beliefs falls away to the unknown. Fearing the unknown, we'd rather not reevaluate ourselves. But we need to. And introspection is sorely lacking today. Of course if someone else is behind establishing that incorrect assumption and we believe it then they in effect control us. So even though you think you're thinking independently, you're actually not. It's our ability to reason that sets us apart from the rest of the animals. Most of us don't use that to it's full potential. It's easier to use stereotypes, rules of thumb and generalizations to make things simpler. But like dead reckoning, if we make an incorrect assumption/reading early on then we can stray off the path. We should be able to think critically, discover, and then recover. But most of us don't.