What Confucius 2:15 tells us about our society

He writes in 2:15, “To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.” When you look at that from a practical angle it makes clear sense but when you dig even deeper into what he was saying he really makes you think. What if you not only think but you overthink on issues. As a student I can say sometimes us studying too hard for a test the next day is overthinking. If we study and think, is that good? In Political science the work is mostly based on discussion and research. If a prepare notes for a discussion I am studying but sometimes these notes only get you so far. I believe people should base their thoughts on a basis of thinking your own knowledge and having the evidence to back it up. I think that is what Confucius  meant. We as a society tend to overthink issues and a result create our own dilemmas. We tend to have less opinions as an individual and instead go with the masses. I believe Confucius was really promoting individualism when he said that. To think also means to think for yourself because if you only think with a group it is like he said, “dangerous.”