Smaller Dose #4. It’s good that you came back for more…..
Dear Friends,
I hope that you had an outstanding Thanksgiving and had some time to reflect on life. And perhaps some element of gratitude even came to your consciousness. On that note, I am grateful that you are taking time to be part of my journey. Enjoy.
Reading time: 3 minutes
Length: 800 words
Smaller Dose #3 (11/24/19) referenced a line from one of my favorite movies. For this installment, I’ve decided to reference a line from a great classic rock song.
So here we go…..
What happens when the people in your life agree with you and don’t provide any type of challenge to your thoughts and ideas? What you get is what is known as confirmation bias. Everything that you think, feel and believe is reinforced by those around you. Everyone caters to your ego in some way, rarely, if ever, challenging you to think differently and perhaps consider an alternative perspective (a key element needed for personal and professional growth.)
During my undergraduate studies, I was selected to be a member of the mock-trial team. For a brief time, I considered attending law school. I took a few philosophy classes to learn more about reasoning, logic, debate, etc., and mock-trial was a pathway for testing my basic, yet fundamental skills, prior to making a significant life choice.
One of the most impactful lessons I learned during the preparation phase of the mock-trial experience was that one must study and understand the other side of an argument or perspective better than your opponent. Only then can you truly prepare your offense to equal, and perhaps defeat, your challenger. And as obvious as this sounds, as a young 20-year-old, this had a lasting impact on me. I never went on to law school, yet that experience has stuck with me to this day.
So how does one prepare for trial, debate or healthy discussion on topics from politics to the office environment and life in general? Why not consider engaging with those who are not like you, in one or more ways, and be open to listening to what is said? You don’t have to agree. You have your truth and the other person (or side) has theirs. Just listen without responding. Perhaps you will learn something new and valuable which you had not yet considered.
I’ve occasionally thought that a presidential candidate should select someone from another party to be their VP candidate or members of their cabinet (I’ve been told that Abraham Lincoln did such a thing, and more recently Chuck Hagel served President Obama as Secretary of Defense.) There are pros and cons to this. Yet, at a philosophical level when there is a culture of openness and safety, alternative perspectives can be heard which may lead to better solutions for all. Perhaps I am being overly myopic or utopian, but there are ideas, concepts and methods which can be practically applied to our daily lives.
Last week, I listened to some sports radio. One of the hosts was discussing the topic of “What is wrong with The Dallas Cowboys”. Someone called in and provided the following commentary:
“The Cowboys are simply too full of The Cowboys.”
The caller went on to explain that, in his opinion, Dallas lacked diversity of thoughts and ideas and that only looking at the “Cowboy way” of doing things was not going to lead to a different outcome.
Diversity of thought can start when your surround yourself with people who have different perspectives than you do, challenging your belief system. And this is the start to creating a new outcome with different results.
What happens if you are of a political leaning and you only watch one TV network? You experience confirmation bias as your beliefs are reinforced repeatedly. What if you watch several networks, read divergent opinions and listen to the arguments of others? You may not agree with all or any of it, but you will have the chance to better consider your side when you understand the perspectives of others. It is my hope that you take away this lesson from this Smaller Dose.
There is a concept that some believe which states something like this:
You are the sum of your five closest acquaintances.
I’m not sure if there has ever been a study done to validate this. Regardless, I think we all know that those we spend time with have some influence upon us. Take a moment to think about those “top 5” in your life and consider what each of them are doing to contribute to your journey in some way.
So, what does a song recorded in 1970 by the group “Yes” have to do with the concept of diversity? Don’t surround yourself (physically or otherwise) with yourself. Seek out others (or other sources) to challenge you and provide an alternative perspective. Perhaps it will help you to reinforce your position, or alter it a bit, as new information is brought to your consciousness which did not exist before. In either case, you will be richer in knowledge and wisdom than you were prior to engaging with those that are “not yourself”.
The holiday season is upon us. Books make great gifts that can be enjoyed, shared and promote discussion and the exchange of thoughts and ideas. My book might even reduce the amount of tension and family arguments this year and beyond. Consider purchasing my book, Small Doses: Common Sense to Common Practice as a gift for anyone on your list. Only $14.99 for paperback and $9.99 for the Kindle version. Get yours today by using the link below. You’ll thank me later.
If you are interested in learning more about me and my work, check out my website.
Feel free to respond directly to this e-mail to provide your comments and feedback anytime. And don’t forget to share this Smaller Dose with anyone who could use some occasional wisdom.
Wishing all a very Happy Holiday Season and Healthy New Year full of Health, Wealth and Happiness!
Until next time…..
Jerry