Hey uguba ndubuisi, happy Sunday.
When I traveled abroad for the first time, I felt like I understood the world and what it meant to travel. Now that I've been to 40+ countries, I feel like I will never understand even a small fraction of what's out there.
I've had a similar experience with knowledge. As a curious teen, I felt like I had a better and more informed perspective than others. This belief made me rather disagreeable when I heard opinions that countered mine.
But as I've learned and experienced more, I've become a lot less sure about what I know.
What's going on here?
Do we naturally become more humble about what we know and the complexity of life as we age? That's part of it, but it's not the full picture.
In fact, I've seen the opposite happen for many people. Instead of opening up as they get older, they sink deeper into the beliefs, attitudes, and actions that they've somehow decided are "right."
There's nothing wrong with forming beliefs and convictions based on experience. That's natural and generally a good thing.
What concerns me is the level of conviction that people have about things that they don't know very much about.
You can see this idea in action with the pandemic, which appears to have fueled a concerning amount of hostility and division among people who should be helping one another.
We have people on all sides of the topic claiming with certainty that they know things about disease ecology, public health policy, resource allocation, morality, and other complex topics of which they've only even scratched the surface.
The problem is not the claims they make. It's the certainty with which they make these claims and the conviction that they're right.
Especially as specific approaches have become linked with political ideologies, we've seen more people shouting with confidence about how their approach is well-informed and right. On top of that, the people who don't agree with their approach are "stupid," "selfish," and "on the wrong side of history."
This type of thinking is harmful.
And I think it's largely the reflection of seeing what happens when people who have reached different conclusions – often for arbitrary reasons – close their minds and tie those conclusions to their identities.
As we navigate life, we have a choice.
We can close our minds, or we can become more curious and open-minded by accepting how little we know and how random the world is.
Of course, most people think they fall into the open-minded camp. Who wants to believe that they're not open-minded, that they may be wrong, or that the "other side" may not be so stupid after all?
I certainly don't. I prefer to see myself as a moderate, open-minded, curious, and reasonable. So does everyone else.
So what do we do?
There is no perfect solution to this problem. We all will inevitably fall into the trap of closing our minds down on certain topics. But I think remaining open-minded is a skill that we can get better at. And even a 5% improvement can compound to meaningful results over time.
Some things that have worked well for me:
- Talking to people outside of my circle.
- Saying "I don't know" more often.
- Staying silent when I don't have an informed opinion.
- Seeking to understand, not judge.
- Reading books from people with vasty different experiences.
- Accepting how little I know.
- Understanding how incentives drive behavior and decisions.
I try to remember what I've learned from travel and knowledge – the more I see and learn, the less sure I become about what I know.
If you open your eyes, you'll see that reality has a surprising amount of detail. It's infinitely complex and riddled with difficult tradeoffs.
So the next time you feel really sure about something and feel the need to defend what you believe, it's worth asking:
Why do I feel so sure about this? Could I be wrong? Have I tied an opinion to my identity? Am I even open to being wrong?
The world would be a lot more pleasant if we all started doing more of this inner reflection and incorporating it into our thinking and behavior.
But this is no easy task. You have to be willing to accept – and I mean really accept – that something you believe to your core may be wrong. That's a hard thing to do for most people, including me.
But I think being wrong is a good thing.
I've been wrong and changed my mind many times on many topics. The more I see, the more I see how wrong I've been. And over time, I've reduced the weight I put on any of my positions. I've become much more interested in learning how other people have formed their ideas.
Of course, the easier path is to remain sure about how much you know and how well-informed your ideas are. It's also easier than ever to find information that confirms your beliefs and to hang out in echo chambers with people who agree with you.
But how useful is that?
Today, my ask is simple.
Commit the process of continuing to open your mind.
Get comfortable saying "I don't know enough about that topic to have an opinion."
Learn to ask questions when you disagree with someone: "How did you come to that conclusion?"
Start to recognize your own defensiveness. If someone triggers you by asking a question in good faith, how open-minded could you be?
As John Salvatier highlights in reality has a surprising amount of detail, the world is much more complex than it appears.
Through reflecting on and understanding this basic truth, you can improve the quality of your life, your thoughts, and your interactions with others.
Stay humble. Stay curious. Be well.
Thanks for tuning in, and see you in two weeks.
Cheers,
Cal
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