I’m reading the book “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know,” and so far, it’s great. Last night something the author said stuck with me.
My hope is that you’ll be intrigued by how I think-and that the studies, stories, and ideas covered here will lead you to do some rethinking of your own. After all, the purpose of learning is not to affirm our beliefs; it’s to evolve our beliefs.
Adam Grant
With that said, I’d like to go on a short tangent – I worry about the sounding-bound, parrot-like nature that exists within social media. It’s this “You’re mad? Well, then I’m mad. And everyone else should be mad too!” kind of thing. A real modern-day, pitchfork-yielding, crazed mob, merging of the minds. And I personally believe we can do better.
I might disagree with a person’s premise – the idea they accept as true to support their argument – and yet when there’s no space left for disagreement, or for further context, or for a differing of opinion the very lifeblood of what it means to be alive, the opportunity to learn and to evolve, is missed out on.
As a therapist, one of my top priorities is to teach clients the skills needed to work through problems independently. (I do this as a mother as well.) There’s nothing better than experiencing someone stepping outside their comfort zone to confront ideas, to disagree, and to take a conversation into unchartered territory.
Communication in this way is like wildfire on a barren landscape; it churns, uproots, and fertilizes like nothing else can.
So if the purpose is not to affirm our beliefs, but to evolve them how do we go about doing this? Following this blog is a good place to start.
Love always,
Jaclynn
Going On 40 