“People cannot be knowledgeable about everything but they can be knowledgeable about the extent of their own ignorance”
-Thomas Sowell
I’m a big believer in self reflection and also giving myself and other the space to think out loud and to hear their beliefs, often for the first time and in many cases to question their legitimacy.
Its in this space that we allow ourselves and others to first be listened to and then understood, that we stand a chance of re-evaluating what we think and have been taught, consciously or unconsciously,
If we feel heard and listened to and given space, we are much more likely to be willing to reciprocate, to listen and learn and to understand how others think and feel.
The current climate and the medias often misinformed or deliberate propagandist portrayal of the world often leads to the ‘shutters going down’.
Its easy to preach to the converted and to appear to have solidarity, but this in itself often creates division where Unity is said to be sought.
During the last few weeks I’ve been able to discuss and rant and to observe my own programming. I’ve seen my common sense approach and my real life experiences triumph over theoretic nonsense, but at the same time I’ve come face to face with my own false defences and accusations.
I’ve examined my own prejudices and where some of those have been incubated from and how at times my witness statement and defence stories were not quite as accurate as I thought.
I’ve spent time as I do researching and listening to opposite sides of the fence and then to try and make a more informed decisions.
And I’ve fallen into the trap before of consistent self analysis and searching for all the answers. To attempt to create a rock solid defence and correct belief system that I can stand on the castle defences and protect myself with ‘the truth’.
But its a rabbit hole that a life could be lost to without still knowing all the answers on the subject.
However like all change it starts with us. The problems are rarely ‘out there’ or ‘so and so fault’ but rather with us.
As the saying goes, it my not be our fault but it is our responsibility.
There’s so many opinions out there and so many directions to follow we can easily get lost.
However by simply taking time to look at where, or how we contribute to the problem or to the solution, then change stands a chance.
All the time we are saying ‘you’re wrong I’m right, listen to me, do what I say’ – we are doomed to fail.
It may look like change on the surface but it will simply be treating symptoms not causes and the problem will go internal and fester..
Once we have been shown a better way, given better information and an opportunity to try something new, we wont have to STOP DOING XYZ – we just wont want to.
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