Our ideas are precious, especially to ourselves.
However it is that we arrive at them, we come to believe that they have immense value – so much so that we often consider them more than mere ideas or opinions, but elevate them to “The Truth”.
Our ideas make the leap from opinion to fact.
One of the hardest things to do is keep a truly open mind.
Sure, we’ll all say we’re open-minded and open to new ideas … but are we really? Are we that open to ideas that conflict with our own? Ideas that would call into question what we consider to be “The Truth”?
Are we really open to being wrong?
If recent elections have taught us anything it’s that there’s a deep division of opinion; opinions that each participant would consider being “The Truth”. And everyone can’t be right. If we’re to move forward in any meaningful way, it requires that we all be willing, and able, to question our own truths.
Naturally, it’s never as simple as being right or being wrong. The issues at play are much more complex than that. People strive for simple black and white resolution to complex problems because it’s easier and requires less thought. But it’s exactly that additional thought that’s required today. Thought to truly understand the nuances of all the ideas at play.
Unfortunately the simplicity of being right, holding on to our precious ideas, holding on to “The Truth”, gets in the way.
That needs to change.
Our precious ideas could be wrong, and we need to be willing to accept that.