I've been raised all my life to believe that "having the answer" is good and "not having the answer" is bad. My parents taught me this when I was young. My teachers taught me this in school and I'm reminded of it almost any time I have a conversation or play a game.
From answers a poll, to taking a test, to participating in a contest. The second someone asks a question and you have the right answer you are praised. If you have the wrong answer you are considered "stupid", "incompetent", "unwise", "inexperienced". I believe the reinforcement behind this behaviour is mainly from school testing where you get a "pass" or a "fail" depending on how many questions you answer correctly. As we grow into adults this fear of failing translates into people being scared to answer questions. We've all heard the saying "better to let someone think you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". Yet, I think this behaviour actually goes further than that. Not only are people scared to answer questions, they are scared of questions.... period.... and the more complex the question the more fearful people are of it.
Yet, I observed something else. When you challenge (or question) someone's deeply held beliefs they usually fight back..... swiftly! and with zeal! Tell a deeply devout Christian that Jesus didn't exist and you will watch them enter into fight or flight mode. Either way they go it's usually accompanied by a spew of statements that they believe to be true. In this state of fight or flight I believe that people are actually vulnerable to suggestion. They have no choice but to think critically about the subject matter to defend their belief.
So therein lies the key. To me, the question is more important than the answer and going forward I want to focus on questioning things rather than ever getting to the "answer". This blog will not be an exercise in swaying people's opinions but truly exploring questions in an attempt to get people thinking.
From answers a poll, to taking a test, to participating in a contest. The second someone asks a question and you have the right answer you are praised. If you have the wrong answer you are considered "stupid", "incompetent", "unwise", "inexperienced". I believe the reinforcement behind this behaviour is mainly from school testing where you get a "pass" or a "fail" depending on how many questions you answer correctly. As we grow into adults this fear of failing translates into people being scared to answer questions. We've all heard the saying "better to let someone think you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". Yet, I think this behaviour actually goes further than that. Not only are people scared to answer questions, they are scared of questions.... period.... and the more complex the question the more fearful people are of it.
Yet, I observed something else. When you challenge (or question) someone's deeply held beliefs they usually fight back..... swiftly! and with zeal! Tell a deeply devout Christian that Jesus didn't exist and you will watch them enter into fight or flight mode. Either way they go it's usually accompanied by a spew of statements that they believe to be true. In this state of fight or flight I believe that people are actually vulnerable to suggestion. They have no choice but to think critically about the subject matter to defend their belief.
So therein lies the key. To me, the question is more important than the answer and going forward I want to focus on questioning things rather than ever getting to the "answer". This blog will not be an exercise in swaying people's opinions but truly exploring questions in an attempt to get people thinking.
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