Assumptions
It’s amazing how many assumptions we all make on a regular basis. We generally make assumptions about things that we don’t understand or that we do not want to put in the time and effort it takes to find the truth. We basically make up a story that fits our agenda and choose to believe it. We tell ourselves stories about people we don’t know, about things we haven’t experienced, and circumstances that we have no expertise or knowledge about.
A sports figure has a bad outing, and we become seasoned head coaches with a plethora of advice about what the coach should or should not do. More importantly, we are quick to weigh in with opinions and comments on the hot issues of the day (there are plenty in this political season). We tend to judge those who make different choices than ours, and we are quick to place condemnation on those who disagree with our particular stance or thought.
I have found that when I swap my assumptions for curiosity, something changes inside of me. When I discipline myself to seek to understand the other person, it changes my attitude. It may not change my opinion, but it generally shoots holes in my closed-minded approach to a topic, issue, or person. But I think it is easier to categorize someone as evil than it is to do the work to understand the why behind that person’s decisions.
I am going to try to be more disciplined in my responses toward people and issues. I am going to use assumptions less and curiosity more. When we authentically seek to understand others, we will certainly make a difference.
Larry
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