Sometimes it seems like everything we say on blogs,
Facebook, Twitter, or even in conversations is either “preaching to the choir,”
or “falling on deaf ears.” Readers and listeners have already decided what they
choose to believe, and they pay attention only to whatever validates their
predetermined opinions. They seek confirmation, rather than education or
enlightenment.
No matter what they believe, they will always find that
confirmation, because an argument can be made for just about anything. For instance,
some ”truths” are complete opposites:
“He who hesitates is
lost” and “Everything comes to he who waits.”
“Absence makes the
heart grow fonder” and “Out of sight, out of mind.”
“Birds of a feather
flock together” and “Opposites attract.”
So, why bother sharing our thoughts and opinions at all?
Isn’t it a complete waste of time?
As a matter of fact, it isn’t. Tossing around ideas is a
necessary part of our self-discovery process.
First, a tiny seed of an idea makes its way into our minds.
We aren’t sure what to make of it, but cannot ignore it. We start looking
around, noticing other ideas like it, reading anything we can find on the
topic.
Everything we hear and read is like a thin layer of nacre
(mother of pearl)… shiny, brittle, iridescent coating around the idea. Over
time, successive, concentric layers of validation are deposited around what
started as a passing thought, until it becomes a solid, and unbreakable belief.
