Friday, January 6, 2017

Is that an echo?

Do you know what an echo chamber is? According to Wikipedia, it's "a metaphorical description of a situation in which information, ideas, or beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a defined system." Essentially, it's the definition of what many of us do a lot of the time...we have a thought, belief, or idea that we set out to prove to ourselves. While this term is being overused right now in talking about the whole "fake news" drama the news establishment is hyperventilating over, it's a worthwhile endeavor to explore where we may enter echo chambers in our own lives, rather than seeking the truth for itself.

I think we seek things that reinforce our current beliefs in almost every area. Whether it's politics, health, religion, economics, etc, how many of us really look at opposing views or sources with an open (if reasonably critical) mind? Think of a friend or family member with an opposing viewpoint on something...maybe you're a Democrat and they're a Republican, or vice versa. Do you engage them in conversation with an impression of what they're thinking? Perhaps you see conversation with them as boring, tiresome, frustrating, etc...just wasted time listening to regurgitated drivel from MSNBC or Fox News? Take, if you will, a moment to reflect on your own tendencies. Do you seek to understand why some people disagree with you? Can you find merit in any ideas of someone that you disagree with? Perhaps you think that you've got the world figured out, but it never hurts to think about how the other (and I did the math on this) 99.99999999985714286% of people in the world (that's everyone in the world except for you) think about the world. Try some other thoughts on for size...I can guarantee the process doesn't hurt and you may come out better for it.

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