Are you a truth seeker?
What does it take for you to change your mind about key issues? Many of us are set in our ways. We believe what we believe and we aren't looking to change that belief. Perhaps that leaves us closed to discovery of truth because, well, we believe we already know the truth.
Take any issue of concern in our society today...gun violence, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, hunger, homelessness, taxes, government spending, or even parenting and household budgeting. We interpret news, events and headlines through our lens of belief. We tune into news outlets that share our worldview and interpret the facts for us. We find friends who will agree with us, not #challenge us. So what would it take for you to change your mind on key issues? It's a question worth pondering.
So many posts on social media are digging our heels in. We state our beliefs or stance on issues and then count the likes, comments and cheers and call it a win (or a loss). We share stories that support our position, but not those that don't. We love, like and champion posts that support our belief on an issue and demean, criticize and emoji-anger those posts that are at-odds with our beliefs. Why do we do this? Consider this post-reading challenge over the next seven days:
Read with an open mind to understand the others' viewpoint. Whether or not I agree with their conclusion can I understand their view?
Seek out viewpoints on issues that differ from my own. I can find my news feed full of viewpoints that mirror mine (the algorithms work, after all). But can I seek out other viewpoints in an effort to broaden my perspective and learn why others' believe how/what they do.
Can I consider that I might be wrong about my stance on an issue? Does the idea of being wrong scare me, offend me or make me feel insecure in some way? If so, perhaps I need to be reminded WHY I take the stance I do. Can I commit to study and understand my own viewpoints enough that I can reasonably defend those views to myself first and then to others.
I like to think I'm a truth-seeker and I want to believe others are as well. I'll take this challenge over the next seven days. Will you join me?
-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP
#communitydevelopmentprofessionals #work #like #society #algorithms #change #truthseeker
