People hold fast to their opinions, even if they’re terribly wrong.
There are many reasons for this, pride, stubbornness, unwillingness to learn. Even the people who you think keep an open mind are holding on to some sort of belief or idea.
This month in Praxis we are becoming philosophers. We’re consuming content daily and learning new ideas. One of the first articles we read is titled “Give It Five Minutes” by Jason Freid.
The article talks about how instead of going into every discussion, lecture, or debate with the mindset to simply oppose and argue, we should give every idea we hear five minutes. Let the new idea breathe in our brains.
Here’s why:
Every single idea you’ve ever heard had some sort of thought process behind it. There are reasons someone came to this conclusion or idea (assuming someone didn’t just pick words out of a hat and throw them together).
Think about every idea you’ve ever had, and every conclusion you’ve come to. There were reasons behind it. You had a certain perspective, a unique experience leading to your conclusions.
Does that make you always right? No, of course not. Does that make everyone else always wrong? No.
Next time you’re presented with a new idea, instead of immediately jumping on it and firing back with “here’s why you’re an idiot,” instead take a second to try to understand the reasons behind what they’re saying.
Give every new idea five minutes.