Breaking Bubbles
Now in my life, perhaps more than ever, I make a conscious and purposeful effort to break out of the “bubbles” that I live in.
It starts with awareness. Most of us are not even cognizant of what is happening. Most of us are so far “deep” in the trenches of our own bias that we cannot see reality. We cannot see humanity. We accept the status quo and do things because “they have always been done that way.” We do not ask why. We follow the path.
This is not meant to be some romantic, dramatic essay. This is not in support or against any one community or culture. It is good to hvae a group that you like. It is good to be comfortable. It is good to do things a certain way. You do not need to think about “disrupting” the world all the time.
Rather, this is a thought/argument for more people to a) recognize personal bias (self-awareness) and b) learn how to break it. Why? Because I believe that living a life with purpose is far more fulfilling than one without. Of course — this is my personal bias speaking :)
As humans -> Bubbles are our limiting factor.
We can only strive to be as good of a person as we can imagine. Within our bubble, that definition is contained. We are inherently limited by our own perception of the world.
Breaking bubbles expands and widens that view. Whether or not we disagree with what is contained in that wider view is not important, rather, the value is in the ability to understand more people / more things.
So how to break out out of your bubble?
a) surround yourself with different people
be with people who think “not” like you do
hang out with the marketing team if you are an engineer
go get lunch with someone you never talk to because they are not “cool”
b) read different things
follow different people on twitter
open a different news channel
c) consider alternatives
be humble. we are not always right.
consider that maybe, just maybe, there is an alternative viewpoint that stands strong.
what would other people think?
Yes this whole thing sounds silly. Sounds like a waste of time.
Try it. Try becoming more aware. It’ll lead to a fuller life.
Originally published at gonen.blog.