Alan Alda’s Mind-Bending Quote That Has Changed My Life The Most
The problem with “mental windows.”
Everything I know to be the only truth is how I live. My assumptions are the only window to the world. If what I believe is the best way to live is false, but I don’t know that, am I still living my best life?
Actor, author, screenwriter, podcast host, and director Alan Alda said something that changed how I perceive everything in his commencement address at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut when his daughter was in the graduating class of 1980.
“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in. If you challenge your own, you won’t be so quick to accept the unchallenged assumptions of others. You’ll be a lot less likely to be caught up in bias or prejudice or be influenced by people who ask you to hand over your brains, your soul or your money because they have everything all figured out for you.”
I use that simple quote to upgrade what I believe to be the best way to live. I use these questions to measure and course-correct when necessary:
- What are my beliefs and assumptions?
- Why do I still use them for life?
- And, most importantly, what should I do…
