We are taught from a young age that we can’t be trusted. What do I mean by this? What I mean is we are taught from a young age that our opinions, thoughts, and ideas are wrong. And I understand why. We can’t help but start out foolish so in childhood there are others always telling us what to do and to defer to others. And often they’re right.
So through this we’re kept from screwing up royally in most cases and therefore we think. “Oh, okay I should trust those around me.”. Now granted this gets worn down in adolescence but seems to come back with a vengeance often later in life, and often because of the mistakes made in adolescence. We think “Oh, we tried doing things on our own and that didn’t work too well.” or something to that extent.
Now combine that with an education system that tells us not to think, a media tells us that we’re stupid, and whole marketplace of experts constantly telling us this and that, it’s no wonder that no one thinks for themselves or doesn’t have the desire too. That way lies destruction they’re told and they think. However this leads to very big trouble.
Beware The Experts
I think it’s safe to say that even if money doesn’t run the world entirely it plays a hell of a big role. And nowhere is this more true than in the “experts” industry. So much of what was “proven fact” using the “latest scientific research” and all agreed on by the “leading experts” had turned out to be complete and utter bullshit. Look at dietary recommendations for a great example of this. Look at the history of experts and you’ll soon see two patterns repeat and repeat.
One is that money plays a huge role in what is considered “good” and what isn’t, money and political pressure. The second thing is that experts have no idea what the hell they’re talking about. They’re shooting in the dark and hoping for the best and won’t admit wrongness because of their egos. This happens again and again in multiple different fields.
Thousands or even millions of years of tradition, culture, and “common sense” is overthrown by some nerd in a lab coat running a “study” doing “research” on a handful of subjects. Suddenly twelve graduate students in a lab replace all of humanity experiences up to that point. And people are told to put absolute and utter faith in these experts…or else.
I remember this in lifting circles where people abandoned tried and true methods and wrote it off an anecdotal evidence for whatever the latest “research” was. It made no sense but people kept going around in circles. Forget that all research is contradicted by other research or whatever the “best thing ever” is according to research will be proven the “worst thing ever” soon. And thus people kept spinning their wheels never getting anywhere.
Standing On Your Own Two Feet
Now don’t think I’m saying that you should be ignorant, ignore all research, or never listen to anybody but yourself. That’s not what I’m saying at all. What I’m saying is don’t be drug around here and there and above all else don’t abdicate your thinking and let others do it for you. That never works and never leads anywhere good. You have to think for yourself and sharpen your critical thinking skills. Don’t follow after the crowd or the experts, but rather what is actually right.
Now this requires work and is why most people won’t do it. People would rather abdicate the work to someone else, especially an “expert”, because it gives them a justification to be lazy. Don’t fall into this yourself. Again not saying don’t listen to “experts” as that’s a very broad term, what I’m saying is that you have to think for yourself and come to conclusions on things yourself. Not have them handed to you in a nice little bow.
That is if you want to live the best life possible and not misled, and maybe even destroyed. So gather the information, get different opinions on it, and then figure things out for yourself. Use your critical thinking skills, stop just assuming others have done all the thinking right or never had any errors. Think for yourself and look for things yourself. Patterns, connections, trends and the like.
You have a brain and you were given it for a reason. Make sure your using it for the best life possible.
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-Charles Sledge
