#2 Deconstructing Yourself

#2 Deconstructing Yourself

Welcome to the beginning of our journey!

Having the right mindset and setting realistic expectations are necessary to succeed in any endeavor. We will do the same at the onset of our journey. This opening blog aims to set the correct mindset for us to begin our exploration on a sound footing.

Evolving Values

We live in a world with many diverse cultures, traditions, and beliefs. Some of us view life through the lens of the cultural landscapes of the societies we grew up in. Others embrace the worldview that was handed down to them through their ancestral belief systems. Still others rebel against the norms of their societies and reject the prevailing traditions, but fail to come up with plausible alternatives. And then there are others who try to rationalize the world around them and adopt the worldview that makes the most sense to them. Whether we have given it a thought or not, all of us – Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists, liberals, conservatives, orthodox, unorthodox – spend our lives conforming to some philosophy of life.

The world we live in is highly opinionated. Whether we realize it or not, our views of life and everything around us are formed and nurtured by the societies and times we live in. Human sacrifice was an acceptable part of a few belief systems thousands of years ago but is unthinkable and abominable today. Slavery was an essential part of society in 18th century American South but is considered repugnant and vile now. Communism was the dominant political and economic philosophy in almost a third of the world in the 20th century but has lost favor in our times. Anyone living in the old times would likely be very comfortable with their societies’ practices but may abhor ours. Likewise, we are smug with our value systems but may balk at those of the ancient world. Our experiences of the philosophies of life are not absolute. They adapt to evolving societies and changing times.

Biased Media

With the advent of global connectedness, demarcations among the world’s societies and philosophical thoughts have blurred. A person living in Papua New Guinea has access – thanks to the internet – to the same information as someone living in New York City, even though they live in societies culturally miles apart from each other. The monopoly of conglomerates – especially in the media industry – over entities of influence has driven this concept to its extreme. Almost 90% of the media outlets in the United States – CNN, MSNBC, Fox, WSJ, etc. – are currently owned by six media conglomerates. Likewise, social media platforms – Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, X, Instagram, etc. – are dominated by a few giants that have active users in the billions. The result? Almost everyone on the planet is the recipient of regulated and compartmentalized information from a handful of platforms on a daily basis.

People like to believe that the information they consume from the media is a true reflection of the reality in the world. Sadly, that is not the truth. While it is true that media outlets do provide us with verifiable information for the most part, they do so with two main caveats: 1) They have the liberty to present information in a biased way – unknown to us – that makes us subconsciously take sides on the topic of interest. They may do so effectively by projecting the information in favor of one entity over the other. An example is taking sides in a conflict and consistently painting one side positively over the other. 2) They have the liberty of showing only one side of an issue while completely blotting out the other position. Every story has at least two narratives to it. But if a media outlet decides to take a position – for whatever reason – they can project news of their choice from one perspective only while completely ignoring the other. Whether we like it or not, the media companies may choose to – and sometimes do – provide consumers with an incomplete and unbalanced picture of reality.

Opinionated Minds

We, as consumers, are constantly bombarded with such biased narratives from information outlets without us realizing. As a result, our notions of the world and its contemporary issues are subconsciously shaped and crystallized with prejudice. As alluded to earlier, the society that we grow up in has an equally profound impact on our philosophy of life. Consequently, the environment we grow up in and the information we consume both heavily influence our outlook of life and our constructs about the world. There is no such thing as an unbiased mind. We are all prejudiced in one way or the other.

Just test yourself. Which one is good and which one is bad? Capitalism or Socialism? Democracy or Dictatorship? Liberalism or Conservatism? Democrats or Republicans? Theism or Atheism? Religion or Secularism? Christianity or Islam? Hinduism or Buddhism? Catholics or Protestants? Anglicans or Evangelicals? Baptists or Lutherans? And so on …

If you evoked a strong reaction to any of these choices, you have a firm opinion about one choice over the other. While your strict position may very well be based on perfectly rational arguments, chances are that your opinionated mind has developed a strong bias. To be clear, I am not advocating – in any way – one choice over the other. I don’t care. My point is only to show that we all have certain strong positions – some bordering on prejudices in our minds – most likely shaped by the company we keep, physically or virtually. Whether we like it or not, that is the reality of our existence. Recognizing and acknowledging this fact is the first step in our journey.

Preparing for the Journey

The key to overcoming the extremely complicated endeavor of unraveling the complexities of life lies in deconstructing ourselves from our ingrained prejudices and biases. A biased mind is like a horse with blinkers. They don’t let you see the world in its entirety. You only get a narrow, focused view of the world – the view that you choose to see. Undertaking this journey with the blinkers on will prevent you from appreciating the beauty of the sceneries around you as you travel. You need to throw away your blinkers to enjoy this excursion. To benefit from this journey, you need to let go of the prejudices that have made their home in your mind. Open up your mind to new ideas and vistas. Be prepared to objectively analyze and rationalize new viewpoints as they come up.

If you are embarking on this exciting journey of exploration with us, you need to start with the right approach and establish two essential prerequisites. Both are necessary for you to get the most out of this journey and make your experience fulfilling and rewarding.

1. Check your intention.
   What is it that you want from this journey? Do you sincerely want to learn and understand the mysteries of life, and try to have some meaning in it? Or is there some other goal? Having sincerity in your approach is key to for you to benefit the most out this journey. Check your heart. Make your intention pure and sincere.
   
2. Deconstruct yourself.
   Open up your mind to new ways of looking at the world. Recognize that what you have believed since childhood may not exactly be the complete reality of things. The world may be much deeper and comprehensive than what you see on the surface. You will need to deconstruct your views about the world. Deconstructing your mind does not, in any way, mean that you don’t use it. On the contrary, this journey will ask you to use your brain at every step to make rational and informed decisions. What is needed is for you to not cling to preconceived notions and prejudices that you may have developed over the years that prevent you from using your intellect. Open up your mind to receive and appreciate new, refreshing, and logical perspectives.

If you have equipped yourself with the above two requirements, you are well set to start on this exciting journey with us. Get ready for a stimulating experience!

Do you feel you may have developed strong biases in your mind? How did you recognize your biases? How have you dealt with them? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below. All perspectives are welcome.