The Rest of the Story.

We have so much information and input in general that our interactions are starting to reduce themselves to  simple memes and soundbites. Cognitive bias has become the conditioned mechanism for filtering and containing information. It seems we are attracted to, and remember, only those things that support our conclusions and avoid that which disagrees. It appears what we base our lives upon and what we think we know is boiling down to numbing, fragmented, and inaccurate extracts from an extraordinarily rich and complex picture.

The simple, inaccurate, and incomplete stories we absorb and exchange are bits and pieces that exist with massive amounts of background information missing. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, is as simple as it sounds. Nothing is what it is presented to be at any time. There will always be “The rest of the story.” The problem lies with getting “Most of the story” in the first place.

I find that staying aware of this helps diminish my sometimes reactive opinions on everything I see and hear in the everyday media. I suspect that so much of media is driven by acquiring my attention so they can sell me stuff. If I am emotional about what I take in they hope I’ll sooth myself by buying something. It doesn’t have to be a major purchase, the act of acquisition, of having, often works. It’s why food, TV shows, surfing the media on computer, and credit cards can be so addictive.

But, now that I have taken the time to see that, a lot has changed. I may become reactive but that quickly goes into a perspective of “So what’s the rest of the story?” Or, in some cases, the information seems so biased and fragmented that I don’t bother seeking more information.

I ask myself, “How do I know that?” and as important, “How do they know that? I always encourage those interested to take a look at Byron Katie and her method of seeing life. Her primary question revolves around what’s truthful for you as an individual. It’s been helpful! https://thework.com/

Take care of you and all you love,

Bryan