Biases

Truth and Opinions

Published on by Eugene Morgan

Grains of salt
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

“Don’t keep searching for the truth, just let go of your opinions.” ~ Buddha

It is easy to let our opinions create our world and cloud our judgment. We can be quick to label things when we don’t understand them. In so many ways, we’re pushing the truth away from us by our opinions. Opinions are pre-judgments; pre-judgments aren’t interested in the truth. Truth is not something that we will discover in minutes. Truth is a life long discovery. As we journey through life, our opinions change. If we’re opened minded about things, maybe a gain truth will fall our way.

Biases Can Affect Our Behaviors

Published on by Eugene Morgan

Seagrass Dining Chair
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

First of all, no one is without biases. Biases imply that our decisions or opinions about something have already been formed. For example, when we are presented with a puzzle that eludes us, it will continue to elude us so long as we don’t ask the why, the when, the what and the how questions.

These types of questions help us to think beyond our biases thus will give us more objectivity.  So without asking questions we may end up doing something based on a false assumption.

Assumptions are really short cuts we use all the time. We assume a chair is suitable to sit on because we based it on our experiences on sitting on many different chairs which in turn forms a generalization that most chairs are suitable to sit on.

Therefore, we don’t test or ask anyone if a particular chair is suitable to sit on. But there are assumptions we must ask the four questions to gather information before we go to the next step.

When Biases Hurt and Respect Heals

Published on by Eugene Morgan

Showing respect (RIP Ku, Sept 19, 2008)
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

We all have biases. However, biases can hurt. We aren’t defined by biases of others and our biases shouldn’t define others.

Therefore, we shouldn’t impose our biases on others, instead we need to learn how to get to know the person. Biases are easily made when we don’t know the other person.

We’re all unique people but with similarities. Respecting others is the first step of letting go of our biases. If we want to be treated with respect, then it must start with us.

We don’t have to wait for someone to show us respect, but to be model examples by showing others respect. When we show respect towards another person, their hostility towards us will decrease.

Biases can hurt but respecting others can be healing.

You Have The Power Within To Follow Your Own Path

Published on by Eugene Morgan

rayo 3
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Our internal resource is our power to move things in our lives; resources that we have acquired over our lives through our experiences.

As long as we’re learning new experiences, we’re accumulating our power. The problem for most of us is learning to get access to our resources to help us to succeed in life.

Our limited frames of reference, our biases and our limitations tend to get in the way. These are the challenges that we have to contend with thus freeing some of these things so we can use what we already have within.

We tend to give our power away when we don’t follow our own path in life.  The power within us can free us from our biases, only if we open our minds up for new ideas and follow our own path.

The Sun is Out; Challenging Assumptions

Published on by Eugene Morgan

Mercury in second transit contact, is entirely inside the Sun, moving further inward
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

We all make assumptions that aren’t true. There are assumptions that are even in our language, for instance, most of us would say, “The sun is out or the sun is going down.”

Even though, we know that the earth rotates and orbits around the sun.  Therefore, the sun isn’t moving up or going down, it’s the earth’s rotation that’s causing the illusion of the sun moving up and down.

We don’t normally say I can’t wait for the earth to rotate enough to see the sun or to see the sun set. We base our assumptions on our experiences and our personality and background.

Assumptions ought to be challenged. When we challenge our assumptions, we can see farther than before. Questioning assumptions is one of the most useful techniques that help broadened our minds. Challenging assumptions is a useful skill to get to a better understanding of things.

Breaking down Assumptions

Published on by Eugene Morgan

O Mundo Mágico de Escher
Written By Eugene Morgan

Breaking down assumptions entails questioning our beliefs.  Sometimes we believe things without checking them out.  When we don’t check things out, we keep ourselves in the dark.  But when we do question our beliefs, liberation is upon us. We no longer have to settle for limited beliefs.  Learned beliefs are passed down from one generation to next without question. We are given the answers whether we like it or not.  And we’re not allowed to question what our parents told us.  But as adult we certainly can challenge old beliefs that are out of date in our lives.

Expanding and More Choices

Published on by Eugene Morgan

Balloon Fiesta # 1
Written by Eugene Morgan

When we expand our mind, we have more choices thus more creative freedom in our lives. Rigidity is our worse enemy. Rigidity in the dictionary means the lacking of flexibility. We all have some biases about something. At one time in our lives our minds were flexible and unstructured. But as we grew older, because we began to see how complicated and enormous the world was, we developed mental short cuts to simplify our world. But now it’s time for us to learn again. Expanding our minds is like filling a balloon up with helium, it begins to rise.  Our minds like a balloon are no longer tethered by gravity, they’re free and can clearly see everything.

We Appraise Things we Learn

Published on by Eugene Morgan

PICT0001
Written by Eugene Morgan

“And all of our days we are learning things-learning how to appraise them, how to assess them, how to feel about them.” Milton Erickson

When we watch an event unfold before our eyes, we tend to automatically appraise the event based on our background experiences.  How much value we put into the event depends upon how personal it is.  After it’s been filter through, we know how we feel about the event based on our background experiences. Sometimes our perception gets distorted because our filters are too narrow. Learning to appraise, assess and feel about things really tells something about us. It tells us what are likes or dislikes.  It tells us what’s important to us.  It tells us how we’re feeling.  When we begin learn these things about ourselves, we can expand our perception, if we wish.

Fearing Little is the Only Way Out

Published on by Eugene Morgan

Frightened sticker
Written By Eugene Morgan

“And what do you need to fear? Very little that you need to fear.” Milton Erickson

Fear is a feeling. Fear saves lives. Fear is paralyzing. Fear speaks the truth about something. Fear speaks lies, too. Our assumptions about things can fuel a fear. Fear, if not felt, is projecting into something threatening that doesn’t exist. Fear is very real but a perceived danger isn’t. There are big fears and little fears. Big fears are unmanageable but if broken down into smaller fears— manageable.  Erickson, says in his above quote, there is very little that we need to fear.