Your Reality Is Wrong
.. the process which allows us to accomplish the most extraordinary and unique human activities are the same processes which block our further growth if we commit the error of mistaking the model for the reality.
We all have models of reality that we construct over time from our experiences. We use our model as the basis for every single decision we make for our entire life! Yet, our experiences are inherently biased! Therefore we look at life from a skewed perspective. What does this mean? I’m not “qualified” in this area, but I have spent most of my life thinking about this sort of stuff. Here’s some things you may like to keep in mind, and why I think it’s worth doing so.
- We see reality through a filter. Therefore always remain weary of what you see.
- You can’t remove the filter, but you can reduce the effects of the filter by experiencing more.
- Our model forms part of an organic feedback loop. Accept that your model is inherently flawed to improve the feedback process.
- A biased model is an incorrect model, and an incorrect model means you will make mistakes. Mistakes are a natural means of correcting your model, so don’t get down over it.
There’s plenty more that could be said about this but I’ll leave it as thought fodder for the next time you brush your teeth :)
July 21st, 2009 at 5:04 am
Could you recommend any specific resources, books, or other blogs on this specific NLP topic?
July 21st, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I can’t comment on NLP as I don’t know this area well. I think the sort of stuff I’m talking about in this post touches on “behavioural psychology”. Check out the book called “Fooled by Randomness” from Nassim Taleb for a more concrete discussion of how our various psychological bias can affect our decisions.
There’s also Robert Trivers who has done work on self deception which is closely related.