This is perhaps the one people agree with most but give the most push back on when it becomes time to do it. By that I mean, they just won’t do it. Ever no matter what. But everyone really agrees that other people should do it. Welcome to those other people. We are an Elite group. We are the Republicans and Democrats that reach across the Ail and don’t just try and work with the other side but try and understand them. We read study’s and publications that disagree with our current outlook on life. And most importantly, when good evidence is presented to us, we switch sides.
Wait a minute their Edwin. This sounds like you want me to change. Change is hard. I don’t want to do that.
Well I hate to break it to you but there is a really good reason for doing this. It stops you from being wrong. Believe me when I say that everyone is wrong about something. Sorry. I misspoke. Everyone is wrong about a lot of things. A giant mountain of them. I can assure you the mountain is so big that if someone wrote a book on things you are wrong about you would never finish reading it. Ever. If we cut down all the tree’s on earth 3 times and used them for the book we would not have enough paper.
But all is not lost. You don’t even have to overcome 5% of that to be hugely successful in life. But you will defiantly have to overcome some of it. And looking at people who disagree with you is the only way to do that.
But what if your learning about something new and don’t have opinions on it yet? Can you ignore this then?
No no no no noooooo. You need to pay even more attention to this. You are in a critical state of learning. This is where you need to be testing everything so you can find out what is the correct or best answer to a problem. Very rarely does someone just walk up with all the answers to a subject and have the definitive answer to it. They might have part. But testing both sides of the problem is the only way to know who is right.
This in turn makes it so you do know more and are more aware of everything that is going on in a field. Let’s assume for a second that politics are your 10,000 hour activity. You don’t just want to read books that coincide with your party. You need to read books that criticize you as well. Watch CNN and FOX. Read a conservative and liberal paper. Finally, you need to at least dabble in some other political beliefs. Maybe libertarian and socialist. Just so you are informed on them and understand where they are coming from.
The Challenge for You
So, with this being the last of the 12 Laws of Learning, I will issue a challenge. Read one book on three different subjects that you disagree with. Have one of them be your 10,000 hour activity. Either a different method or a different stance on it then you. The other two will be a little more difficult for you. Ready?
I want you to question evolution, and I want you to question your diet. Why? If you can do that with honest open eye’s, not looking to just prove you are right, you can question every belief you have. A few instructions on this. Go into this with the idea that you might be wrong and be willing to have your mind changed. I’m not saying you will. But you might. So, I’m going to recommend a few books to help you along in this.
The first is the “China Study.” This one is about the benefits and science behind a vegan diet. If you are Vegan, I recommend the “The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living. These are two books that will at least give you a small glimpse into why the other side believe what they do and might get you to switch your position.
The next book are really just for beginners exploring this but they will help you get a baseline understanding on why people question evolution. There are a few too many reasons but these two are based on science. You ready? The first book is called “The Case for the Creator.” The second book is called “Darwin’s Black Box.” You might read both of these books and thing they are trash but just the act of putting these beliefs on the line and testing them in a small way will be good practice for your 10,000 hour activity.