This is the October 2024 Create an Adaptable Life Newsletter, from Johanna Rothman. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this email.
I stopped posting on X/Twitter back in 2023. I didn’t like what Musk was doing on the site, so I downloaded my activity and left my profile there. The profile had links to my current social media.
Then, this week, I saw new information. Musk started to repeat lies and amp up his Nazi- and fascist-oriented rhetoric. That was it. I had new information, so I deleted my account.
Most of the time, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. And since all the social media sites are part of the public square, I have some hope that various legal entities can regulate social media just as they do the physical public square.
That might occur, but not soon. That’s why I deleted my account. That’s an example of how my new information prompted me to act differently, to change.
Sometimes, our circumstances, such as road detours or hurricanes, prompt us to change. We have new information so we choose a different path.
But that means we need new information and to decide if we believe that new information.
Since I get my news from a wide variety of sources, I knew that my concerns about Musk were based in reality. (I could also look at X/Twitter and see for myself.) That allowed me to change.
But what if we don’t see that new information? While new information isn’t the only prerequisite for change, we need that new information to create that foreign element. That requires critical thinking skills and a variety of information.
How Wide Is Your Information Intake?
We can’t change based on new information if we don’t see any new information. That means the narrower our information silos, the less we can use our critical thinking skills and react to new information. (We don’t even see a Foreign Element, never mind realize we need to consider change.)
This can have deadly consequences. In the US, we see people refusing vaccinations. That means they don’t just endanger their lives, but the lives of other people who, based on their health, cannot take vaccines. I am old enough that I had the measles, mumps, and whooping cough as a child. I would not wish those diseases on my worst enemy, never mind other people’s children.
Now, some political leaders lie about legal migrants and various kinds of relief programs, even as we suffer from hurricanes. All of these statements are lies. As a result, people believe the worst of others. And, they might not realize what the government can offer as relief from a hurricane. People get stuck in Old Status Quo, not realizing there is a Foreign Element that might change their situation.
How can you tell these are lies? Check other news sources. Otherwise, you won’t believe me—and you certainly won’t change your actions. Checking elsewhere allows us to use our critical thinking skills.
We Need Critical Thinking Skills
Here’s a quick way to use critical thinking skills as a check on whether to believe what you see or hear:
- Does this information make you believe the worst about people you don’t know, especially if they are far away?
- Does this information make you disbelieve institutions, such as your local, state, and federal government?
- Does this information make you angry, angry enough to want to focus on this news source as opposed to checking with other news sources?
I italicized several words because the more statements engage our negative emotions, the angrier we get. That anger makes it more difficult to tell if this information is true or lies. we stop thinking and start reacting.
Since I like to ask questions, here’s a terrific question to trigger our critical thinking skills. This is from James E. Ryan’s “Wait, What?: And Life’s Other Essential Questions”:
“Wait, what?”
That question slows our reactions and allows us to consider other possibilities. Including why other people make the claims that they make. What’s in it for them? And what’s in it for me? (That’s a universal book link with my embedded affiliate code.)
I’m not asking you to choose “right” or “wrong” in terms of your actions. Instead, I’m asking you to consider more information. That’s how we can choose the next actions to take, actions that are congruent with our beliefs.
How to Choose More Information Sources
Early in my writing career, I learned that primary sources offered me much more reliable information than secondary sources. For example, books and papers are primary sources. Wikipedia (and all social media) is a secondary source, which means it quotes or summarizes the primary sources. I use Wikipedia a lot when I need quick information or want to know where to start reading. However, I don’t depend on that information being correct.
When I write books and articles, I use research as a primary source in the form of books and professional articles. That way, I know I understand where people disagree and agree.
For elections and other societal issues, I read a ton of newspapers, magazines, and some research papers. (The research is often about climate change.) I also read Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter, because she quotes primary sources. Today’s newsletter is a terrific example of that.
You and I might not agree on the problems or solutions facing our country and the world. However, we can’t have policy discussions unless we all agree on the truth.
If we allow lies to drive our behavior, we will end up with a society based on lies. However, lies don’t create a healthy society. Instead, lies create a society where people mistrust everyone and everything. I don’t want to live like that, and I hope you don’t either.
The more we recognize lies via new information, the easier it is to change how we act. I hope you choose truth over lies to choose how you act.
Announcements…
My writing workshops are full for the rest of this year. If you want to know when I’ll offer the 2025 workshops, sign up for that notification list on Writing Workshop 1: Free Your Inner Writer & Sell Your Nonfiction Ideas. If you write fiction, I have options for how you can use this workshop for your content marketing.
If you are part of the agile community, consider checking out The Agile Network. There’s a huge launch event going on right now and you can see all the sessions here. (I already spoke about how to use Cost of Delay to rank work. You can register for the replay. I plan to add more content after the Jewish holidays.
If you would like to join, I have some discount codes:
- 2 Free Months – ROTHMAN10PM
- 20% off Annual – ROTHMAN10P20
Please use this link, The Agile Network, if you choose to register for the webinar or to join. (Yes, they’re tracking me, not you!)
Read More of Create an Adaptable Life
New to the newsletter? See previous issues. (I post these newsletters to my YouTube Channel channel a few days after I send them.)
Here are other links you might find useful:
- Create an Adaptable Life Blog to see the weekly question of the week, not just the newsletter.
- My Books
- My Workshops
- Managing Product Development Blog
- Johanna’s Fiction
Till next time,
Johanna
© 2024 Johanna Rothman