Have you thought about how dangerous it is to assume? by Karupanocitizen

How many tragedies have been generated in humanity by simply assuming a fact as true? How many wrong decisions, with catastrophic results, have been taken in light of wrong assumptions? How many projects, work relationships, friendship, love? and even relatives have been dissolved for not stopping to establish the truth of a certain fact?

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Assuming implies internalizing a certain fact as true, without sufficiently inquiring or ascertaining its veracity, generally based on our initial perception of data or facts, on our own or particular similar experiences, or on the opinion of a third party that we consider important enough or qualified to consider it to be "the truth."

We can then establish that when we assume we are based on two points of view, the first from our own beliefs, the second from the perception of a third party whose opinion we consider so true that we adopt it as our own. Let's look at both cases.

Our guess

It is not wrong to set a position or express an opinion on a certain situation, even many times family members, friends, or colleagues demand that we do so. The problem stems from the way we base this opinion, from the elements of judgment we use to support it, and even from the intention behind it.

When my "lack of time" or because our ego pushes us to think that we already can establish reality having little or no evidence of what we consider a "correct hypothesis", we are assuming. Under this assumption "my" experience, "my" values, "my" capacities are those that will establish the certainty of a fact, they are conclusions biased by an internal assessment element without reference to the particularities of the facts that we intend to analyze.

When we act in this way, arbitrarily, without taking the time to investigate, to compare situations and facts, to weigh the opinion of others, we are not only being unfair, but we are also beginning to build prejudices and barriers concerning people and situations. , we deny ourselves the opportunity to continue learning and live new experiences, to establish and maintain harmonious and healthy relationships with other people and we are creating an isolated and self-centered world.

When the opinion of others supplants ours

It is first important to understand that each person has different motivations and beliefs, even if they share the same interest or the same intention, for example, a person wanting to help alleviate the hunger of another may consider that the most appropriate thing is to feed him, “give him the bread"

Why not share my wealth, they will reflect.

While another will consider that the best thing to help solve the problem is to help him "get that bread", not by giving it to him but by giving him a job so that he can get it himself,

You have to teach how to fish, not give the fish away, it would be their belief of this type of people.

As you have seen, they both want to help, they both have good intentions and similar goals, but their beliefs make them see solutions differently.

In the same way, when facts are inferred or assumed based on the opinions of other people, we must bear in mind these differences in beliefs and criteria, for ours, although the statements seem correct, we have to understand that the person who thinks does so from your perception, from your point of view, from your own beliefs and capabilities.

It is not advisable to take the opinion of a third party as true without having previously formed our own after a process of exhaustive inquiry and reflection. No matter how important a person is as a reference in your life, we cannot automatically bend to their opinions or statements, no matter how much you agree with that person in the past, the facts change, the intentions also and to accounts, you have your own beliefs and values, never forget it!

Beware, assuming contains many dangers

When we assume, we are minimizing the importance of the facts, their characteristics and we are superimposing subjective elements that can distort their nature, we can then fall into serious errors or reprehensible behaviors such as misunderstandings, conflicts, gossip, false opinions, judgments wrong, arbitrary or hasty decisions, usually wrong.

To suppose is to minimize our rationing capacity and downplay the world around us, it is to create a bubble in which only MY opinion or that of someone important to ME, is the only one that has validity, is to isolate ourselves, is to close ourselves to the wonderful truths that the world has to teach us and is the cause of many of the injustices that we currently suffer as humanity.

How many “influencers” have established a position in a certain situation, pushing their followers to react in the same way, only to later have to acknowledge and apologize for errors of appreciation committed. Unfortunately, the damage was done.

Some time ago, this community was attacked on another platform simply because of the assumptions of a person of great power. Someone who did not bother to investigate, investigate or get to the bottom of the facts and who had very bad intentions. He does not care about anyone's opinion but his own or those of his small environment, he did not assess evidence, nor did he seek agreements, he only passed judgment and passed sentence. The worst thing is that many followed him, they only assumed that he was right that he did the best for everyone.

We are smarter than we "suppose"

I think therefore I exist

It is not that we are going to start philosophizing, but Descartes was right, there is a huge difference between what is or exists and what we assume to be or exists, the difference is made by whether we stop to reflect on it, what we do a conscious process of analysis and comparison that allows us to get to the why and the truth of things.

When we have doubts about the circumstances surrounding a particular event, instead of wasting time assuming things, simply start by asking, it is so easy to do it! You may not like the answer you get or it does not meet your expectations, but you would be knowing another point of view, another reference.

Ideally, you ask the question of the person involved with the particular event, however, the more points of view you obtain, the more balanced your opinion will be and therefore the more likely you are to get closer to the truth of the matter.

How much time, hassle and frustration would we save if instead of creating stories, we occupied ourselves with asking first?

The next time you see that a person reacts unexpectedly or that seems to you to be incorrect, I invite you to ask them their reasons, to internalize the circumstances that motivated them before judging them and falling into errors simply by "assuming " things.

We keep reading!