Adsactly Education - About Knowledge, Manipulation And Media

CCO from Pixabay

There are two very important quotes that have changed my life dramatically. And also their meaning has changed a lot for me since I read them quite differently than I did, when I first heard them.

Cogito ergo sum! (I think, therefore I am)
(René Descares)

And

Scio me nihil scire (I know that I know nothing)
(Plato)

Before going into detail, I will ask you to follow the 1 min instructions from the following video (I retrieved this by chance while randomly watching a german TV series… something I quite rarely do). The video was published on youtube in 2010 by Daniel Simons himself and since has 19 Million views. So chances are this is not new to you.

If we link this experience to the quotes above, we get an interesting shift in awareness:
• I think, therefore I am, but most of my thinking is based on incomplete information. So who am I, now? And if I let others think for me, what will I become?
• I know that I know nothing, and I am probably right about that.

Assumption: ALL of our decisions and opinions are based on incomplete information

While most people get along in life somehow, they do so by copy pasting behaviors that they think or experienced to work out for them. Also people act generally selfish. This doesn’t mean people can’t act altruistic, but that altruism is chosen as the best way to get along.

CC0 from Pixabay

Let’s scale this down a little bit:

Humans are choosing characters. Each and every move, word, action even thoughts are chosen from a wide variety of tools available. And these choices on the one hand are based on the information available and the experiences we think to remember from the past and on the other hand on which expected outcome is assumed best in this particular situation.
To give a simple example: You have to choose a walking way to buy you something from your local store. You have two possible ways, a fast one and a longer and harder one. Everyone would go for the short one at first glance. But if you like the view along the longer way you may chose that, if you want to lose weight, you may chose the longer way, if you need some time to think, you may chose the longer way. No one else will know the reason for your decision; sometimes even yourself will be unaware.

The critical points in this chain are easy to spot:

* The available information

We already learned that this is the most important part. No one has all the information ready. NO ONE. Additionally the interpretation of available information can diverge massively. For “normal” people the only way to gather information is by the Media, and it doesn’t matter if it’s Mainstream Media or Alternative Media. Media always is a prism, which distorts reality or truth in a direction that is wanted, expected, can be sold best or resonates most with the writer. The only thing a single person can do is gather ALL information that he can get or trust others to sum up information correctly. Personally I’d advise to DYOR (Do your own research) and always ask yourself what is really probable. Theories about probability are the most important means coming close to what is “real”. Also confront yourself with details that are not convenient to your experiences.

• Past experiences

We all lived our lives to this point. This means we all have been quite successful so far, as we are not dead. We learned to survive by experiences we made, rules we follow and things we believe in, no matter how biased or superstitious these experiences and rules are. Don’t touch the cooker, it may be hot. Don’t cross the street at a red light… this may kill you and/or others. Don’t eat strange smelling stuff, it may kill you. Clean yourself, being dirty may make you sick. Simple so far.
But also our social experiences influence our behavior. Don’t fart in public, people will laugh about you and you’ll feel ashamed. Don’t oppose the majority. They are stronger than you. You’ll be much more accepted if you side with the stronger ones. Don’t criticize XYZ because you will be ostracized.
In fact fear of ostracism is one of the strongest motivations and worst expected outcomes regarding human behavior.
This fear is the most effective and most evil way to manipulate people doing things, even against their knowledge.

• Expected outcome

This is a mixture from both above points. Available information mixed up with personal past experiences will form expected outcome. At least if we are informed in a certain way. If we aren’t this becomes strictly a part of available information. If we have no clue and don’t care about facts or information this becomes completely a part of our experiences and the “gut-feeling” that we have about something. Expected outcome is the driving force for personal preferences.

• Personal preferences

Depending on our experiences, the information we get (first by parents, then in school, by society and the Media) and what we expect as results or outcomes of EVERYTHING, we set our personal preferences. These preferences are quite hard to change both for others and even harder for oneself.
This is the main reason we keep arguing about things, we have no clue about. That’s why we defend things we can’t fathom. And that’s why we fight each other instead of cooperating. But also this is why we cooperate instead of opposing certain things.

Why this is important to know?

You are manipulated. I am manipulated. All the time - and most of the time without knowing it. You are being manipulated by others and most of the time by yourself. You will be very much surprised how much your thinking will develop and change. How much your awareness will rise and how different you will see the world.

CC0 from pixabay

What’s the point?

Awareness. Simple as that. Most people are not aware why they behave as they do, even why they THINK as they do. Personally I try to gather every information available about a subject that caught my interest. From any available source… then I do the math. How probable is the information to be true. I try to check my reactions whether they are based on fear, positive or negative experiences and I try to get a set of different expected outcomes. Finally I check if everything is consistent with my (hopefully consistent) personal preferences.
YES this is a whole lot of work in the beginning, but it’s worth it.

You will never miss the gorilla in the middle of the room again.

Thank you for reading, let me know what you think in the comments!

##Authored by @pollux.one

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