Thread by @althecat

This is a good Ethiopian New Year's thread from @CrisisGroup.

https://twitter.com/CrisisGroup/status/1437738338618912768

@CrisisGroup And this is a great Ethiopian New Year report from UNSG @AntonioGuterres news.un.org/en/story/2021/…

Anyone with their eyes open knows that this world is in a very very dangerous place at present. We have threats coming at us in all directions. But the greatest threat of all comes from pure physics, and if we do not take collective action to address global warming we are doomed.

There is a solution to all of this, and it lies in us all having open minds and the willingness to question the things we think we know.

I am often wrong about things and often change my mind. This is a core part of old-school journalism training. An editor, now dead, Frank Haden, gave me a vital piece of advice. "Never believe your own bullshit".

And what this means in practice is this.

Ask yourself about the core beliefs that you act on. Those that matter to you. Are they true or false. Because your false beliefs are ones are the ones that will damage you.

When we believe things and act on them our beliefs harden because we face the danger of hurting our self sense of self by if we are wrong. This is why Buddhists teach the idea of non-attachment to ideas.

So take a core belief which is being challenged by others, and ask yourself, what will it mean to me if I find I am wrong about this thing I believe, will I be ok with it, or will it really hurt me.

If the answer is that being wrong about that thing will really hurt you, then this a belief that you need to take extra care to ensure you are right about.

By looking at what those who disagree with you are saying, perhaps by talking to those people even.

And if on consideration being wrong about the thing will hurt not only your self but also your livelihood, your relationships, your safety, then it needs even more attention.

The most important thing is to be always questioning your own beliefs and judgments. It is a practice that will serve you well.