Our in-person lives tend to put us in relationships built on agreement.
The internet, however, introduces us to people we would never meet in person. That’s both wonderful and challenging. We never know the condition of a person’s mind, heart, or personality when we encounter them online. Others come to us without context.
Yet we also have the chance to learn perspectives that would otherwise be completely hidden from us if we didn’t have online life together with so many different types of people and experiences.
The trouble is…
We’ve been conditioned to believe that if we declare a “fact” with a source of authority, everyone will fall into line and agree with us. Isn’t that what happens in school? One right answer for each test question, established by the authority, enforced by that teacher, regardless of who you are.
So we are struggling to adapt to a world where lots of answers with many sources of authority compete for space and truth value. It’s a huge adjustment! It will take time to overcome.
This post was originally shared on Instagram.
Watch the accompanying reel for more.
Also, for extra support in the process, my book Raising Critical Thinkers goes into much more depth about these ideas.
