Think Outside of the Box
For some reason, or perhaps because I enjoy observing and studying people, everything about them, including their thought processes, on social media during moments of leisure when I relax and focus on women’s things—travel, makeup, fashion, and sports, of course—I can’t avoid content that the algorithm thinks I prefer, which is often inaccurate and unrelated to what I search for, but it somehow still reaches me. Most of the time, it’s content where people from both public and private spheres comment on burning topics related to everyday life, or animated short clips. What interests me the most is reading people’s comments and seeing what used to be called ‘public opinion.’ Here, I notice how people are unable to think and, as a result, engage in civilized conversation, with exceptions that are always few in number. It has been proven that we use less than 10% of our brains and that only 1% of people in the world are intellectually and emotionally mature, rather than physically mature. All of this led me to write a blog about thought processes in everyday random environments because the same individuals who write these comments are also the ones at workplaces with the same cognitive abilities.
The last thing I saw was a host stopping people and asking questions about general knowledge, such as what PNL, KPI are, or where a certain continent is located. Regardless of correct or incorrect answers, the comments are dominated by the impression that people are stupid and that they are wrongly using the term ‘stupidity’ to describe what is actually a lack of general knowledge, since, by definition, a stupid person is one with an IQ below 90. Intelligence, by definition, is also the ability to navigate and adapt to new circumstances, and that is just one of many definitions. Also, if someone is in construction or heavy manual labor, why should it be expected that they have encountered KPIs, and why should they be considered ‘stupid’ in life, work, or relationships because of that?
Another situation, though in a business context, is when I was reading some submissions and explanations from lawyers in a dispute over the sale of a company, specifically an acquisition, and saw that the new director, who was supposed to read all contracts with clients and independently investigate the reasons for losing a key client—both due to the duties assigned to him and the highest level of responsibility that role carries—was guided by gossip and hearsay from colleagues he trusted, and accused the previous director of withholding information.
Apart from the fact that this problem is more significant and involves not only the thought process but also a lack of seriousness and dignity for such a role, as well as the insane self-confidence to enter into a dispute with ‘evidence’ that is mere gossip, it is shocking and concerning on so many levels. It’s clear to me that at some point, the game with the dispute surpassed common sense and became an ego game, and it had to be played to the end because how could you tell investors and everyone who invested in you, ‘Mea culpa’.
It has been established that we are all products of the relationships, principles, books we read, and life and business experiences we carry, and that all of this shapes our lens and perspective on the world, people, phenomena, and relationships. It is also established that, at a certain point in life, when awakened and enlightened, we dedicate ourselves to cleansing prejudices, beliefs, convictions, and removing the shackles and glasses in order to perceive the world in the right or a different way. Nothing better visually reflects this understanding than an experiment with limitations. People often think within the frameworks that are set for them, even when these frameworks are not necessarily rational. The framing effect is a good example of how thinking can be limited by the way a problem is defined or presented.
Considering that the situations mentioned are in some way part of my everyday life, because when you work so much with people, it’s inevitable to encounter such situations, I am starting to believe more and more that holding a director’s position requires a diploma from the University of Life as well as a legal nature in decision making.
It is probably true to conclude that there would be less consumerism and personal unhappiness and dissatisfaction if people knew how to think but unfortunately, that is not the case.
Because thinking is not the only process that occurs in humans, and we are beings of needs, instincts, emotions, desires, fears, ego, and aggression that all together blind us.
That’s why in business, I value only evidence, facts, and objectivity as the only path to truth, and most often, I think for myself because of my awareness of everything that exists and happens, although, of course, there are a few people I trust endlessly.
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