We don’t know. We believe we know. Our experiences, education, instincts and values all add up to our beliefs. They also include assumptions and misperceptions and past truths. We believe something once and then we “know” it forever, because that’s easier than always having to ask.
Asking isn’t easy. It takes time. It introduces risk. It creates the appearance of not knowing. We’re afraid of not knowing. We’re afraid of others knowing that we don’t know.
But don’t worry, they don’t know anything either.
We wear our beliefs like a pair of glasses: they shape how we see the world, they allow us to see nearer and further, they guide our path and help us to avoid obstacles, they block out the glare. But what if we took them off from time to time? What if we chose not to see so clearly? What if we challenged ourselves to know less?
Better yet, how about we try on someone else’s glasses. See the world through their lenses, their beliefs. What are their assumptions, their experiences, their values? What are their goals? How are we getting in their way?
We’ll never be able to see the world the same way again. Maybe we’ll see ourselves differently, too.
Let’s stop pretending we know so much and start finding out what we don’t. From each other. About each other. About ourselves.
About Whitney Hess
Whitney Hess is a coach and writer helping product teams and senior leaders make better decisions through the principles of user experience. She believes empathy builds empires.