HOW TO OVERCOME BEING IGNORANT

themindsetjourney.com

By Naylii Sophea

We tend to think that ignorant people are insulting and impatient. They are the most overthinking people on earth and they promote simple explanations and solutions rather than taking time to define a problem or finding the solutions. This type of person focuses more on “acting ignorant” by pointing out their social expression of ignorance thru their attitudes. 

People “act ignorant” as a defensive behavior. It’s not enough that they don’t want to expand the energy of thinking, they don’t want others to do this as well. They don’t want to look unintelligent. They also don’t want their beliefs, aesthetics, or values challenged. They want those protected and maintained at all costs. To do this, they attack people who make those challenges. They take criticism as personal attacks of their beliefs, aesthetics, or values. 

In order to identify either ourselves are ignorant or not, we need to recognize these tendencies in our own and find new behaviors to replace those “acting ignorant” behaviors.

For example, read more books about topics where characters promote beliefs and values that are slightly different from yourself. By doing this, we tend to focus more on the rationales of other people's perspective and tried to accept it rather than critique it. Besides that, try to understand and empathize with them. Try to accept the way other people think and how do they define factors and aspects of the topic. 

Next, try to not argue with your friends while they are trying to voice out their opinion over certain things. Yes, I know it quite hard to agrees with someone when we already have our own opinion but it doesn't hurt by listening to others right? Before jump into any argument with someone else, explore what you know, expect and believe about the topic or experience. Predict what you expect will happen. Note about other's insights and experiences. Reflect on what you have learned. Not everyone has the ability to remember or “store” these perspectives and points of view so your listening to their opinion will be very helpful. For many people though, the experience called “perspective-taking” and “experience-taking” will encourage you to absorb these voices and perspectives. These other values, beliefs, and aesthetics will make sense within the context of these ignorant behaviors. 

That’s how you become less ignorant because thoughts and expectations lead to behavior. By “installing” new thoughts, values, beliefs, and aesthetics, you become aware of the truths of others. This awareness will at least help you to be more careful about stating your assumptions as truths and your values and aesthetics as universal.