When we’re born, we enter this world as beings full of love. We start with a clean slate, completely reliant on others to care for us. Quite simply, we can’t survive on our own, so we surrender to our environment. Ideally, our earliest days are shaped by love and encouragement.
As we grow and gain agency over our movements, we begin logging experiences—consciously or not. Parents or guardians usually become our first teachers, showing us right and wrong through their own perspectives. Each moment, each interaction, can become a memory that shapes our worldview and behavior.
Out of the 8+ billion people on this planet, no two will ever grow up with the same exact experiences. Even siblings who share a household encounter life differently—different moments, different interpretations, different impacts. Some paths may look similar, but every perspective is unique. Honoring that truth can only help us move forward.
Yet today we live in a polarized society, obsessed with absolutes: This or That, Right or Wrong, Black or White. Spoiler alert: life is not that simple. Our brains can only process a tiny fraction of reality, so of course we’ll disagree. To survive, humans evolved to focus on recognizable patterns and details—but in the modern world, that instinct can blind us.
Too often, people treat their personal view as the only view, shutting down any opposing perspective. Social media amplifies this, feeding us curated content that reinforces what we already believe. Comments sections rarely foster open dialogue; instead, they’re breeding grounds for disrespect and outrage. I honestly can’t recall a single thread where someone admitted, “I hadn’t considered that perspective.”
This false sense of superiority doesn’t just close minds—it breeds fear and anger. Those emotions once helped us survive, but now they’re wearing us down. We live on edge, furious about things largely beyond our control.
So instead of clinging to the idea that our perspective is the right one, I’d like to propose something simpler:
Lead with curiosity.
At our core, most of us want the same thing—survival and well-being for ourselves and our loved ones. What’s “right” for you won’t always be right for others, and that’s okay. Respect the infinite possibilities of human experience. The next time you find yourself in disagreement, pause and ask yourself:
Are you sure?
