Why I Want You to Question Me

Fake news. Alternative facts.

It's weird to think that these are now part of our regular vocabulary in 2017. You would have thought that the information age would have ushered in an era where everybody could keep up with the latest and greatest information. Turns out that is only partially true: we're getting the latest information, but it isn't always the greatest.

It certainly makes sense why this is the case. News organizations have to make money, and with subscription models like newspaper falling to the wayside, that means these news organizations have to get your attention somehow, even if that means exaggerating or straight up lying. Ryan Holiday does a great job of explaining this in more detail in his well-written book, Trust Me, I'm Lying.

The good news is that there is a silver lining. At least for folks like me.

Clearly, our trust in corporate-level things like news organizations has been ravaged, but there is yet hope. Just because our trust has been betrayed by these organizations doesn't mean we no longer place our trust in anything. We still trust people around us, like our family and friends.

So, does this mean that we can still trust others we don't know on a personal level? I think yes.

I regularly look to the wisdom of folks like Seth Godin, Ramit Sethi, Thomas Sowell, and Tim Ferriss. In an age where we don't know who or what to trust, these people have stood the test of time for a unified reason: I think each of these people will tell you that the truth they share was discovered, NOT manufactured. In other words, their wisdom has led them to make connections about what already exists in the world and not some fallacy based on a hope or a whim. As Dr. Drew Pinsky calls it, they have an understanding of "reality on reality's terms." These people gained my trust, ultimately, my thoughts led me to the same conclusions they espouse.

This is why I want you to question me. I am not a manufacturer of truth but a steward of it. If truth stands on its own, then my belief is that you should be able to question anything I say and come to the same conclusion that I do. Of course, I do share opinion pieces from time to time, which I do my best to call out at the time. My hope is that those pieces still open you to a new perspective that might lead toward new discoveries for your benefit and for mine should you share that back with me.

You see, I have a deep care for seeing others thrive, and that involves the incorporation of virtues like justice, prudence, and love. My faith compels me toward this as well as a not-so-secret selfish agenda. After all, you and I should want our organizations to thrive since we are employed by them!

There's an old saying that goes "Lead, follow, or get out of the way." I choose to lead, but not in the sense that some people might think. I have zero desire to put myself above others or tell people what they should do. Rather, my hope is walk alongside others and help them discover new ideas and, in turn, to learn new things from others. After all, if we embrace "reality on reality's terms", then we must understand that we as individuals have a limited capacity for information processing. That said, we should be wholly reliant on one another to maximize our potential across humankind.

Well... that got way deeper than I was expecting!

All of this is to say that pretty much all the ideas I share come from observation of the world, so when you question me, you're not really questioning me. You're questioning reality. And reality goes way beyond me as an individual. So question away! I understand that trust is earned and not given, so while I'm not expecting you to trust me right away, my hope is that the things I share in other posts resonate with you. And, in turn, I hope that resonation builds trust between you and me.