Our Favourite Sport is Jumping to Conclusions

My community is looking for a strong leader. There is a gentleman named Michael who comes to mind. I want to tell you about Michael.

Michael is very charismatic. He is also emotionally intelligent, experienced and strong-willed.

Would Michael make a good leader?

It sounds like it; let's give him a shot.

Hold on, let me complete the above sentence.

Michael is very charismatic. He is also emotionally intelligent, experienced, strong-willed, cruel and corrupt.

Damn it, Michael.

What happened here?

When we hear information, we tend to think, this is what we know. We tend not to think, what else could be?

This is because sustaining doubt is hard work. Sliding into certainty is easy.

You may think - no, I doubt people all of the time.

But do you doubt, or do you hold opposing convictions?

Let me explain.

When I hear Justin Trudeau speak, I tend to react with doubt about whatever he is saying. But I don’t necessarily sit in doubt, I gravitate towards certainty. The certainty that I am being gaslit, or the certainty that I am being lied to, or maybe just the certainty that he doesn’t understand what he is talking about.

Ok, maybe I believed him there