In our information-driven society, shaping our worldview through the media is similar to forming an opinion about someone only based on a picture of their foot. While the media might not deliberately mislead us, it often fails to provide a comprehensive view of reality.
Consequently, the question arises: Where, then, shall we get our information from if not from the media? Who can we trust? How about experts — people who devote their working lives to understanding their chosen slice of the world? However, even experts can fall prey to the allure of oversimplification, leading to the “single perspective instinct” that prevent our ability to grasp the intricacies of the world.
Simple ideas can be appealing because they offer a sense of understanding and certainty. And it is easy to take off down a slippery slope, from one attention-grabbing simple idea to a feeling that this idea beautifully explains, or is the beautiful solution to, lots of other things. The world becomes simple that way.
Yet, when we embrace a singular cause for or a solution to all problems, we risk oversimplifying complex issues. For instance, depending the concept of equality may lead us to view all problems through the lens of inequality and see resource distribution as the cure-all medicine, However, such rigidity prevents us from seeing the multidimensional nature of challenges and hinders true comprehension of reality. This “single perspective instinct” ultimately clouds our judgment and restricts our capacity to tackle complex issues effectively. Being always in favor of or always against any particular idea makes you blind to information that doesn’t fit your perspective. This is usually a bad approach if you would like to understand reality.
Instead, constantly test your favorite ideas for weaknesses. Be humble about the extent of your expertise. Be curious about new information that doesn’t fit, and information from other fields. And rather than talking only to people who agree with you, or collecting examples that fit your ideas, consult people who contradict you, disagree with you, and put forward different ideas as a great resource for understanding the world. If this means you don’t have time to form so many opinions, so what?
Wouldn’t you rather have few opinions that are right than many that are wrong?
【小题1】What does the underlined word “allure” in paragraph 2 probably mean?A.Temptation. | B.Tradition. | C.Convenience. | D.Disapproval. |
A.They meet people’s demand for high efficiency. |
B.They generate a sense of complete understanding. |
C.They are raised and supported by multiple experts. |
D.They reflect the opinions of like-minded individuals. |
A.Simplifying matters releases energy for human brains. |
B.Constant tests on our ideas help make up for our weakness. |
C.A well-founded opinion counts more than many shallow ones. |
D.People who disagree with us often have comprehensive views. |
A.Embracing Disagreement: Refusing Overcomplexity |
B.Enhancing Comprehension: Simplifying Information |
C.Understanding Differences: Establishing Relationships |
D.Navigating Complexity: Challenging Oversimplification |
People generally see themselves through achievements. In doing that, they end up caring more about their image than the reality of who they actually are. Rather than their work doing the talking, they end up defining themselves by external markers that they hope will earn them respect.
The problem with this is that it encourages both themselves and other people to judge their worth based on some relatively unimportant measure. For example, one day, their educational diploma (文凭) may overshadow what they actually learned. Therefore, a better way to know a person, I think, is to ask a different set of questions: What motivates them? What makes them ache? What do they long for?
It’s in this spirit that I want to publicly share my values. They are the compass (罗盘) that guides my life. The kindest and most sincere thing I can do is to see, recognize, and understand another person before I make judgments. From there, I can learn to treat others appropriately, depending on the context, learning from my mistakes with time and experience. It’s just a reminder that life is hard for all of us, while at the same time accepting that it’s important we are all also held accountable for our actions.
I have learned that we are all deeply self-interested. I hope to be self-aware enough to check out of the power and status games. That means I’m not competing with anyone for a shiny object; I’d rather compete with myself. It’s about becoming so uniquely different that it would be an insult for me to measure myself against someone else. I believe if I do the work to be internally free from the pull of the power and status games, then I can add value to others based on my unique knowledge and experience.
If this resonates with (与……共鸣) you, I invite you to join me on this journey in understanding and relating to this complex world. It’s a wonderful mystery, and I think together we can better define it — not just personally, but also collectively.
【小题1】According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?A.The external markers are better ways to know a person. |
B.People generally judge others’ worth by what they have achieved. |
C.The author is someone who is keen on power games. |
D.Learning from mistakes is the first step of treating others kindly. |
A.Be relatively similar to. | B.Cause something to be stronger than. |
C.Make something less important. | D.Block off light from something. |
A.Life is hard, so we shouldn’t criticize others when they are not responsible. |
B.One should overcome self-interest in order to judge others objectively. |
C.Everyone is unique, so showing off uniqueness is an insult to others. |
D.One should see and understand another person using a real compass. |
Bernadette has been a ghost hovering in my mind for many years. We were best friends at the age of five and, while I was a timid child, she was always terrified. As the stronger one, I protected Bernadette from the school bullies and held her hand and supported her when she was mute and tearful because of her father’s being cruel to her. But she disappeared from my side without any warning.
I have never forgotten Bernadette and have imagined that she must have had a difficult life. Then I found her. Bernadette grew up to be the founder of a big company. She has written books sold only in hardcover, and wears stylish silk scarves. I am ashamed to say that I am a green-eyed self who can resent other people’s success! I could not even think about the words “I am happy for you, Bernadette.” The compassionate peace did not come to me until I run with Mr. Plod.
Mr. Plod is a competitive fellow at my Parkrun. He seizes every chance to run past me on uneven running trips. He will adjust himself when the course is upward and speed up when flat. He also knows that life is a marathon of ups and downs. Then I realized that when I felt jealous of Bernadette’s good fortune, I had forgotten that the challenges of her childhood meant she deserved great happiness as an adult.
This time, I let Mr. Plod win. He smiled at me with genuine pleasure, and I felt it good too. Mr. Plod helped me see that we should not envy people’s success, because we do not know the price they have paid.
【小题1】What can be inferred about Bernadette from paragraph 1?A.She was terribly scared of everything. | B.She had suffered mentally and physically. |
C.She was more than likely to succeed. | D.Her father was kind to her in her childhood. |
A.Bernadette set up a large company in the field of books. |
B.The author thought Bernadette’s previous pains and struggles hurt her. |
C.The author was always quite happy for Bernadette for her achievements. |
D.Bernadette lived a good life and enjoyed high status in her adult life. |
A.Uncompetitive and hard-working. | B.Strategic and wise. | C.Frank and persistent. | D.Kind and outgoing. |
A.Where there’s a will, there’s a way. | B.Don’t be afraid of others’ achievements. |
C.Wish people well and truly mean it. | D.Always remember to adjust yourself. |
组卷网是一个信息分享及获取的平台,不能确保所有知识产权权属清晰,如您发现相关试题侵犯您的合法权益,请联系组卷网