In this episode, Brian McLaren and his guests discuss the biases that shape our worldview, touching on the differences between conservative and liberal perspectives. They explore the comfort bias and how our brains gravitate towards information that makes us happy. They emphasize the importance of understanding and empathy in overcoming biases and encourage deeper engagement with complex issues. The tension between spirituality and politics is also examined, along with the need to embrace discomfort for personal growth. The episode concludes with a prayer for compassionate and just seeing.
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Quick takeaways
Our lives are filled with external and internal boxes that limit our perception, and breaking free from these boxes allows for a fresh perspective.
Conservatives and liberals have inherent biases shaped by their upbringing and values, but finding common ground and understanding each other's motivations is crucial for bridging the gap.
Our brains have a comfort bias that seeks data to relax and reject data that requires adjustment, hindering growth and perpetuating injustice; overcoming this bias requires awareness and engagement with discomfort.
Deep dives
Living in the Boxes of Our External World
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses how our lives are filled with boxes in our external world that we unconsciously live in. From the moment we wake up in our box called a bed to going through our daily routines in various boxes such as bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, and offices, our lives revolve around these physical structures that limit our perception. The speaker emphasizes that these boxes also reflect the boxes in our internal world, where we tend to see and understand only what is within our immediate environment and experiences. The story of Jesus healing a blind man in the Gospel of John is highlighted as an example of challenging the limitations of the boxes we live in and expanding our perception. The speaker encourages listeners to acknowledge and question their own boxes, both external and internal, in order to break free from limited perspectives and see the world with fresh eyes.
Conservative-Liberal Bias: Seeing Through Different Windows
This podcast episode delves into the inherent bias that occurs between conservatives and liberals, specifically in the context of political perspectives. Conservatives are said to view the world through a 'strict father' window, valuing arguments based on purity, loyalty, authority, tradition, justice, and compassion. On the other hand, liberals see through a 'nurturing parent' window and emphasize arguments based primarily on justice and compassion. The speaker acknowledges that this bias exists due to the way individuals are raised and the influences that shape their worldview. However, it is emphasized that both perspectives have valuable moral arguments, and finding common ground by acknowledging the underlying motivations of each side is crucial to bridge the gap and foster understanding and dialogue.
The Comfort Complacency Convenience Bias
In this podcast episode, the comfort, complacency, or convenience bias is explored. The speaker highlights how our brains are wired to seek data that allows us to relax and be happy, while rejecting data that requires us to adjust, work, or inconvenience ourselves. This bias often leads to a reluctance to address uncomfortable truths and a preference for maintaining comfort and familiarity. The episode delves into the implications of this bias in personal and societal contexts, discussing how it can hinder growth, prevent us from challenging our perspectives, and perpetuate injustice and inequality. The speaker calls for an awareness of this bias and offers the practice of discernment to help overcome it, as well as finding a balance between self-care and actively engaging with discomfort to effect positive change.
Acknowledging and Overcoming Bias
This podcast episode dives into the importance of acknowledging and overcoming bias in various aspects of our lives. It explores how biases, such as living within the confines of physical and internal boxes, conservative-liberal bias, and the comfort, complacency, and convenience bias, shape our perception and limit our understanding of the world. The speaker emphasizes the need to challenge these biases by questioning our perspectives, seeking empathy, and recognizing the limitations they impose. Practices such as engaging in uncomfortable conversations, self-examination, and self-care are proposed as potential ways to overcome bias and broaden our understanding of ourselves and others.
Prayer for Overcoming Bias
This podcast episode concludes with a prayer to strengthen the desire to see beyond our biases and limitations. The prayer seeks guidance from a higher source, asking for wisdom, compassion, justice, and humility to expand our horizons and challenge the comfort, complacency, and convenience bias. It acknowledges the struggle of balancing self-care and engagement, while emphasizing the importance of breaking free from limited perspectives and recognizing the interconnection and humanity within us all. The prayer invites listeners to reflect and deepen their commitment to overcoming bias in their daily lives.
On this episode of Learning How to See, Brian, Gigi, Mike and Paul talk about the next two biases that look at the social-political dimensions of seeing:
Conservative/Liberal Bias: Conservatives and Liberals see the world differently. Liberals see through a “nurturing parent” window, and Conservatives see through a “strict father” window. Liberals value moral arguments based on justice and compassion; conservatives also place a high value on arguments based on purity, loyalty, authority, and tradition. Our brains like to see as our party sees, and we flock with those who see as we do.
Comfort Bias: Our brains welcome data that allows us to relax and be happy and reject data that require us to adjust, work, or inconvenience ourselves.
The prayers/intentions used in this season can be found here at the following links, depending on where you listen to podcasts: Apple | Spotify | RadioPublic | Stitcher
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