If you are truly interested in understanding both sides of a difficult topic, my advice is not to follow the debate on Twitter. Twitter is good for so many things (I love Twitter!), but not for nuanced, contextualized thought. 1/10

Twitter is great for expounding, terrible for learning. It caricaturizes opposing opinions, which can promote a false sense of certainty in one’s own worldview. In fact, the easiest way for me to convince myself I am right and others are wrong to simply log onto Twitter. 2/10

It reduces complex issues into black-and-white issues, and the last thing we need right now is more people feeling more confident that they are right about things. Again, I say this as someone who really loves Twitter, just not for everything. 3/10

If you want to learn about a topic, find a trusted person you respect with opinions very different than your own. And try to have a real conversation. Not a debate. A real conversation. 4/10

And if you can’t find a trusted person you respect with opinions very different than your own, consider the possibility that your circle has become a bit too insular. 5/10

Develop a reputation for open-mindedness. Develop a reputation for asking thoughtful questions. 6/10

Develop a reputation for being able to push back on ideas, while still building a bridge. It is one thing to disagree, it is another thing to disagree in a way that brings you closer to the person on the other side. 7/10

A simple test of your capacity for learning and evolving as a human: Ask yourself, when was the last time you felt your mind changing about something important, something consequential? 8/10

Learning comes from change, from retrenching, from having your assumptions uprooted and your preconceptions overturned. 9/10

This is what I love about teaching. People assume that if you’re a teacher you are in the business of shaping minds, when in fact what happens on your very best days is your own mind gets bent in ways you never expected.

Have a great day, everyone. /end
#RandomThursdayThoughts