It’s Time to Reclaim the Age of Information from the Age of Opinion

Why admitting you don’t know enough to comment earns my respect

Sign in the shape of a pencil. Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

You know what I respect? I respect the people who, when asked for their thoughts about something, tell me they don’t know enough to comment. Isn’t that refreshing? I think so.

There’s so much going on and so much coming at us through multiple channels that it can feel like you might have a grasp as to what’s happening. Except, how much of that is through headlines or memes? There’s a lot of that “out there”, and easy to forget that we haven’t really done enough information gathering to have formulated an opinion based on facts.

The bombardment of information, or at least sound bites of information, can put a topic in front of us repeatedly, without a lot of background. I think that’s why I respected that comment above so much. It shows a level of self-awareness and regard for the person they’re speaking with to simply say, I don’t know.

Combating the Age of Opinion

 At one time, this period was called “the information age”. I think these days, it could just as easily be called the “age of misinformation”, or even the “age of opinion, without benefit of facts”. Personally, I’d rather spend more time in the former than the latter. Doing that, though, will take dedicated time so I can dig into at least some of the topics claiming my attention.

My social feeds are filled with the Canadian sentiment about what’s been occurring between us and the US. Taking the time to better understand these changes has led me to some books that should help me in that direction. These include books written by two Americans who now live in Toronto. (see below for the titles).

While I’d never describe myself as “political”, the current change in the relationship between two countries that I thought were solid begs my understanding of the shift.

Beyond that, there are other topics that I’m still trying to learn about.

From AI to homelessness, the Palestinian situation, and the “weaponization” of certain words. I’ve decided that not knowing enough and choosing to stay that way is a disservice to the community, the country, and the world I live in. It’s easy to live my life as it exists, but will it be that way forever? I think not.

Self-directed learning helps your decision-making

Several years ago, I conducted interviews for a Self-Leadership Summit I organized. The sentiment was that “leaders are readers”. That’s certainly been my experience over the years and one of the reasons that I feel sharing what’s on my bookshelf is important.

Continued learning isn’t just a leadership necessity; it’s a civic responsibility.  What do you stand for, and what decisions will you make based on having a better understanding of this ever more complex world?

Reading is just one avenue to your learning. Involvement in your community, connecting with folks with different lived experiences and perspectives, will all help you on the path to better understanding. So too will staying open to learning new things, cultivating your curiosity, and taking the time to build self-awareness when confronted with a subject that “pushes your buttons”. And there will be some subjects that stir you up more than others due to your experiences.

For instance, someone who has had furniture stolen from their yard, only to be found in a homeless encampment, may have quite different feelings than someone searching for a relative who is unhoused.

That’s the challenge of moving beyond the headlines and memes. Delve into the information and find balanced writing, so that you can begin to see other viewpoints and ways of thinking. Regardless of whether your thoughts about the topic change, having more input from new sources does give you a rounded response when asked for your opinion.

As a writer and an author, I certainly feel that I must continue to strive towards an informed opinion while ensuring that I remain humble enough to admit when I don’t know enough. It’s also why, when I write, I ensure that any books or studies that I’ve mentioned in my writing are included for your review. In my opinion :) that’s respectful of you and the time you’ve given me.

Below are two of the books I’ll be reading this year. If you’ve read them, or have others that you think are worth my reading, please feel free to leave a comment.

Books on my shelf:

Not Here – Why American Democracy is Eroding and How Canada Can Protect Itself, by Rob Goodman

On Tyranny – Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder