Put the Ketchup on Your Hot Dog
As far back as I can remember, when my Dad brought hot dogs inside from the grill, we had a single condiment sitting on the table: mustard.
If any of us asked for ketchup, my Dad would exclaim, “Ketchup?! Only Communists put ketchup on their hot dogs!”
Of course he was joking. But my Dad doesn’t like ketchup on his hot dogs, so it was never an option for me or my siblings.
Until last summer, I don’t ever remember eating a hot dog with ketchup. That was until my girlfriend handed me her hot dog to finish, and of course it was covered in Heinz 57.
I was a bit reluctant, but I took that first bite, and experienced a revelation: ketchup on a hot dog is really fucking good!
I missed out on 26 years of something I enjoy because my upbringing made me reluctant to give it a shot.
Many parallels exist between this foolish example and the more important issue of forming evidence based opinions. In Tim Ferriss’s interview of Katie Couric, she mentions the startling fact that 50 percent of Americans have never met a Muslim.
Couric goes on to discuss a project where she is helping to facilitate introductions between Muslims and the aforementioned 50 percent.
The purpose? In Couric’s own words, she is trying to “foster some kind of deeper understanding…with things [people] may feel strongly about but don’t necessarily know why.”
Since moving to New York City from a small upstate New York town, I have slowly challenged myself to question my opinions. The best approach I found is to put myself in unfamiliar situations, keep an open mind, and continually shape my opinions based on new inputs. Some of my opinions haven’t changed at all, but some have changed drastically.
I firmly believe anyone can hold any opinion he or she wants to hold, but that opinion is only valid if it is based on two things: scientific studies (i.e.hard data) and/or personal experiences seen through objective glasses.
Practice empathy while honestly listening to someone, travel somewhere 180 degrees different than where you were raised and challenge your foundational beliefs.
If you never try, the best result is that you could miss out on something you love. The worst case is you continue to hold an opinion rooted in misinformation or, frankly, ignorance.
Strive to ensure your beliefs are the result of independent thought and are not simply the parroted beliefs of your family, friends, coworkers, or favorite political pundits.
Tim Urban put it well when he said, “Wisdom isn’t correlated with knowledge. It’s correlated with being in touch with reality.”
You can’t be in touch with reality if you don’t experience it firsthand. So put yourself out there and enjoy some ketchup on your hot dog.
Looking for some other suggestions to help boost your intellectual humility? This is a great place to start!
