Living With the WRONG Data.


We won’t always agree

Sometimes I’m misunderstood by people. But, that’s okay.

People can only use the information that they have.

I recently completed a great audiobook called Factfulness.

There were many different instincts that were highlighted throughout the book. Rosling wrote, “We like to believe that things happen because someone wanted them to. That people have power and agency. Otherwise, the world seems confusing and scary.”

What do we believe? Often different things.


The role of a mother is essential (even right before Father’s Day)

You might believe that the best way to increase child survival in the world is by constructing more hospitals in what were explained as level 1 or 2 countries. However, as the data showed, the best way to increase child survival rate is by educating women.

By increasing the number of mothers who are literate, they can then read the directions for jars of pills. The best way to first increase child survival rate was shown to be increasing education. As a result, fewer children fall ill in the first place.

But, what if after seeing the data, someone is adamantly opposed?

What if they still don’t believe that what you’ve said is true?

Then that’s okay, isn’t it?

“Be patient and understanding. Life is too short to be vengeful or malicious” — Phillips Brooks

I read something great recently that I could really get behind.

The short piece talked about how:

Some people are very aware of endangered species, but not much else.

Some people are very aware of world health, but not much else.

Some people are very aware of political turmoil internationally, but not much else.

Some people are very aware of racial injustice, but not much else.

Some people are very aware of unequal wages, but not much else.

In a world that’s connected, what matters most to you?

And the piece mentioned how that isn’t a bad thing.

I think for the most part it’s not. It allows people to go all in on certain things and provide greater impact in areas that they are passionate about.

However, I think that it’s important for people to at the minimum, be aware. And if not, respect others. Because, if you’re all in and passionate about a certain thing, you might not be totally aware at the beginning.

So, what happens when you think one thing about world health and meet someone who’s very involved in that area? They might tell you something contrary to what you hold as a belief.

This is where in my mind, listening is so important. Someone might have different data, right?


But what do we do when someone, even when presented with the RIGHT data or information, still resorts to their prior belief?

We are all different and care about different things

We go about our business.

We cannot be slowed by people unwilling to change their beliefs.

I think that the solution here is to continue to relentlessly pursue our goals and desires and act out of authenticity and truth.

By remaining consistent and true and relentless through our actions, I believe that in the long term, others will have no choice but to respect. They don’t need to accept the truth shown by data or complete information, but they need to respect that the information that we spoke of is the information and data that is being acted upon.

We cannot decide for others, but we can show what we believe and we can continue to influence.

I’ll close this piece with an analysis I found elsewhere today, here’s their explanation, only God can work on someone’s heart, our power to influence only goes so far:

And when it comes to man’s impenitent heart, frozen in obstinacy, God has provided all that can possibly ever be provided to change that heart. “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29)


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