Paradox of clarity

Some people seem to have so much clarity about everyday things.

The paradox of clarity is that the clearer you are about something, the more likely you are to be illusioned by it. Being clear about something means nurturing a definite image of it in the mind, whereas the actual thing or idea evolves over time. Clarity pushes you towards rigidity.

When you’re clear, you often don’t ask questions and rely on an explanation from the past that might be outdated by now. People admire you for carrying “tried and tested” mental frameworks and specific knowledge, which can be used as heuristics to save time and energy. Heck, your whole identity is based on your hard-line outlook on things.

Therefore, bearing years of wisdom and perspectives in mind and yet being humble enough to say, “Maybe it’s worth a fresh look,” is incredibly hard.

Anything that can be proven wrong by the laws of science should be questioned every time, without losing touch with history. It’s like saying, “I know how it worked in the past, but maybe it won’t work this time, so let’s reevaluate the facts against the current circumstances.”

While being knowledgeable is certainly useful as it helps us avoid reinventing the wheel, having the humility (and courage) to question its veracity can make all the difference in problem-solving.