Through my observations, I’ve realized that the vast majority of people prefer simplistic explanations. Even in a world of gray, we only focus on the light and dark edges because they’re easier to see. Our entertainment reflects this, our politics has been boiled down to party lines, and our economic problems are strictly the Presidents fault. Simplicity is what we desire.
But there’s a number of problems with this line of thinking. Here are three I want to mention:
- Complexity is interesting and the world becomes more colorful and meaningful when you begin to understand it.
- Simplified explanations rarely explain the truth behind complex scenarios. By applying them we are only providing a reason that fits our expectations and viewpoint (i.e. not the truth).
- And because of this, we can never address the real issues and fix what is really wrong.
Let us start with complexity. When I was young the world was fascinating because it was all new. I rarely was exposed to the raw, hateful side so I imagined a more friendly and exciting place. When I was finally exposed to reality, I was disenfranchised with the concept and lost interest. I feel that many, if not most people, run this course and simply pursue a simplistic lifestyle because they feel overwhelmed with trying to understand it. Unfortunately this means they will miss out on the most interesting parts of life. For after I realized how complex everything was and began to decode it on my own, the sharp decline in intrigue turned around and spiked exponentially. I now perceive the world to be even more interesting than when I was a child. Complexity is the reason I live on and the reason I look forward to each day.
The second point brings up the problem of perspective. We argue vehemently among each other about religion, politics, sex, education, guns, whatever, because we all have different data. Our experiences are different, our opinions have been manipulated by different people, and we rarely just look up the facts. It’s like a gigantic pissing match with the winner being who could yell the loudest. The alternative of course is a dignified debate in which we present information, argue the logic, and possibly deliver a mutual outcome. But of course this is work and the average American is too lazy to bother. Rather they apply their simplified views to complex issues and are presented with their highly inaccurate “truth”.
And finally, because we rarely, if ever, hold factual information, our solutions to serious problems will only be guesswork. For instance, our economic situation will only improve because politicians are babysitting us. They’re trying to understand it, making stressful decisions, and meanwhile exploiting us as well. I don’t blame them, considering how much work they do. If we really wanted to stop them from gouging us and becoming rich we’d learn how they’re doing it and stop them. Or let’s take social problems like gun control. Instead of banning weapons, let’s realize that people who really want to get their hands on them WILL, and instead come up with ways to intercept their motives. Stop them from wanting to get a weapon in the first place. I realize this is harder and more expensive in the short run, but considering how much we spend on prisons, court cases, lawyers, police officers, etc. we’ll end up saving money and lives in the long run.
And this brings me to the point of this article. While everything else I mentioned is important, I wanted to focus on how our simple views hurt people as well. Racism, profiling, discrimination, and xenophobia exist because we apply expected behavior to people of one classification. We believe that all people can be categorized as good or evil, productive or lazy, popular or geeky, dangerous or safe, etc. And with these classifications we assume they have certain positives and negatives. That they offer the same things to society. Often times close-minded people wish only to be left alone, that their world was perfect before “those people” showed up. But they fail to realize the one crucial truth, that diversity is our species greatest asset. That our vast variety of cultures, interests, and motivations move us forward. They present us with problems we can learn from and open our minds to new ways of thinking. And this is where my realization about humanity sank in: we need everyone. We need politicians, police officers, geeks, jocks, heroes and villains, criminals, hackers, scientists, explorers, terrorists, leaders, followers, lazy people, naive people, educated people, geniuses, and everyone in between. I realized it was foolish to ever wish away even a single category because everyone brings something to the table. Diversity is our strength.
But what about criminals and generally evil people? Surely we don’t need them? But of course we do! In fact I’d argue that productive criminals are more useful to humanity than lazy, normal people because they present us with novel problems we can learn from. Hackers improve our security, corrupt politicians expose holes in our law, foiled terror plots prepare us for even worse attacks, it all moves us forward. These evil doers present some of the most complex problems we face: social issues. If we are to prevent future instances of mass violence, we must avoid simply making laws, and address the real issues.
Another reason we need everyone and their crazy ideas is because they counterbalance our opinions of the world. I have a feeling that if only select groups of people existed and they all held similar views, it might spiral out of control. We need loud, vocal extremists and people we disagree with because it offers the full spectrum of thought. If we only ever heard just conservatives, just liberals, just anti-whatever groups, just pro-whatever groups, etc., we might actually adopt their views and become mindless lemmings. Diversity of opinion allows many sides to compete which keeps things balanced overall.
UPDATE 2016-02-07: After 3 years I still hold that this argument is valid although I concede that it’s probably not accurate to say, “we need EVERYONE.” Perhaps a better title would be, “we need ALMOST everyone.” I’d also like to point out that one of the primary goals of this article is that it should force you to ask some important questions regarding your own beliefs: Why do I disagree with other people so frequently? Why do I focus on how they differ from me rather than considering their opinions as truthful possibilities? What new perspectives have I blocked out because I didn’t give them a chance? If you allow belief to influence your understanding of the world than most people will always remain an enigma. They will always seem less intelligent than yourself, less wise and open-minded, but this is a grand illusion put on by your own ego. The truth is that you’ve constructed barriers to protect yourself from seeing the reality in which you actually exist because it is painful to realize who you really are. We are all so much more damaged, broken, and weak than we’d like to admit, and when you face those demons head-on it is a painful and destructive process. A process our minds will avoid at all costs unless we take the wheel and drive there ourselves. So consider it. Consider that everyone is necessary, that everyone offers perspective that is useful for decoding reality (especially when it runs contrary to your beliefs), and watch as the barriers begin to crumble and your true self is finally exposed.