Thinking in a fog of information
Bruce Easley
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: Ed-Op
A perfect example of this theory is the presidential election; mostly everyone has an opinion about it. Whether it is left or right or in the middle or nowhere at all, for the most part everyone has something to say. But how are the people who don't know a Palin from a Pinto formulating opinions, especially with all of this information flying around? It may be as simple as they just don't care, which is a problem in itself. Or, there could just be too much information.
For example, you think you like one candidate, or maybe you don't really believe in democracy. Then you're watching one of the news networks or reading a blog and someone says something that clicks. But wait - Credible News Source A reports on something that completely contradicts the piece of information that you found so moving. What to do? This is our paradox; thinking about other people's thoughts has caused us to second-guess our own thoughts. This is a simple marketing concept: put too many options on the shelf, people won't buy. But this isn't a can of tuna we're talking about; we're essentially deciding our future.
Through observation and thought, I've found that the only cure for being unsure is confidence. My friends who have trouble formulating opinions about these big social issues - they're just not confident enough in their knowledge of the situation to make a decision. Being unsure is fine, and taking risks is part of life; but how calculated do you want your risks to be? Do you want to take a stab in the dark or bet on black (in roulette, a supposed sure thing)? Thinking isn't bad, but don't let too many thoughts cloud your thought process. If we ever do find ourselves over-thinking or over-analyzing, maybe we should take a page from our dim friends' book and think selectively to make our lives easier.
Or not. It was just a thought.
Bruce Easley is a sophomore majoring in business. He can reached at op-ed@thetriangle.org.
For example, you think you like one candidate, or maybe you don't really believe in democracy. Then you're watching one of the news networks or reading a blog and someone says something that clicks. But wait - Credible News Source A reports on something that completely contradicts the piece of information that you found so moving. What to do? This is our paradox; thinking about other people's thoughts has caused us to second-guess our own thoughts. This is a simple marketing concept: put too many options on the shelf, people won't buy. But this isn't a can of tuna we're talking about; we're essentially deciding our future.
Through observation and thought, I've found that the only cure for being unsure is confidence. My friends who have trouble formulating opinions about these big social issues - they're just not confident enough in their knowledge of the situation to make a decision. Being unsure is fine, and taking risks is part of life; but how calculated do you want your risks to be? Do you want to take a stab in the dark or bet on black (in roulette, a supposed sure thing)? Thinking isn't bad, but don't let too many thoughts cloud your thought process. If we ever do find ourselves over-thinking or over-analyzing, maybe we should take a page from our dim friends' book and think selectively to make our lives easier.
Or not. It was just a thought.
Bruce Easley is a sophomore majoring in business. He can reached at op-ed@thetriangle.org.
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