Jesus came into the world ‘that those who do not see will see’.
Self-awareness is a requirement in order to see differently.
In a series of six short reflections entitled “Learning How to See”, Franciscan writer and teacher, Richard Rohr, identifies many different types of bias which we can possess without knowing it.
He begins with ‘confirmation bias’, in which “we judge new ideas based on the ease with which they fit in with and confirm the only standard we have: old ideas, old information, and trusted authorities.” As a result, we tend to exclude anything that “doesn’t fit”.
Another bias is ‘complexity bias’, in which “our brains prefer a simple falsehood to a complex truth”.
Yet another is ‘contact bias’, wherein “a lack of personal and ongoing contact with people who are different from us causes us to fail to see them for who they truly are”.
Access these valuable reflections here: www.newpilgrimpath.ie