Are you avoiding the uncomfortable company of Non-conformity?

The secret to success lies in the very thing you’re avoiding. Those things that seem to break you down and humble your spirit

- Unknown

How much time do you spend on digital screens which in the name of recommendation system conforms to your conviction about a thought, thereby blocking your ability to think diversely and grow. Or how many friends/relatives/colleagues are in your daily meet bag who just support your arguments without questioning, making you feel great about yourself but helping you a great deal in losing yourself to intellectual choke of conformity.

Both feed your ego and are harmful to your life’s quality being!

Side note- I am a worshiper of Sanatan Hindu dharma by birth and have continued to pursue Hinduism as one of the many prevalent excellent religious paths to reach the ultimate soul, by choice. I particularly love the notion of omnipotent Krsna letting his every action/words/directions questioned by his disciple Arjuna, answering patiently each of his doubts, suggestions. And, this entire conversation between Krsna and Arjuna becomes the nucleus of the religion in the form of religion’s holy book — Shrimada Bhagwat Geeta.

Kabir, a saint with immense wisdom, has pointed at multiple benefits of keeping those souls nearby who are unafraid to question your beliefs. As per the saint, they are the ones who cleanse you in the truest sense. Often you are shaken when your established belief gets questioned but in this confused state of existence lies an opportunity to attain the ultimate wisdom- “Madhushala”.

In one of the published research papers on researchgate by Hafizh A. Prasetya and Tsuyoshi Murata, this phenomenon of segregated communities in the visual world where like minded people interact with little exposure to different viewpoints, is referred to as Echo Chamber Effect. They also go on to mention this term to be concretely referring to a state where these conversations are done in a polarized pattern within an online social network. Quoting Echo chamber impact from the above mentioned paper “At its worst, echo chambers can limit one’s viewpoints, reinforce personal biases, and foster environments where hoaxes and misinformation thrives”

Life seems easy with information thrown at us which strengthens our original(and shallow) belief and weakens our ability to think diversely(but not helping us grow at all). This is what we are being imprisoned into in the name of making us encounter things we have preference about commonly referred to as the “Recommendation system” of the modern world. Get out of that loop immediately.

In my 30+ seen summer realizations on the earth, I have observed one’s universe only expanding every time they indulge in their thoughts questioned, unlearn and relearn only to unlearn for a better relearning later. I only realize now the extreme potential a college hostel possesses where people from different backgrounds, beliefs, strengths and weaknesses eat, live and learn together. I can’t go back in time to college life and take more advantage of that environment yet I can promise myself of always welcoming any alternative view to the current view I hold.

Are you promising yourself to be comfortable in the discomfort state of your constantly evolving views, from now on?

Research Paper referred in the article-https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338489399_A_model_of_opinion_and_propagation_structure_polarization_in_social_media