Think twice before you react

Alexis Rae Baker

Dear Readers,

Anyone who says that they know how the world works – is lying. It’s not that they don’t know anything or are trying to be deceptive, but it remains true. No one knows how the world works, not fully, and every day we’re discovering new intricacies that alter the way we see things. The more we learn, the more we realize just how ignorant we still are.

Despite what you may think, we live in a very large world where a lot of things, that don’t seem likely, do happen. Most of us in the USA cannot fathom living in a country ruled by a dictator, or in a country where all the power resides within the hands of one person, but those places do exist. Nor can we imagine living out of tents that we fashioned from the skins of the animals we hunt for food, that just seems so far removed from what we know, and yet those tribes exist too. Stories of monks who can melt stone with their hands and healers who can remove tumors with chanting also exist, and with some hard-to-disprove proof, and then, of course, you have the serial killers who seem to kill for fun. None of these things seems real, and yet the stories exist.

Because of this wide variety, it can be hard to know what to believe and what not to believe. Specialists exist on both sides of every argument, who have been thoroughly trained to see the world more objectively. We look to these people for answers, and often they think that they have those answers, but in truth, we should always rely first on our own intuition.

I read an article recently about Jordan Peterson being faulted for his gullibility. He’s got his opinions and biases and the article's author suggested that he should be a bit more skeptical of information before speaking out.

I agree.

We actually should all be a bit more skeptical of information, including the information that people have long accepted as fact. And while this can seem a bit extreme, we all know the stories about how the world was once thought to be flat. Of course, you can accept the conventional wisdom for things like the shape of the planet if you would like, because whether the earth is flat or not is of little consequence in your daily life, but when it comes to diagnosis and news, we need to approach things with more caution and err on the side of doubt.

Just because someone messed up once, do they really deserve to lose their only source of income? Just because your dentist recommends a root canal, is it really better than getting the tooth extracted? Just because your doctor says you can never have children, will you now give up on trying? Does a wrong act erase all the positive things someone has done with their life?

The truth of the matter is, we don’t know what will and will not happen. We don’t know what is and is not impossible. And we also don’t know somebody else’s intentions or whether there is a piece of information we are missing.

At the end of the day, you’re the one who has to make the decisions for your life, and I suggest that you make the decision that makes the most sense to you. Logic and reason are both excellent tools, but if they aren’t sufficient, choose the path that serves you best. You know yourself better than anyone else ever could, so if you’re going to trust someone’s gut instinct, it’s best to trust your own.

So often, we defer to someone else without question, we allow them to have complete control of our lives and then wonder why things didn’t turn out better. Don’t give away your power. Yes, you can listen to the advice of those who know more, but always listen to what that inner voice is saying when the time comes to decide.

You are the one who has to live with the consequences, so follow the path that seems right for you.

~ Lexis

Lexis is Alexis Rae Baker. She writes from her home in Olympia.  Got a question about life, relationships, spirit? Visit her at lexisrae.com or write to Lexis at  Lexis@theJOLTnews.com 

EDITOR'S NOTE:  The opinions expressed above are those of Alexis Rae Baker and not necessarily of The JOLT or its staff or board of directors.