In an increasingly diverse and polarizing world where we must accept our own unfamiliarity with those around us, the gaps in knowledge and understanding that we have of one another are undeniable. We can only live through so many experiences in our lifetime, and to expect others to believe and behave exactly as we do, or to immediately understand everyone around us, is unrealistic. Especially in a time saturated with algorithms and echo chambers that simply amplify our own beliefs, being exposed to a different perspective evokes anger and contempt towards one another. Those who lack this openness to other views simply live in a state of tunnel vision, blinded from a holistic view of the world around them.
Plato’s “Republic” illustrates a similar idea regarding human knowledge and ignorance through the Allegory of the Cave. In a simplified summary of the allegory, prisoners are chained in a cave where all they can see is the wall in front of them. They live their lives only seeing shadows on the wall, leading them to believe that the illusion of shadows is reality. One day, the prisoner is released and leaves the cave to finally witness the real world. Upon seeing bright light for the first time, the person is blinded and tries to return to the cave where they are comfortable and accustomed to the darkness. If someone were to force this person to venture into the world outside of the cave, the person would surely struggle with the discomfort of being exposed to things that they had never seen or felt before. However, after some time, the person would grow accustomed to the real world and come to realize that this is the truth rather than the shadows that they had been seeing their entire lives. What follows is a sort of enlightenment where exposure to seemingly foreign things and ideas that once created discomfort actually lead one to gain knowledge of the truth.
A modern application of this allegory to the issue of echo chambers illustrates how having only one perspective your entire life leads you to create comfort in this state where what you believe is the only truth. However, true knowledge about the world can only be acquired through actually venturing out and seeking knowledge that goes beyond what you already know, even though the process may cause discomfort from stepping away from your preconceived notions. This process of exposure can happen in many different ways dependent on the individual. In my life, it is literature that has filled those gaps.
Reading books has opened me to an entire world of experiences and knowledge that has changed my outlook on life. Rather than simply reading and absorbing knowledge, I engage in conversation with the books that I read by trying to understand the authors’ viewpoints and engaging in discussion through annotations. In this way, each completed book of mine is almost a material representation of a discussion of sorts. In fact, my favorite authors to engage with are those that I disagree or share little to no background with. In becoming aware that I gain almost nothing new from reading opinions that I already agree with, I actively pursue exposing myself to different opinions and perspectives. In doing so, I am able to question my beliefs that once seemed rooted to who I am, to now opening my mind to other approaches and frames of mind. I understand my books, not just as words I read to reach my goal of x amount of books completed each year, but as a means of informing and therefore transforming how I understand the world, people, and ideas around me. From religious texts such as “Dao De Qing” to Adam Benforado’s “Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Injustice” to Ed Husain’s “The Islamist” to even fictional works such as Salman Rushdie’s “Shalimar the Clown”, each one exposed me to a perspective that I was previously unaware of.
The most unique aspect of this practice of mine is actually the amplified significance it brings to my life months later. In revisiting my annotated books, I read through my previous notes, now through a different lens, and find something I have written which I now disagree with. In this way, I am able to not only experience change, but to actually observe how and why my thoughts have changed, putting things into perspective. This never-ending process of exposure and discussion has helped me approach life with an openness to and value for new experiences and opinions. I believe this holds importance in today’s age of polarization and extreme intolerance where we are accustomed to immediately look away from or ridicule any sort of position that does not conform with our beliefs. It is in these circumstances that exposure to other viewpoints is essential to serve the greater purpose of becoming a well-rounded and informed individual.