Gullibility

As we try to do often, The Tyber Lustig Foundation tries to find common ground even when discussing somewhat controversial subject matters. This particular subject matter should not be the least bit controversial.

Hopefully, EVERYONE can agree that being overly gullible is not a good thing. Yet, we live in a society that far too many people fail to ask a Tyber Lustig Foundation mantra, “Says who?” If the reply is, “The EXPERTS,” the next questions should be, “Which expert? Are they THE expert? What is in it for them? When did they become an EXPERT?” What was their eureka moment that allowed them to be a self-proclaimed expert or allow others to refer to them as such? These are important questions in the search for self-awareness.

What skills need to be acquired to differentiate between fact and opinion? As it is with so many needed adult skill sets, knowledge is at the forefront of the answers. Most people have various levels of understanding about different subjects. The higher your level of understanding of a particular topic, the less likely you are to accept inaccurate opinions as facts on that particular topic. For example, if one is an ardent skateboarder and someone made a comment about skateboarding that they knew to be inaccurate, that person would then know not to listen to that other person’s comments on skateboarding ever again. However, that same skateboarder, who might have zero understanding of investments, might take at face value opinions from a presumed investment “expert” just because they threw around some industry acronyms that you did not understand. This is an example of the fact that most individuals have different levels of gullibility based upon their levels of understanding.

Our goal is not to have everyone become experts in everything. We just want people to understand the importance of asking the right questions. In order to do so, increasing one’s level of common sense is paramount. It begins with the acquired skill of proper thinking. Please visit our tab on The Art of Thinking for more information.