EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS || The Millennial's Guide to a Well-Rounded Intellectual Appetite
What are you feeding your mind?
I was reminded of the concept of the content diet when I heard the term on a podcast this week. Like the saying you are what you eat, the content diet means your brain is the sum of the contents you feed it.
The content we consume is critical now because online content has become increasingly polarizing. We need to feed our brain something else that balances our perspective consciously, or else our views become engrained and set, and our minds closed. Narrow perspectives close the doors to healthy debates and understanding. It will lead us down the path of, just because your views don't resemble mine, they're wrong. This stance limits your intellect because this doesn't account for what people other than yourself have been exposed to, whether recently or since childhood. It also assumes that whatever information allowed you to form your opinion is 100% accurate and that you have based your view on 100% of the information available. Reading that should tell you that it's silly to assume you have all the facts. However, if your take on other people's differing opinions is that they're wrong, this is basically what you're assuming.
Instead of closing your mind to new information and perspectives, you should be curious about their content diet, fueling their views and philosophies.
For example, I grew up in a Chinese household, and the cultural teachings have shaped my worldview; however, I have lived most of my life in North America, adding another layer to my worldview. I would smile or return a smile to strangers passing by on the street if we make eye contact; this is the norm in Canada. I've done that as a reflex when I was in Japan, and it didn't go well because it's not in their culture to do so. I would interpret a situation differently from someone who grew up in another region of the world with another set of cultural beliefs and societal norms.
I wanted to expand my understanding and appreciation of other people's stories worldwide, so I've been reading books by Brazilian, Japanese, Korean and Russian authors. It's fascinating because it frames the same facts and stories through a different cultural and societal lens. I wish I understood the language to read it in their native tongues to grasp all the nuances. You want to expose yourself to many sides of the story and stay curious; why did they frame their story in that way? What shapes their narrative?
If you aren't open to the idea that there can be views different from your own, and that they may also be valid, then you are missing out on a whole arena of intellectual stimulation.
Consume content in a variety of formats and from a wide range of local and international sources to broaden your intellectual horizon.
We have to consciously fight against online algorithms by seeking out knowledge, be it through the form of a book, podcast, or newspaper, preferably from another country, because each country's media also shapes the narrative to their liking.
The world has become ever more connected since the invention of the internet. Air travel has allowed people to fly around the world to see places they've never been and meet people different from their own. I love the quote' strong opinions, loosely held' because you should be willing to change your opinion when you obtain new information that refutes your current beliefs.
Some fear opening the door to opposing views, but it's the only way to have and genuinely consume a balanced content diet. Just like you wouldn't just eat meat, granola, or cheese for your entire life, consuming information from the same sources is unhealthy.
Read something new; it'll open your mind to unique views and ideas and enable you to be more understanding, even accepting, of other's stances. It doesn't mean you must agree with their approach; you simply acknowledge that it exists.
