The desire to not understand

Pain creates a preference about what we believe.

That’s a problem because when we have a preference, we have a desire not to understand any idea that competes with our preference.

Write this large in your mind, in sixty-foot, pink, glittery, spray-painted letters:

To repeat:

Any time we have a preference about what we end up believing, we have a desire not to understand any idea that competes with our preference.

“But wait, desire not to understand is the exact opposite of the desire to understand!”

Exactly.

Having a preference about what you believe directly contradicts the desire to find the truth.

By reducing preference, we can universally improve the quality our truth-seeking — without having to “become smarter” or “gain expertise.”

No amount of intelligence or expertise can overcome preference. Preference is the limiting factor on belief accuracy.

How do you reduce preference?

Stay tuned, we’ll get there soon.