A lot of us have been victims of incognizance, we think we know it all and that's exactly where failure starts.
For someone like me, I like to learn and I also love to impact what I've learned, it's something I enjoy but they are times when I just feel like some things are under/over-rated. Before I take your words for it I like to know that you're worthy of my acceptance.
I have been around a lot of teachers, life coaches, politicians, motivators, and even religious leaders and I can tell you from experience that some of these people 'talk' just for people to see them 'talk' or even do this because of a post they are attaining for in the nearest future (to keep a better record for themselves) even though they do not mean to or because of how they want people to perceive them. I know a man who never pays his tax only to become someone who never misses paying his tax the moment he started chasing a career in politics and his sole reason for being a politician is to embezzle money, he believes politicians are only there for the money; this he told me directly and we had a little chat over the issue.
These kinds of people tell the best of lies, act like they are compassionate, and are usually desperate due to greed but the annoying fact is that they never look it, rather they appear as the most honorable and 'should be respected' kind of persons in the society, this way anything they say goes unquestioned which means people don't get to doubt or question their judgment even when they feel like it doesn't sound/feel so right. Most people go astray because they tend to listen to the figure(appearance) before them and not the heart and passion of the person speaking and this could be highly detrimental to society/world at large because what we learn and believe is what we will teach and impact on our offspring and people who also look to us for knowledge
How to Know what not to follow
There are a lot of people with trust issues, all they do is cloud their minds with what they want to believe or what they've heard somewhere else from someone else they feel is superior, I feel that is wrong.
I'll share with you the few steps I take before I conclude.
Step 1 - Research
The world is gradually becoming a better place with the presence of technology, you can almost know anything you want to know anywhere you want with the help of the Internet(Wikipedia) All you need to do is to research. The easiest part is that you don't have to have a computer or a laptop.
As of today, there are 4.88 billion mobile phone users in the world which means 61.85% of people own a mobile phone.
And out of that 4.88 billion mobile phone users, 3.80 billion people use a smartphone which means 48.16% of people have smartphones in the world today.
Half of the things you're inquisitive/curious about can be figured out on the internet. Just now I learned how many users of mobile phones and smartphones there is in the world, and I will tell you their percentage if I'm asked the next day just because I checked right now on the internet to be factual with my article, as at yesterday I didn't have this knowledge. Someone could have easily told me otherwise and I'll believe because I respect the person, but it would be stupid of me not to check even after I've been told when I have a smartphone that can give me the correct answer in seconds.
Step 2 - Reputation
Reputation is not just the general belief that is held about someone, it's how the person has evolved to gain your trust. It's glaring that they are people who spread false news even though they look honorable but they are still people who do not just utter words without proof or research. As skeptical as I am about believing what people say without making research, they are people that I respect and take their word for what it is cause they are everyday researchers and they won't impose their opinions on you. Even after they make a point they'll still go ahead and tell you to research to be sure and let them know if they've been any recent change. These are the kinds of people that I like to listen to without almost questioning anything they've said because they do their homework before stepping out to talk. This set of people should be comprehended and be listened to if you also want to be a great teacher or make an impact.
Step 3 - Follow your Guts
"There's a general normal and there's an individual norm" - If you know me closely, you must have heard me say this once or twice.
According to me, I believe the general norm is an expectation of the world/continent/country/region of what is right and how certain things should be approached, any exception to that is deviance, might not necessarily require a punishment but it'll be considered as madness/thoughtlessness. Imagine a regular person in his right state of mind consuming his/her food from his anus, it's obviously out of place, not just to him but to those who see him.
And Individual norm is your distinguished feeling of how things should be done/what you consider best for yourself, anything outside that could hurt you in ways others might not know about. And the best way to free yourself from anything or anyone is to do things how you want them done.
However, your norm could differ from another person's norm that's where your guts set in.
When you listen to someone, whether you're there for learning or by chance, and they are addressing a critical issue that you can't make research on at the moment, the best thing to do at that time is to listen to your heart. What does your guts truly tell you, does it feel TRUE deep down, if it doesn't then it isn't. It might feel ethical to someone else, trust me that's their own right/norm but it's not yours because it doesn't seem right to you. What works for most people do not have to work for you, carve out your part, create your freedom don't be bound to other people's decision because of ignorance. You're your person, you should make your own decision, if you eventually agree to do things their way it should be because it feels right to you, it comes from your guts. Be FREE my friend.
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