10 Things that Make You Become or Remain Dumb

More likely than not, you don’t want to be or stay too dumb. At least not awfully so. Sure, ignorance is bliss and curiosity killed the cat, and we might spiral down if we go down too many rabbit holes to get to the bottom and leave no stone unturned, but you could do with being a bit smart or smarter than you are.

Especially nowadays, when information sharing, in various forms, has become what positions you among the rest. And it’s as if everyone is eager to have a stance on whatever the current topics are. And even when they aren’t, they might be pressured to (not that you always have to give in, but it can put you against the wall). Furthermore, though not new, too many people go around taking advantage of whoever they can by being “clever” and trying to outsmart them - employing tactics and maneuvering in ways that you could miss.

So what can you do to get out of your ignorance and proceed further toward awareness? Catch yourself whenever you’re doing or about to do any of the following and instead keep yourself from them.

• Never asking questions, too afraid to appear uninformed.

• Being too stubborn with what you believe or not stubborn enough.

• Indulging in wishful thinking or being consumed by fearful thinking.

• Overelying on whether or not the information comes from what are considered “reliable sources” rather than practicing discernment.

• Accepting views and opinions as facts based on whether they are popular or unpopular takes.

• Persisting in echo chambers or concentrating on devil advocates.

• Refusing to consider hypotheses and theories that haven’t been sufficiently proven (assuming that proven = true and unproven = false, or a complete dismissal of fiction).

• Alternatively, refusing to ever reach any firm conclusion because you do not know what you do not know.

• Blind faith in what has been already established, as if it is somehow not prone to any error or corruption. 

• Failing to take proper care of yourself (physically and psychologically) and letting your brain functions decline.

Now, which have you fallen into to an extent that has undoubtedly dumbed you down? What else has? How can you start turning it around?

CREDIT: AI-Generated Examples done on Leonardo.AI