Dr. Martin Luther King

My theme for this week is inherent bias – that voice within, that if left unchallenged, will serve only to defend our current belief system, and given that its Martin Luther King Day, there’s no better time than now to listen to an audio reading of a letter he wrote while being held in Birmingham jail. Many of the points raised in this letter are timeless and can help all of us to challenge our inherent bias.

The voice within, which will bring you into linearity with the progressing connection culture, is the voice of understanding.

This understanding arises when opinion is held off, for just a little while longer.

If holding off on judgement is not something you are interested in doing for moral advancement, then do it for professionalism.

A professional does not engage. I professional collects data and takes action that is most effective in accomplishing the means desired. The professional sees no advantage in venting the byproducts of emotional response, unless it’s seen fit.

Speaking while female

While reading a New York Times article on why women often stay more quite at work, I was reminded about a construct which exists in all of us.

Inherent bias: It’s the reason more black officers are shot by other officers while undercover than white officers. It’s the reason women’s opinions and observation are often less heard and valued than men.

Oppression of others does not have to be overt.

One of the solutions is mindfulness. Without meditation and mindfulness we have a high risk of falling into reaction and of never fully turning the gaze of our awareness onto our own reality.

It takes a calm mind, which has the ability to sit through emotional fluctuations, to see truth in a situation.

In life, those who observe longest without falling into opinion acquire the most understanding.

The second we attain an opinion our judgement is immediately biased. Especially if we are sure that we have come to the correct conclusion.

Hold off just a little bit longer – just as a matter of professionalism. See what you might hear.

Inherent bias is the enemy. It clouds our vision. It takes our edge. Our emotions can become strings, which allow us to be played like an instrument by those who know the chords.

Seek truth or allow yourself to be the defender of someone else’s story.

That’s the true rebellion .