SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW

MEDIA, IMPASSE, AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

The Medium Is The Message

The Medium is the message. 

The prevailing technology of a period influences the people of that time. The influence is so huge that the message and the minds of the people adapt to the medium. The people become unknowingly subject to the medium's demands. They become puppets of the medium. They swing according to the priorities of the medium and are ruled by it.

Example: Social media prioritises visibility. Hence people prioritise visibility over action or any other thing.

Example in picture:

Why comfort your husband when you can showcase his moment of weakness to the world? (2.4 million likes)

Consider all media as an extension of a man. A person's favorite medium (social media platforms precisely) can tell you what you need to know.

Impasse and Character Development

When sharing and debating knowledge, people take themselves too seriously. This is evident in the way they argue. High emotions in debate is an indicator that one has taken himself and his views too seriously. It is a signal that it is time to take a step back. 

Impasse in debates and arguments is a thing. And it is on such grounds that I have seen debates as an avenue for genuine character development. Where there is no way forward, there is a way upward. The way upward is detachment.

Impasse

Impasse: a road without an exit. Synonyms; deadlock, stalemate, cul de sac.

More often than not, everyone believes that what they know and support is the truth. We think that we are right. We have ideas and people we align with. And most times we reckon ourselves as the good guys. This is common along every line and spectrum of human classification.

But the result of every party being right in their own eyes and being the authority in themselves is an impasse. A deadlock. Where two completely opposite notions refuse to cede ground or allow the other a chance. A stalemate.

Character Development

Truth be told, you can never convince everyone about your viewpoint no matter how legitimate it is. The adverse and unwelcome reception of your viewpoint may elicit in you feelings of anger, frustration, and possibly vindictiveness. We call people names like fools, dumb-brains, dishonest, brainwashed whenever we try to convince them of the 'truth.' But has it ever occurred to you that the person thinks of you the same way?

We are attached to our viewpoints. That is why we get angry and frustrated when our explanations bounce off our interlocutors and our arguments are met with even stauncher arguments.

When I realised that my co-debater is as convinced of his viewpoint as I am with mine, I learned to relax and take myself less seriously. Now I can stroll in and out of debates with amusement. This has also affected other parts of my life like me being less stressed when things don't go my way. You see? Character development.

I thereby see impasse as a good thing. It is a reminder that you are just not too important in the large scheme. You don't have that much power over another man. To make such a claim is to have the hubris of a hero the gods are eager to destroy. To get the best of this life, focus on what you can control. Loosen your grip on the things you can't control; other men inclusive. Another man's will is not designed for your keeping.

I choose my final word on this from N.N Taleb's book "Fooled By Randomness'' that "the only article Lady Fortuna has no control over is your behavior. Good luck."

Welcome to December.