The Reigning Confusion

Rain made everything fresh, vibrant, and new where I grew up, but here it confuses me by not having the same effect. The environment is still full of browns and grays and the faces of people who don’t expect the possibility of incredible things happening in their day.

Maybe the rain is confused too.

There are parallels to be drawn here. Perhaps confusion infiltrates further than conscious awareness. It certainly would explain a lot.

There were points in time when information was not so plentiful. I remember some of those times. Now we have so much of it, information processing is a Herculean task as it reeks unending seemingly from every orifice, human and artificial.

To decipher truth and relevance from this ever-falling plethora engenders turbulence, and it’s hard not to see similarities: When it’s raining that hard, even with umbrella and rain gear, some part of you will get wet. With that much information, accurate, factual, or not, it’s bound to touch some part of your consciousness and infiltrate. A glaringly obvious insight as to why this strategy is used in advertising and marketing campaigns.

Attempting to change the external factors range from difficult to utterly futile, but you can control a powerful force of reckoning throughout.

You.

No equipment or self-help courses required.

Suggesting conspiracy theories of information overload to confuse people is not my style, but reflecting with mindfulness and alertness to the nuances of societal life is. I entertain possibilities and probabilities. Pretty sure I’m not alone.

Live long enough, and you can develop an internal B.S detector. However, if you need more ‘living’ for your access to the aforementioned detector, a few points to ponder:

Think of disorientation as a diversion.

When confusion reigns in your mind/environment, it’s easier to miss one thing or another slipping by undetected.

An essential part of performing a magic trick is misdirection; having the observer focus on one perception aspect___however briefly, while another aspect is manipulated.

I remember a common conundrum used in my childhood: Is it correct to say six plus five is twelve or six plus five are twelve? Well, of course, the use of the verb ‘is’ is wrong, but so is the word ‘are’ since six plus five is eleven.

Misdirection. It works.

All things taken in context can offer perspective. Think of what full disclosure can offer you.

No one wants to admit that they don’t read all the contract terms and conditions (always long and complicated by happenstance, right?) But if you knew that you were granting unrestricted inappropriate access to your bank account, you wouldn’t sign, would you? Words like clarity, focus, and simplicity need to become some of your closest friends. How many times in maths class were there questions requiring you to simplify terms? Who knew that it could be so beneficial in life?! (Tell my maths teacher this, and you’re toast!) Identify themes. Highlight keywords and phrases and turn them over in your mind. Delete repetitive terms. Congratulate yourself for eliminating the extraneous and superfluous then make it a habit.

When the torrent of information is overwhelming, and you don’t know what to believe, you are allowed to believe nothing until confident in that knowledge.

Step away and find a place (figurative or literal) that is quiet. The phrase ‘fresh eyes’ is applicable here. Reviewing too much material for too long is not productive as absorption levels will have breached anyway. Neuroscience teaches that information read gets recalled by different areas of the brain that support memory. Overloading on information is counterproductive to an effective result when the brain processes more efficiently by separating and organizing information over time. The average human being can process 60 bits of data per second. Keep going at it nonstop to backlog the system, and it will all soon look like gobbledygook. Remember, the relevant truths needed may be in there. Unless it is a matter of life and death, taking a few breathers at regular intervals probably won’t make much difference in the grand scheme of things.

Have you ever got a whiff of an agenda off of something you read? Or listened to a presentation and picked up the slightest hint of what might be a slanted or distorted viewpoint? This is a condition rooted in the human psyche. There is implicit bias in us all developed over a lifetime of experiences from childhood to adulthood, often without our conscious awareness. It infiltrates everything we do in society, but this doesn’t mean that individuals are defenseless and at the mercy of its impact.

Was the free newsletter that you signed up for legitimately for networking purposes or is the membership intent on collecting some financial restitution along the way? With honorable intentions, have you unwittingly volunteered for a worthy cause and now question the legitimacy of its relations in other jurisdictions which are not in line with the organization's mission statement? Abusive practices within charities caused us to re-evaluate the people behind the scenes. Consider how mass marketing has evolved and, always take your time, read the fine print, and investigate.

I recall a small business owner contacting me after a service transaction to ask if I was pleased with the service provision. Knowing what would follow, I had no qualms about posting a review. But it wasn’t going to be an entirely positive review, which is what I distinctly felt was being asked. When I stated what my review would contain, the request was withdrawn. I suspected all other reviews with 100% customer satisfaction (of which there was a majority) in that forum after that; whether favorable only comments were posted.

It is consistent self-examination of our thoughts, patterns, and behaviors that can expose our distorted perceptions.

It can be (at times) intense, uncomfortable internal work, but it can ultimately allow for tremendous insights into our thinking and progressively into the minds of others. In particular, when they are not sensitive to unseen influences on their actions and communication. The time we take to work on ourselves (in this regard) will vastly improve our interpretation of all information received, allowing us not only to process but discern. It can change the way we look at everything, including the deluge of information assailing our senses.

There are calculated reasons why the information you receive seems to find its way to you so effortlessly. Algorithms and code dominate every keystroke and travel pattern made so that users, essentially, are targeted with information having the highest probability of interest. Lots of it. Add to that the clever catchphrases in titles and introductory sentences that grab your attention from billboards to emails even though you don’t want them to.

I remember visiting a major city here in the UK that rapidly became one of my number one hangout places. In the hustle and bustle of so many things to see and sensation overload, this one restaurant stood out among countless others: The Slug and Lettuce. I’d never wanted to eat there, but the name was so original and different, I couldn’t forget it.

Point.

In light of this advertising and marketing onslaught, we are each the common denominator, individually and collectively. People determine what information gets carried along and transferred or doesn’t.

Is it too late to modify online behavior and daily ingrained patterns?

Never.

Is that going to be easy to do?

It won’t be a walk in the park. So, establish some short-term and long-term goals then monitor progress. Be sure to acknowledge achievements and reward yourself. Maybe your most sought-after cookie for when avoiding online cookies all day. Decadent, delicious dessert nights for days without devices. Instead of watching mainstream media, have more mega fun connecting with a consenting someone who can stimulate your erogenous zones. Instead of highlighting a to-be-read pile of research literature with unblinking concentration, hit someone with a pillow in a room full of pillows. (Remember it’s pillow fight now, not pillow grievous bodily harm!)

Don’t like my sappy strategies?

Good.

Get creative. Come up with your own.

Then tell me all about it.

And if there’s a delay in response, don’t freak out. I’m probably off somewhere enjoying the erogenous zone thing.

A heartfelt thank you for taking the time to read my story. It is so very appreciated! You are more than welcome to read more of my work here.

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