‘Social’ Intelligence: We See What We Want to See

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I might have not mentioned it before but I am a massive Terry Pratchett fan and, as such, I should like to share one of my most favourite quotes of a character of his with you.

‘But, surely, as you move around, people around you wonder how can a skeleton wearing a robe and carrying a scythe walk around, right? They must find it bizarre!’

‘NOT IN THE LEAST.’, said Death. ‘EVEN IF SOMEONE NOTICES ME WALKING AROUND, HE WILL IMMEDIATELY IGNORE ME, CONVINCING HIMSELF THAT WALKING SKELETONS DO NOT EXIST. PEOPLE TEND TO SEE WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE.’

Let’s be honest for a second; how many times have you walked past a bloke in a long leather overcoat and a Mohawk and thought that he was a nice guy?

Not many; more often than not, what you see is what you want to see: a dark persona that listens to hardcore metal bands 24/7 and is, at all times, ready to take out a metal chain and show you the meaning of pain.

Why? Well, mainly because it’s a lot easier to judge and be horrible to people than trying to put yourself in their shoes.

Another reason is that if what you see does not fit in with your understanding of the world, you often tend to either automatically dismiss it or twist it in a way that fits your views.

 A recent example of that is the Cyprian bailout; I’m sure that all of you are up-to-date with the recent developments. Put simply, the European Commission wanted Cyprus to levy a tax on its people’s savings (some 9.9% on savings over 100,000 Euros and 6.7% on those under 100, 000 Euros) and the Cypriot government refused to do it.

I shan’t go into any political discussion; those are best left for next Thursday. What I would like to focus on is people’s reaction to the government’s refusal to implement the European Commission’s proposal.

Some are comparing the situation to the battle of Thermopylae (glorifying the Cyprians); the three- hundred brave Spartans against the wrath of the mighty Persian army.

Others, on the other hand, see the government's refusal to the Commission’s proposal as utterly ungrateful as, in their view, Cyprus should not have been allowed in the European Union in the first place.

Proponents of the former see a tale of David and Goliath in that they firmly believe that Cyprus is being bullied into agreeing to a policy which has the potential to damage its people; in their eyes, a country is a creature formed by its people.

Champions of the latter see Cyprus as a liability, more Asian than European, a spare anchor which needs to be cut loose before it drags the whole ship underwater; in their eyes, a country is an economic entity formed by its financial assets and obligations.

The above example might be unnecessarily political but it clearly demonstrates how we often see the world through our own spectacles.

And until we start using our eyes again, we will keep seeing what we want to see instead of what we have to see.

It is quite true that the world is subjective; yet, we must never forget that subjectivity must always be based on solid and logical arguments and not on shaky and biased beliefs.