This happened a few months back. While attending in-person and online classes as part of my MSc Yoga, we had a hectic schedule with back-to-back sessions on various subjects.
One of the subjects was "Anatomy & Physiology". Our faculty had a lot of topics to cover in the limited time frame allocated to her. Most of us found the lectures hard to follow as it felt like too much information packed into a few classes. We also quickly passed judgments and comments that the faculty could have done a better job.
We got the recordings of all our classes and as we took time to go through them in the comfort of our homes at our own pace, we realized that the faculty has done a fabulous job of discussing the key points of all the major systems. Although the lectures felt super-fast during the sessions, they were easy to understand when we applied our complete focus and attention.
As I reflected upon this experience, a few thoughts emerged:
Many times, we make quick judgments based on our initial experience.
When we engage in an experience - be it a new situation or a new person, do we have all our faculties available to make a judgment?
Sometimes, our bodies might be too tired.
Our senses might have too much to absorb.
Our minds might be overloaded with emotions and feelings.
Our intellect might be intimidated by too much information.
In such a state, is it wise to make a quick judgment?
System 1 thinking, as elaborated by Daniel Kahneman, is at play in such scenarios when we quickly judge something or someone. Such thinking, though helpful in many life-threatening situations, has its biases and pitfalls. We have heard of this popular phrase - "Don't judge a book by its cover". One more addendum to this could be -
"Don't judge a book when you are not fully available to peruse through its contents".
Before we pass a judgment in our minds, let's ask ourselves - "Are all my faculties active? Am I making this judgment in full awareness?"
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