Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-danger-of-assumptions-and-the-value-of-awareness/5021554/
“Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make �" bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake �" if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble.”�" Lemony Snicket
Children’s author Lemony Snicket provokes us with his humorous take on assumptions. His assertion demands attention. Our assumptions, on the other hand, don’t demand anything of us at all. Assumptions are things we accept as true or as certain to happen, without immediate proof. Conjured up from various combinations of prior experience, agreements, advice, internal logic, research, or even hearsay, assumptions move us through the day. They operate on individual, community, and societal levels, in the background typically without our awareness until, perhaps, something happens that violates the assumption. Even then, we often stick doggedly to our assumptions, and that is precisely where the danger comes in.
The Value of Assumptions
Before we probe the dangers of assumptions, it’s critical to acknowledge that operating on assumptions is a survival technique, something like the cognitive first cousin of instinct. Taking some things for granted is efficient, strategic, and necessary: imagine a day �" or even an hour �" without assumptions. Assumptions allow us to act quickly, without ...