Whenever we are presented with a new idea our first reactions are often either to reject it because it would be too much work to think about changing or to get unnaturally excited with the feeling of being on the cutting edge of techniques. And so it is useful to have a standard by which we will evaluate new ideas.
This week I presented a set of questions I ask myself when presented with a new idea of how to do things. It is amazing how the closed nature of these many social media groups provides interesting evolutions of trains of thought. Depending on the group size, these ideas may or may not leak to the greater community.
One of these thoughts that has evolved apart from the main stream community is the the thought that not only is offering a chameleon a cup of water a viable hydration technique, but it should be the only technique because misting and dripping are dangerous. While the community may be divisive of this idea on general principle we should take a step back and evaluate it for its merits. Only by thinking about it more deeply can we understand how to talk with someone who was raised up in that environment and is exploring the outside world for the first time. This is a well known dynamic. People learn about chameleons in one group that is controlled by an admin team that constantly talks about how they know something the rest of the world doesn’t and so you shouldn’t listen to anything anyone else says. And when all the people around you agree, it is hard to look at what is going around the outside world. This is the dynamic that has been set up with the various social media groups. And this won’t stop anytime soon because if you don’t set up that kind of situation, you get people from other groups trying to invade and take over. You ever notice how all these social media groups are eerily parallel to cults and political intrigue between nations?
So, how do we evaluate ideas to make sure we are not the ones who are brainwashed? Well, you need to have standards to guide yourself and apply them to what you are hearing. And, in this episode I tackle the fringe concept of chameleons drinking from glasses of water.
I ask the questions I ask of any idea presented to me.
Does it provide a reproducible benefit?
Does it solve a demonstrated problem?
Does it get us closer to the chameleon’s natural condition?
And for any proof or support given I ask
What would the world look like if this were true?
What would the world look like if this weren’t true?
The latest Chameleon Academy Podcast episode is now live. I invite you to listen to it on your podcast app or right here in the Chameleon Forums. Tomorrow I will be holding a live session on YouTube at 12 Noon PST where you can bring comments and questions and listen into the live interaction with the community about this topic (or whatever else comes up - it is live, of course!). Once the live is over with I will embed the video here for further discussion.
To discuss this topic here on the blog tap the “Discussion” tab above and you will be able to share your thoughts.
Please enjoy the podcast episode and, if you are around, you are welcome to join us on the Saturday Live session. It is called Chameleons & Coffee and if you would like to be in the spirit of things, join me with the coffee beverage of your choice. I will be asking the audience to share what they have brought! Here is this week's episode of Chameleons & Coffee.
This week I presented a set of questions I ask myself when presented with a new idea of how to do things. It is amazing how the closed nature of these many social media groups provides interesting evolutions of trains of thought. Depending on the group size, these ideas may or may not leak to the greater community.
One of these thoughts that has evolved apart from the main stream community is the the thought that not only is offering a chameleon a cup of water a viable hydration technique, but it should be the only technique because misting and dripping are dangerous. While the community may be divisive of this idea on general principle we should take a step back and evaluate it for its merits. Only by thinking about it more deeply can we understand how to talk with someone who was raised up in that environment and is exploring the outside world for the first time. This is a well known dynamic. People learn about chameleons in one group that is controlled by an admin team that constantly talks about how they know something the rest of the world doesn’t and so you shouldn’t listen to anything anyone else says. And when all the people around you agree, it is hard to look at what is going around the outside world. This is the dynamic that has been set up with the various social media groups. And this won’t stop anytime soon because if you don’t set up that kind of situation, you get people from other groups trying to invade and take over. You ever notice how all these social media groups are eerily parallel to cults and political intrigue between nations?
So, how do we evaluate ideas to make sure we are not the ones who are brainwashed? Well, you need to have standards to guide yourself and apply them to what you are hearing. And, in this episode I tackle the fringe concept of chameleons drinking from glasses of water.
I ask the questions I ask of any idea presented to me.
Does it provide a reproducible benefit?
Does it solve a demonstrated problem?
Does it get us closer to the chameleon’s natural condition?
And for any proof or support given I ask
What would the world look like if this were true?
What would the world look like if this weren’t true?
The latest Chameleon Academy Podcast episode is now live. I invite you to listen to it on your podcast app or right here in the Chameleon Forums. Tomorrow I will be holding a live session on YouTube at 12 Noon PST where you can bring comments and questions and listen into the live interaction with the community about this topic (or whatever else comes up - it is live, of course!). Once the live is over with I will embed the video here for further discussion.
To discuss this topic here on the blog tap the “Discussion” tab above and you will be able to share your thoughts.
Please enjoy the podcast episode and, if you are around, you are welcome to join us on the Saturday Live session. It is called Chameleons & Coffee and if you would like to be in the spirit of things, join me with the coffee beverage of your choice. I will be asking the audience to share what they have brought! Here is this week's episode of Chameleons & Coffee.
