I Am Right, You Are Wrong - Let's Stop Pretending There Is A Single Truth

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In our increasingly polarized world, I’ve noticed?a tendency to?insist?that there be a single true narrative?for complex, nuanced?situations. This ignores the reality that there cannot be?one?unchallenged?version of the truth?in some cases.??

For?example, consider?the?current?debate around the?extended and expanded unemployment benefits?instituted by?the United States Congress in response to?the pandemic.??

On one side,?many?firmly?believe these benefits?are necessary to?protect?our?most vulnerable. On the other side,?many argue?that these benefits have?discouraged people from working?and are the reason?why?employers cannot fill their open positions, especially?in areas with many?unfilled?jobs.?

Almost every time I have seen this issue?examined, it is done so?with little acknowledgement of?contradictory perspectives.?One?side of?the?story is?presented?in a way that?ignores other possible explanations.?

But,?from my extensive reading and conversations on this issue,?I’ve?found that?both narratives are true?in some ways.?

I have read stories about?people?who lost their jobs,?lost?childcare,?or had to step away from work to?care?for?family members?suffering?from COVID?--?many people also faced all of these circumstances simultaneously.?In?several?of those cases, the extended unemployment benefits were the only thing protecting them from?financial ruin.??

However, I have?also?spoken with?numerous?business leaders, especially in hospitality, whose employees?explicitly said they?would prefer?to remain?on?unemployment?rather?than return to work, particularly for jobs where the pay is equivalent?to?or less than the?unemployment payments.?

Of course, neither?side is acknowledging the validity of the other’s argument. And as people race to win the narrative game, we are?failing to do what is necessary: hold an?intelligent?discussion about?how we can?protect the people who?really?need the support, while?at the same time eliminating?the disincentive to work for those who?can?and should.?That?sort of solution?can?only be reached?once we understand that?multiple?assertions on?a single issue can be true;?there is no single correct narrative.??

If you have ever had two people tell you two very different stories?about?the exact same interaction, you?probably concluded that?the truth was somewhere in the middle.?While we?want?the?issues?we?face to have a single objective truth, the world is rarely?so?black and white. In many cases, we find the first perspective we hear to be compelling and persuasive…until we hear the opposite perspective and are forced to rethink the issue altogether.??

Why can’t we?simply accept the?reality of?multiple?narratives??Why do we desperately want there to be a single objective truth??

One of the most common reasons is that we often?want to?justify our existing beliefs and?are not really open to?changing our minds.?Therefore,?we?often?grab onto the narrative that fits our existing?beliefs?because it’s?cognitively?easier, not because it’s?objectively true.??

We have also?abandoned?our?critical?thinking?skills?in a fast-moving world,?and are?often?too?content?to accept?neatly-packaged soundbites?or?narratives?as?true,?without asking questions or?questioning?our beliefs.?

Effective?leadership requires?pushing past these?narratives to?see the more nuanced reality.?Often, we must recognize?that the truth is?neither?A?nor B;?it might?be?elements of?both.??

The next time someone shares a narrative that feels?one-sided, ask them or yourself “what?is the best argument against?that perspective?”?Sometimes it’s the people who are willing to question their own views or acknowledge that they may be wrong who are the?most credible.?

Quote of the Week:?“Remember, there are always two sides to every story. Understanding is a?three-edged sword. Your side, their?side?and the truth in the middle. Get all the facts before you jump to conclusions.”??–?J. Michael Straczynski

The above post is a?Friday Forward,?my weekly leadership note?read by 200,000+ leaders in over sixty countries.?Join Today?to get your copy on Friday mornings, it goes great with coffee.?

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