I’ve been watching the NBA playoffs. And it’s been really dramatic and entertaining. It’s usually a best of 7 series, which means that whichever team wins 4 games first wins the series and moves on to the next round. My team has already been knocked out, but now I am simply watching for entertainment purposes.
Some games are dramatic and entertaining. Other games are quite mundane and boring. It really depends on how close the score is. The closer the score, the more drama there is near the end of the game to see who wins.
Usually, when one team is going on a successful run – scoring 10 points in a row – my mind automatically jumps to conclusions. I think to myself that that team is the better team of the two. That they will inevitably win the game. It is a foregone conclusion.
And then when the other team responds with a 10-point run of their own, I start thinking that the other team is going to win. That they’re the better of the two. And that they will eventually win the series.
And back and forth my mind seesaws between one team or the other. All based on how the present performance is like. Without any support or reasoning. Just thinking in the moment based on current results.
Similarly, I see the talking head on TV blasting a team for their poor performance because of one bad game. I see the sports analyst saying how certain players are washed up because they haven’t performed up to their standards. And quite often, that team or player performs well in the next game. And then the day after that, you see the talking heads praising them for their skill and ability to perform under pressure.
It’s like an endless back and forth all based on present circumstances, with no regards to future or past performances. It’s a bit annoying at times. But, I guess, that’s just how the human mind works. We are conditioned to value the present so much. The latest drama. The latest fad. The latest technology. And we just label it as the next big thing.
And then when that fad wears out, we immediately start to lose interest and move on to the next big thing. The next big commotion around the league. We jump to conclusions all the time based on premature results or performances. We sometimes fail to see the big picture. We are so ingrained in our beliefs that we feel that we are right no matter the circumstance. Even though the circumstances can change like the wind in the drop of a bat.
Conclusions are merely temporary blips on this grand scale of a timeline. They are a bit tricky to behold. You can think you are completely right in all matters and circumstances, but quite often than not things will change. Your mind will change. The circumstances will change. Perspectives will change. And yes, even your conclusions will change.
It’s not a scientific process by any stretch of the means. It’s simply a belief system. Having said that, in science, there definitely are valid conclusions through trial and error. Through navigating the process of exploration and identifying what is right or wrong. The development of vaccines was a conclusion of sorts. From years of study and analyzing the potential virus and how to negate its effect.
So, conclusions do have their place in the world. It really just depends on your field and your expertise. But most beliefs aren’t necessarily final. They will change. No matter how right you think you are at the time.
The sports team that wins the first game of a best of 7 series. They will elicit praise throughout the stratosphere with their performance. But it’s just one game. And the series could change just like that if they’re not careful nor prepared. What’s hot one day could be cold the next. What’s the next big thing this year, could fade completely out of existence in the snap of a finger.
So, be open to changing your beliefs. Be open to empathy and looking from other people’s perspective. Be open with the possibility that you are completely wrong in certain contexts. This life is not an exact science. We all have our assumptions on how life is supposed to be. But someone else’s assumptions could be the complete total opposite. You just never know.
So, it’s okay to make conclusions. But be open to potentially exploring alternative beliefs and systems. It’s okay to change as you progress in your life. Conclusions are not final.
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