Every single human being on this planet, including the person reading this essay, is living in a bubble. Not the social bubble, but the mental bubble – having a distorted view of reality. Of course, it is always easier to recognize this bubble in others but unfortunately, we all suffer from it. In this short essay, I will share how I came to this important conclusion and I will illuminate the road ahead.
In this essay, living in a bubble is defined as ‘having a distorted view of reality, on which we subsequently base our actions’. It is as if we all have a misty curtain surrounding us that prevents us from seeing the world as it really is. Everyone’s bubble is unique because we can be part of many different sub-bubbles (e.g. family, sports associations, being a (medical) student). Furthermore, the bubble that surrounds us is not at all static, in fact, it is dynamic: it can grow bigger or get smaller through our experiences and encounters.
For several reasons, it is self-evident that every single human being is living in such a bubble. First of all, there is an unlimited amount of knowledge and wisdom existing on this planet: millions of books, billions of people, trillions of stories. However, the input our brains are exposed to is just a tiny fragment of this. This alone already gives a distorted picture of reality, and then we have not even talked about all the knowledge and wisdom that is no longer accessible or (yet) unknown. Secondly, in addition to this lack of input, our brains themselves are also very limited. We lack the brain capacity to perfectly analyse all input and we also fall victim to confirmation bias: the tendency to favour information that confirms our existing beliefs. Although this can be beneficial for our brain efficiency and our self-esteem, it is detrimental to creating an accurate view of reality. The combination of the huge lack of input and our flawed human brain inevitably results in a distorted view of reality, creating our bubble.
Despite it being so self-evident that we all live in a bubble, most people are not aware of this. For most people, it is a secret. When we are not aware of our own bubbles, however, it can have harmful consequences. An important example of this can be polarization, which causes a lot of hatred, conflicts and violence.
Fortunately, we can make a difference. We can expand our bubbles through new experiences and an open attitude. We can choose to be more critical of our biases and assumptions. But foremost, we can make a difference by being aware of our own bubble and by spreading awareness. Because after all, while living in bubbles may be our biggest weakness, the recognition of just that could also be the most promising ingredient for humility, connection, progress and peace.
Living in a bubble; a self-evident secret of life? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/living-bubble-self-evident-secret-life-thomas-pereira-horta/