Wrong Conclusions

Is it possible that we sometimes add 2 + 2 and get a not-quite-right 5?

How many times have I jumped to conclusions about someone or something and made a fool of myself? Too many times to count! It happens to all of us. It appears to be an innately human fault that transcends geographical, socio-economic, age, and gender boundaries.

I would like to share a story with you about a group of scientists who were conducting experiments on flies and other insects.

The point of one experiment was to teach the insects to jump on command and then make things more difficult for them to see how they reacted.

They taught a certain fly to jump several times. Then they violently removed one of its legs and tried the same command again. The same fly jumped still although not as well as the other times. The scientists continued to remove its legs until it had none left. On the final command to jump the fly didn’t move.

From this, the scientists concluded that removing all the flies’ legs makes them deaf! This is a sad but poignant example of adding 2 + 2 and getting 5.

Now, let’s stop for a moment and think about our relationships. How many of our fallouts with people have been because we rushed in, assuming we knew the truth, only to find out that our assumptions were completely wrong?

Often, we proclaim something as unequivocal truth, only to find later up the track that we missed something or that piece of the puzzle was missing that we just couldn’t see at the time. In our mathematical equations, we find that when that one missing factor is applied, it can alter the entire outcome, and that’s the same with people.

Author Stephen Covey told a story of a man on a train with unruly young children jumping around boisterously and annoying the other passengers. The constant noise and movement disrupted them until they overflowed, and one angry person asked the parent why he didn’t control his kids. It was then that the man quietly explained that he was on the way home from the hospital where their mother, his wife, had just died from cancer, and he was sorry for the inconvenience.

Covey tells how the whole cohort of passengers changed from intolerant and angry to compassionate and sad in a single moment—from there, many offers of help flowed toward the shattered family.

 

“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behaviour”

– Stephen M.R. Covey

 

Today, please don’t judge. Let’s instead offer a hand as we don’t know the whole story by the picture in front of us.

Remember that being different is our biggest asset and we don’t have to be like everyone else. If you need a keynote speaker or presenter on neurodiversity, private message me today to book your next presentation.

As a neurodiverse public speaker and presenter, Dave Brebner specialises in using educational neuroscience to explore pathways for professionals and engage in inclusive discussions for diverse audiences. Living with Tourette’s Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, ADHD, and Anxiety Disorders since an early age, he is married with six children and one grandchild. He recently added a Master of Educational Neuroscience to his qualifications to further deepen his understanding of the neurodiverse mind, including his qualifications in Trades & Training, Adult Education, Vocational and Workplace Training, and a Master of Education degree in Career Development. Dave is a professional member of the Career Development Association of Australia, and you can learn more about Dave’s work at www.davebrebner.com.

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