Assumptions lead to stereotypes, stereotypes to bias, bias to prejudice, prejudice to the feeling of supremacy, and supremacy to abuse. The thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that you welcome or embrace today, will predispose you for more of the same tomorrow.

Bias is so complex, that it can easily become a psychological complex, however, it’s frequently undiagnosed. The goal of communication is to get people to think beyond their biases, not to arouse their anger.

Bias can cause you to disagree with people before they say a word. Insulting people who we disagree with and/or don’t understand, isn’t very good for cordial human relations. If “all men are created equal” as the US Declaration of Independence proclaims, then feelings of superiority are delusional.

When desires determine beliefs, they can easily pull us away from truth. Then they can lead us to bias. However, if someone disagrees with you, you can still learn from and appreciate their insights.

Our own biases often lurk and hide securely, deep within us. That’s because it’s very difficult for us to discover truth we don’t want to admit. Truth and thought sometimes flow together, but often don’t.

Thinking that you aren’t prejudice is bias against your own ability to be deceived. If you aren’t bias, you can admit what you don’t know and honestly explore information that challenges your perceptions. However, sometimes something we know to be true is made inadmissible to our mind because it interferes with what we want to be true.

As human beings, bias can buy us some narcissism, but it can’t afford the joyous freedom of an open, honest heart. Bias looks for affirmation of its beliefs. It slants, spins, twists (and even blocks) any information that challenges them.

People who came to hold their opinions without using reason, strongly resist being reasoned out of them. Programmed consumers of opinions and information, find it very difficult to be honest observers who search for truth for themselves.

It’s very difficult to see injustice that our culture has trained us not to see. Frequently we overlook the “research” we have done by our daily living. What we have accidently discovered is often neglected.

Pride speaks to protect itself and hide its shortcomings. Humility speaks to bring truth to light, regardless of its impact on self. Our ability to be objective about people’s views diminishes if we don’t like them (or if we believe that they don’t like us).

Here’s why I blog: Writing is therapeutic for me. Even if no one reads it, likes it, or agrees with it, I sure feel better by doing it. I want to write like Paul: Read Scripture with an open heart; listen to Jesus; and write what He shows me.