We grow up admiring someone who has accomplished X in their career. Increasingly, this has started meaning less to me – or rather what I admire or respect in people has changed.

What has become more interesting is people who have a well researched perspective. People who can argue an issue from several views and not one. People who can reason with themselves and are not shy to be wrong, even admitting it to their own selves.

We have an innate need to be right – gives us more social currency. It’s almost animal. So you choose to ignore arguments that have logic but do not agree with what you have been standing for – so far.

But it takes an immense effort to have a view. What is having a view? Or rather what’s it not.

Watching the news, reading an article and then regurgitating it is not. Relating what another person said, in a different manner is not.

It is the process of absorbing inputs (preferably diverse inputs and from many sources) – then having your own analysis – having arguments that agree or disagree cogently.

The fact that the entire media available today is focused on creating a bias or fear is a topic for another time.