Aotearoa Daily Kōrero 15/11/2023
Welcome to today’s daily kōrero!
Anyone can make the thread, first in first served. If you are here on a day and there’s no daily thread, feel free to create it!
Anyway, it’s just a chance to talk about your day, what you have planned, what you have done, etc.
So, how’s it going?
Thought for the day
How willing are you to be wrong.
Are you the type of person that defends your position, even though you know in the back of your head that you don't have the knowledge to defend that position.
I love to find something I don't know yet, this maps to accepting that I am wrong about things all the time. The realization, that not knowing something yet means by definition I'm wrong about that thing; has increased my already insatiable appetite for learning.
Not knowing about something is surely very different than being wrong about it. Being wrong to me means not having, or believing, correct and established knowledge about that subject.
I am always open for new input and never try to bluff my way past an unknown.
This is something I can never fully understand about human nature. I mean, I know it's a thing but I can't relate.
If a person "does not like to be wrong" why do they double down on a wrong position?
Pretending to be right doesn't bend reality.
If you really don't like being wrong, surely the best option is to get out of the state of being wrong by assimilating more information so that you can reformulate your ideas and be genuinely right.
This is something that is quite easy to answer for most cases.
A lot of people tie their sense of self (values) incorrectly to specific beliefs; rather than general concepts. If information comes in that contradicts those beliefs; then by definition this information is attacking their sense of self and thus their whole being; it is much easier to argue that the new information is wrong than to admit that their whole world view is wrong.
A really good example of this is politics, especially in America but increasingly around the world. When someone says "I'm a national/labour/green/act voter" rather than "I support these policies and they align with the national/labour/green/act party"; if their particular brand makes a decision that they disagree with, on a subconscious level they have to change the one belief to keep the bulk of their identity intact.
It is easy for someone who doesn't tie their self worth to external sources to change their views, because their values and sense of self is not contingent on external validation.
In general I also love to learn I'm wrong, it's surely better than not knowing I'm wrong. But I think there's a good and bad way to tell someone they are wrong.
I'm not above pulling out my phone in the middle of a conversation and looking things up, so discussions of this nature are a lot shorter these days than they were 20 years ago.
I also love to learn I’m wrong, it’s surely better than not knowing I’m wrong
Me too, it feels like good fortune.
Hopefully I will get to do some paperwork and chores of my own, depends on what the homeowner is doing though.
The lemon tree borer holes are all filled in now. Discovered the hard way that scented candle wax does not go hard like real wax though! Had to rethink my first plan and had fingernails that smell like fake peaches all day.
Found out fees for doctor appointments just shot up from $19.50 to $35.00, so I'm a bit glum. I will miss it.
Do you qualify for disability allowance? If you go to the doctor regularly, you might be able to get it covered.
I have a disability allowance, but you are only allowed costs related directly to your disability so 4 visits per year - ordinary stuff like lung infections and breast lumps are not included.
Unfortunately untreated infections tend to make my underlying condition worse so I'm kind of over a barrel.
I will ask for it to be updated (you have to provide receipts and doctor signatures for each thing). Updating is a bit dicey because sometimes other things drop off due to clerical error. Also, they seem to pride themselves on only paying partial costs, e.g if the medicine costs $19 they might pay you $11.
Today I had a croissant and was bored of just toasting with cheese so looked up how to eat a croissant. wikiHow told me:
Dunk a croissant in coffee before each bite for a delicious pick-me-up.
So I tried that. Not sure that it was really for me.
Yes this was about the most exciting thing that happened to me today.
Not sure I'd want to ruin either a good coffee or a croissant...
Checking in from the West Island - playing my dual-citizen card today. Go Black Caps!!
I work in IT, and many (feels like half) of my colleagues are Indian. The banter in the office today is pretty funny. Kiwis don't have enough representation, but I'm doing my best. I figure this may be a sympathetic audience.