Categories Life
Belief is an affective reflection on what one knows that applies some kind of inductive guess/bet as to what related knowledge will be discovered in future.
— Scott Hamilton (@DoqxaScott) December 7, 2020
Why should we be wary and cautious about our sense of confidence about what we know?
For the same reason Bertrand Russell's (metaphoric anthropomorphic) chicken should have been wary about the benevolent farmer (see quote at end of thread).
Had it conceived alternative theories about the farmer feeding it, it may have acted differently and had a better life outcome.
Although unlike in Russell's chicken metaphor, belief is not necessarily a consequence of the error of induction. Strictly speaking, it never is (again, refer to quote at end thread).
However, when one believes without an accompanying explicit argument (theory), it prevents any possibility for critically questioning the reasons for the belief.
Consider: Is it possible that most people want this pandemic to be worse than it is just so they can justify the actions they've done?
— No New Normal \U0001f600 (@mwmjenard) January 31, 2021
The constant panic mindset of these people may be chalked up to virtue signalling, but it's also an indication of implicit denial of the idea that their measures have little to no effect
This is the sunk cost effect to being scammed, and so we see the wider acceptance of this virus being more deadly than the alternative of NPI's having minimal effect
Think of it this way, you spent a lot of money on masks, followed every rule to your detriment, and you have nothing to show for it e.g., your neighbor not following measures hasn't died yet
You can cut your losses and be more proportional with your behavior, but tons of factors make justifying measures in the form of exaggerating virus damages a better option
Yes, I cried.
Prolly cos I’m someone who takes friendship too seriously and always put in my best when it comes to the few people in my cycle.
I’m the type to always ask questions, get closure before I move on.
So, I sent her messages asking what happened and she called https://t.co/rhpYAVXCnP
Saw pictures and videos of my \u2018supposed\u2019 best friend dancing and kneeling to offer drink to a man.
— Ego Oyibo\U0001f478 (\u1ecckwa Pounds and Dollars) (@CrystabelKelsey) December 27, 2020
This human got married yesterday and didn\u2019t bother telling me.
I\u2019ve been my own best friend for 11years and I didn\u2019t even know it.
God, please let me just cross over to 2021 \U0001f494
Then she reminded me of what happened in Oct.
I lost my grandma - who also happens to be the mother figure I had - during the lockdown and her burial was scheduled to hold Oct 15th
I kept making plans for burial.
Telling my friend about plans and all that.
Then she told me she is pregnant and feeling really sick so she might not be able to travel down for the burial.
I don’t know how sick pregnancy makes people so I saw reasons with her.
But that period, I was so emotionally down.
I even stayed off all social media and was barely
Replying WhatsApp messages.
My family even asked after her and I told them a lie.
I had other friends around for the burial so I had tons of help.
We still chatted some days before the burial and I was asking what she plans to do about the pregnancy.
Assuring her that
whatever she decides to do that I got her back.
I was totally down before and after the burial.
Really needed to heal cos my Grandma and I were really close.
She was my person.
I didn’t know my friend was mad at me that I wasn’t checking up on her to know how she was fairing.
As a Believer, one of the greatest tests of my life is granting real forgiveness to all those who because of Politics twisted my deep agony and agitation for rescue of ChibokGirls into all forms of wicked accusations I have had to bear since 2014. And yet I must.
In this 2018 tweet, I was recounting how the @BBCAfrica handle broke the news of the abduction of ChibokGirls on the 15th and my immediate reaction was to ask them if the news was “verified”.
I mean, it was hard to imagine hundreds of schoolchildren being abducted. It was hard.
This was what on that April15 2014 I tweeted @ the .@BBCAfrica handle the first time I ever heard of the #ChibokGirlsAbduction:
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) February 1, 2018
Verified? @BBCAfrica: Over 200 girls have been abducted in an attack on a school in north-east #Nigeria, parents say https://t.co/NKMOruZCI2\u2026\u201d
My follow-on tweet after asking @BBCAfrica if their breaking news on the abduction was verified is captured below. It sank in my mind that it was BBC News and that by the quality control standards, it was near impossible to break unverified news. Ah. My eyes rolled down tears.
I followed on that 1st tweet with:
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) February 1, 2018
I hope this is NOT TRUE. The @BBCAfrica reports that some 200 school girls were abducted LAST NIGHT in Borno State? Any Tweeps in Borno?
As I waited for some minutes to learn more, tears rolled involuntarily because my mind said \u201cit\u2019s BBC o\u201d
As I waited handle out in Borno replied my tweet affirming the @BBCAfrica report .
My family remembers up until today how I wailed reading that.
It pierced straight to my heart that hundreds of poor innocent children of my fellow human beings were in the grips of terrorists.
As I waited with sinking feeling on that April 15, 2014 a fellow responded to my tweet and here was my reaction:
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) February 1, 2018
\u201cOh dear! Praying our Security Team ACTS swiftly&brings GOOD NEWS @othmanyakubu: @obyezeks abductions confirmed and the number is above 100.\u201d
I started wailing.
Those who by 2014 followed me here would remember that EVERYDAY from that April 15 afternoon, all I started tweeting about was a shout to the then FG and Military to ACT SWIFTLY and RESCUE the abducted ChibokGirls.
Sadly, the Presidency and FG pretended nothing had happened.
Those who already followed me here on Twitter in 2014 would likely remember that EVERYDAY from that April 15 afternoon, ALL I BEGAN TO TWEET ON was a shout out to the then FG and Military to ACT SWIFTLY and RESCUE the abducted ChibokGirls.
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) February 1, 2018
Sadly, THE FG PRETENDED NOT TO HEAR ME.