Everyone Can’t Know Everything

Social media has made a whole host of information readily available and accessible to all of us. Between live streaming and a 24 hour news cycle, the smart phones we carry in our pockets allow us to have instant access to a literal world of information.

With the tap of a screen we can post, share, and comment on events happening to people we may never meet in parts of the world we may never travel to. This access to information seems to have created the perception that because there is so much that can be known, we should know it all, but that simply isn’t possible.

We are not living embodiments of CNN or Apple News. We do not have an encyclopedia that details everything that has ever happened in the world, or is happening in the world right now that we have all read cover to cover. There are plenty of things that go on in the world that we do not and may not ever know.

We have to grant people grace for not knowing because:

1. We can’t know everything. There are billions of people on the planet. Thousands of cities. Dozens of countries. This creates a tremendous amount of information. It is not realistic to think that someone could wade through all of it in a single lifetime.

2. Sometimes people don’t know certain things because they have placed boundaries around what they digest. That can be how people protect their energy. We don’t have the capacity to hold all of the news that’s in each day’s cycle while also living our lives. It is ok, and even healthy to have some boundaries in place around what you consume.

3. We all have different priorities and interests. What is newsworthy to one person may not be newsworthy to another. Some people like celebrity gossip. Some folks love to be up to date on all the world news. Others are really in touch with local news. What we choose to seek out is dependent upon our unique perspective and the way we see the world.

We can not hold people to a standard that expects them to know everything. We should come to people with information instead of judgement.

Something to Watch

• Vacation Friends is a really funny movie. Two sets of friends go on vacation together, but things get strange when they return home, and realize they have different expectations of how their relationship will proceed. You can watch Vacation Friends on Hulu.

Something to Read

• The Originals: How Nonconformists Move the World, by Adam Grant, is about the process of becoming an original and not being like everyone else. The book is available on Amazon and Bookshop.

• In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell discusses what makes successful, high-achieving people unique. The book is available on Amazon and Bookshop.

Journal Prompts

• What are your expectations for the public figures, friends, and family that you follow on social media?

• If someone has an issue with you, how would you like them to approach the topic with you?

I hope you’re enjoying the Nedra Nuggets newsletter. If you enjoyed this week’s article please leave a comment or share.

Disclaimer: I receive commissions for purchases made through links for Amazon and Bookshop.