Counter your own beliefs

Views that counter what you believe can really help you have a balanced view.

There was a time when I saw carbon-neutral companies and thought woah, that’s the new gold standard.

My tune’s changed somewhat lately… not because I think the companies buying offsets are shady, far from it – in many cases, they’re the ones trying to do something about their negative impact.

(Truth be told, I did pendulum back the other way briefly, just calling bullsh*t on anyone who claimed to be carbon neutral – often it is bullsh*t, but not in every case).

I simply think offsets have been labeled, branded, and sold irresponsibly, in entirely the wrong way.

How did I go from loving them to hating them, to now sitting somewhere in the middle?

One reason is probably just my personality. I think it’s one of the ways I learn new things – full swing one way, full swing back the other way, then settle in the middle where I would have if I’d done better due diligence in the first place.

Another reason that was harder to articulate until I heard someone else say it, was that I often went looking for arguments opposite to what I believed, aka my confirmation bias (from the book Decisive).

I had my view (that offsets suck) but wondered not only what the pro-offsetters were saying, but also what various media, green voices, and even some fellow critics had to say.

I’m still mostly opposed to offsets in the way they’re currently branded, but I do see their value and their place in the whole strategy. Alternative voices helped me clarify that.

Try it – if you have a hard-nosed opinion about something, just have a peek at what some opposing folks might be saying and see if it helps you appreciate a more expanded view.