Movement and behaviour !

I had an opportunity last week to watch the bird movements and behaviour on a cloudy morning in our garden and at the feeding station.

The four Mynah birds from being together dispersed to perch in different branches in the nutmeg tree adjacent to the feeding station. One Mynah gravitated towards the feeding station followed by another. Finally only one was left waiting at the feeding station. Its soft bird call was just audible from our door steps. 

I have had an experience of being closely associated with a decision making process on an important issue during the last week end.  The group involved in the decision making process chose a particular path that gave me an impression that the group was swayed by the strong opinion of one or two people. 

That became an example of the effect of an imposing opinion on evolving a collective decision. This reminded me of the confirmation bias in collective decision making process- a tendency to "to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information in a way that aligns with your pre-existing beliefs or opinions. It is an unconscious mental short cut where people unconsciously prioritise supporting evidence while ignoring or discrediting facts that contradict their views". (Encyclopaedia Britannica). This gets expressed as biased search, biased interpretation, and biased memory. 

In every day life, I having watched a left handed creative person, might propose that left handed people are more creative ignoring the fact that there are many right handed people who are equally or more creative. I remember exploring this bias once in a class of hundred medical students. Among the five in that group who were habitual left handers, none was into drawing or paper craft or design or sculpturing, although five out of nine(55.56%) had advanced musical skills. Out of the remaining who were regular right handers, forty percent had creative skills and thirty two percent had musical skills. This one exercise helped me to believe in the possibility of confirmation bias that shifts decisions towards one side when presented by those who dominate with a strong opinion. The possibility of confirmation bias is concealed by favouring a particular decision. 

Having experienced something similar to the confirmation bias in a decision making process at the week end, I recalled the behaviour of the Mynah birds above. Only two out of the four came to the feeding station. The other two decided to continue the morning flight ritual. How unreasonable it would be for me to infer that the two birds who did not visit the feeding station were not hungry! They might had other justifiable reasons to fly away. They night not have been hungry or hungry but wanting to find food elsewhere ! 

We can make our opinions stronger to make them appealing and to appear to be logical, although they are not fully factual!  Having experienced such a situation, where bias had an influence, I wondered how much I stay open minded in my conversations and decision making process in a group setting! 

One incident of decision making process recorded in the gospel of John,  chapter 8, verses 1-11, where Jesus of Nazareth transcended a confirmation bias came to my mind. Jesus was in the temple in the morning teaching those who came to him. The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, asking Jesus, "Now in the Law,  Moses commanded us to stone such woman, what then you say"? Jesus having stooped down and written on the ground with his fingers, straightened up and said to them: "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her". Having said this Jesus stooped down to write on the ground. Having heard this people left once by one till Jesus and the woman were left alone. Jesus turned to the woman and said, "Neither do I condemn you, go your way. From now on sin no more".

Jesus opened the minds of the scribes and pharisees to have a closer inward look at their lives and recall their sinfulness. Till Jesus turned their attention to themselves, the scribes and Pharisees were influenced by the confirmation bias. They saw the 'speck in the other's eyes and did not notice the log in their eyes'. 

What intrigued me was the silence Jesus practiced by writing on the ground, before Jesus pronounced His verdict and after that. That was the silence of discernment. Jesus moved away from the turbulence of accusation to the heart of His mission- forgiveness and compassion. He transcended beyond the confirmation bias of the people around. At the temple apart from the scribes and Pharisees, there were many people coming to Jesus to listen to Him. They too were at the risk of being influenced by the law of Moses, the scribes and pharisees quoted to condemn and stone a woman for adultery. Jesus brought His mission of compassion, forgiveness and healing to become the inner ambience of all decision making processes !

I like the way, how Jesus was quoted in John's gospel in 8:31, 32: "If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine and you shall know the truth and truth shall make you free".

To be forbearing and enduring in all situations, even when a confirmation bias overtakes decision making, and to grow in compassionate and forgiving attitude is the journey path towards becoming truthful and seeking after the truth ! Abiding in God is the path for becoming truthful. The week-end experience brought an inner  journey experience of insight and consolation, where, 'let go' and 'let be' can become soulful way of living!

I recall this with confession and gratitude, because, each day offers a readiness journey to remain relational mindfully of others in a gracious and appreciative way! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)