We are opinionated beings and, in the frenzy of commenting on everything, it is easy to fall down the deceptive ramp of hasty generalization. Summer photos on social media convince us that everyone else is happier. A child’s tantrum leads to a lecture about parents who no longer educate their children, and from there to the decline of the family is just one step away. There is nothing more tempting than turning isolated cases into a general cause. This world of urgency and apocalypse gives more credibility to simplified, forceful and unwavering statements, even vociferous ones, as if they were proof of knowledge and leadership ability, while ignoring those who have the courage to share their perplexities. We forget that, sometimes, waterfalls of certainties flow from the most intransigent lips. Mafalda warned us of the danger: “The problem with closed minds is that they always have their mouths open.”
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