Food for Thought: Perspective Seeking

I asked ChatGPT…

to tell me about the history of the phrase “food for thought” and what it actually means. I often like to do some research, or at least dig into dictionary definitions before I start parading my ideas around with certain vocabulary and I figured this was the perfect use case for giving AI and my future job replacement a front row seat to my personal creative process.

I’ve been reflecting on what to do with my big long list of writing prompts that I haven’t done a great job flushing out yet, and how to support you — my gracious and gentle subscribers — now that you’ve made the commitment to my journey. The notation from a recent content contributor’s application that they wanted more of my thoughts got me thinking… they didn’t out right say this, but I took it as a nudge that I’m not delivering on what they hoped they’d get by subscribing to my content in the first place.

So here we have it…

Friday’s Food for Thought.

ChatGPT says, “The term “food for thought” is often used to describe an idea or piece of information that is worth thinking about or reflecting on. It is typically used to introduce a topic or concept that may be interesting, thought-provoking, or challenging to one’s beliefs or assumptions. The phrase suggests that just as food nourishes our bodies, the idea or information being presented can nourish our minds, stimulate our thinking, and lead to further contemplation and exploration. It is often used in discussions, lectures, or debates to encourage deeper thinking and intellectual engagement.”

I also received information that the origins are unknown, but it started showing up in books around 1830s. Self-doubt in my ability to truly provide “food for thought” worthy content really peaked when I read, “An example of “food for thought” might be a provocative quote or a statistic that challenges commonly held assumptions or beliefs,” in response to one my questions. There was more, but I quit reading and stopped my follow-up question sequence. At this point I thought about switching to “Wednesday’s Wisdom” but didn’t want to get down another deep dark ChatGPT train, plus the connotation of calling myself wise didn’t sit right with me.

Most of us spent (hopefully past tense) a lot of time in echo chambers, or when we are learning information it’s in a factual, black and white kind of way. We learned to seek out groups and individuals who have similar beliefs as we do, and we might discuss just a slight nuance in those controlled groups. How often are we engaging in a productive and mutually-engaging conversation with someone who has a completely different take on something than we do? Maybe you’ve always had good intentions — you WANT to hear more about “the other side” and their perspective, but dang… it’s just so intimidating. I don’t want to get my head chopped off after all.

I grew up in an environment where you followed the social rules of avoiding taboo topics: religion, politics, and sex mostly. My family hustled hard to run small businesses and you just didn’t do anything that could ever potentially jeopardize that. There’s a certain social tact with knowing when to say something and when not, but if you never talk about it how the heck are you ever going to develop that skill? That’s how I felt anyway.

I had a couple of friends in middle school who were super into politics and the presidential election at the time. (I’m sure their home lives heavily influenced this.) These middle school boys were FIRED UP about what was going on in America’s political arena, and I didn’t understand it. I didn’t know what was going on. I was never really exposed to a lot of that content, and I didn’t have a formed opinion. I knew these guys since kindergarten. We grew up together. They were even there though my one earring, zip-off sweatpants tom-boy phase and all! You’d think they’d be the first people I’d go to with questions, especially when it was something they clearly cared so much about. BUT even with all that, no way in hell was I going to ask these guys anything. I saw the way they argued… red-faced and angry at other kids (yes, kids, we’re in middle school remember) who had different political perspectives. At this point in life I just assumed “debate” was a euphemism for fight and I was NOT walking into THAT lion’s den.

COOL MIRANDA. Nice story, what does any of this have to do with ChatGPT and Friday’s Food for Thought?

OH YEAH! I’m so glad you asked!

I believe the world is better, WE are better, when we pause. When we ponder for a moment, when we genuinely seek to understand something we haven’t considered before. My hope is to share something with you each and EVERY Friday that asks you to get outside your normal thought patterns, and with any luck also gives you a deeper look into who I am (and who the other content creators are).

If you’re still with us (or even if you scrolled all the way to the bottom of this email) today I challenge you to kindly, gently, and without rebuttal seek the story of a different perspective today.

We live in world with a lot of color, and it’s about time we learned how to appreciate it.