Two Opposing Opinions Can Both Be True at the Same Time…

One of my current bugbears is a lack of nuance in people's views. It seems as though the world is full of strong opinions on everything and everyone. Whilst social media provides a platform for all of us, the loudest voices are amplified the most, and those with inflammatory content are pushed to the top of the feed.

I want to make the case below that almost every debate has more than one side - and quite often, both sides are true simultaneously. Whilst there is likely some merit in all of the specific points people make, I believe it's this kind of polarised discourse that is fuelling a lot of the current anxiety in the world.

________________________________________

Example 1: AI is going to take over the world.

The buzz around AI is real. The hype is overwhelming. Posts, comments, and hot takes seem to range from "there will be no jobs left for humans" to "AI robots are going to start thinking for themselves and take over."

Whilst it feels inevitable that we're on the cusp of a revolutionary technology, is it not possible that this is going to be another advance which allows us humans to be more productive, to solve more problems, and to continue the upward march of living standards throughout the world? Every technological shift to date has generated new kinds of work in different fields. I find it hard to believe this time will be fundamentally different - though I'm open-minded enough to know that I don't know exactly how this will play out.

Both of those things can be true at once.

________________________________________

Example 2: The world is in a very dangerous place right now.

Certain parts of the world are always dangerous. Certain parts are rarely dangerous. Some parts go through waves. And this is very specific to the person doing the talking.

The Middle East has historically been a place where tensions run high and wars frequently break out. Simultaneously, it does feel as though London and the UK are going through a particularly difficult period. Together, these things have genuinely heightened the sense of how dangerous the world is - and I think that's a fair and true observation. At the same time, if you zoom out and look at the data across a wider lens, the picture is more complex - and both of those views can be true at once.

I understand why people don't love to hear this one. When your world is having a really tough time, the last thing you want is someone pointing to a graph. I get that. But holding both ideas at once isn't dismissing anyone's pain - it's just a more complete picture.

________________________________________

Example 3: Arsenal are bottlers.

And now for a slightly lighter one.

At the time of writing, Arsenal are three points ahead of Manchester City, having previously held a much more substantial gap. It's entirely fair to say we should still be further ahead - that's true. It's equally fair to say we're having a remarkable season: Champions League semi-finals, joint top of the league, Carabao Cup finalists, and FA Cup quarter-finalists.

The wider perspective of how well Arsenal are doing gets completely shaped by how they're doing right now. If we don't win the league, none of the rest of it seems to matter to people - even though the overall trajectory of the club is genuinely exciting. Two true things, same time.

________________________________________

I'll finish with this: it's a strange world we're living in right now, and I don't want to be part of the ongoing negative discourse. I want to keep telling positive stories - showing people that whilst bad things happen regularly, the majority of people in the world want to see things get better for the next generation.

If we can hold two ideas at once, we can stay informed without letting the loudest, most negative voices decide how we see the world.