In today's episode, I talk about the dangers of bias. It's not neutral, and it's not innocent. It is dangerous! I list four reasons why it is so harmful (in an ABCD format): It is Available, it is Blinding, it is Contagious, and it is Destructive. We spent the majority of our time in that list talking about the different ways in which bias is so destructive. I hope you'll give it a listen!

In this episode (like the last one), I quoted Brett McCracken again from his recent book "The Wisdom Pyramid." Pick it up; it's awesome. He also wrote some other good books. Check 'em out!

Music credit: "Cute Avalanche" by RKVC - No Copyright (Thanks, RKVC!)

In this half-length addendum, I discuss chronological bias. In short, it's where we discard a belief or behavior simply because it comes from a time, place, or person that is either too old or too young for us to take it seriously or find it credible. I hope this little mini-episode helps us root out just one more kind of bias that could be lurking around in the recesses of our minds. 

Music credit: "Cute Avalanche" by RKVC - No Copyright (Thanks, RKVC!)

In today's episode, I talk about what bias is. There's plenty of forms of bias out there, and being aware of how bias can creep in is essential to challenging it and overcoming it the best we can in our thought process. For what it's worth, I mention the following biases in today's episode (thought there are plenty more -- just search for them online and you'll find plenty): 

Confirmation Bias, Availability Heuristic, Dunning-Kruger Effect, Actor-Observer Bias, Halo Effect, Anchoring Bias, and False Consensus Bias. 

Bias affects all of us in different ways, and to different degrees, but to be sure, we've all got some somewhere. Today's episode is dedicated to simply exploring some various appearances of bias so that we can address it properly.

In this episode, I quote Brett McCracken from his recent book "The Wisdom Pyramid." Pick it up; it's awesome. He also wrote some other good books. Check 'em out!

Music credit: "Cute Avalanche" by RKVC - No Copyright (Thanks, RKVC!)

Bringing you "Balance in Ten Minutes or Less" is my commitment to you all each week. Today, I introduce myself and share with you a few details of my ministerial life. I hope to engage with the issues in our culture from a balanced, refreshing point of view that's fair to both sides of every issue, even the most polarizing ones. Thanks for tuning in, and please subscribe if you'd like to keep up with my weekly releases.

Music credit: "Cute Avalanche" by RKVC - No Copyright (Thanks, RKVC!)

In a follow-up to our introductory episode, we'll take a deeper look at our initial reaction to being confronted with something that threatens our position on something. We often react the same way to correction or opportunities for growth and balance as we do to pain -- we yelp, jerk away, defend ourselves and get ready for fight or flight. But is this the best reaction to being given pushback on an idea or theological position we hold? I submit to you in this episode that it is not. Thanks for joining me today. Hope to be a help.

Music Credits:

Title Theme: Reach The Top by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Interlude: Cute Avalanche by RKVC 

In this introductory episode, I give a brief summary of where we're at and how we need to arrive at a balanced approach to what we believe and how we behave. 2020 gave us plenty of examples of extreme positions, from the riots that burned down cities to the upcoming elections, and we have more reasons than ever to formulate well-reasoned positions on the issues, whether political, personal, or spiritual. We need balance like never before, and we cover 5 ways to make sure we don't stay foolishly entrenched in our positions, particularly when they're wrong ones.

Music credits:

Theme: Reach The Top by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Interludes: Sunny Day by Reed Mathis and Cute Avalanche by RKVC