Spider/Plant

Walking toward the rectory this week, I noticed something amiss in one of the windows – there was something of a substantial size just sitting there. Immediately, my mind decided to fill in the blanks and tell me it was a giant spider.

GIANT spider.

Logic, of course, quickly kicked in as I went to take a closer look – it was not an arachnid at all, but a piece of a houseplant that was peaking through the blinds. (Ironically, a spider plant!) My brain had not caught up to some basic truths before making a decision (for example, we do not have 9” spiders in this part of the world, and if we did, there’s no way one would be left unattended to by the dogs.)

We know that our brains enjoy seeing patterns in life – completing stories or pieces of knowledge in a hurry not only lets our lizard-brains assess our level of danger (and thus response), but the brain itself releases dopamine (happiness) when a pattern is complete. This is why we jump to conclusions.

The danger in this jump is when we are unwilling to re-assess once we have gained further information. In some cases, when we choose to ignore additional information, because our jumped-to conclusion fits comfortably within our confirmation bias.

When it’s something as easy as a spider/plant, it’s not life-changing to revisit.

When it’s something we have attached values to, it can be harder. Yet, the difficult journey towards ever seeking increased knowledge and understanding helps us to build better community, with more authentic connections and genuine welcome.

We all make mistakes; we are all always still learning. It’s not a bad thing to make sure how we base our actions reflect an accurate reality.