On a separate topic, I cover how research saved my life from going down a path of ignorance and misery. I share how I used research to enhance my worldview to break myself out of that narrow mindset that held me as its prisoner and steered the ship to open seas beyond my local harbor.
This topic focuses on the primary purpose of research: to inform action, gather evidence for drawing theories or decisions, and contribute knowledge in various domains while acting in the world.
Research doesn’t just belong to scientists in white lab coats or grad students writing a 100-page dissertation. Using it deliberately in our lives and with open dialogue can improve an individual’s life and society.
It is a resource for increasing knowledge and promoting learning
Broaden’s one philosophy
Since childhood, we’ve been taught by authority figures (parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, government, etc.) about the philosophy of knowing what’s real, what is true, and what is good and evil, right and wrong. We’re born naïve and unsocialized, yet, if we’re loved or abused by these role models, they can either enhance or taint how we navigate life.
And with the introduction of school, we’re taught how to think and, hopefully, think for ourselves and engage in healthy dialogue, challenge ideas, and convey sound arguments to add to the well of knowledge.
Nothing is more dangerous than deadly ideologies festering without scrutiny and criticism. So with research, we can go deeper and study the various philosophers’ timeless bodies of knowledge:
- Plato’s Republic: I learned about the allegory of the cave, which is about education, about leading the soul from darkness into light, through stages. I interpreted this concept as a development from being naïve to enlightenment.
- Stoicism: I learned within this philosophical system the dichotomy of control, telling the difference between what we can change and what we can’t. What we can control and what we can’t. Instead of getting worked up over something we can’t change, we may respond differently, avoiding negative repercussions.
- Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics: I learned about the “golden mean” as an ideal compromise between two undesirable extremes (excess and lack). For instance, too much courage results in foolhardiness, whereas lack of results in cowardice, and the purpose of the individual is not to precisely balance the state of courage; instead, fluidly display the courage to protect loved ones or retreat from a situation they cannot win but perhaps fight another day.
The etymology of philosophy from the Greek ‘Philo,’ love, and ‘Sophia,’ wisdom, Philosophy is defined as “the love of wisdom.” And with wisdom in Old English for “knowledge, learning, experience.” Philosophy allows us to expand our worldview to help figure out what is real, true, and good by studying great thinkers’ contributions to humanity’s body of knowledge.
Furthermore, we can look through historical records to grasp why the Roman Empire fell and not repeat its fate. Moreover, it helps understand why people’s drives and motivations lead to irrational outcomes. Also, wisdom can be gleaned from myths—such as the fall of Icarus about the danger of hubris, poetry—William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a story about revenge for his father, or fiction—1984, a story about a dystopian society under a totalitarianism and communism rule.
Therefore, developing an openness to broaden one’s worldview to navigate reality with an editable map and live the best possible life authentically and virtuously in a fast-moving, complicated world.
It’s a way to comprehend problems and raise people’s consciousness
Understand and navigate current issues
In today’s age of technology, a connected world where before the world felt enormous, now we’re connected to a person across eastern Asia within seconds! In this linked world, there is so much information available that gathering it all and using it to make the best decision with a particular goal in mind is an insurmountable challenge. However, this information age’s gold mine, which is dripping with a library of content, on the one hand, contains valuable knowledge. Conversely, it mainly exists to deceive or troll for a reaction.
The research discipline can help us sift through the fool’s gold and, with patience and awareness, identify what biases and fallacies are preventing us from seeing what needs to be seen! Politics has always been an uncomfortable topic anywhere we go, whether with family or co-workers. It’s something we often avoid, which I did for a long time because of the position of power it puts people in; it always seems to corrupt.
It’s only in the past few years I gave it more attention when I kept hearing about this person being Hitler, how this person is “not my president.” I thought to myself, why are people losing their minds!? The more and more research I conducted on this topic, I began to see the pollination of various sources with edited clips to create sensational headlines or narratives. The only conclusion is that most people subscribe to a belief and allow it to steal joy from their life; understandably, humans, like all things in nature, follow the path of least resistance (conservation of energy). Thus, people get caught in lazy dualistic thinking and latch onto the most accessible information to validate their confirmation bias.
It’s rare in a society for the masses to have civilized dialogues with different opinions or screaming in their echo chambers to feel and confirm their righteousness… It made sense that they weren’t doing enough research that’s open with healthy skepticism. Yet, we just sympathize because there is so much information to dissect. When an individual’s life is filled with so many responsibilities. In that case, it’s easy to see why it’s complicated, and it makes sense why we rely on knowledgeable people in their fields with the promise that they will provide unbiased information. Still, they should check their contradiction at the door for not prioritizing it if they genuinely seek the truth in their self-proclaimed skepticism.
An apt phrase goes like this, “most people say they want freedom and truth, but they don’t; what they really want is security and free stuff.” As a citizen living in a nation with a national debt of 30 trillion dollars, history may not rhyme. Yet, it rhymes a lot like the Roman Empire. Try to figure out how that will play out with time.
It helps us succeed in business
Marketing research and branding
For many who run a business, it’s critical to hone in on their message to target the ideal audience they’re looking to solve or add value to their life.
Instead, crafting an avatar of an ideal audience from a personal brand view seems wasteful. Is this the only method a creative entrepreneur can identify and attract people to their content?
We’re in a unique space where personality and authenticity reflected in the values we project in our work reveal that the audience almost mirrors us in some regard. If a content creator is well-read, driven, always open to learning something new, values personal growth while learning to live in harmony with reality, and is fascinated with the wisdom, gleaned from stories to help them navigate the ebbs and flow of the sea.
What are the chances many people like that person will share similar interests and values? Very likely! Therefore, by taking an honest assessment of an individual made in their discoveries of reading fiction or poetry—they would guess that someone else must have the same interest. In return, we hope others will produce something of value we can learn from their perspective to broaden our own. So long as we build our personal brand, what we create comes from a place of curiosity, integrity, and passion.
Sometimes individuals who aspire to branch out in public get sucked into the habit of perpetually spinning their hamster wheel of research, planning, and strategizing. Being stuck in the motion than balancing it with action. Thus, without that leap of faith, They’ll never cultivate the voice to identify content worth sharing through their personality. In large part, there is fear of being ourselves with a perceived notion that we’re not someone worthy of someone else’s attention.
There is some truth to that. If someone has nothing of value to add because of the idea that the individual deserves it, well, good luck not going to happen, but if the person comes from a genuine place with experience, perspective, and openness to wisdom, then whatever they create: books, blogs, podcast, YouTube videos it will shine through the brand without the deception.
Researching essential marketing is a wise approach to understanding people’s psychology. Still, in the end, we don’t always have to follow the formula. It’s ok to question many standard methodologies often spouted on the web.
It enables us to refute lies and uphold the truth
Challenge the narrative and dogma
History is complex. Only some people who experience first-hand accounts of significant events can reach us today. Even if we have records, they’re not perfect depictions. Multiple observers isolated from each other will record the event with slight variations. While we ruminate over the horrors of the Inquisition or how the media today are supposed to be truth seekers for the public and not some biased source pushing the agenda of some ideology festering behind the curtains.
History may not repeat itself precisely, but damn, it sure knows how to rhyme and stay in rhythm. Research can come through to save the day and put us in a position to not fall into a destructive narrative. Dogma is inclined to raise more harm than accomplish its lofty goal.
For instance, the Catholic Church established the formidable Inquisition to combat and punish heresy across Europe and the Americas. The Inquisition, which began in the 12th century and lasted for hundreds of years, is notorious for the brutality of its tortures and its persecution of Muslims and Jews. Its harshest manifestation was in Spain, where the Spanish Inquisition ruled for more than 200 years and executed almost 32,000 people.
Locals could confess to heresy when inquisitors entered a town and made their presence known. Confession-related penalties ranged from a pilgrimage to a beating.
Those who were accused of heresy had to provide testimony. Torture and execution were unavoidable options if the heretic refused to confess. Heretics were frequently the targets of false accusations and were not permitted to confront their accusers or receive legal counsel.
Some of the most notable moments were when thousands of Knights Templar were executed due to the inquisitors’ involvement in France’s 1307 mass arrest and torture of 15,000 Knights Templar. Over a century later, the most well-known victim of this branch of the Inquisition was Joan of Arc, who was burned at the stake in 1431.
When Pope Paul III established the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition in 1542 to combat Protestant heresy, Rome revived its own Inquisition. The most notable act of this Inquisition was the trial of Galileo in 1633.
The Spanish Index, a list of books from around Europe deemed heretical and outlawed in Spain in 1545, was based on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum of the Roman Inquisition. The Spanish Inquisition concentrated on the growing number of Spanish Protestants in the 1550s as another gesture to Rome’s worries.
The Inquisition, established in Mexico in 1570, spread throughout the Americas as Spain grew. The Inquisition traveled to Peru, where Protestants were similarly tortured and burned alive in 1574 after Lutherans were slaughtered at the stake.
Napoleon ruled over Spain in 1808 and ended the Inquisition there.
Ferdinand VII attempted to revive the Inquisition following Napoleon’s defeat in 1814. Still, the French government ultimately blocked him, which helped Ferdinand put down a furious uprising. Dismantling the Inquisition, which had been abolished by 1834, was a requirement of the deal with France.
Sadly, with its divided political landscape, the United States struggles to hold itself as some people of influence are making statements such as, “this person or party is a threat to our democracy.” Mainstream media only enflames the fire positioning people in a state of fear and apprehension instead of encouraging civilized discourse over complicated topics.
Thus, will today’s events soon rhyme with yesteryear’s tragic events?
Are fact-checkers unbiased and honest?
Since we’re on the topic of disproving lies and supporting truth. When the integrity of truth is compromised with election tempering and fact-checkers supposed to be unbiased, and news outlets like Politico, politically left-leaning, are not distributing both sides of the political aisle equally to help the everyday person make informed decisions. Are we surprised by the rise of alternative news outlets?
It’s no wonder why people are turning to alternative news outlets. As often mentioned in this post, research is the answer to combat the ills. However, many people will only have the time to investigate if the information directly impacts their livelihood. For instance, every poor and middle-class citizen is affected the most by the cost of inflation. At the same time, the upper class often gets richer during economic dishevel.
Yet, somehow it has nothing to do with our current administration: spending, abandoning the keystone pipeline, and fracking as we invest in alternative energy, and we should always invest in alternative energy. Instead, everything else has to do with the Ukraine war, the rona, and its lingering effects—it’s all these things. It requires an open mind to view many perspectives: democrats, republicans, news media outlets with political leaning, fact-checkers bias, and alternative news outlets. It’s challenging to make time and perform all this research when information is constantly thrown at us. Still, if an individual values truth, they’ll question their beliefs and check against the sources to make an informed decision on navigating this uneven landscape.
Admittedly, it’s scary to sound controversial and upsetting to people. Understandably, for the vast majority of human history, our forebears have resided in smaller tribal groups, and the worst possible outcome for an individual was to act independently of the tribe. Ultimately resulting in ostracization, and to be alone in the wilderness usually meant death from a predator or being killed or enslaved by another tribe. Therefore, it’s a natural response for humans to not challenge the status quo lest of being humiliated, alienated, or worse, death.
Ultimately, is the person putting stock in what other people want them to believe rather than finding their own truth to better themselves and the world? The point is not to side with extreme views. Instead, welcoming healthy dialogue is like someone leaning on a good friend or family member to discuss complex topics that offer multiple perspectives.
Remember, people engage in this type of exchange because it’s out of the love and trust they hold close to others. So why not extend that compassion toward our fellow citizens? Society can only improve by occasionally stepping outside our echo chambers; alas, an unexamined dogma will make prisoners of fools and create the very misery people were trying to avoid.
What has entrepreneurship taught me about opportunities
When I made the mental shift towards building my online business as a writer, I primarily created assets with words. I developed these words into different forms: books, blogs, and email newsletters. As I researched and devoured content, whether business-related or not, I started seeing the opportunities serendipitously.
After publishing my first book, I learned that I’m a nobody. I don’t have the clout of others with an existing follower base and am perceived as a credible source. Marketing my book with Amazon’s free day with promotional sites would get thousands of downloads, and it did with just free ebook downloads. I ask readers to leave an honest review. Several months later, it got some reviews, but not at the low count to drive more readers to the book.
From my research of successful authors, most authors will see a rise in readers, followers, and fans once they have published several books. And here’s the thing: writing a book takes months for the average writer. So, I had to pivot while writing a book remains part of my goal. I had to adopt other ways to build my brand.
I knew curiosity led me to research many topics to expand my knowledge, create content, and solve problems in my own life. Yet, it was selfish of me to have all this knowledge and experience and not share it with others from my perspective. Then the emergence of ideas revealed that my writing skills could open up to podcasting, scripts for videos, freelance content writing, and creating courses. These additional opportunities build credibility and brand awareness.
I get to perform one of my passions—researching: how to podcast and create videos for YouTube, improving the quality of content with each iteration, and putting together a high-quality course that educates and empowers others. At my day job, I felt limited. When we know we earn x amount of money from week to week, it’s easy to take the path of least resistance and get caught in our comfort zone: not pushing ourselves, losing morale when team members are not as driven, management not seeing or compensating for the value we provide, and we wait until the following annual merit increase to find out how much value they believe we supplied with a measly 2 to 4% raise as generous. Whereas entrepreneurship:
- Our enthusiasm for work increases. The key to being successful as an entrepreneur is to follow our passions.
- We approach everything with skepticism. Being in charge forces us to consider everything, from the placement of our living room furnishings to our daily cup of coffee.
- Brand-new experiences become commodities. Because we know that new experiences open the door to fresh insights, we yearn for them.
- Anything can become an idea. Everything, circumstance, and experience become a potential foundation for a fresh concept.
- We’re always looking to expand our skill set. The realization of how much more we have to learn excites us.
- More than ever, we have an increased appetite for reading. We enjoy learning new things from books, blogs, and YouTube.
- We’re never bored. We may keep ourselves amused even in dull situations with challenging ideas and creative brainstorming techniques.
- We experience self-determination. Our life feels genuinely in our hands.
- We start a teaching career. We wish to impart to others our wisdom and experience.
- We improve as a student even more. Anyone who wants to teach us something new can count on our eagerness to learn.
The value we get to create can scale much faster than waiting a whole year or hoping for that promotion. We drive the results, producing a great sense of meaning and purpose.
It encourages a love of reading, writing, analyzing, and sharing insightful information, as well as confidence
Research facilitates comprehension of topics
Deliberate research, yes, deliberate research—not the kind by which we look up all the features of a smartphone product page, then search for raving reviews in articles and videos to reaffirm our buying decision.
Instead, how does this product compare to competitors? How has it innovated from the previous version? Read and watch both praise/criticism reviews. What opportunity cost are we giving up, what value is it adding to our short and long-term life, and is it filling a need or want?
That was a simple example of how researching facilitates decision-making in alignment with our values. Maybe, that was a bit simplified, so how about a topic a bit more high-level, let’s say, “doing what you love and creating purpose in the world doing it.”
Let’s say 30-year-old Joe has a good run in his career with Mid-Senior level experience kicking butt, taking names, and being praised by his peers for his contribution. Yet, subconscious angst eats him from time to time. The job is comfortable, he does it well, and there is peace of mind of a recurring paycheck cycle. Still, he has a love for knowledge of how to live a good life:
- How the world works, how to navigate it
- What biological, psychological, and societal limitations impede one’s progress
- Why stories and myths have profound resonance over literal explanations
- How can I share my experience to help others not repeat my mistakes
The list continues, and this process of identifying and sharing is an exploratory phase of research, contemplation, writing, rewriting, and mulling over the details with openness and criticism. And putting into practice to validate and reevaluate what sticks and speaks to Joe. The research process can include assessing his strengths, values, passions, and what purpose is more prominent to him.
From this, he is cultivating meaning. He goes deeper into his history to discover what he enjoyed doing as a child, how much his parents and society influenced specific thoughts and behavior, and whether these authority figures contributed to any self-limiting beliefs.
He takes it further by mapping out a timeline of his growth from childhood into now and how much his personality changed. Compare what he believes with family, friends, and co-workers’ views of him, and are there any parallels or contradictions? If there is a mismatch, the key lies in the subtleties in his persona or projecting a shadow not aligned with his values and conveying something primal and suppressed.
Joe pulls out from this invisible bag of dark energy. He finds a way to constructively acknowledge and harness its creative potential. As Socrates says, “know thyself” is crucial to living an authentic life. After confronting his shadow, he moves on to areas of interest worth sharing.
What does he often consume simply for the love of it, and what does he absorb to help him make the best choices, develop plans, and set up structures to build the life he wants? And if there are knowledge gaps, what are some great resources to glean from? While researching and contemplating with scrutiny, he is also writing and revising the biography of his life.
Joe realizes there are quite a few topics he wants to share. It’s complex at this time to know which one’s will have the most resonance for him and his audience, so he tests it out over time—and then he has to figure out which platforms serve as the best carrier for this message: blogging, podcasting, YouTube videos, and books—yet, he is interested in all these, so Joe explores them all systematically by starting with blogging, and once in his groove he introduces scripting for videos (remixing blog content into videos), then integrates podcasting, and by some point, he has compounded enough data and weekly reviews to inform the next step.
It nourishes and challenges the mind
Wedding creative and critical thinking
It seems poetic the two can dance alongside each other where the creative (fed with the chaotic potential) dancer lets go of the mechanical nature of the dance and flows with it and, within that boundless imaginative space, perceive the innate harmony of potential.
Meanwhile, in their mechanical yet fluid movement, the critical (fed with observational data through logic) dancer sees a sequence of patterns and its rhythm and, with that discerning mind, judge and manipulate the essence of dance and invent new styles from it.
This tango to wedge the two whose different styles and ability to dance to the same tune is the fulcrum by which generates new ideas and solutions, innovation meets practicality, seeing the unseen and making it visible and tangible for the betterment of all.
Stave off mental and physical health issues
This one is quite personal and hits close to home. It took courage to stare with unblinking eyes in the dark recesses of the mind, an ambiguous place of great horror and revelation, to raise my unlifted sight.
I witness first-hand accounts of the danger of an unexamined life not complemented with openness, compassion, and criticism, which perpetuates and reinforces unhealthy thoughts and behaviors.
On the surface level, we all understand why smoking is bad and eating a balanced diet is good for us. The erosion of our well-being from chronic depression or anxiety. Also, looking at both sides of a story because we know biases, fallacies, and lack of judgment pollute our thoughts.
An examined person is prepared to tread uncomfortable places, welcome contention between loved ones and strangers, and see which shadows are kept away. Recognize the capacity to be divine or hellish, learn and practice to align oneself with the values and virtues in a world’s sometimes contradictive, deceptive, and the unfairness of life with its uneven landscapes. While having the ability with discerning eyes to capture the joys, waves of laughter, beauty, and rarity for life to exist and cherish.
Thus, research can help by empowering us with knowledge. Explore why eating a balanced diet is good for us by understanding what carbohydrates are, how they affect our glucose levels, and the side effects when our diet is primarily composed of refined sugar. Not just in weight gain but also in mood and energy level. Ultimately leading quickly to a situation of malnutrition and increased risk of diabetes.
Yet, our emotional, psychological, and social well-being are part of our mental health. It influences our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Additionally, it affects how we respond to stress, interact with others, and make decisions. Every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence to maturity, is vital for mental health.
I grew up with a scarcity mindset and experienced numerous bouts of self-criticism and fear of writing a blog post to share it publicly for two years since the idea’s inception.
I was riddled with voices that whispered, “you’re not good enough,” “no one cares what you have to say,” and “people will find out the fraud you’re.” These voices paralyze me from taking action. I knew the benefits of putting myself out there. Still, my first blog draft remained private in my Google Drive for months. I would cope by binge-watching on Netflix, sipping on my 40th Dunkin Donuts cold brew coffee for the month, and feeling guilty for being a coward.
Then depression lingered for days. I was robbed of living the potential joy awaited when I hit publish. I was missing the opportunity to alter someone else’s life with my post, even if it was small. Then one day, I got tired of feeling defeated, and my desire for growth was more profound than my fear of ridicule.
It was a gradual process that started with several books on self-help. I had to explore uncomfortable places and study human nature’s effect on belief and behavior. I noticed the jealousy toward successful people and wanted to understand why I was projecting these negative emotions. I began understanding how stories moved me and showed how characters like Harry Potter and Simba represented the hero’s journey and how mine was lacking.
Bit by bit, the concepts learned from many books introduce insights I put into practice in day-to-day activities and interactions. I struggled in the beginning, but I knew I was making progress. And since then, I have found the courage to publish not just two books and several blog posts but also broaden into other forms of content.
The Gist
Although I continue to have occasional doubts yet excited about sharing my thoughts with content. It comes from an authentic place, and with research, experience, and perspective, I know someone else can benefit. There is joy in knowing that research improves the quality of life even if it only impacts one person.
- Philosophy isn’t exclusive to philosophers with degrees and years of experience. Suppose we value wisdom for the benefit of the art of living. In that case, we owe it to ourselves to glean knowledge from ancient to modern sources to broaden our minds to inform how we navigate life. And embrace the moral and allegorical lessons found in many works of art.
- Before a technology-connected age, information was scarce. People had to rely on trusted sources (people with inside knowledge such as newspapers, news outlets via radio or television, and flyers). They were the purveyors of information. In today’s age, we are littered with mixed information from trolls to get an emotional response to biased news pushing the agenda of a small few. This has resulted in leaning towards other data sources to be equipped with the knowledge to discern what is true. And encourage open discussion to arrive at a solution together than polarizing and demonizing the opposition in our echo chambers.
- A rule of thumb for finding one’s market is to craft our ideal audience considering all the demographic information about these individuals. I have a different approach, mainly when I’m the brand itself and less relevant to entities like companies composed of hundreds to thousands of employees in niche markets. When we take an honest view of ourselves, and it’s shown in our work by the passion and curiosity that fuels it, then we’re both the brand and the ideal audience of it.
- I’ll repeat it: history is complex. I’m grateful for the historical records society collected and for understanding how people, cultures, and society evolve. There are lessons to be found; not every outcome ended with a happy ending, as there were as equal as many sufferings. Research of these events should not just fall on a select few but open and encourage all individuals to inform and guide their life by looking into the past for insights.
- And to build on the preceding point, we recognize that when conducting our research, not all of a person’s time is available to check various sources on a subject. Thus, the public sincerely believes that the news media and fact-checkers look out for the average person’s interests. However, when there is a disruption in our life, such as a sharp increase in the price of groceries and gas or growing hostility between people holding different viewpoints, this hope is dashed. Maybe the sources we trust are lying to us or aren’t giving us the complete picture, so with the research, we’re empowered to identify the root cause of the cracks in the foundation.
- Most people have some entrepreneurial spirit; they have something helpful to share with others that is a value add. It can be simple, like creating a startup or storefront business, but an online business to either educate, inform, inspire, or entertain. People shouldn’t rely on one source of income, especially if that person has a drive or knowledge that others could benefit from, so why withhold this? Once we make time to think like an entrepreneur, whether full-time or as a side hustle, we start to see opportunities to share what we love and add value to people’s lives in return.
- Research has tremendous power to facilitate comprehension of a topic, whether it’s an exploration of ourselves to make better decisions and live the best possible life or a better understanding of people and the world around us. And like a curious child who keeps asking why and is often lost in adulthood, we can take our curiosity further beyond watching some videos on YouTube on how gravity works or why people project different masks in specific environments (family, friends, workplace).
- Also, reading Ovid’s Metamorphoses and William Shakespeare’s plays can teach us about the human condition and glean wisdom from these stories. Equipping ourselves with knowledge can take us further from a surface-level view of topics to delightful conversations about those particular topics with others.
- Like a dance between chaos and order on one side, a deep well of creative potential, and on the other giving form to that potential and wedding them, the two produce the emergence of life. Whether we are writing that next blog post, solving that issue at work, or looking for unique ways to teach someone a concept in a fun, not-so-boring, long-winded descriptive way, we have wedged the harmony between creative and critical thinking.
- Research can stave off mental and physical issues through generations of great minds contributing to the knowledge domain of philosophy, psychology, science, technology, and more by giving us the tools to live a better and healthier life. And with the wealth of information available to us, we can examine our own lives to remove the wool from our sight, curb the high-sugar diets affecting our energy, or even set boundaries for people who don’t want the best for us.
- The more we examine ourselves, the more compassion we have for others in their narrow perspective on how to navigate life and the better equipped we’re to have honest conversations in support of each other and discover a purpose to keep humanity pushing forward and recognize the stained history of humanity still holds lessons we can learn from and pay it forward into future generations.
