Chessmaster and martial arts champion, Josh Waitzkin, found the dogma of any particular martial arts form was a strength, but also revealed its weakness. This memory was triggered as I mindlessly scrolled through Facebook and came upon friends' political post. The post spelled out the tenets of the political bloc in succinct manifesto fashion, with the tone of complete disdain bestowed upon anyone deviating from this worldview. The comments were full of ardent agreement.

I have friends and family all over the political spectrum and work in DC, so I have plenty of opportunities to encounter a wide range of perspectives.

When my wife mentions an interest in birdhouses, and I do a ten minute Google search, I will see advertisements for birdhouses on all of my online activity for at least 30 days. Consider how much more the computer algorithms will validate my bias for something I genuinely care about. Additionally, my brain wants to conserve energy and serves up this same validation and looks to confirm my inherent bias.

Examine the shaping elements of your life, the circumstances of your family of origin, how society treats the face you see in the mirror, socio-economic, and a myriad of other factors. These pressures helped create the rough diamond you are today, yet no diamond is without flaw.

Congratulations if you have reached the end of all learning and perfectly see all truth. You and your gurus are an impressive lot. In the United States, each political party has enjoyed a season of power, and neither built heaven on earth.

Perhaps a dose of an adult beverage is in order, maybe a shot of top-shelf humility.

The tricky thing about blind spots is your ignorance of their existence. Taking a step towards self-awareness too peer into these blindspots provides a clear view of unintentional carnage strewn behind. If selling dogma, consider listening, others may have a legitimate concern.

How do you foster conversations and personal reflection to identify blind spots?