Part of being human is being biased. We can’t not be. It is how our brain categorises, anticipates, and manages all the information we take in. Unfortunately bias occurs when there are negative associations made by our brain to stimulus. This can be caused by many factors – skewed datasets, media representations, generalisations made due to single bad experience.

Part of being human is being biased. But that doesn’t mean we are a terrible person(s). When we recognise or have someone point out a bias in our lives, we don’t need to feel shame. Regret, sadness, repentance sure, but shame is not helpful. Bias is a reminder we are human. And being human means we can learn, grow, change.

Part of being human is being biased, but this is not an excuse for us to have the same biases all our lives. It means that we will always have bias in our lives, just hopefully not the same ones.

So go on, be free to acknowledge and even own your bias, and then remove them as you discover them. Shame is not needed or welcome here as it stops us from growing and learning.

Photo by Larm Rmah