I needed to look up Heraclitus’ quote about a river only to find out that I misremember it or that the new translation I found is more specific than I remember.
This is the translation I found: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
I remember it simply as “No one steps into the same river twice.”
To me, the emphasis was that the water relative to the river bottom changed with time, making it more akin to “time changes everything” than “time changes man”.
In the global view, it is still the same water, still the same rocks, but if you look closer, the temperature, mineral content, flow patterns are a little different. The rocks aren’t in exactly the same place and are a little smaller. Did you make assumptions that it would be exactly the same? Or were you just generalizing?
The new quote adds my changing filters to the mix! Did I just have caffeine? Did I just have an argument with someone? Do I have a toothache? Did I last time?
Recently, I’m recognizing old biases may no longer apply. Just because a company had a policy I objected to 20 years ago does not mean that they still have it. It doesn’t mean that something I don’t see as obvious isn’t true. If I sound like a stick in the mud, I’m probably doing it again. Feel free to gently confront me. Ask me why.
I’m getting better at catching those moments and better yet at doing something about them.
I called up an old coworker and had lunch. They do not have that same policy. Soon I will confront a bias about other related industries.
I could have just misremembered the quote. ;)
What old biases are you working to overcome?
