Assumptions! ...and I assume, will never end!

Oxford dictionary defines Assumption as a noun: A thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof. 

So an assumption is basically a statement that is feigned to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn. Every day, across the world around us, we are victims to various assumptions. Now don't just say I am assuming that, check it out - you'd be baffled (oh no, another assumption) as much.

Let me take you to the root of this post, and why I am not assuming that assumptions are not fading away too soon!

Recently, an old relative of my father passed away, his nonagenarian paternal aunt (my grand aunt). As is the custom with Hindus (and more so with TamBrahms), my father - being from the same clan - had to observe a 10-day theetu (Tamil for exclusion or social isolation). The same obviously extended to me. Unfortunately, the death went uninformed for six days. Yes, you heard it right, in the communication age where technology has enabled mobile connectivity to every nook and corner of the world and instant messaging makes news spread fast, 6 days of no news is quite a surprise. None of the family members, my father's brothers or sisters or cousins got in touch. Each one assumed that someone or the other would have updated us. I am not going into details of what transpired in those six days. It’s disheartening, to say the least.

So, there we go, that is just one incident. I realised (not assumed) that almost every bit of happening in the social media revolves around assumptions. Most 'Breaking News' on TV is riddled with assumptions. Most relationships are made or broken by assumptions.

Most times we assume about what is going on in someone’s mind. We take it for granted to assume why one behaves thus and we do so mostly based on our imagination or bitter-sweet experiences. Likewise, most of us simply put a reason to why things happen as they happen and believe it to be fact, actually ignoring the fact, that it is just another assumption. 

For a human, judging others is the biggest of assumptions. In a majority of cases, our assumptions may not be wrong. The reason is we make quite a few assumptions for a single incident. We attribute various motivations for a person's attitude or action. Eventually, we tend to justify ourselves with the incorrect assumptions as the truth. We all make assumptions that can sometimes make or mar lives, some are flimsy while some could be a relationship or even life-threatening.

So, coming to the question… why do we assume? I read somewhere that human nature forms its understanding based on what’s happening psychologically within rather than on facts. We often tend to make judgments based on emotions, beliefs, expectations, and wishes. We fail to understand that our inner self is painting the way we see and understand the outer world, thus assumptions are formed and distorting things for us. Assumptions are only addictive and cannot be waned away easily. It ruins our rational thinking, practical approach and above all creates problems for everyone.

Is there a way to get rid of these assumptions? Can there be a way to base our understanding on facts? There are two ways to define or differ assumptions. Either assume things by observing factual information or do one’s own fact-checking, the choice is clear.

There is an old joke that goes: “when you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME”. If only jumping to conclusions based on assumptions were to be made an Olympic sport, we sure would have Gold medals for hundred years to come… with that random assumption, I conclude this rant by repeating what I started off with - ‘Assumptions… and I assume will never end'!

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Pic courtesy: Internet