Priming the Pump

When it comes to historical searches there are a variety of factors that would influence how that history is perceived and it is an individual thing. What is most important is losing any pre-conceived ideas, facts, knowledge, perceptions and current contexts when searching for and analyzing data. Once you enter into a search with pre-conceived thoughts, etc. you subject yourself to biases. It is not uncommon for a searcher to discard true and relevant factual historical data because of these pre-conceived mind-states. If you are interviewing then remember that "how you phrase the question" will also prime the others mind-state toward an answer that may or may not be what you seek. 

It is a bit like the theory with lie detectors (I am not an expert on this but what I state comes from readings, etc. on the subject) that if the tester is primed properly before a test they will be influenced in a biased way leaning toward the primed data when analyzing and interpreting the lie detector data. This holds true for most anything. The mind-state when primed tends to lean heavily toward that data used to prime the pump. 

In order to objectively and without bias receive, analyze and data-mine historical facts you have to prime your own mind-state toward openness, objectivity and open-minded mushi or empty present moment mind to have the ability to "see" beyond your preconceived notions, ideas and biases. 

I use Miller's Law to help me separate the wheat from the chaff in data-mining. When I feel a resistance toward something I come across or are presented with I "try to remember" the law, i.e. "In order to understand what another person is saying, you must assume that it is true and try to imagine what it could be true of." - Dr. George Miller, Psychologist.

Although this quote is directed toward conversations it is also true toward any research you make be it in books, articles or Internet eData searches. If you allow yourself to succumb to preconceived priming of the mind you often will lose important, relevant and historical significant data. Give it a chance. 

Let me close with a quote from a source I respect, "If your monkey/tribal brain is working your human/thinking brain is not. If you are feeling emotion, you are not thinking; that part of your brain is turned off. If it is about who did or said it and not what was said, you are in your tribal brain. If you label anyone, it is a tactic to put that person in another tribe specifically so that you don't have to listen to the content.

People who disagree with you are rarely stupid. If you cannot effectively, compassionately and convincingly argue the other side's point of view, you are the one in your tribal brain. You are the stupid one." - Rory Miller at Chiron Blog "Silly Season"