we tell ourselves stories

Why is it so hard for people to admit that they don’t know something – that they may not have the background information to infer the ‘why’ of a situation? Instead they insist on making up stories – and some even promptly believe them. You may ask later about the situation and get their made up scenario as fact. What a paradox. I know people at every point on this continuum – some that simply cannot get their minds to stop running through all of the different possibilities, some that promptly come up w/ the scenario and fashion supporting evidence and branches for their story, those who fall at any point on the continuum depending on the day and those who simply innocently and naively believe anything that is told to them. Oh how sad that I typically fall into the last category.
So how do you go about finding the best place to lie on that continuum? I think I will try for observation. Observation of people’s actions, not what they say. The difficulty lies in the fact that observation takes time – and many people these days desire instantaneousness. Can I trust this person? It doesn’t have to be a yes or no answer ‘right now’ – it can be maybe. Maybe requires patience. But I imagine it will be worth it.

‘Even a child is known by his actions,
by whether his conduct is pure and right.’
Proverbs 20:11

‘The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.’
Ecclesiastes 7:8