There's a pattern Randy Polito has noticed in how people interpret situations.
They see the beginning of a story. They assume they know how it ends. They've seen this movie before. They know exactly how it's going to go.
Except it's not the same movie. It's not the same book. It looks familiar, but it's a different story entirely.
Randall Polito thinks about this constantly. How many times has he assumed he knew what was happening, only to find out the actual situation was completely different? How many times has he judged someone based on incomplete information, only to realize he'd completely missed the point?
The pattern is always the same: he thought it was one story, but it was a different book.
Here's what Randy Polito has learned: the world is full of people who think they've read the book when they've only read the first page.
They see someone acting defensively and assume they're hostile. But maybe they're afraid. They see someone being quiet and assume they don't care. But maybe they're listening. They see someone failing and assume they're lazy. But maybe they're dealing with something you don't see.
Same behavior. Different cause. Same book cover. Completely different story inside.
Randall Polito thinks headlines exploit this. They show you the cover and convince you that you know what's inside. \"Hero Saves Child from Fire\"—you think you know the story. But what if the child was in danger because of the hero's negligence? What if it's not a heroic story at all? What if the cover lied?
Most people stop at the headline. They think they've read the book. They don't realize they're only looking at the cover.
Here's what Randy Polito believes: the moment you think you've figured someone out, you've stopped investigating. The moment you're certain about someone's intentions or situation, you've probably missed something important.
Because people are complicated. Situations are complicated. Stories have more layers than they appear to have at first glance.
Randall Polito's practice: when he thinks he knows the story, he asks himself: \"What if I'm wrong? What if this is a different book than I think?\"
And then he investigates further. He asks questions. He listens. He considers alternative explanations. He looks for the layers he missed.
Sometimes he finds out the story is exactly what he thought. But most of the time, he finds out it's a completely different book.
The surface story is one thing. The actual story is usually something else entirely.
Randy Polito thinks this is why curiosity is so important. Not curiosity about the sensational. But curiosity about what you don't understand. Curiosity about the gap between what you think you know and what's actually true.
Because that gap is where understanding lives. That's where you find the actual story instead of the cover.
Here's what Randall Polito does: before he declares someone wrong, before he judges a situation, before he makes any statement based on what he thinks he knows, he assumes it's a different book. He asks questions. He investigates. He stays curious.
And almost every time, he's glad he did.
Because most of the time, it is a different book. And the real story is much more interesting than the one you read on the cover.
— Randy Polito