Living in Harmony
Sway is a book about biases, conscious and unconscious, but mostly unconscious biases. [1] The author, Pragya Agarwal, is a woman raised in India that later immigrated to the United Kingdom. [2] Being a woman intelligent in mathematics and sciences which is often considered a man’s realm, and also a woman of color, and a woman with a foreign accent, she has faced many unconscious biases in the course of her life. [3] She writes about these and many other biases in this book.
What are Biases?
Biases are preconceived ideas either in favor or against a person or notion. [4] They can be positive or negative. [5] They’re not all bad. The author gave an example in a video lecture I watched on YouTube of biases parents have toward their own children. [6] Naturally they think their own children are the best at everything. It is when we have biases concerning other genders, races, people of different ages, or statuses and so on that our biases might be negative and causes problems. Some examples are like the one mentioned in the opening paragraph – that boys are better at math than girls. Being a particular gender does not make a person better or worse in any subject. That is a bias. Passing that bias on to children can be harmful to them and their academic growth.
The author also referred to our biases being something that we don’t think about, but that comes naturally or quickly to us. She talked about “system 1 and system 2 thinking” and the differences between these. [7] This made me think of the book we read last semester, Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. [8] He would say biases fall under fast thinking. [9] It’s this system 1 thinking that gets us into trouble with our biases. [10]
Why Should We Worry About Biases?
Some people think that if their biases are unconscious, then they are not responsible for them. [11] That is a myth. [12] We are most definitely responsible for our biases. They can turn into prejudices. And prejudices impact real people in a real world. [13]
As Christians we are called to love one another as Christ has loved us. (John 13:34) [14] We are supposed to see each other through the eyes of Christ, and not through the lenses of our own biases. Christ has no biases toward people. He loves us all, though we are sinners. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) [15]
What Should We Do About It?
No one wants to admit that they have a bias. It makes you look bad in the eyes of others even though they have biases too.
The book and the videos that I watched stress the fact that everyone has biases. [16] No one is immune from them. No one is perfect. Therefore, we ought to all acknowledge our biases, whatever they might be, if only to ourselves. [17] Only then can we begin to work on repairing them and minimizing their effects on others around us. [18]
“Live in harmony with one another.” (Romans 12:16) [19]
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[1] Agarwal, Pragya. 2020. Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias. Bloomsbury Sigma Series. London ; New York: Bloomsbury Sigma.
About the Author
Tonette Kellett
Missionary, teacher, Bible student, traveler ... Having lived in Kenya and Korea, I now live in Mississippi and work with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.9 responses to “Living in Harmony”
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Great summary of the book! I’m curious what biases did you notice as you read the book? What kinds of bias have you encountered in your mission work, both positively and negatively?
Chad,
Last semester I wrote a post after reading the book Shame entitled Racism, The Secret Sin… I’ll add a link to it here. In it I told about a sad time when I was kicked out of my church for bringing too many non-white guests as a missionary. It’s ludicrous when I think about it today – but it happened right here in Mississippi not that long ago.
https://blogs.georgefox.edu/dlgp/racism-the-secret-sin/
Hi Tonette, I really enjoyed reading your blog and appreciate the summary you gave, especially bringing in information you gleaned from the YouTube video and Kahneman. I particularly like the highlight at the end regarding the fact that everyone has biases. I’m brainstorming on ways to recognize biases in my own life, family, and workplace. Do you have specifics on how to recognize implicit biases in ourselves?
Thanks, Tonette. Hoping you had a good weekend!
Jenny,
That’s a good question. I think one way is to watch your triggers. Be mindful of them to avoid them. That’s just one way, but it helps.
Hope you’re having a good weekend as well.
Tonette,
This right here “We are most definitely responsible for our biases.”! This is something I try and live by and teach my kids. Growing up I was led to believe that anyone that wasn’t black or anything that was not black ran was evil and oppressive. It wasn’t until I started to take responsibility for my biases that I started to see a different picture.
Thanks for sharing.
Daron,
It would be a better world for us all to live in if we would take responsibility for our biases, recognize them for starters, and begin to minimize them in ourselves. That is for sure.
“Some people think that if their biases are unconscious, then they are not responsible for them.” This is the crux of the issue, right here. Way to nail it, Tonnette. What are some strategies you use to manage your unconscious bias so it doesn’t become destructive?
Laura,
I try to be intentional when making decisions, and not make them on the fly, when I’m tired or irritable… not allow my system 1 thinking to take charge of me. That’s key I think. Trying to be self-aware is important. Thanks for the question.
Great post. I agree people do not like to share their biases. Are there any biases you want to work on a we learn to be great leaders?