As it happens, sometimes I get into these rabbit holes to watch a specific type of Youtube videos. As of last weekend, I got into this type of video about a specific person with provocative views. The views they made are rather appalling, but if I listen to his explanations more and more, I don’t see a flaw in their reasoning. The reason that I feel these views are appalling is that they are different than the values I believe, at least on the surface. Yet it is also amazing that I arrive at the same conclusion if I listen to their reasoning.

It is not uncommon to feel this because I was listening to a math lecture and some guy proved that the sum of all positive integer is -1/12. The result is absurd and obviously wrong, but I cannot find where the equations went wrong. (I didn’t found out why later). So I listened to other people who have opposing views than them, and they were able to disarm all of the opposing views with ease. I understand that it is also possible that all the videos I saw purposely constructed in a way to prove they are right, further leading me to their side. After all, Youtube is famous for providing the videos that their customers like. There is a possibility though, that these views are correct. It doesn’t serve me right if I just completely ignore them because they are different than my views.

I recognize that these views are mostly on how to navigate the existing world. It’s more about the old rules that govern the world. So it’s self-serving that save these rules is correct because we have been operating under these rules for centuries. Sometimes, to have a better life, we need to break the currently working rules and create new rules. And because change is always hard, they are going to feel uncomfortable. It doesn’t mean the old rules don’t work, it only means there may be a better world we can strive for.

I don’t think that just because the current political world is more polarizing than ever, we should forget about extreme views and try to bring more things to the center. I think we should keep having discussion about the extreme views, evaluate why they are not a good idea, and potentially develop on some ideas that seem extreme, but actually build a better world. Although sadly to say, I’m still going to stay in the center for my personal actions. Maybe because that’s deeply ingrained on my personality already.