Hacking: It is not only doing things better but thinking better about things

From our previous article related to the topic «Hacker» called «Related Movements: If we use Free Software, are we also Hackers?»In which we talk about What is a Hacker? and we briefly discussed the origin of the current movement, its objectives, importance and its similarity or relationship with the Free Software Movement, We can easily extract the following central idea "A Hacker does better things than others just as capable because he thinks things better and in a really different way".

Hackers not only do better or incredible things, that is, they not only solve problems and / or build innovative or radical things that others see difficult or impossible, but by doing them they think differently than the averageThat is, they think in terms of "freedom, independence, security, privacy, collaboration, massification." If you want to be a Hacker, you must behave as dictated by this philosophy of life, carry that attitude within you, make it an integral part of your being.

Introduction

But if you think about cultivating the attitudes of a "Hacker" especially if you are a "Lover of Free Software" either as a Developer or UserJust as a way to gain acceptance in the world in which you operate, you are making a mistake.

Doing and thinking like a Hacker, becoming the kind of person who believes that much or everything can be improved and can be improved, and that he does what is in his power to make these things possible for the benefit of the majority mainly, is something that should serve us in the first instance to learn and keep us motivated, and allow us to help others.

Therefore, the most effective way to become a teacher is to imitate the mindset of teachers, not only intellectually, but also emotionally. So an open mind to the reading / writing of infinite topics from different points of view, to divergent or opposing opinions, to impossible or unconventional proposals and ideas is essential to have a Hacker spirit.

Contents

Hack our minds

I should warn you about something. I have a bad habit of thinking about questions before answering. David Perkins, a senior professor of education at Harvard and an expert on learning, understanding and creativity.

Every day, people tend to have many good thoughts and many not so good. This leaves us with a wide space in life to go in the wrong directions by not thinking better about the information we consume about the different areas of life: personal decisions, political positions, human relationships, philosophical conceptions and religious positions.

The reality is that the world is a complex place where people often reason about different issues, in a way that is not adequate to the way in which information is created, transmitted and shaped to our fingertips. People tend to think about the information of the consumed topics in such a way that they are always anchored and inclined towards a preprogrammed perspective in the same information, thus reinforcing the concept of "self-deception to be happy."

That is people who tend to be happy with a particular idea or topic tend to get or more easily obtain information that reinforces that idea or topic, which, in case of being a wrong idea or a manipulated subject, constantly reinforces the false belief of it in the midst of an unreal feeling of happiness.

Due to this phenomenon, A good step should be to "Hack our minds", in other words we must "self-train" to address the different faces of an idea, topic or situation. Try to put ourselves in the perspective of the other or the opposite side of the idea, topic, situation or group. Try to introduce ourselves into the analyzed, dramatize the experiences even if possible. To propose to have a more critical than intellectual disposition about the things that surround us.

Between two options, choose the third. David perkins

Question the reliability of the sources of information that we consume, use more often the thinking "Out of the box" (Out of the box), give up immovable, infallible and eternal ideas, which generally tend to be of the Economic - Political - Religious type ”, techniques among others that help us to open our minds to new and unexplored capacities and opportunities.

Learning to think better helps us to be more successful in our goals. The trick is to know how to better decide where to invest more of our thought and effort, in favor of solutions and collective benefits where one is included, and not where one is the sole or main beneficiary. That is where we must be smarter when it comes to thinking.

Hacking the mechanisms and information we consume

In a world with such massive amounts of data, the big media and technology companies soon understood that there was only one thing worthwhile: our attention. Tristan Harris, ex-Google employee.

Technology Companies (Internet, Computers, TV, Mobiles, Social Networks and Information / Communication) they base the economic success of their business models by hijacking the attention of their users and shaping their behavior and opinion. Your goal: Keep people for as long as possible using and consuming your products, content and information. Why? Money and Power.

The focus of our attention is the gateway for others (Technology Companies and Politicians, among others) to our internal world, to our mind, emotions, feelings and even our decisions. All competing to get hooked. Each time with more efficient methods, making us more addicted to its sources of information and immediate satisfaction, separating us from other human beings and from our natural environment.

Becoming less tolerant of frustration, addicted to feelings of acceptance and approval, which lead us to develop negative thoughts, based on apparent realities exposed in virtual social environments.

That's why being a Hacker also means "thinking better." Better thinking that involves avoiding being manipulated, persuaded, and / or mobilized by bending our will, through the induction in us of behaviors, emotions or responses desired by others, without our participation, the use of our critical judgment.

Thinking better, developing one's own critical thinking, is usually that antidote to manipulation or self-deception. Self-awareness of where we focus our attention is an essential element of a Hacker mindset. Attention is the gateway to any persuasion process while critical thinking is an instrument that allows us to discriminate the information we obtain by any means. Also becoming aware of the cognitive biases to which we are exposed can allow us to make more responsible decisions.

Conclusion

It may seem like a lot of fun being a Hacker, Doing things Hackers do, Think like a Hacker, but the truth is that Being, Doing and Thinking Like a Hacker is the kind of fun that requires a lot of effort and motivation. A hacker must feel or feel a kind of internal, innate, natural pleasure when he solves problems, hones his skills, exercises his intelligence, questions his reality and is constantly in disagreement with important things in the current world, the system, which for others tend to be invisible or unimportant, or worse, eternally good, convenient, or politically correct.

Many other things tend to characterize a Hacker personality, such as their "Anti-System" predisposition.But hard work and dedication to the things they love often turn into a kind of intense game, and not a routine, for them. That attitude is vital to becoming a Hacker.

We hope with this publication "Awaken that Hacker that everyone has inside" hoping to do great things for others mainly.