What is tunnel-busting?
We all hold viewpoints shaped by our personality, our past experiences, and our conditioning, and we often assume that the way we see the world is simply “the truth.” “Tunnel-busting” is the practice of shaking up your “reality tunnel,” the set of viewpoints and conceptions you hold deeply. The worksheet below invites you to spend time with a viewpoint that contradicts your own. It isn’t designed to change your opinions, though it can. The aim is to find greater understanding and compassion for another person’s perspective.
How to explore another viewpoint
- Choosing a viewpoint you would like to adopt for five minutes. Examples include a political party you don’t support, the other side of a debate that matters to you, a religious or spiritual figure whose views contradict your own, the mindset of a different culture, or someone who believes in a conspiracy theory or world story you don’t agree with.
- Spending about five minutes imagining that you wholeheartedly believe the ideas, vision, or stories that person or group holds.
- Reflecting afterward: What are the needs, concerns, or fears of this person or group? What background, experience, or conditioning might contribute to this viewpoint? What background, experience, or conditioning contributes to your own beliefs?
This exercise does not mean making right any viewpoint that is harmful or disrespectful to others. It simply deepens our understanding of why some people hold the views they do, and why we hold ours.
