When an Isolated Piece of Information is a Bad Thing.

The other day I was speaking to the husband of a gardening enthusiast and he was expressing his puzzlement that his wife had been told that mulch removes nitrogen from the soil and so she decided she needed to remove all her mulch. It made me think how having one piece of information, isolated from other facts, can lead to false conclusions.

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In this case, the facts are that the bacteria that break down carbon use nitrogen for the process. If you bury wood and wood mulch, then they'll use the nitrogen in the soil to break it down, because they have no other sources. On the surface, there are other sources of nitrogen. It's in the air around us, it's in the droppings of the bugs which make the mulch their home and it's in the droppings of the small animals which forage for those bugs in the mulch. All these creatures continually turn move the mulch around keeping the air moving through it. As the mulch breaks down, the nutrients get washed into the soil, taking them down to the plant roots after its all been broken down. Among those nutrients is also even nitrogen.

Mulch has been a part of the natural process for millions of years, yet suddenly one isolated fact makes it a bad thing?!

Unfortunately, this sort of thing seems to happen across the board. The buzz word when it comes to climate change is CO2, when really it should probably be pollution. CO2 isn't the only problematic gas being released into the environment in larger amounts than it used to be. Focusing on one aspect is unlikely to be as helpful as the holistic approach of good stewardship.

It's like saying that if you wear black then you're more likely to be attacked by a shark because they'll think you're a seal, then drawing the conclusion you should never wear black. But what about the fact that sharks only live in the sea and not on land.

Sometimes a little bit of knowledge can be a bad thing if it is taken in isolation.

~○♤○~

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great post and story well shared. having the correct amount of accurate information in the in the right context is a must!

And I so agree that the buzz word should probably be pollution over CO2

Thank you. I'm glad I'm not alone in this. :D

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This is how you write a post! When I read your first three lines, I immediately clicked on it, ready to write a reply. As it turns out, in your next paragraph you included everything I was going to mention, so all I can do is say: yeah! :-)

There I was, wondering if I should even post this!
Thank you for the feedback

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Absolutely true. Its like calling the fire department. Statistically a really bad idea.
1:10 people who call the fire department are subsequently injured in a house fire.
That fact in isolation would suggest it's unspeakably dangerous to call that number; and outright child abuse to teach it to our children.
Context is everything. There's always a deeper truth.

Oh my gosh! I'm so glad you told me that! Imagine if I'd gone and called them. I might have started a house fire. Perhaps the department should be banned. 🤔

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If I removed my mulch my garden wpuld die from lack of water lol. People are such black white thinkers and unable to investigate deeper. Drives me insane.

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I guess we're drawn to simplifying things. Grab that bit of information and make a decision. investigating deport requires time and brain power. Phoenixwren was saying in an earlier comment it also requires using a different side our brain. Not the side which automatically engages, maybe?

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Humans tend to focus on one tiny little piece of the puzzle because it feels more manageable, I think. It's one downside to our ever-more-linear thinking. We do better on IQ tests because they're all left brained linear problem solving, but we can't see the forest for the trees anymore because holistic thinking is right brained.

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left brained linear problem solving, but we can't see the forest for the trees anymore because holistic thinking is right brained.

...and I've learnt something new! There I was wondering if I should even post this, now I know why I did. :D

I guess it doesn't help when we're always in a rush and wanting to get the information quickly and easily.

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LOL! If you're curious about the subject, I recommend the book, The Alphabet Versus The Goddess by Leonard Shlain. It's one of my favorites. :)
Yes ...for sure the rush too. Instant gratification world, ya know. @.@

I don't think I'll have time to read that. Can you boil it down the the main piece of information for me? ;p

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Yea...so true. Attention is always placed on the abbreviated version. Every one in a hurry. ...thanks for sharing. Time for us to handle information the right way @minismallholding

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Every one in a hurry.

That's a very good point. We're always in a rush these days and don't have the patience to wait for all the information.

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This is why some people care described as knowing just enough to be dangerous? XD

Haha, quite possibly!

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If I removed my mulch my garden wpuld die from lack of water lol. People are such black white thinkers and unable to investigate deeper. Drives me insane.

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