We treat 'doing your research' as the mark of a responsible thinker—gathering sources, checking facts, reading widely before forming opinions. But most research is performative theater that makes us less informed, not more. The person who's done extensive research is often more confused than the person who hasn't.
We treat advice-seeking as a virtue—research thoroughly, consider all perspectives, make informed decisions. But the person who consumes the most advice often makes the worst decisions. Too much input doesn't improve judgment—it paralyzes it.
We celebrate authenticity as the ultimate virtue—be real, be honest, show your true self. But watch what happens to people who actually do this. The person who's genuinely authentic usually pays for it while the person performing authenticity gets rewarded.