What I was leading to in my last posting is that people believe whatever they want to believe. What they want to believe is based on what confirms their underlying world view/belief system and that their world view is based on what satisfies their underlying spiritual/emotional needs. This can take the form of religion, but also numerous other belief systems; narcissism, hedonism, cult worship, political movements etc. I think it's important to realize that these other belief systems, like religion, can be as oblivious to facts and reason as are religions. Take a racism, for example. I was struck by a video that showed an older sickly white woman, from West Virginia, who was asked about Obama Care. She said that Obama Care had saved her life. She had cancer and if it were not for Obama Care there would have been no way she could have paid for treatment and she would have died. The interviewer then asked her what she thought of Obama. She said she didn't like him. Why?. 'I don't know' was her answer. Of course, she didn't want to say that she didn't like him because of his race, but that was obvious. But racism was so important to her and her sense of self worth (in a perverted way), that she still couldn't like him, even though she realized that if it were not for him she would be dead.
I think this is an important realization. Let's take for example the liberal/progressive mythology that all people are reasonable and fair and if you just find the right words and be reasonable and appeal to their humanity, they will see the light. I see this all the time with my progressive friends. It is, in my opinion a religious-like believe in the sense that they hold to it despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This is why, despite a large majority of voters, they lose much more often than they should.
Then there are the conservatives who hold to the belief that global warming is a hoax, despite the fact that when things get bad enough it will affect them, if they are young enough, or otherwise their children, who they claim to cherish so dearly.
Each side clings to their dogged beliefs. Progressives stick to their principles and are never practical and never fight. Conservatives are tribal warriors and ignore the facts. Each side is counterproductive, but unable to forgo their belief system because it gives their lives meaning and they are unaware of their folly.
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14 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.We believe what we want to believe. True for most people.
However, facts, reality, and the truth don't give a flying fig what you believe.
Normanbites
Level 7
Dec 10, 2020
0
Nor do viruses.
Welcome to the reality of reality!!!
LOL!!!
of-the-mountain
Level 9
May 17, 2020
0
Nobody wants to read a wall of words.
“Omit needless words,” advises William Strunk in the original edition of The Elements of Style, a bible for writers.
LiterateHiker
Level 9
May 17, 2020
2
Your opening sentence here is incorrect. Not all people believe what they want to believe! Some people believe what they are TOLD to believe!
RiverRick
Level 7
May 17, 2020
3
Absolutely. As children, many are not given any choices, or 2, good & evil. Their intellectual curiosity is shot down before it can develop
" The....mythology....that [they] are fair"
Where? Whom? What?
AnneWimsey
Level 9
May 17, 2020
1
Stupid is as stupid does, what goes on in the USA is often so stupid that I find it unfathomable.
Surfpirate
Level 9
May 17, 2020
2
“Of course, she didn't want to say that she didn't like him because of his race, but that was obvious”
It might be obvious to you but it’s not obvious to me, and I would need more information before jumping to such a conclusion. What does WV have to do with it?
As you say, we believe what we want to believe.
WilliamFleming
Level 8
May 17, 2020
2
The interviewer should have asked if she did not like Obama because he is black. Without that it is a pure conjecture betraying a different prejudice.
Not sure what there is to discuss about this post. I think even non-believers (regardless of what label they choose) approach many of their beliefs with dogmatic fervor. They trade one religion for another. Human beings are always looking for something to believe in; somewhere to belong. For millennia we've been social creatures, and it's part of our DNA. Much of that social interaction came from our belief groups.
We are now faced with a world where social interaction is not necessary, we're struggling to find our place - and our species can't evolve fast enough.
One piece of constructive criticism on the piece - break it up into more paragraphs and put spaces between them. Even though it's the same amount of words, doing that will make it appear easier to read, and you'll get more interaction.
JimmyOneLeg93
Level 5
May 17, 2020
0
I consider myself a liberal/progressive. I had no idea I was supposed to believe that all people are reasonable and fair. All along I've been believing that there are a lot of complete assholes, bigots, and greedy, selfish people in the world.
From what I've seen, conservatives are frequently focused on self-interest and seem to get upset/angry over things that don't affect them whatsoever - gay marriage, poor people receiving assistance, laws that protect people, or increasing the minimum wage (for example). Every single conservative I know has complained about these things. I can't recall ever hearing a progressive complain about any of these.
Progressives tend to care more about the big picture - their country, the world, nature, justice. I have never heard a liberal be racist or show hatred of gays/gay marriage or complain about better wages for workers at the bottom.
It's a difference in mental wiring. A progressive and a conservative can view the exact same thing and be polar opposite about how they feel about it.
Charles1971
Level 7
May 17, 2020
3
Well said!
One of the defining traits of our species is tribalism! It's an important trait, because it teaches us culture, it sustains us, it protects us and it brings comfort...we're part of the tribe.
And that's good, right?
However, when times get tough or if we're feeling self-doubt/fear/uncertainty...tribalism becomes a genuine negative.
Racism, religious prejudice, political differences, economic disparity...all these things are the result of tribalism.
And religion is an enormous part of it all.
LucyLoohoo
Level 9
May 17, 2020
7
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