Theos-Talk Archives (September 2004 Message tt00021)

Paul:

I was reading your link, and find that it gives some interesting ideas on 
psychology and belief. Granted, there can be a dissonance between our 
beliefs and what we read or hear from others. This is quite independent of 
how objectively true our beliefs are. Someone can come along and challenge 
something we consider a fundamental truth, something we accept for granted 
and no longer question, something upon which we base our perceptions and 
other beliefs. We might fight it, flee it, or deflect it, getting it 
dismissed. Perhaps it makes us angry, or makes us feel we'll be sucked into 
some conflict we'd rather avoid.

Howard might be eating a hamburger may not want a vegetarian activist to 
pour cow blood over his french fries and tell him what an evil thing Howard 
is doing. Howard might argue that he needs the meat for health reasons, but 
might not have the time and energy to bother dealing the activist, however 
idealistic and self-confident the person may be. Howard might also not want 
to be given trouble for wearing leather shoes.

Mary may be reading a book on Eastern Philosophy, and find herself 
approached by a Fundamentalist Christian. She may be asked if she believes 
in God, accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and been Born Again. Mary 
may feel playful and argumentative, and start picking a philosophical 
argument with the Christian. He may walk away convinced that she's the 
devil's pawn.

Patricia could be sitting on a mountain top, dressed in aluminum foil, 
holding a coat hanger in each hand, changing "OM!" at the top of her voice, 
waiting for the mother fleet of UFO's to land and take her home. Her 
better-educated friend approaches her and tries to tell her that according 
to the laws of physics, the aluminum foil clothing won't act as an antenna 
and send signals to outer space. Patricia cannot accept this, covering her 
ears and saying, "Go away, I'm not listening to you."

When some of our assumptions and beliefs are challenged, the reaction we 
have is based upon how rigidly we hold onto them, not upon whether the 
challenge comes from a more truthful and reality based standpoint or from 
something that is false and delusionary. We don't necessary know that until 
we've considered the other viewpoint, and even then, both views, our old 
and the new one that challenges us, may be equally false.

One person may take one standpoint, saying, "I like what I believe, how I 
think of things, and how life seems to me at the moment. I don't want to 
change, only to continue with growing and living as I currently am." 
Another person may say, "I'm seeking something different in life. I'm 
discontent and have not yet found something to believe that I can live with."

I don't think we have the right to intervene in the lives of others, 
including in their beliefs. If someone is questioning things, we can 
provide them food for thought, but not give them ready-made answers, 
expecting them to take our opinions as something new to believe in, 
superseding their own.

It's good to cultivate flexibility of mind, where we question our own ideas 
about things, never allowing ourselves to become too rigid in our thinking. 
One good practice is to periodically rethink things from scratch, with 
sufficient openness that we could come up with a different belief than 
before, even though odds are that won't happen.

This is highly important for us as theosophical students, regardless of how 
we define that "theosophical," because we're dealing with issues of the 
essence of life, attempting insights that take us beyond the everyday life, 
bringing us to see behind the surface of things.

Part of this practice is to develop new insights, but even more important 
is that it helps us develop a different way of thinking, what I'd call 
"symbolic thought," something where certain key ideas are not fixed 
concepts entombed in never-changing words, but rather are like living, 
archetypal symbols that always have something new to say to us.

I've personally found G. de Purucker, in some of his works, to be excellent 
in teaching Theosophy in this manner, and have also seen it at work at 
times in various theosophical classes like the Malibu ULT Study Class in 
its study of THE SECRET DOCTRINE. It is hard to present materials in this 
manner, a difficult skill to acquire, but highly valuable. Having it act or 
not is like the difference between theosophical teaching and mere 
intellectualism.

-- Eldon

At 09:40 AM 9/1/2004, you wrote:

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance