Developing Intellectual Honesty

Goodness, we have covered some heavy topics!  Which can be both insightful and also stressful!  Nothing like a little bit of cognitive dissonance to get your blood flowing!

Let’s Go Cognitive Dissonance!  Whoot Whoot!

What is this cognitive dissonance you speak of?  Well, it is a fancy sciencey word that basically means when more than one of our beliefs come into conflict with each other.  In other words, it is when we are forced to examine our worldview and we find conflicting values.  Cognitive dissonance isn’t always fun, but it can be a great opportunity to sort through our beliefs in a more honest manner, and make some sense of how we view others, ourselves, and the larger world.

In order to grow, we have to be willing to admit to ourselves where we may have been wrong.  Don’t worry, no one else will ever know!  You can keep your wrongness a secret!  Just be willing to honestly admit it to yourself!

You are going to find yourself in situations that are similar to those we just read about.  How are you going to react?  Are you going to blame the other person, when it is really your fault?  Are you going to judge someone more harshly because they belong to the other political party?

Make It Your Goal To Be Intellectually Honest

Remember, that we told you that this is your journey, and that we wouldn’t tell you what to do.  Look at this as a suggestion or as something that you might consider.  If you personally find intellectual honesty to be something worthwhile then we suggest that you make a goal to behave in a manner that is more intellectually honest in your daily life.

This means regularly reviewing your positions in order to make sure that you are treating everyone the same.  Regardless of which party they belong to.  If you find something to be offensive, then make sure that you find it equally offensive when either side does it.  If you justify an action, then make sure that you find the behavior justifiable regardless of which party the individual committing the acts belongs to.  When you find yourself blaming others, ask yourself whether or not that blame really belongs on you.

Essentially, work to judge fault, good, and evil based on reality, and not on how it makes you feel about yourself or your party.