As defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, cognitive dissonance is: “an uncomfortable feeling that comes from believing or thinking two different things that cannot both be right.”

Arguably, humans have been dealing with this for millennia. Has it become more of a problem in recent years? Arguably, yes. We are imperfect beings, to be fair, living in a very unbalanced world. Some of us try to behave so rigidly that we inevitably crack under the pressure.

The act of digging in one’s heels is an effort to stabilize oneself, but this has contributed to a dualistic framework. Democrat or Republican, Pro-choice or Pro-life, Cis or Trans, Vaxxer or Anti-Vaxxer….the list goes on.

Government control is often diametrically opposed to the way most people want to live and, therefore, many are continuing to pursue a way of life against their best interests. This is also why people choose a side and cling to it.  It’s a bit like holding onto a toxic relationship out of codependency. We see this issue in both political parties. Any government or institution that uses fear as a strategic tool for controlling members of the populace is often (inevitably) caught contradicting itself.

Fear is a powerful marketing tool for all those interested in maintaining some sense of supremacy over others. Unfortunately, we see this in the new age “spiritual” communities as well. This is part of why astrology is often reviled by the general public.

The reason why I emphasize in the entrance to this site that if you see the world differently (i.e. employ critical thinking), you are an artist. Not in a foolhardy “you can create anything” sort of way – but an acknowledgement that those who feel like they don’t fit in are those most capable of creating new realities.

Turns out, a large percentage of humans fall victim to the power of social psychology.  Feeling uncomfortable going against the group you ‘belong to’ can go one of two ways. You acknowledge that democracy is based on consensus, so making concessions for the sake of the group feels a bit like surrendering to a higher power. There is virtue in humility of course.  But then there’s the discomfort of going against the group out of fear of ridicule or personal safety. Those having a strong intuition or feeling about something but unwilling to risk being ripped to shreds socially (or physically) is what I’m talking about here. Good god this has been happening because of racism for some time but sexism in all forms is still rearing its ugliness.

This is mostly a post about critical thinking in relationship with cognitive dissonance. How can we look objectively at the world to understand that good and evil are not clearly delineated?  Also, I want to address how we judge the cognitive dissonance of those who have very little impact on our lives rather than those who literally run the world.

Take Amber Heard for example. Her inconsistencies were just enough to throw her entirely under the bus by those glued to the trial on television. First of all, how is what happened between her and Depp any of our business? I believe they abused each other, but the amount of public scrutiny of an actress who has nothing to do with public policy, or law enforcement or really anything related to governance was very telling.

Why doesn’t that same scrutiny happen for politicians who have lied? I can’t think of an American president in my entire life who hasn’t lied, Republican or Democrat – sometimes involving human rights violations.  But somehow they are indemnified from any serious repercussions. They say one thing and do another. This is partly why most Americans have attached themselves so tightly to a particular party, thinking that one of the two is actually representative of their belief systems.

In an interesting article by Christina Pazzanese, a claim has been made by academic researchers that cognitive dissonance helps to ingrain political attitudes:

“The researchers say changing political attitudes can be understood in the context of ‘cognitive dissonance’, a theory of behavioral psychology that asserts that people experience uneasiness after acting in a way that appears to conflict with their beliefs and preferences about themselves and others. To minimize their discomfort, the theory posits, a person will adapt his or her [or their] attitude to better fit with or justify previous actions.”

Noam Chomsky once said, which is a bold statement if you think about it: “Nixon was our last liberal president”. Many would balk at this statement. But where is the critical thinking? When you really look at how far the pendulum has swung to the right, Nixon looks almost as liberal as the Green Party.  Of course his presidency ended shamefully, but he’s the reason we have the Environmental Protection Agency.

If we are looking critically at everyone in politics, rather than through the lens of cognitive dissonance or even a popularity contest, then politicians might be forced to eat their words more often. They might be less liable to lie if Americans become vigilant about “do their words match their policies?” and so forth.

Cops, who, for all intents and purposes (I mean let’s be real here) really only exist to carry out acts of racial genocide and debt collection. What actually helpful social function do they really serve? Intimidation? Living in New Orleans where the cops have been largely defunded has created, ironically, more peace.

How about the energy debate, where nuclear power is considered a safe, worthwhile alternative to oil and coal. How is that a solution to the ways we have already destroyed the planet? It’s similar to the problem with electric vehicles. Where exactly should we store the waste, which will be toxic for eternity, if it is so ‘safe’?

When Pluto enters Aquarius in 2024 (though it dips in for a bit in 2023), this issue will be unavoidable. Social justice will be officially on the table, along with a barrage of other breakdowns. Not to be too dramatic, but we are looking at the end of Western power. The globalization ship has sailed. That will be positive if you aren’t too attached to Amazon Prime and affordable gas prices.

However, I don’t think cognitive dissonance will just disappear in the years to come. In fact, it may get worse. People are more apt to become delusional zealots during times of crisis. I’m writing this in the hopes that those who sense that they should view the world more objectively might be inspired to pay closer attention. After all, objectivity is actually more about empathy than choosing an emotional position on just about anything. Not an amoral position, mind you. Just objective.