most people have a hard time managing cognitive dissonance, AKA the state of holding inconsistent beliefs. everyone does this, but it’s difficult to confront. no one wants to acknowledge their own hypocrisy or be called out for it, so they shield themselves from the possibility
cognitive dissonance is useful to acknowledge but difficult to dwell on. some hypocrisies are in people's control to change, others are not. fixating on that tension leads to stress and can easily slide into an unproductive state, but it's important to grapple with once in awhile
holding opposing beliefs in your mind is called dualism (or duality). when you hear a contradicting thought, the first reaction is often fight or flight. it creates a tension because opposing thoughts don’t naturally coexist in harmony, but you can train your mind to manage it
dualism doesn't mean you have to give equal credence to opposing beliefs in your mind, rather it teaches you how to contemplate them for better understanding. practicing this can help you avoid knee-jerk reactions to information that triggers fight or flight responses if need be
if you spend each day online scrolling through countless opinions and bits of information, it can be helpful to slow down. consider the tensions in your own beliefs and how they relate to the beliefs of others. practicing this can give you better patience and communication skills
everyone is constantly reacting to information online. it's knee-jerk and often effortless. stepping back to contemplate the tensions between your own beliefs is uncomfortable and takes effort, but over time it can lead to healthier outcomes
steak-umm bless
steak-umm bless
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