America's Pandemic

File Under: Inconvenient Truths

Mamie Till: "Two months ago I had a nice apartment in Chicago. I had a good job. I had a son. When something happened to the Negroes in the South I said, 'That's their business, not mine.' Now I know how wrong I was. The murder of my son has shown me that what happens to any of us, anywhere in the world, had better be the business of us all." (Source)

Does anyone know what is the leading cause of death in the United States of America?  I'm sure you can guess by the picture that it is not cancer, car accidents, or comorbidities of obesity.  It isn't violent crime either.  The number one killer is something called Cognitive Dissonance.  Cognitive Dissonance Theory, devised by Leon Festinger in 1956, is a fancy way of saying whenever we as humans are presented with information or facts that do not fit with our expectations of reality we feel very uncomfortable.  We do not like feeling uncomfortable; therefore, in order to create equilibrium something must change. To reduce dissonance there are three things people usually do:

1. Focus on more supportive beliefs that outweigh the dissonant belief or behavior.
2. Reduce the importance of the conflicting belief.
3. Change the conflicting belief so that it is consistent with other beliefs or behaviors.

We "accentuate the positive," devalue our beliefs, tell ourselves it is not important, tell ourselves we like the thing that conflicts with us, and find other people to co-sign our new beliefs.  It is this process of "dissonance reduction" that is the killer, because it makes us believe things that are not true, hold onto beliefs that are unreasonable, not take beneficial action when we should, and take detrimental action when we should not.


How do you know if you are suffering from Cognitive Dissonance? Here are some tell-tale signs:

• Is it 2013 and you are still smoking cigarettes?
• Do you believe McDonald's and Pepsico made you fat?
• Do you believe you are big-boned and not obese?
• Do you believe I can _____ (drink/text) and drive safely?
• Do you believe in "clean" coal?
• Do you believe coal-burning factories contribute more pollution than automobiles?
• Do you believe global warming is a myth?
• Do you believe the Second Iraq War and the U.S. War in Afghanistan were warranted?
• Do you believe George W. Bush and Barack Obama are NOT war criminals?
• Do you believe the death of one black male is more outrageous than the death of thousands of Arabs, Muslims and Middle Easterners?
• Do you believe the shooting of one black man by a non-black man is more outrageous than the hundreds of shootings of black men by other black men?
• Do you believe that the uncharged, unindicted, unconvicted "terrorists" who are being held as political prisoners in Guantanamo Bay should starve, right along with the guilty?
• Do you believe the USA PATRIOT Act was necessary?
• Do you believe the Affordable Care Act is Constitutional and well-thought out?
• Do you believe the provision in the NDAA allowing for indefinite detentions will never be applied to U.S. citizens?
• Do you believe that Danny Manning and Edward Snowden are traitors?
• Do you believe that genetically modified organisms are nothing to be concerned about?
• Do you believe the War on Drugs is money well-spent?
• Do you believe the War on Terror is winnable?
• Do you believe the key to making human beings less violent is the regulation of inanimate objects?
• Do you believe in pro-life but tacitly approve the murder, torture, and dehumanization of millions?
• Do you believe in pro-choice but deny the choices of unborn children and their fathers?
• Do you believe that Democrats are the party of the people or that Republicans believe in small government?
• Do you believe that what side of the isle you sit on in Congress makes a difference?
• Do you believe that the President or even the Congress controls the fate of the country?
• Do you believe we are not all in the same sinking boat and those who control the life boats will decide who lives and who drowns based upon what you look like rather than what you can do for them?
• Do you believe that problems are so vast, so big, and so long-standing that you couldn't possibly do anything about them?

If you answered yes, to any of these questions then you are suffering from Cognitive Dissonance and you are killing America.  Cognitive Dissonance is the disease; cancer, diabetes, stroke, violent deaths, poverty, racism, partisanship, warmongering -- those are the symptoms.  No matter how severe your case of Cognitive Dissonance is, it does not have to be a terminal affliction.  The world has shown America the path to the cure.  If Germans can bring down the Wall, if Russians can dismantle Communism, and if the Arab world can depose dictators and resist religious extremism, then we in the United States of America, the progenitors of modern democracy,  certainly can overcome the pandemic that is devouring us from the inside.

"Anytime there is insufficient reward, there will be dissonance.  The general principal seems to be that people come to believe in and love the things they have to suffer for." ~Leon Festinger

"Da Art Of Storytellin' (Part 2)" by Outkast from Aquemini released 1998 on LaFace

Are you stronger than you know?

File Under: What Condition Our Condition Is In

Copyright (c) 2011 Kevin Murphy

For anyone who just wants the CliffsNotes® version: yes. Go on about your day with your bad self. For the rest of us a perceived deficit of strength may really ignore an actual deficiency in a more specific skill, such as patience, foresight, or follow-through. When in your heart you believe, ‘I am not strong enough,’ your mind could be trying to communicate you simply need missing skills, reinforcement, enhancement, and support. The important thing to remember is that as individuals we are all capable of seeing any task through, because strength or the lack thereof, is considerably relative and primarily a state of mind.

It is only when brought to the very limits of possibility, the absolute threshold of what we believe we can bear are we ever truly able to see how strong we are. Just as a muscle not pushed beyond its limitations gains no strength from trivial exercise, neither do we as people progress without struggle. We have the benefit that our limits exist only in our minds, hearts, and spirit. When your emotional-spiritual muscle begins to feel the burn, revel in the heady feeling of being overwhelmed and near breaking; and know that true growth and progress is at hand.

When speaking of the mind, heart, and spirit some truth resides in the cliché aphorism that whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger. The caveat is that the ultimate outcome of the situation is largely dependent on the attitude, will, and fortitude of the individual. This is the moment you muster all your bravery, all your wisdom, and all your perseverance. You stand up, you push through the pain and the frustration, you find a way to get beyond your obstacles, and you prove to yourself the true measure of strength.

I dedicate today’s blog to the peoples of the world currently engaged in ongoing struggles for peace, freedom, and equality; especially the many nations and people who's revolution is fought maybe only in their hearts, out of the eyes of the media and the affluent nations of the world. Let us also not forget the nations and peoples dealt a mighty physical, emotional, and spiritual blow by natural catastrophes as they attempt to find the strength, resources, and support to recover and rebuild. Finally, to the poor, downtrodden, oppressed, disenfranchised, neglected, misused, abused, and lonely here at home – you too are stronger than you know.

To America, Whom I Love

File Under: America, The Beautiful

Copyright (c) 2010 Phill Petrovic

Two hundred thirty-four years ago, a bold experiment in democracy began. Fed up with the tyranny of a crown that demanded remittances from afar yet refused to include its loyal subjects in the determination of their own fates, a handful of lawyers, doctors, farmers, and various businessmen came together under the idea that a country should be governed by a body accountable to and representative of its people. These idealistic individuals initiated and successfully fought one of the most important rebellions in history. This rebellion would be the first ringing of the death knell for oligarchies, imperialism, and political oppression. From the fires of freedom and liberty, forged on the anvil of justice, and quenched in the waters of self-determination would come one of the most illustrious republics in history – the United States of America.

For all her experiences, America is yet a young nation.

For all her accomplishments, she has only scratched the surface.

For all her majesty, she is still flawed.

For all her progress, she has yet far to go.

For all her wealth, her citizens are still impoverished.

For all her wisdom, she still has much to learn.

For all her strength, she still has moments of weakness.

For all her leadership, she still follows.

For all her unity, she is yet divided.

For all her clarity, she still has turmoil.

America you are wonderfully, beautifully, magnificently imperfect,

And for this reason, we your faithful, grateful sons and daughters love you.

Happy Birthday America, and may we all be blessed.

Is a protest song supposed to make you feel patriotic? Perhaps. This song always made me feel proud of the mistakes and struggles America has made as a nation because we never give in to the forces that conspire to destroy freedom and democracy - no matter if those forces are from within or without. This is a true anthem for the modern American experience, from a monolithic singer-songwriter and lover of America.