COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

Today while trying to stay awake during yet another sales training class/video, the idea for this blog popped into my head. True focus, I know. I like when these speakers try to explain the psychological side of selling. Usually, it's just "have a positive attitude, and you'll do great." Booooring! But today was a bit different. I forget the speaker's name, but he was talking about the law of attraction, the affirmation process, self-empowerment, etc., etc. What woke me up though was when he started talking about "SELF-TALK." The fact that we have 1,000 thoughts per hour was news to me. But it was a bummer to find out that 75% of these thoughts are NEGATIVE!

Then he starts talking about COGNITIVE DISSONANCE. This made me actually sit upright and start listening. And then I faded to a blog that I read yesterday by J. Awesome blog, but what made me start "spacing out" were some comments made on that blog by an obvious neo-con. Anyone that reads any of the "progressive" blogs knows what kind of comments I'm talking about. It's almost like REPUBLICAN PRIDE. And no matter what you say, you're wrong.

My take on this is that the folks that fall in this category of neo-con, republican, bush supporter, etc. is that the current "situation" that we're at odds about makes them question their whole being. VERY FEW people "convert" to that side. They're born, bred, and brainwashed with this ideology. Facts don't matter. No critical thought. No questioning. Perfectly molded sheep. They are products of this system and have been rewarded for their allegiance. It's a shame, but it's true. It's kinda like the difference between "common sense smart" and "book smart."

As frustrating as it is to me, I don't blame them personally. They are followers to the degree that they CAN'T think any other way. They think it's a competition; they don't realize we're all Americans and ON THE SAME TEAM. We both want what's best for the country, and that's NOT to be an empire. That's not to torture. That's not to ignore international law. We are a PART of this world; we are NOT the world. We need other countries.

The financial repercussions that we're going to be facing for the next few decades as a result of pretty much everything this administration has done is unfathomable. We are so far in debt, and we have no means to generate money within our own borders. All the jobs are, or are heading overseas. I'm sure I'll see the time where NO cars will be built in America. And how is Bush and Cheney gonna let Haliburton move to Dubai with all our tax money. As if no-bid contracts weren't bad enough, now they're gonna get away without paying taxes on the BILLIONS of dollars they received from the defense budget.

I'd like to end with this thought regarding the word-smithing of our diminishing civil rights...

Our highest government officials defend spying, wiretapping, etc. by saying that we shouldn't worry about it if we're doing nothing wrong. To that, I say this...

IF WE SHOULD TRUST ENOUGH TO NOT WORRY, THEN WHY DON'T MR BUSH STOP WITH THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE AND LET THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT'S GOING (AND HAS BEEN GOING ON) SIT ON THE STAND AND TESTIFY? IT WORKS BOTH WAYS. TAP THE WHITE HOUSE PHONES!!!

Good Night...