In an article entitled “The Science of why we don’t believe Science” Chris Mooney explains some of the social and psychological reasons why people seem to hold onto their thinking about the world even in the face of ‘damning’ scientific evidence to the contrary.
I found this an interesting discussion of the controversy around a wide range of topics, from global warming to President Obama’s religion and birthplace.
Briefly, the article points out that in the face of contrary opinions or evidence people often become even more entrenched in their point of view because reasoning is closely tied to emotional reactions. Having one’s beliefs threatened, or seemingly threatened, by new evidence elicits a fight-or-flight response not just in the physical body but also in thoughts and emotions. The result? Increasingly polarized opinions and arguments such as those that surround most of today’s hot-button topics.
I believe the abovementioned article provides some insight into the difficulty of reaching concensus on any controversial topic, wherein individuals or groups become increasingly irrational or defensive in their arguments.
How, then, can we go about making more peace and understanding so that we can move forward to greater prosperity?
In thinking about this question I was reminded of Dahn Yoga’s Shim Sung workshop (also known as Finding True Self or Self-Discovery Workshop).
An essential part of the Shim Sung workshop is the realization that “I am not my thinking, I am not my emotion, but they are mine.” This taking-ownership of our thoughts and emotions, as opposed to reacting without awareness, is an essential first step in being able to find common ground with those who think or feel differently from ourselves.
Often times our own unconscious judgments make us feel stressed even when intellectually we see no reason to be upset. This unconscious stress influences our emotions and reasoning, making patience and understanding increasingly difficult.
One of the key aspects of the Shim Sung workshop and all Dahn Yoga programs is awakening to the information that is contained within our bodies. By calming the mind and using the body, we gain greater awareness of our feelings and thoughts, and with that greater power to choose which ones to act on.
These days we have a world of information literally at our fingertips, but utilizing and sharing this information for positive purposes will require the ability to control our thoughts and emotions. As mentioned in the article above, merely presenting evidence to counter someone else’s opinion usually doesn’t change that person’s mind. Only by finding the common ground, the “True Self” that we all share, can we begin to understand and trust each other enough to overcome our own doubts about all things new and different. That, I believe, is a great skill to practice.
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Tags: community, Dahn Yoga, peace, shim sung, understanding
