Really Early

I couldn't sleep and so I'm musing while exploring the long list of blogs I read…and speaking of things I knew but didn't like to acknowledge…I read about a study that was made of people and their beliefs. When given a so-called 'fact', most people will accept it without any further study if falls within their belief system. As long as that 'fact' doesn't cause any ripples in their cerebral cortex, it will be accepted; no questions asked. Their belief system has evolved over the years and they are usually quite content with how well it works. You might think of it as a large and very strong safe. With the right combination it opens and the fact is placed within. Any fact that doesn't fit that belief system stays outside.

And if you show up with a 'fact' that threatens the validity of the one within the safe, an alarm goes off and the safe is checked to make certain that the door is securely locked. No one ever hauls out the other fact so that they might be compared to determine which is true. No, it's an assault as far as they are concerned. Code Red!

Now let's suppose you bring along some experts, complete with charts and photographs, to validate this new fact. The safe will remain closed. You might as well send the experts home. At this point, it makes no difference as to whether or not the fact inside the safe is true. To acknowledge that they are wrong becomes impossible.

Okay, I'm being simplistic. But, unfortunately, there are simple and far too basic human emotions in play here and that is what makes it so frustrating. This refusal to evaluate facts happens to the brightest as well as the dullards within society. And it is so dangerous! We recently had a President that operated this way and we may have another. Wouldn't you think that with the maturity needed to become a leader, that they would be open to new ideas and (gasp!) new facts?

I'm not being specific here. I'm not pointing to any one person or any one fact. I'm just marveling that after all of these thousands of years upon this planet, we are still afraid of 'facts'. We even seem to be proud of our ignorance of new facts. Why haven't we evolved? And will this flaw, this refusal to evaluate facts, be our downfall?