As subscribers to the method of reason, we have all confronted situations that are blatantly rooted in dogma (def: principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true). Sometimes, the "authority" is a scripture, sometimes a religious/cult leader, sometimes family or cultural practices or conditioning. As we counter these at every opportunity, I have wondered about the effectiveness or stickiness of our actions. One thing I can definitely say is that we leave behind our image of being weird and non-conforming!
This motivated me to dissect the irrationalism into the following framework:
- Reason Aversion. Those who are bought into dogma are bought into it at a very deep level. This level precludes skepticism and the possibility of a meaningful dialog.
- Faith. Faith is used by people for unconditional surrender and a delegation (abdication?) of responsibilities (and worries) to an unknown, "divine" entity. People may be in this state without having thought about the reasoning for this state, and may even find the questioning of such faith uncomfortable.
- Superstition & Beliefs. These usually stem from folk-lore or coincidences mistaken as correlations. A particular faith may have its set of superstitions and beliefs. In most cases, people follow these practices in a benign manner. In several cases, there are manipulators (e.g., god-men and god-women) who exploit the faith of the believers/followers.
- Irrational Behaviors. A practice of a superstition/belief is seen as an irrational behavior. These are the visible manifestations of superstitions and beliefs.
Irrational behaviors are the easiest to spot and attempt to address. Some years ago, a niece would not hand me a pair of scissors - she wanted to place the scissors on the table for me to pick up, because if she handed me the scissors, it would induce a fight between us. I resisted picking up from the table, she refused to give me directly, and the fight ensued even though I finally took the scissors from the table. Looking back at the episode: (a) henceforth, she will avoid any scissors interaction with me, (b) her superstition remains as strong as ever, (c) I established myself as a weirdo ;-)
The silly example above is just to illustrate the futility of countering the symptom when the root cause is left untouched. Was it worth my while to attempt to dispel the myth in my niece's mind? Her belief in the myth comes from her personal insecurity and lack of conviction. I wasn't attempting, and did not have the opportunity to address the insecurity and lack of conviction.
It is not that people will not change their views or be open to discussion. "Strike while the iron is hot," is the saying. Sometimes, it takes some serious trauma for a believer to feel "let down by the almighty." Unless a believer opens up for such or other proactive, introspective reasons, I think it is futile to butt heads on the symptoms. It is only when a believer becomes a skeptic that (s)he is open to a dialog based on reason. The time is also ripe for the person to be convinced that not everything is known or will ever be known, and it is ok to have many unknowns at any point in time. The believer was just ascribing all the unknowns to the divine entity - which can just be a semantic matter!
Such opportunities for paradigm shifts are rare. Many beliefs just die out with the generation, their progeny typically are less strong believers and better skeptics, and the cultural-anthropological-evolution continues. Some societies evolve faster than others, given the freedom of thought, expression, and without any stigma for non-conformance with the culture.
4 comments:
The rational reason behind the superstition of not handing over the scissors is the possibility of hurting the receiver of the instrument. I found this practice applied to a knife also. In fact the right etiquette of handing over a knife or scissors is to point the handle towards the receiver. This common sense practice turned into a superstition when people forgot the underlying reason. This is true for a lot of superstitions and beliefs whose origin was based on reason.
Agreed. It is with the lack of evolution of cultural systems that practices lose meaning and become rituals/ superstitions.
Yes, true. It would be an interesting project to analyze various superstitions and try to figure the genesis of such practices. That would be a good way to fight and eradicate them before they get entrenched in the young minds.I have no hopes of convincing the older generation. Full disclosure: I belong to the older generation.
Excellent dissection. All of them can be benign or malignant based on the circumstance and methods of application.
Superstition, as illustrated, may be the lightest in terms of possible damage. The number 13, black cats, breaking mirrors, or walking under ladders, may all be things you actively avoid – if you’re anything like the 25% of people in the US who consider themselves superstitious. means a belief in supernatural forces – such as fate – the desire to influence unpredictable factors and a need to resolve uncertainty.
Most the mentioned examples of the superstitions are relatively benign, They may even serve some purpose of providing sense of control and reduce anxiety to an individual who subscribes to that. Even often quoted maxim, “the harder you work (practice) the luckier you get” is a form of superstition and myth.
However, the superstition too can turn to the toxic form which can damage and even destruct the society . It is easier than ever for special interests to spread disinformation on vital issues and exploit the superstition or originating bias.
Regarding the faith, one may argue that it too gives lots of strength. When anxiety and fear begin to dominate our thinking, faith can give confidence needed to dispel isolation and turn one away from despair. Living by faith is better than living by feat.
Think of suicide bombers .They must have strong faith and belief to volunteer for such acts ! You may applaud their faith or condemn it. However it is the force of faith that determines their course of actions. Deep faith, belief , adherence to tradition, habits also has a case towards making life more efficient. One does not need to think and have paralysis by analysis for every act of his/her life.
One can cultivate open mindedness on faith too !
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Nothing can be founded solely on tradition, either. The world is continuously evolving and changing, and we have to change our rules and norms to keep up with it. As civilization grows changes come more frequently and with higher intensity. If thinking about religion can neither be completely passion-driven nor completely tradition-driven, what else must be considered in regards to it?
The short answer is logic and open-mindedness. That required the abandonment of “Holier than thou” or “My way or the highway “attitude.
I would rather see my kids,, myself grow with an open-mind questioning and reasoning than take a refuge under some faith and loose the needed flexibility needed to handle the change.
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