A Matter of Perception
In polite society, we are supposed to be respectful of the opinions of others. We are told to hear the other person out, to disagree without being disagreeable.
Fair enough. But I would point out that not all beliefs and belief systems deserve respect.
Look around. People believe things that are ridiculous, ignorant, misinformed, cruel, and/or paranoid.
There are people out there who believe that space aliens built the Egyptian pyramids.
Today in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, “honor killings” claim the lives of up to 20,000 women every year.
Half of adult Christians in the United States believe that God created humans 6,000-odd years ago. Apparently, the overwhelming scientific evidence about evolution is nothing but lies, straight from the pit of Hell.
Many fundamentalist Muslims believe, depending on their interpretation of the Koran, that they will be greeted after death by 50 to 75 virgins/wives/ladies, enough servants to fill an auditorium, and riches beyond the dreams of avarice.
Some people believe in reincarnation, ESP, fortune-telling.
Some people believe the murder of abortion doctors is justified.
And don’t forget the astounding 1997 incident of the Heaven’s Gate religious cult.
In 1997, convinced that the Earth was about to be wiped clean of all life, 39 members of the California cult committed suicide in order to be taken aboard an alien spaceship that was waiting behind an approaching comet to whisk them away to glory. Seriously.
Each of the 39 bodies was found with a bit of traveling money in a shirt pocket — a five-dollar bill and three quarters. They wore matching black uniforms and black Nike shoes. (“Just do it”?)
Let’s be real: some people — even seemingly intelligent and rational people — believe and espouse things, from simple ideas to complex worldviews, that are somewhere on a scale between a bit eccentric and completely nuts.
How does this happen? How can a person be exposed to the same facts as everyone else, yet reach a completely ditzy conclusion? Are large numbers of us mentally unbalanced?
Well, yes and no. New evidence suggests that the answer, in part, is biological. Genetic. A matter of perception based on how individual brains are wired.
More on that fascinating topic in my next post.
This patch was sewn onto the uniforms of the 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate religious cult who committed suicide in 1997. It even depicts the comet.
Leave a Reply