Seen and Disbelieved

[kokopelle]

This is a WAG, a Wide Area Generalization. Nuff said!

I've witnessed what I perceived to be very reactive remarks on public LJ blogs. At first I thought it was an aberration, but this happened over and over. Who will respond, and how they will respond, has become predictable. Those with elder status had the most predictably pointed remarks. They have years of experience teaching, leading worship, and generally being spiritual mentors. What's the deal? I got a clue today in one of my computer industry trade journals. The column 'Technically Speaking", in the December 2006 'Better Software' magazine, was titled "Believing is Seeing". The column was about "On the Perception of Incongruity: A Paradigm", a psychological study on the nature of perception that was done in 1949 by Jerome S. Bruner and Leo J. Postman.

As presented in the column, Gary Jaron summarized the study's findings as follows:

"Beliefs have the power to affect the mind's ability to accurately interpret incoming sense data. The stronger the beliefs, the stronger the convictions, the more resistant those beliefs will be to challenged by incoming sense data of any kind. Those strongly held beliefs will fight off any incoming data that appears to, and attempts to, contradict those prior beliefs."

Do years of experience contribute to a purely reactive response, irresponsible of the quality of the incoming data? It is an incredible irony that experience can lead to intolerance by blindness, lack of compromise by deafness, and belligerence by rigid assuredness. Is this inevitable? Do all those with years of experience led to this trap? I don't know.

How can this trap be corrected if it does happen? More often than not, there is some event in the person's life that informs them that data does have different interpretations. Perhaps this occurred because of a reactive response towards them. Whatever the reason, and no matter how painful it may be, (IMO) it is good to be broken from the illusion of our fixed convictions.

It is better that none of us come to this end. Nobody has all the answers or can even pretend to. Why do so? I suppose we are human. Still, I hope this is not an inevitable conclusion to years of service.

Is this a WAG? Is there another explanation to what I've seen???

Comments

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

You asked:

Do years of experience contribute to a purely reactive response, irresponsible of the quality of the incoming data? It is an incredible irony that experience can lead to intolerance by blindness, lack of compromise by deafness, and belligerence by rigid assuredness. Is this inevitable? Do all those with years of experience led to this trap?

Sometimes. There are some areas where 'purely reactive responses' are useful- like the long-honed ability to diagnose a computer malfunction by relying on senses like sound and smell and The Usual Clues. Having to start from scratch every time I run into a computer malfunction would sharply curtail my ability to do my job, and eventually end my employment. I've got to be able to ascertain a problem within minutes- decide if a machine can be fixed in situ or taken to my workshop. I usually diagnose within seconds.

That is why I am a Master Technician. I get paid well to do what I do.

In metaphysical and 'soft' fields where dealing directly with people is the main function, sometimes age can create a rigidity and inability to accept change. We do tend to grow 'shells' as we get older- find routines and get stuck in ruts. Age and bitter experience makes people realize how fragile everything truly is, and they cling to their lives and routines quite tightly. Ever notice how sometimes really old people can hold some rather nasty opinions? It happens to all of us. The best we can do is to be aware of it.

Also, one must consider how young people can be downright offensive to older folks. They have their own kinds of shells. The false belief that they are indestructible and know everything (a side effect not-quite mature cerebral synapses) can be grating and even offensive. There is sometimes a condenscending hostility in some youth that makes actual communication with them difficult. It can be hard to get past that false shell of self-esteem and find the person within. When the youngster gets snarky and begins to denegrate older people, it can be very offputting. We know that time will crack that shell, but it isn't pleasant.

It is difficult to maintain a consistently flexible viewpoint and response to things because it is human nature to find some anchor point somewhere and attach our viewpoints to it. This is simply the way things are. We must find a place to put down roots, and do so. Youngsters do not understand this, and the difference of opinion can be difficult. Youngsters always try to tug rooted people off their anchorage, not understanding that anchorage is a sign of maturity.

Attempts to sway convictions and uproot are one of the markers of youth. Their viewpoints are not yet anchored, and they need to find some comfort in convincing people that they are right, even when 'right' is a relative term.

And there's the key: There are no 'right' opinions or beliefs- only those which fit our own experience stacks. A sign of maturity is the leaving behind of the desire to convict and convert and instead cultivating the abilty to look through others' eyes without losing yourself in their minds. It's called compassionate detachment. Not an easy thing to cultivate, but worth the time and effort.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

These are wise words. I like your observations about youth and the definition of "signs of maturity" in the last paragraph. Tying the two together with a twist - in their mutual weakness, the young attempt to convert and the old attempt to convict.

Using "young" and "old" in reference to experience, the Catch-22 is that one weak action can lead to the other, with a circle created. The young try to convert. The old, in turn, try to convict. Or, the old try to convict and in response the young try to convert.

Perhaps I am on the snarky young side of the scale, as I more often see the conviction of others, even while they do not. I can be a trickster poking at anchorages, seeking to see what maturity is supported. Often I am impressed. Sometimes I am disappointed. Maybe that is it.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

BTW, I can relate to your Master Technician story. In my role as programmer and system designer, I too have to make those intuitive discernments based on experience. Are they always right? Naw... sometimes it is nice (in a learning kind of way) to say, "I've never seen that before". More often though, experience is a wonderful teacher.

[chimerae.livejournal.com]

I find that communication is often linked to a skew toward those who feel a sense of idea-entitlement or more likely ego-entitlement.

Many times and in many places, I start to comment and then feel a rush of anxiety and say nothing. I'm pretty capable of standing up and being an odd voice. I know that there are many many non-aggressive people out there who read and think but do not comment because they feel that their ideas would not be welcomed and -- worse -- would be attacked by the thought-police.

You consistently express out-of-pattern indeas. I suspect that there are many people who read your words and take something from them, silently experiencing vicarous empowerment as your posts work as lightning rods.

I think it's important to always remember in public forums that there are many people who read and observe silently but do not comment. You may be writing for those unexpressed voices.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

I have a stable of "out-of-pattern" ideas. Most of them I dare not post because people are just being people. Entitlement and ego have a firm grip on us humans. This is an expected thing. There are also noble reasons for pointed remarks, and I've commented on these as well. This material has been (mostly) kept to my personal blog. I honor those who have chosen to comment and equally thank those who merely read.

[lupini.livejournal.com]

Interesting. In my experience, age often brings flexibility (at least mentally [grin]). With experience one gains knowledge that they don't know everything and that most anything is possible. While I may be more rigid in my own daily behaviors, I find I am much more able to accept things that are outside the norm now than I was at 25. True, due to that experience I may *personally* feel I know what the outcome will be of some new idea (tried that, didn't work, tried something else), I realize that each person must gain their own experience. What didn't work for me may work for the next person.

Hmmm...more to ponder.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

I don't think the causal factor is only chronological age. There are both young and old fools (grin). Instead, as you point out, the factor seems to be the depth of training and experience in a particular modality. Anything is possible, but a deep depth of experience seems to both inform wise choices AND contrarily influence interpretation of new data. But, what can we do but come from our experiences? Tis the human thing.