Politics and Human Behavior

One of the most bizarre aspects of human behavior is emotion.

Emotions are a two-sided element--both a blessing and a curse.

The blessings of emotions are that when we see them on others, we are given valuable information about how one is feeling. This information could save our lives if we see escalating anger, surprise or fear.  We get valuable information we can act on immediately.

And yet there is a curse to emotions, too. Emotions can be felt very strongly and science has found that when we are emotional over something, the odds are high that emotions will beat logic time and time again.

I witness this a lot lately with the elections.  While I don't discuss politics on this blog, I am frequently ask by people who know me offline what my political beliefs are. People are naturally curious what a truth wizard thinks!  And I understand.

The funny part is no matter how much admiration and respect a person may have for me, if I share my political beliefs, its fascinating how quickly that admiration and respect gets flushed away, if my opinion differs from the person I am speaking to!

It's instant!  And quite mind-boggling!  And 100% of the time, in these instances, there are no questions asked--no curiosity, or even pondering why I may believe what I believe. The door slams closed!  Swiftly and decisively.

And I can't help but think--wait a minute! You trusted me for my beliefs on many things when it comes to truth and lies, but politically, all of the sudden I have no weight on truth and lies??

I always stand there pondering why.  How does one rationalize that?

And yet I understand it.  It has nothing to do with me and has everything to do with emotions!

Human beings are quirky, aren't they?

With all of this said, next time your emotions come into play, take note. Ask questions and see what the other side says before you close the door. We'll all be better people for it!