Dissonance can be understood as an intellectual-emotional condition. The root causes of dissonance are reflected in the exclusionary nature of the model and the internal conflicts within each separate realm. The same as the model, dissonance can be abstract, social or physical. In religion, dissonance is fueled by fear. In politics, dissonance is fueled by pride. In economics, dissonance is fueled by greed. Fear, pride and greed are all emotional states! Therefore, we can conclude that dissonance is caused by an emotional state that clouds our reasoning.
This is consistent with many studies that claim our sense of knowing something is a feeling. Dissonance can be understood as a bigotry that "feels right' emotionally but is rationally incorrect. In other words, it is not just two incompatible ideas (accepting 2+2=4 and 2+2=5), but when ideas and emotions are in conflict, too. Virtue is when the head, heart and hands are equally informed. A virtuous society is when everyone recognizes and shares that balance. Peer pressure can encourage both healthy and unhealthy behaviors. Obviously, it would be best if individuals and organizations promoted consistently healthy virtues.
Feeding the wolves inside of us
There is a story of a Native American grandfather talking to his grandson. After purchasing a new knife and walking out of the trading post, some others boys surround the grandson, and trip him backwards. When he opens his hand to break his fall, he drops the knife. They tell him he does not deserve such a good knife; they steal it and run away. The grandson is full of rage and sorrow when he recounts the story to his grandfather.
His grandfather tells them that inside of all men live two wolves, one black and one white. The black wolf is full of hate, jealousy, revenge, greed and anger. The black wolf makes many bad choices. The white wolf is the opposite. It takes a longer view of things. He does not want to bring harm to those who harmed him, because in doing so, he will become small and petty just like them. The child is startled to think that he could become just like his enemy. He cautiously asks his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?' To which the grandfather replies, "The one that you feed.'
Dissonant thoughts are triggered by our emotions and are easily recognizable. The black wolf is our dark emotions. The white wolf is our clear reasoning. We know which wolf we are feeding. Whenever we are angry, hypocrisy, or some element of misunderstanding, is nearby. The question is only whether the trigger is fear, pride or greed. When the knife was stolen, all of those issues were present. He was afraid because they ganged up on him. His pride was wounded because they tricked him, and he was also proud of his possession. His greed wanted the knife back.
He had worked for and saved for the knife, but he did not get his reward. However, the knife was not the issue. He had spent his whole life not owning a knife, and more days in the same state of non-possession have no impact. Rather, his expectations frame the issue. His disappointment, hurt, and desire for revenge were inversely proportional to his desire and expectations. As a baseline, everyone expects the reward of their labor and mutual respect. We do not expect hate or anger to be directed at ourselves, unless we have been conditioned by its frequent occurrence. We define our own ambition, which is our expectation. Our potential for disappointment is a reflection of our pride.
The discovery for the child was two-fold. First, not all people are perfect. Second, neither was he. We do not expect the rage that pours out of ourselves. We discover that we are like children, and do not have complete control of our emotions.
In a classroom, we discover a quantity of objective knowledge that is exciting to learn, but it is not a great epiphany. It is the discovery of ourselves that mark our epiphanies. They usually occur after a wrenching emotional moment. The rage spurred by fear, pride and greed is eventually exhausted, and a spiritual and rational calm fills the void. For example, former neo-nazi skinheads have transformed into Buddhist monks. These transformations occur within everyone. No one starts out as a neo-nazi or a buddhist monk. We reach our current state through a process of emotional evolution. At some point we overreach, and then we begin the process of retraction.
The grandson could not change the boys who stole his knife, but he had to decide what he expected from himself. He could have easily planned a counter-attack by getting his own group of friends or adults. The decision centered on which wolf he would feed, and therefore who he would be in the world. We all bring some share of hurt into the world.
Everyone believes that their opinions are well-reasoned, that their anger is justified, and their fears are commonsense. That is why self-analysis is a critical element of enlightenment.
There are cabals that encourage the opposite. The gang of boys that stole the knife allowed themselves to be swayed by cruelty and greed. This is not the normal state of man. Every nation trains young men to glorify their baser instincts. Soldiers return from war zones with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because they are unable to cope with the wide discrepancy between their emotions, actions and the intended goal. Love of comrades and hatred of enemies cannot coexist. The struggle to change their values causes the trauma. When the wolves do battle, the mind and emotions are tortured.
A house divided is when the means and the ends are opposites. Epiphanies are difficult. The capitalist and the socialist both have trouble accepting that they could be wrong about the economy, and that their enemy is more like themselves than different. The same is true of those would make moral judgements on others. The stone-thrower is not more righteous than the adulteress. He has simply adopted a different sin.
For everyone, it is our own unique dissonance that is our greatest struggle. When we form or join a group, we need to be careful about the assumptions of the group. The single purpose upon which it is founded may be doing as much harm as good. Recognizing contradictions, and the role of fiscal stress, is the first step in eliminating both.
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