Tell me about when things are arbitrary and people think their choice isn't...

As an adjunct to my last blog post: United We Stand: Bridging America's Divides...

A talk my son had this week with an AI:

Tell me about when things are arbitrary and people think their choice isn't.

AI:

Ah, the fascinating world of human decision-making! There are many instances where people believe their choices are based on solid reasoning, but in reality, they might be more arbitrary than they think. Here are a few examples:

1. Brand Loyalty

People often stick to certain brands, believing they offer superior quality or value. However, studies have shown that brand loyalty can be influenced by arbitrary factors like advertising, packaging, or even the order in which they encountered the brands.

2. Voting Behavior

Voters might think their political choices are based on careful consideration of policies and candidates. Yet, research suggests that many voters are influenced by factors like a candidate's appearance, name recognition, or even the weather on election day.

3. Consumer Choices

When shopping, people might believe they are making rational decisions based on price and quality. However, factors like product placement, store layout, and even background music can subtly influence their choices.

4. Personal Preferences

People often have strong preferences for things like food, music, or hobbies. While they might think these preferences are deeply personal, they can be shaped by arbitrary factors like cultural exposure, peer influence, or even random experiences.

5. Risk Perception

Individuals often believe they are making rational decisions about risk, such as in financial investments or health behaviors. However, cognitive biases like the availability heuristic (relying on immediate examples that come to mind) can lead to arbitrary risk assessments.

6. Social Conformity

People might think they are making independent choices, but social conformity can play a significant role. The desire to fit in or be accepted by a group can lead to decisions that are more about social dynamics than personal preference.

In many cases, our brains are wired to seek patterns and make quick decisions, which can lead to arbitrary influences creeping in. It's a reminder of the complexity and sometimes unpredictability of human behavior.

Ever noticed any of these in your own life?

What's the name for a political viewpoint that includes both liberalism and conservativism situationally instead of just one or the other.

The political viewpoint you're describing is often referred to as "centrism" or "moderate". Centrists or moderates tend to adopt positions from both liberal and conservative ideologies, depending on the issue at hand. They aim to find a balance between the two extremes, advocating for pragmatic and practical solutions rather than strictly adhering to one ideology.

Centrism can vary widely, as it depends on the specific context and the individual's personal beliefs. Some centrists might lean more towards liberal policies on social issues while favoring conservative approaches to economic matters, or vice versa.

It's a flexible and situational approach to politics, focusing on what works best for a given situation rather than sticking to a rigid ideological framework. Does this align with what you had in mind?

How do you compare progressive and moderate in relation to these political points?

Progressives and moderates often differ in their approach to political issues, even if they might share some common goals. Here's a comparison:

Progressives

• Social Issues: Progressives typically advocate for rapid and significant changes to address social inequalities. They support policies like universal healthcare, free college education, and strong environmental regulations.

• Economic Policies: They often favor higher taxes on the wealthy and large corporations to fund social programs and reduce income inequality.

• Government Role: Progressives believe in a more active government role in regulating the economy and providing social services.

• Change: They push for transformative changes and are often seen as more radical in their approach.

Moderates

• Social Issues: Moderates tend to support incremental changes and seek a balance between progressive and conservative views. They might support some social programs but prefer more gradual implementation.

• Economic Policies: They often advocate for a balanced approach, supporting both market-driven solutions and some level of government intervention.

• Government Role: Moderates believe in a limited but effective government role, focusing on practical and achievable solutions.

• Change: They prefer pragmatic and incremental changes, aiming to find common ground between different political ideologies.

In essence, progressives are more likely to push for bold and sweeping reforms, while moderates seek a middle path, balancing progressive and conservative ideas to achieve practical solutions. This situational approach allows moderates to adapt their views based on the specific issue at hand, rather than adhering strictly to one ideology.

 Compiled with the aid of AI

The Decline or Rise of Western Civilization: it's all in how you see it

It’s a mixed picture, while political polarization, economic inequality, and environmental challenges seem to signify decline, we are also witnessing rapid advances in technology, social justice, and global cooperation. The fear surrounding authoritarianism in the Republican Party is real, but whether that leads to long-term societal decline depends on how democratic institutions and civil society respond.

Ultimately, it might be more accurate to view the current moment as a turbulent chapter in a long, complex story of human civilization—one filled with both setbacks and progress.

The meme plays into the common narrative that Western civilization is in decline, reflecting a perception of societal decay. However, whether we're truly in a decline or just experiencing the ups and downs of a complex world depends on how we frame "decline" and "advancement."

Are We in Decline?

The rise of authoritarian tendencies, especially in parts of the U.S. and Europe, does give the impression that democratic norms are eroding. The Trump presidency, combined with increasing populism and far-right movements in countries like Hungary or Poland, has made many worry about the future of democracy. Efforts to undermine elections, attacks on independent media, and the normalization of extremism are genuinely alarming.

Globalization and technological advancements have brought tremendous wealth to some, but they have also deepened inequality. Many feel left behind, leading to social discontent and populist revolts. The struggles of the working class, wage stagnation, and the concentration of wealth fuel the perception of societal failure.
Environmental degradation and the climate crisis are real existential threats. The slow pace of governmental response, even as scientific consensus grows, adds to the fear that humanity is failing to meet one of its greatest challenges.

Is This Just Business as Usual?

History shows that societies go through cycles of conflict, change, and renewal. What feels like decline could be a part of that broader process:

Despite the social and political turmoil, human knowledge and technology are advancing rapidly. We're seeing breakthroughs in medicine, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and space exploration. These advancements have the potential to solve many of the problems we're facing, like climate change or health crises.

On a societal level, there have been major strides in civil rights, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and movements for racial justice. These advances suggest that, despite visible regression in some areas, there are significant long-term improvements in how we treat each other.

The world is more interconnected than ever, and while nationalism and isolationism have gained some ground, global cooperation in areas like climate policy (e.g., Paris Agreement), health (COVID-19 vaccine development), and trade still persist.
Even in times of political tension, there are clear signs of moral progress.

Issues like marriage equality, mental health awareness, and disability rights have become mainstream.

Vaccines, life expectancy, and efforts to eradicate diseases reflect a broader commitment to human well-being.

Movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter show that society is grappling with injustices that were long ignored, pushing for systemic changes.

Perception Affects Reality.

Political trends in the U.S. like Trump's influence and the growing authoritarianism in the Republican Party have made the situation feel more dire for many. The attempted undermining of democratic norms, appeals to extremism, and attacks on institutions make it seem like a unique and perilous moment.

However, perception of decline often amplifies feelings of fear, which can overlook the broader context of human progress. The narrative of decline often omits the resilience of democratic institutions, the ongoing push for greater justice, and the adaptability of human societies.

Cheers! Sláinte!

Beware, Be Aware of Perception, or Lack Thereof

I was just trying to explain something to a professional associate regarding who I am, how I am, and how I think. As an individual, I am really very easy going. That's a story unto itself. But I love humor, and I can come off as a bit goofy, or a screw up even. But I am not.

That demeanor of mine has confused people... all throughout my life. I've been taken as a fool, or ignorant, or a slacker even, until one starts talking to me in detail and finds I shoot past them into issues unseen, unknown, or unacknowledged by my interrogator, or at times, my tormentor. It is interesting that when I used to fight in martial arts tournaments, I won fights with that same..."talent"? Don't judge the book by its cover? After years in IT work, at some fairly high levels, some of that has been sloughed off.

I spent the first part of my life, fully intending to go into espionage. I heard early on that those who stand out, tall, big, loud, do not make for good spies. They stand out. And a spy doesn't want, especially literally, to stand above a crowd. It's too easy to get shot that way. Or uncovered when... undercover. I learned to blend in, I could disappear into a crowd. And I was 6'2". I learned how to be seen as someone not to be concerned about.

But that began in grade school to avoid bullies, and groups of guys wanted to pound me into the ground. Because I was loud. Because I did stand up for myself. And because I was a big toddler, who got used to terrorizing bigger, older kids. Until one day I was smaller than the other kids and they realized they could fight back en masse. I didn't get bigger again until 10th grade when I lost a few pounds, shot up a few inches and then had to regain my footing.

It didn't help that in grade school I had been in five different schools, in two different states before sixth grade.

I started learning about killing people in fifth grade. I spent junior high school years learning military thinking and skills. I learned weapons, firearms. Hand to hand combat. I practiced sharpening my mind (for what it's worth). Sadly, I also found emotional issues difficult in my life and sought out because of my family life, my personal self, and the counter culture (which wasn't counter to me, it was my culture) in the 60s and 70s and even 80s. 

I entered the Air Force and worked around very serious equipment and people. The most serious in the world in working around nuclear weapons. Though we also had a good time. Work hard, play hard. 

After I got out of the service I went through various life events, got a couple of college degrees, one a university degree in psychology majoring in perception and phenomenology in the Awareness and Reasoning division from Western Washington University. I worked over seven years at the University of Washington, and at two major Medical Centers associated with the UW, one the regional trauma center 

My point being, I've had a serious high-level attention to detail lifestyle for much of the first part of my life. I've built a mindset that is based on life or death, unlike (and thank "God" for that) most Americans. I don't view things as armchair quarterbacking, but will if I will die if I get it wrong. That being said, sure, everyone is wrong sooner or later. But not usually on major issues. 

That is my basis for how I think today.

Yes, I've gotten lazier, older, somewhat sloppy in my old age. But that level of accuracy is still, as I've discovered repeatedly of late, above and beyond that of most Americans... on their best days. Yes, that is sad. No, that is not bragging. That is stating something I originally found surprising, and find on an ongoing basis, very sad, and at times, pathetic.

We don't take the time today, we don't delve deep enough into things today. We don't have the time, the attention span, the desire, the dedication, the awareness even. We are seriously lacking in many important considerations and our decisions are suffering for it. Our country is suffering for it. Humanity is suffering for it.

We need to seek the facts, not our desires. We need to seek reality, not our personal or tribal fantasies. We have to see into and beyond the issues into the bigger, and sometimes, the smaller picture. We need to see the forest for the tress and the trees for the forest.

We in a word, need to be, or become, "Enlightened" in the Buddha Dharma sense. In the Buddhist sense of reality.

When you bite into an apple, you need to feel, to "see" where it came from, who picked it, what their life is about, how they suffer in seeing that deliciousness into your mouth. How those trees exist. How they thrive or do not. How these trees support our air, our world, our physical and our aesthetic.

How those apples are picked, cleaned or not, sorted, bought, sold, transported and sold to us.

How we metabolize those apples and secrete them back into the world.

Doing that with all things, whenever and wherever possible, will bring us, some of us kicking and screaming, back into reality.

If ever we were there in the first place.

And the world and all of us, will suffer far less for it. 

Just, don't be this guy: