pumping iron with your head

dissonance – dis·so·nance (dĭs′ə-nəns) n.
1. A harsh, disagreeable combination of sounds; discord.
2. Lack of agreement, consistency, or harmony; conflict.

Dissonance was originally a musical term applying to notes other than what are expected, harmonious and customary. Harsh, jarring sounds that startle or unsettle listeners being completely at odds with the harmony and melody of their context.

Applied to thoughts and experience, cognitive dissonance is the psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously.

When faced with facts that are in direct opposition, one set must be proven wrong, ignored or abandoned. Our minds cannot hold both. Most of us simply refuse to admit the new one. So sorry, no room, no fit, can’t be.

Challenging a long-held belief is to doubt ourselves; to admit we accepted something that was wrong; to bring into question our ability to correctly analyze our world experiences; to mistrust ourselves… pretty tough.

But scientists do exactly that. Well, real ones do, anyway. Constantly, regularly they test hypothesis. They admit new learning; welcome it even.

Such is the situation for many who have visited my website. The information presented here is frequently at odds with that presented by the CBS Evening News.

Who are you going to believe? How are you going to decide?

If you do not begin by placing both sets of conflicting information on an even footing, the probability of resolving the incongruity correctly drops dramatically.

Correlating input from a variety of sources is certainly a step in the right direction. Keep in mind, however, that the mainstream media collectively is only one source. They made sure of that over a decade ago.

Fortunately for truth, we have the Internet.

Unfortunately for many, it contains as much fiction as fact. Here you have to use your head, experience and instinct.

Happily, it is good exercise for your brain.