JUST ASK, Conscious Conversations
with Dr. Michael Mason

QUESTION from New Jersey:

It seems that so many people can review a situation and come up with an evaluation that is completely wrong. Why is that when it is so clear to me what the answer is?

RESPONSE

Everyone at some point wonders how people can be so wrong about things. We are programmed by society, religion, parents, teachers, and now even social media. We are bombarded by advertising that attempts to convince us of something or to watch or buy something.

The answer to your question is that many people don’t take the time and effort to look at all aspects of a situation and then form their own informed opinion. There is and always will be misperception. This is due to many things. Even when someone is faced with the truth that contradicts what they thought they knew, ego won’t let them be resilient. The more invested someone is in a particular belief system, the harder it usually is to pivot.

Imagine taking pride in being open minded to the point where you enjoy being proven wrong and look for it.

There are many cases where people look at the same thing but see something different.

Here is a classic example. Young woman or old woman? Who’s right and who’s wrong? This is an illustration of what I call the perception dichotomy. It’s when two opposing perceptions can both be right, and both be wrong at the same time.

There are many situations that defy logic and science, like when knowledgeable doctors and scientists make conclusions that later turn out to be wrong. Just look at all the people that were dying of “incurable” cancer or other diseases that have spontaneous remissions.

Another classic example is the particle/wave controversy about light. When physicists do the experiment to prove it’s a wave, they prove it is. But when they do the experiment to prove it’s a particle, they prove it’s a particle.

In metaphysics we learn to avoid the either/or trap and instead stay open to both/and.

All this is an interesting discussion, but for all practical purposes certain things must be concluded as right or wrong to have rule of law. In metaphysics we can argue that we are all one and therefore we choose all our experiences for a reason, so there are no victims. But in society the law must determine both, so we have consequences for our actions, and we hold others accountable.

In certain situations, it’s okay to let people deceive themselves and not argue with them to keep the peace. In other’s it’s important to fight for what we believe is right. When good people refuse to fight against evil, society devolves into chaos. We need to learn to pick our fights.

My friend and I have very different political opinions. She is so intractable that I no longer engage with her and just go along with whatever she says. It really makes no difference in the big picture in my life, and it keeps our relationship in balance.

I hope this helps.

Best,

Dr. Michael Mason