16 Sep
Posted by: lonkieffer in: "e-Ha Moments!", AWESOME Living, Self Motivation
Is it really one or the other?
Could it be neither?
Sorry to disappoint, but this blog is NOT about politics. It is about Life, Leadership, Laughter and Learning.
For rhyming purposes, while reading, you must pronounce Liar as if you are James Carville and view the “R” as optional and/or partially silent.
It is now infamous; Joe Wilson of South Carolina shouting “you lie!” at the President during his speech to Congress. I am certain both men regret the incident; however, what I regret is the reminder that WE as a people tend to view our leaders as either Villains or Saviors; as Liars or Messiahs, when in fact, they are neither.
Leaders, whether elected politically, promoted professionally, or born into position; are simply men or women, hopefully, trying to do their best given their position and circumstance.
To make them out to be a Liar or a Messiah is an example of Labeling and Mis-Labeling. My regular readers and those who have heard me speak know of my great respect for David Burns, MD, author of “Feeling Good; The New Mood Therapy” and his Ten Cognitive Distortions.
Labeling and Mis-Labeing (Cognitive Distortion #9) is an extreme overgeneralization and includes describing an event with language that is highly colored and emotionally loaded. Such cognitive distortions help to maintain negative thinking and emotions that can lead to depression and anxiety.
Explanation: if you think he is a Liar you will believe NOTHING he says and you are no longer a part of the process; if you think he is a Messiah you will believe EVERYTHING he says and you are no longer a conscious part of the process.
Either way you have discounted yourself as a thinking and reasoning individual; a LOSE-LOSE proposition!
If we view our Leaders simply as an individual Human Being, Being Human we can accept their flaws; celebrate their successes and look hopefully for solutions and improvement AND be a part of the process!
So, setting politics aside; our President is NOT a Liar and he is NOT a Messiah!
He is simply a man who is genuinely trying to do his best.
If you cannot accept this then perhaps you are dabbling in Cognitive Distortion #3, Mental Filtering; where you focus exclusively on certain, usually negative or upsetting, aspects of something while ignoring the rest.
Either way, we need to avoid the Roller Coaster ride associated with Politics.
I have strong political views (never to be expressed herein); they differ greatly from my neighbor L.J. who loves to argue (in a friendly manner) politics. Here is the interesting part; I love L.J. and his family; I share and emulate his views on life, family, parenting and finances. Yet somehow we disagree politically?
Why?
Because Politics by its very nature and rhetoric is emotional; it invites Cognitive Distortions.
To read more about Cognitive Distortions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_distortion
To learn more about avoiding this thinking read my blog “Roller Coasters are for Theme Parks!” https://blog.lonkieffer.com/?p=71
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Lon Kieffer, author of “Get Out of Bed and Go to Work!”, Speaker, Consultant, Expert on Workplace Culture Change and Generational Conflicts, gives seminars, keynote and plenary addresses, runs annual sales meetings, and provides Common Sense Consulting at: www.LonKieffer.com. He can be reached at: (302) 462-6748 or via email at: Lon@LonKieffer.com
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2 Responses
John E. Smith
16|Sep|2009 1Hi, Lon – Happy Humpty Dumpty Day or whatever it is you call your weekly insights.
The “Liar vs Messiah” issue is a vey real one and you’ve done a great job of describing the cognitive errors that many of us engage in when we move to this kind of all-or-none thinking.
I think some people have a fear of appearing “less than decisive” as one friend describes it by not having a strong “fur or agin” opinion on some subject. This has been a common thread for me when I espouse a moderate approach to an issue. “Wishy-washy” is the nicest phrase used to describe attempting to see more than two options in a discussion.
A related driver in this type of situation may be more common, but far more sensitive to discuss. Many people appear to lack the ability to think at the higher levels required to understand more complex issues. Soundbytes are far easier to absorb and one-liners make the evening news and websites. Unfortunately these brief and oh-so-quotable statements often ignore or distort the nuances of some very complex situations.
I have also noticed a third reason which occurs at times. Your story about the neighbor that you agree with much, but not all of the time, reminded me of similar situations in my experience. The “halo and horns” effect that comes from knowing and liking someone is alive and well in politics and popular culture. We tend to give our heroes more credit than they sometimes deserve and villify those we do not like unfairly at the same time.
Upon reflection, everything I just wrote has some basis in some work by some intelligent person, but I’m too lazy to go look it up right now and give proper accreditation. Just take my word for it that my thoughts are not original with me.
Enjoyed this post!
John
lonkieffer
16|Sep|2009 2Thanks John…as always, very well thought out and insightful commentary on your part.
The amazingly distructive thing about these Cognitive ‘errors’ as you call them is how they bleed and lead into one another. You mentioned ‘all-or-nothing thinking’ which is number one on the hit parade.
Labeling/Mislabeling leads to ‘all-or-nothing’ thinking and ‘all-or-nothing’ thinking virtually requires Labeling/Mislabeling.
Thanks for sharing.
Lon
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