Self-Justification - November 26, 2007
We can answer the question so many people ask when they look at ruthless dictators, greedy corporate CEOs, religious zealots who murder in the name of God, priests who molest children, or people who cheat their siblings out of a family inheritance: How in the world can they live with themselves? The answer is: exactly the way the rest of us do.
I am reading a decent book on Cognitive Dissonance called "Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)" Having a good internal meter against hypocrisy and rationalization isn't enough. You can't fight self-justification in your own head, that's the whole problem.
One of the advantages of having a site where you put stuff on the record is that it's pretty easy to go back and check. Even so, if you guys find my contradicting myself or trying to make excuses for why "this one time is an exception" by all means call me out on it. If it's a belief based on a bias--I'm not wedded to it.
Posted by ryanholiday at 10:52 AM
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I remember an article where you got pissed off whilst stuck behind a slow moving car. That wasn't very stoic of you.
Posted by: abc1234 at November 26, 2007 10:49 PM
No you don't get it. It was an allegory about life. People go either fast or slow. If you go slow then you're not going fast.
Posted by: Phillipe at November 27, 2007 04:25 PM
I'm buying this book on your recommendation mate. If it sucks I'm kicking your ass.
Posted by: Edward at November 27, 2007 06:37 PM
I forgot to add this into my other post.
Assuming us regular folk don't have an active reader base and can get called out on it, what tools do you think are helpful in fighting self justification?
Journaling? Friends? Colleagues?
Posted by: Edward at November 27, 2007 07:14 PM
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