“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we
created them.” Albert Einstein
“Insanity is
doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” Albert Einstein
Our Nation faces serious challenges.
On June 16, 2011, Psychology Today carried an article titled “Don’t
Blame the Politicians: Why voters lie to themselves.” In the article Dr. Loretta Graziano Breuning
states:
It’s natural to like people who smile
on your dreams. Politicians win our
affection [and their elections] by encouraging our dreams. Politicians want to please us, and we want
them to please us. Democracy means being
told what you want to hear.*
However, she goes on to point out, “If voters expect politicians
to fulfill all their wishes, they are asking to be lied to.”
Dr. Breuning explains that politicians “are as flawed as the rest
of us.” Consequently, we shouldn’t blame
them for our Nation’s problems because “they’re just representing their
constituencies.” We want them to tell us
they can solve the problems so they oblige.
When was the last time a politician was honest and told us, “Trade-offs
are part of life. A choice that brings
more of X leaves less of Y.” Why don’t
they tell us? Because we really don’t
want to hear it ourselves. Telling us
such things would create political risk, which is unacceptable when your greatest
imperative is winning that next election.
That is not to say politicians are totally without blame: “Of
course we need to watch politicians to make sure we don’t get swindled. Power does corrupt.”
Then Dr. Breuning offers this caution:
… if you’re just sifting for details
that fit your malicious preconceptions [confirmation bias], you’re not open to
the truth. Hostile watchdogs are not
good guides to public policy. They’re
against everything except their pet panacea….
If we cannot solve our problems using the same thinking we used when
we created them, what will lead us to solutions? As Dr. Bruening points out, “The onus is on
us to have reasonable expectations.”
*Breuning, Loretta Graziano.
“Don’t Blame the Politicians: Why voters lie to themselves.” June 16, 2011. PsychologyToday.com Retrieved from:
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