Just as light bends through a prism, so does information. Impressions, ideas, and input bend when filtered through the prism of not only our attitudes but also beliefs and behaviors.
Growing up in the ’60s, I remember my father watching the news and seeing the “long-hair hippie freaks” demonstrating against the Vietnam War; he decried these anarchists and their bad behavior. Looking back, his hang-ups around the appearances and actions of young, frustrated and powerless demonstrators were without real merit.
They were a result of a fixed mindset around “right and wrong.” It was interesting to me because my father grew up as a classically-trained jazz musician; a culture not known for its straight-laced ways.
My father was primarily an elementary school teacher. As conforming as he was, he decided to buck the system when told he could no longer use a set of textbooks that he routinely used to personalize teaching to the needs of his students. After the books were taken away, he surreptitiously stole them from the incinerator.
He bent the rules as he saw fit. It’s pretty much the same with most people.
We justify our actions based on how we interpret and decide the ‘right’ actions. The longer we live, the more opportunity we have to cement our beliefs into unmovable blocks of rightness. I encourage you to continue to question your beliefs and motivations. Continue to expand how you see the world and your place in it.
