How far will you go to keep your beliefs? When faced with evidence that your beliefs are wrong, will you still keep them no matter what?
I like to think that I am open-minded and flexible. If someone produces evidence that my beliefs are wrong, then I will let my beliefs go in light of the new information. That is what I like to think. But knowing that I am a human being and prone to irrational thinking, I may be suffering from self-delusion.
Igor Ego has been the subject of several blogs. He is one of the many Enlightened Buddhas who has come to Earth to enlighten me. He is teaching me how not to think.
(There are many Enlightened Buddhas who have come to Earth to enlighten me because I need lots of help.)
Igor says that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, and there was no conspiracy to kill President John F. Kennedy.
“Oswald was a stupid loser,” says Igor. “He wanted to impress the Mafia, so he killed Kennedy.”
“What is the source of your information?” I ask.
“Me. I’m the source. I know it because I have common sense.”
According to Igor, all the witnesses to the assassination who gave evidence to show a conspiracy; all the people who investigated the assassination and concluded that there was a conspiracy; all of them are “full of shit.” Only Igor knows the truth because he has common sense.
Igor frequently raises the JFK assassination. He raised it again today. He loves to go on about knowing the truth, and how everyone else is “full of shit.” How fascinating to hear how he justifies keeping his belief that Oswald acted alone despite the overwhelming evidence that proves a conspiracy.
“Oswald acted alone. There was no conspiracy.”
“What about the JFK assassination documents that the government has kept secret for over 50 years? The released documents show a conspiracy.”
“It’s all bullshit!”
“Oliver Stone’s recent documentary is based on the information from these documents which show there was a conspiracy.”
“Oliver Stone is a left-wing shithead whacko! He made up the documents to make a documentary for gullible people like you who believe there was a conspiracy.”
“What? You’re saying that Oliver Stone made up the JFK assassination documents?”
“Yup! So he could make money on his documentary.”
“Really? Oliver Stone made up the JFK documents?”
“Yup!”
“Unbelievable! But I will let my friends know.”
What a lesson in how not to think! Thank you, Igor.
Here is some information about the documents that Oliver Stone made up, and the trailer for his documentary:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_John_F._Kennedy_Assassination_Records_Collection_Act_of_1992