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Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive Dissonance is defined by wikipedia as:

Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously.

Our society and our own lives are replete with examples. It can be something as innocuous as really disliking a music style but still dancing to a specific song in that genre, to something more glaring, like rejecting non-evidence based medicine but still using a home remedy for your cold.

There are two areas of society where cognitive dissonance appears to really shine, religion and politics. The ability to denounce corruption and graft in other politicians while driving a brand new BMW X5 is nothing short of spectacular.

It becomes really interesting when these two spheres of society intersect. Then the cognitive dissonance really starts oozing out of every available crevice.

It’s election season here is South Africa, so the different parties are really saying anything that comes to mind. Or so it seems.

For example:

The ancestors will be upset if the ANC loses control of Nelson Mandela Bay in the local government elections on May 18, President Jacob Zuma has told a rally in PE.

Ok. Let’s ignore the validity of this claim and backtrack to something President Zuma said a couple of months ago:

“When (Jesus) fetches us we will find (those in the beyond) wearing black, green and gold. the holy ones belong to the ANC.”

Ok. One last quote before we wrap this up to it’s nice neat conclusion:

Regard ⁶⁴³⁷ not them that have familiar spirits ¹⁷⁸, neither seek ¹²⁴⁵ after wizards ³⁰⁴⁹, to be defiled ²⁹³⁰ by them: I [am] the LORD ³⁰⁶⁸ your God ⁴³⁰.

Leviticus 19:31.

Let’s look at that little number 178 above familiar spirits and see that it says:

ghost, spirit of a dead one

And the root of this word:

ancestor

So essentially, the president is saying that voting for the ANC will allow you access to the heaven of a religion which forbids ancestor worship, but if you don’t vote ANC the ancestors will be angry!

Cognitive Dissonance: Ask your local sceptic if you suffer from it!

It lives…

I’ve recently been checking out the options for freelance writing jobs, not really for myself but because someone I know is looking at doing freelance design. Reading through the kinds of jobs available I realised that it would probably be a good thing to have some kind of proof of ones ability, maybe a portfolio of my writing? Maybe something like a blog?

I was about to register for yetanotherblog when I remembered, I do have a blog. This one!

So I decided to check it out again, and lo and behold, its still here… and people are still reading it!

Strange indeed.

So… I thought… why not revive it?

So I’ve grabbed my best lightning conductors, found a ominous looking castle somewhere in Eastern Europe and I’m about to flip the switch to make this sucker live again.

Let’s see what happens…