In the school of psychotherapy called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, though based on positive psychology, there is a list of “cognitive distortions” that are pointed out to each patient as a matter of educating them on flaws in thinking that could be causing psychological distress. The idea is that by changing one’s thinking, one can change one’s mood and behaviours, in a positive way. One of these thought distortions is known as “black and white thinking.” To think in terms of extremes, polar opposites, or absolutes, rather than seeing the nuance of all the “grey” in the in-betweens. One example might be: “If I don’t know everything, I don’t know anything.” This may also be considered “All or Nothing Thinking;” so, a better example may be “If I don’t succeed on every task I attempt, I am a failure.” This type of thinking, the psychotherapist attempts to “reframe” with the patient, so that the patient can change their thoughts, mood, and behaviour and not be plagued by feelings of despair, anxiety, anguish, etcetera, to just name a few mental maladies.
Now, I am wondering whether I fall into this trap of having a thought distortion all too often, or if I am rather sticking to certain principles about which I will not waver, and should not waver. For example, is sticking to principles such as the 10 Commandments’ of God given to Moses in Judeo-Christian-Islamic wisdom: “Thou Shalt not Kill”… and the 4 other basic precepts for laypeople to follow in Buddhism- not lying, not stealing, not using intoxicants, and not engaging in sexual misconduct- rigid conformity to black and white thinking? I would say, it is, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Black and white thinking becomes a distortion when the inherent complexities and nuances of real-life situations are overly-simplified out of fear or the desire for a sense of certainty. But, there are certain matters of principle that each of us ought to think about for ourselves and understand their necessity, if we want to live in the world of our dreams.
For context, I broach this topic with you as I just today had a conversation with someone close to me, who told me that wanting vengeance and to see others harmed who have harmed oneself is a natural consequence of being harmed, as well as a glowing review of gossiping as a pleasurable activity. I didn’t have to think too hard to know that I couldn’t accept this logic, as much grey area as there may be in the vast range of particular experiences of people on Earth. I stood firmly- one half black, one half white, with Mahatma Gandhi’s quotation that “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,” and with Dr. King’s message that “only love can [root out/conquer/defeat] hatred.” Though I was called naive, I knew plain as the difference between night and day that human morality and the matter of our character is not a matter of blind nature, but rather appears through the purview of our chosen decisions given what options we may have.
Back to choosing the choices that will bring us the world of our dreams- then again, what is the world of “our” dreams? What are your dreams, and what are my dreams, and how do they differ?
I dream of a world where everyone lives a life of as much leisure as meaningful, productive activity, as of their choosing, being remunerated fairly for one’s effort and one’s impact on the economy at-large. Also, a self-governed society that will assiduously guard against discrimination against anyone on Earth due to any factors identified in them (such as caste, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, etcetera) not of their own choosing, and thereby not a marker of their character in the ultimate equation of the scales of personal and public justice- the relative impact of right and wrong we have done in the world and to what extent we have lived in a way such as to honour and recognise the human rights of each person. Which, when we as a society agree to recognise in others en masse (e.g. “Love thy neighbor”; “Do unto others as you would have done unto you”), we will find ourselves able to exercise to our fullest freely willed extent these reciprocally recognised human rights of all of ours. Sound complicated? It’s really pretty simple, in my book.
Thank you for reading my book… more to come. For now, I ask you for your feedback here: is there right and wrong in this world? And how does our personal moral conscience about what is right and wrong connect us to the ultimate goal of civilisation- the reciprocal realisation and free exercise of our universal human rights?
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