A serial killer can cause a lot of grief, but not nearly so much grief as an army that has been activated by an alarming lie. It seems to me that the lie is the most consequential transgression.
Very few of us have escaped all false beliefs. So very many groups and individuals have had both motives and opportunities to lie. The highly developed brainwashing technology is devoted to making lies believable; but regardless of how well they are thought through, brainwashing techniques would not work if there did not exist in people beliefs and feelings that can be used to bias reasoning.
All but the most disciplined logicians can be misled by their biases - of which there are many kinds.
Evidence of a pending or ongoing event or situation that is very abnormal tends to be disbelieved by people who wish events and situations to be normal, precedented, likely, and usual. Aside from wishes, some people actually believe that events and situations are inherently normal. This is the normalcy bias. It prevents some from being prepared in time while waiting for some more believable news.
The normalcy bias is an example of a bias created by what a person wants to be true. It is also an example of a bias created by a false belief. Wishing that the world or any aspect of it to be a certain way can tempt a person to take too lightly any evidence contrary to that wish. Strongly believing that the world or any aspect of it to be a certain way can cause a person to ignore any evidence contrary to that belief.
If you believe something to be true, and you know that you have not proven it, you must not merely dismiss evidence that tends to contradict that belief. If you wish something to be true, and you know that you have not proven that it is always true, you must not merely dismiss evidence that goes against that wish.
Your investigations are worthless if you are captivated by unproven beliefs and wishes.
Feelings affect beliefs and wishes.
Being angry at a person who is accused of an injustice makes it difficult for most people to carefully evaluate evidence of innocence. This effect is magnified by a sense of justice that is based upon revenge. Freeing yourself from destructive feelings automatically reduces the effects which bias the evaluation of evidence.
There are many like examples. Find the destructive feeling in an argument, and you find the temptation for bias.
People of all sorts occasionally make a true statement. If you decide that a particular person is usually wrong, but that person has said something which is important to you as to its truth or falsity, you might be tempted to save yourself some time by dismissing the statement on the basis of its source. Many of us around the world are saving their time instead of maintaining their integrity.
The pursuit of a major change for the better must involve a reexamination of your existing beliefs. Such a major change might be prompted by problems in your own life or compassion for others.
If somehow you were to suffer from no misunderstandings of reality, many of your observations would be different from those of the majority of people living today.
You could be reluctant to purge destructive feelings if you fear being very different from others. This is a mistake. When you have purged destructive feelings, you find that your new friends outnumber those who communicate with you less often.
A true appreciation of reality requires tranquility, love, and compassion.
Chapter 1 - Violence and Feelings
Chapter 2 - Involuntary Memories
Chapter 5 - Achieving Tranquility
Chapter 8 - Cancelling Limitations
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