Rationing Rationalization

Dear Children:

The dearth of recent posts comes about for a reason. In the same way as events respond to causality, the absence of events is rooted in causality. We hold this to be true intuitively. More important, it’s evidenced by the way language works, especially English. Our received logic is anchored by “if/ then” and “if not/ then” constructions. Our scriptures are expressed using this device. It works well most of the time and is most useful in the doing of business. The Law of Contracts depends on it. Every action or inaction has a consequence. Culture is anchored by an adherence to the proposition that action and inaction have consequences that affect us all.

Mathematicians are beginning to find ways of expressing this idea in a purer form than classical logic. They call it Game Theory. In its crudest expression, Game Theory offers the promise of finding a way to get over on another by locating the vulnerability of the other – usually identifying greed – and capitalizing. It turns out that “right action” and “wrong action” are not mutually exclusive. The games theorists, rather, express it as cooperative and uncooperative action. In their models it makes a difference when one decides to be cooperative or uncooperative not just whether one is cooperative or uncooperative. As its evolving, Game Theory offers the hope that we will be able to recognize and predict optimal mixes of cooperation and tension.

These guys are on to something important. In fact, they’ve opened up the tiniest hole in the mystery of causality. While it’s given we operate intuitively with the notion of causality, we have not the smallest understanding of the thing that is causality – the why of things. The need to know why something is the way it appears to be is so fixed in us that we cannot appear to abide that it is unknown.

That fixation compels us make stuff up. The scientists call it hypothesis, the rest of us engage in rationalization.

My Dears, the urge to hypothesize is a good and noble one. To try something on for size, to experiment, and to probe is in the service of maturity and education.

The shortcut of rationalization is profoundly bad for you. To make something up for the purpose of avoidance, evasion or short-term gain is, on its face, immature and destructive. Nothing good will ever come from it. This I know from bitter experience that has manifestly chastened me.

Try this on for size: Submit everything you say and do to the rationalization test. Did I say that thing to evade responsibility? Did I do that thing because the alternative is too painful for me to face? Did I tell the whole truth? Did I answer the question directly? Did I parse my answer to give a false impression? Are my questions asked respectfully, honestly and directly? Like that.

For now, don’t do anything with the honest and private answers you get back from the test. Merely collect them. You will find that rationalizations are everywhere and everyday. Soon you will recognize them for the toxins they are. You will recognize them in others.

That’s what you should care about. You should care that you recognize and own-up to shortcuts, shuckin’, jivin’, dissembling, lying and insincerity. You need only to admit these things to yourself for now. It’s difficult but important work. It will help you learn what is right and the importance of timing. Armed with this knowledge, you will learn the futility of pretense and the peace that comes from simple, honest, humane expression.

If you’ve gotten this far, you may ask what this has to do with all those missing months of posts.

I don’t know. The simple truth has eluded me. That could be the subject of another post.

Poppy