by Anja
“The term cognitive dissonance is used to describe the mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes. People tend to seek consistency in their attitudes and perceptions, so this conflict causes feelings of unease or discomfort."
I’m a positive and hopeful person. Even that statement was full of internal conflict a few months back.
Many people are inspiring me to stay focused on joy and human awesomeness, such as Paul Hawken (Project Drawdown and Project Regeneration), Joanna Macy (Active Hope - How to face the mess we’re in without going crazy), Jason Hickel (Less is More) and others who are doing great work writing and educating.
Going down the path of wondering about and even questioning “The System”, if it evolved organically or not or a mixture of both doesn’t matter in this enquiry, will bring up certain feelings and states of being. Feeling guilty for being a human might not be the feeling that comes up for everyone but I know lots of people who do feel guilty, even if they won’t admit it. That’s where the mind pain sits. The inability to see beyond what we know to be “true” and even throwing stones at others questioning the status quo. Why can’t we (looking at you politicians, while on the topic of throwing stones) even imagine the monster machine called The Economy to work a different way?
I call it the “Easy Rider” syndrome, seeing something better than the current reality and killing it, because of fear of change. (You’re welcome, now you have something epic to watch on Google Play or Apple TV)
Imagining a new economy surely is a mindset shift of massive proportions and pontificating Degrowth from the top will not do. Degrowth comes from both directions but what if a groundswell of small businesses and everyday people would become very outspoken about it? To not buy into the hype of constant growth. Back to having enough.
A good start to resolving Cognitive Dissonance is to really see that the desire to take action is bigger than the fear of being stuck in the old paradigm. And then take small steps. We all need hope for our own Why, and we need companions and support along the way to keep the focus on real action, irl (in real life, boomer).
Get in touch to find out how Accounting for Degrowth helps on the journey.