When a rational person says something that an irrational person cannot understand, the irrational person concludes the rational person is “elitist”, “mean”, “stupid”, and “not worth helping.”
It gets even worse when the more rational person points out the irrationality of the irrational person.
Explaining anything at all to an irrational person might be perceived as a power challenge. The irrational person’s evolutionary “fight response” will kick in. Their emotions will overpower whatever rationality they had. Then they will fight with physical strength, social strength (mockery), or money.
We should not be surprised or confused by the results.
It’s like explaining something to a grizzly bear. The bear starts to growl. Then you say “Oh, you must not be getting it. Let me try explaining it again.” Then, when the grizzly bear chomps your arm off, you feel confused. (“I was explaining it so well.”)
When people have approximately equal rational abilities, they love speaking with each other. That’s what is wonderful about LW/Lighthaven. We become more rational by conversing with one another. That is because we can overcome our emotions with rationality.
However, we also have to be rational about how we deal with less rational people who might not be capable of overcoming their emotions with rationality.
This is just a thought. It doesn’t solve any problems directly, but it might be one way to understand our funding problems and move forward more rationally, and more successfully.
(As some people may have already noted, the bear is an age-old symbol of Russia.)
When a rational person says something that an irrational person cannot understand, the irrational person concludes the rational person is “elitist”, “mean”, “stupid”, and “not worth helping.”
It gets even worse when the more rational person points out the irrationality of the irrational person.
Explaining anything at all to an irrational person might be perceived as a power challenge. The irrational person’s evolutionary “fight response” will kick in. Their emotions will overpower whatever rationality they had. Then they will fight with physical strength, social strength (mockery), or money.
We should not be surprised or confused by the results.
It’s like explaining something to a grizzly bear. The bear starts to growl. Then you say “Oh, you must not be getting it. Let me try explaining it again.” Then, when the grizzly bear chomps your arm off, you feel confused. (“I was explaining it so well.”)
When people have approximately equal rational abilities, they love speaking with each other. That’s what is wonderful about LW/Lighthaven. We become more rational by conversing with one another. That is because we can overcome our emotions with rationality.
However, we also have to be rational about how we deal with less rational people who might not be capable of overcoming their emotions with rationality.
This is just a thought. It doesn’t solve any problems directly, but it might be one way to understand our funding problems and move forward more rationally, and more successfully.
(As some people may have already noted, the bear is an age-old symbol of Russia.)