Today is Easter and I am surrounded by the Christians practicing their religions. Singing hymns, quoting bible passages, giving sermons, etc. Normally this doesn’t bother me very much. I have an okay grasp on why people are religious. So when see religiosity in passing, I can usually understand its psychological causes and (with conscious thought) let it go.
But today the concentrated religiosity is putting a real mental burden on me, to the point that it’s harder to think and write coherently. Like a mental fog or exhaustion. When I see the nth scripture quote or religious article on facebook, my mind automatically slips into “rawr, they’re unbelievably wrong, must refute” mode. I think such action is decidedly less rational than what I strive for. So far, I’ve resisted that action. But there’s still an urge to go start an argument, even when I know how unproductive and awful it would be.
Is anyone else feeling the same way? Any information from the cog-sci/psych literature that helps explains what I’m feeling or how to deal with it in the future? I’m not sure if this is something particular to do with my psychology, or if I’m noticing my mind being killed in real time.
Update: Once I was able to write this all out and get about an hour of peace and solitude, a lot of the negative feelings and effects subsided. My head feels a lot more clear. Not back to normal, but better.
At least you only have to endure those feelings a few days a year. I have this problem (although, not as concentrated) for an entire (election) season.
Today is Easter and I am surrounded by the Christians practicing their religions. Singing hymns, quoting bible passages, giving sermons, etc. Normally this doesn’t bother me very much. I have an okay grasp on why people are religious. So when see religiosity in passing, I can usually understand its psychological causes and (with conscious thought) let it go.
But today the concentrated religiosity is putting a real mental burden on me, to the point that it’s harder to think and write coherently. Like a mental fog or exhaustion. When I see the nth scripture quote or religious article on facebook, my mind automatically slips into “rawr, they’re unbelievably wrong, must refute” mode. I think such action is decidedly less rational than what I strive for. So far, I’ve resisted that action. But there’s still an urge to go start an argument, even when I know how unproductive and awful it would be.
Is anyone else feeling the same way? Any information from the cog-sci/psych literature that helps explains what I’m feeling or how to deal with it in the future? I’m not sure if this is something particular to do with my psychology, or if I’m noticing my mind being killed in real time.
Update: Once I was able to write this all out and get about an hour of peace and solitude, a lot of the negative feelings and effects subsided. My head feels a lot more clear. Not back to normal, but better.
At least you only have to endure those feelings a few days a year. I have this problem (although, not as concentrated) for an entire (election) season.