I guess my initial discovery of this form of behavior occurred while I was serving as a Casualty Control Trainer with Fleet Training Group Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I was a Warrant Electrician at the time and one of the co-trainers was a Warrant Machinist. I was taking a course in Naval Engineering and I was discussing steam turbines with him. I told him I had read, in a naval engineering text, about a principle related to steam turbine blades. He informed me that I must have read it wrong and that it was impossible. When I got home, I looked it up again, and found that I had read it correctly. I'm not saying everything we read is correct; in fact, it scares me just how much is wrong, inaccurate, and pure BS. Anyway, it's not about the correctness of what was written but rather that it was written in a well-respected naval text. I told my friend that I rechecked what I had read and found it was as I had stated, and if he wanted to read it for himself, I would show it to him, the next time he came over; I added, all he had to do was ask. He said, "I'd like that. Okay." He never asked. I have repeated this many times since; of course, with different subject matter, and no one has ever taken me up on it. Over the years, I have found that people don't want to know they're wrong—regardless if it's important or it just doesn't matter. Today I would not go back. Let me say, "I want to know what's correct, not who's correct."

As far back as I can remember, I realized that I frequently questioned things I believe, not only those that others have an issue with. I guess it started when I was in my teens, maybe even earlier, when most people, perhaps my parents as well, thought I was retarded or just plain stupid; I thought I was retarded and stupid; yes, I'm serious. I suspect some people still do think I'm retarded and stupid.

Funny, the only times I can remember a person coming back to me was when I bet them. The first time I lost the bet but actually it was a win for me. On my page If It Doesn't Make Sense – Check It Out, I explain how I lost a bet about paralleling with shore power. The second time was when I spoke to an indoor soccer referee. I forget what the bet was about, but I said I'll bet you a buck. A while later he came over and offered me a dollar. I didn't take it but was truly glad he checked. I'd have also given him a buck if I was wrong and been glad I learned something; I was also a soccer referee. This reminds me that at Fleet Training Group, we reviewed our exercises periodically to insure we were doing them correctly and the same. I can't remember another time that someone came back to tell me I was wrong or right.

Another way of putting "We believe what we want to believe," is "A person's perception is their reality!"

She said, "I know but I feel sorry for them and don't like to visit."

I started to profess the value of zoos and the great work they're doing.

Her response, "I understand but nothing anyone says will change my mind 'that the only way these animals should live is free.'"

I shifted the conversation back to "People believe what they want." I said, "If I could show you valid scientific data that supported that captive animals were better off, could that change your view?"

She replied, "No. My feelings are emotional and not based on knowledge."

My response was, "All our emotions are based on knowledge. We can't separate them." By knowledge, in this case, I'm referring to our beliefs or our value system. Her view was that animals are better off free, which may or may not be true, depending on the animal. However, her emotion of feeling sorry cannot be detached from her belief. I broached the subject of "Sweatshops" in other countries. Based on our standard of living the working environment would be poor at best, and more likely bad. However, if we consider the standard of living of the country, perhaps it's not at all poor or bad but rather good. To condemn something without considering all other aspects and base it on what you think it should be, is pompous. It's almost laughable, but she agreed that we should not impose our standards on others. When I pointed out that, that was exactly what she was doing with regard to the animals. She said it was different because her views were due to emotions that are not controllable.

Since the discussion, I've pondered, and re-pondered the conclusion I reach that emotions are attached to knowledge, knowledge which forms our beliefs. I do have to admit, there are some emotions that are intrinsic or instinctive, like love. However, in this case, I'm sure her feelings are based on her beliefs.

Another funny side aspect of this conversation was the unwillingness to pursue a discussion that was in conflict with her beliefs. I realized as I wrote this, that the trait of not wanting to find out what is true, or perhaps that you may be wrong, is very common, people just want to believe what they want. What I'm saying, when people are faced with having to provide facts or face facts they have extreme difficulty doing so. I know I'm not always right, in fact I may be wrong a lot of the times, more than I'm willing to admit, nevertheless, I do want to know what's right; as I've said many times, "I want to know what's right, not who's right."

Before getting into my discussion, I want to state, I won't be debating or using religion. You can believe what you want, only don't tell me what to believe. FYI: there are roughly 4,200 known religions worldwide.

Also, I consider myself a true political independent or nowadays, a non-affiliated. In fact, it pisses me off that people have created an Independent Party. If there is more than one person, it's no longer independent, i.e., to be an independent there is no affiliation with or loyalty to an organization or political party. I may not do the greatest job; however, I do attempt to find out all I can about candidates and issues before I vote. Generally, I look for a candidate that most aligns with my values. In truth, I'm really a novice when it comes to politics. It's only in the last few years that I took a real interest.

From the movie "A Few Good Men," Jack Nicholson's statement, "You can't handle the truth," is so apropos in today's world. The real question is, "What is the truth?" A movie that impressed me many, many years ago was, "Rashomon." It was about the death of a samurai from the perspective of the three people involved. Each one gave their own version, which made them the hero, sort of. The movie ends with a forth witness not involved telling what really happened. I have recently watched a YouTube on the subject of the Rashomon Effect. It's quite interesting: How do you know what's true? by Sheila Marie Orfano - YouTube

Months before the 2020 presidential election, proponents of Covid-19 being a hoax professed that a person that died in a vehicle accident would be classed as dying of Covid-19. They would say that the doctor and hospital would be paid a substantial sum by the government. Question: Would Trump and his regime allow this; I think not? I did some investigating and found that falsifying a death certificate was a felony and may include imprisonment. Furthermore, no one gets paid to fill out a death certificate. Yes, hospitals get paid, as do doctors, for treating Covid-19: the amount varies with the extent of care. If hospitals wanted to fake treatment to make money there are some treatments that cost up to one and a half million dollars. Fake one or two and it would likely be worth maybe fifty to a hundred Covid-19 cases. One more point, the people that pay are the insurance companies and Medicare, and both require validation, which includes testing. These payers are reluctant to pay in general and demand substantial proof-of-treatment and it's need.

Whether or not you agree with it, during the Trump administration, children were separated from the parents of illegal aliens. When this topic came up one individual said they were only taken from parents that couldn't prove the children were theirs; they didn't have birth certificates with them. I said it's a good thing I wasn't stopped because I couldn't prove my kids were my kids when I traveled. And furthermore, a birth certificate isn't really proof of who you or your children are. To which he said they have footprints—not true. I've never seen a birth certificate with foot or fingerprints on them. The real point is he fabricated this view to justify what was done. In everything I heard, read, or seen, regarding this subject, the mention of birth certificate or other means of proof was never raised or reported.

While I was nursing my evening wine at my local hangout, someone said that Kamala Harris had admitted to being a prostitute because she wanted it to get out before it would hurt hers and Biden's chances at winning the election. I ask her, "Did you actually hear her say that?" She told me yes. I asked could you show me the video. She said it was buried deep because "The Democrats" didn't want everyone to know, which contradicts her statement that "Kamala did it to get it out." I sighed and let it go. To begin, Kamala is not a stupid woman, whether or not you like her. She would never make a confession of being a prostitute. And Biden would have dropped her, so to speak, like a hot potato, if she made such a statement. Lastly, Trump and all his staff would have jumped on it like the proverbial bandwagon. If true, it would certainly have won Trump the election. The Trump campaign would have certainly used the line or words to the effect, "Do you want an ex-whore to be your Vice President?" In her early years she dated the ex-mayor of San Francisco, an older man, for which she was called a, by a radio talk show host. There is no record of her ever being an escort, which it was also expressed and of course if you're an escort, you have to be a whore or gigolo.

Let me give you a less volatile topic, although some people would go hyper. Some time back, I read a small piece, on my Facebook page, that some research had shown that bras caused breast cancer. First off, I don't believe most of the stuff on Facebook. Nevertheless, I was intrigued and decided to research it for possible inclusion in a book I was writing. I found that the theory was not well substantiated and that there were many factors that could also be contributors. However, while I was doing the research, there was a large contingent that supported going braless for various reasons, like the breast became less droopy and didn't sweat as much. Anyway, when I mention that there were many advocates that women should go braless, one woman said, "If I went braless my boobs would hang down to my belly." Maybe she's right; I really don't know. My point is simple, she believed what she wanted to believe. Personally, when it comes to one's health, I think you should do research. Oh, I didn't say more. If this item intrigues you, check out To Bra or Not To Bra; you may or may not agree but one never knows?

Another excellent example of this behavior occurred a short time before the 2020 presidential election. I don't remember how the conversation arose about Clinton and Monica. My friend, a female, said, "Clinton was abusive and took advantage of the girl. I asked, "What you are saying is that Clinton was responsible and the blame." She agreed and said it wasn't the woman's fault. I asked, "Who's responsible when Trump stated that he grab, women's genitalia?" Without losing a beat she stated it was the women's fault because they asked for it." She was serious. The point is she would likely have reversed her view had her political alignment been the other way.

Over the years, too many to count, I have found that this form of behavior is ubiquitous. While I was writing this piece, I have found that psychologist call this form of behavior "Cognitive Dissonance." Essentially, it states that a person when faced with information that contradicts their beliefs, will usually disregard it, or if they believe it, will rationalize it away or will use another's similar bad behavior to justify it, the 'others' will usually be someone they are opposed to; in politics is the other party. Some people, a rare few, will sometimes ask, "What if it's true?" and then research it. If you're interested in learning more about "Cognitive Dissonance," just YouTube or Bing Video the topic.

Addendum January 29, 2022: As I stated in the section "Values: Truthful/Lies, Ethical/Cheater, Caring/Selfish, ... on my page Whenever ... Whatever ... Wherever and wish to reiterate here. To the best of my recollection, "Only twice has someone came back to me to tell me, "I told you so or you were right." In one case I was wrong and the other right; both were bets. I also said somewhere on that page, "Neither have I heard someone telling another they were correct or wrong." I'm convinced people believe only what they want to believe and don't care what's true. Except in extremely rare cases will they accept information that is contradictory to their beliefs, regardless of where it comes from.