Why do we get so hung up about consistency?

The US presidential campaign has thrown our obsession with consistency into sharp relief. Over and over again, the words ‘flip-flopping’ are brought into play as a form of attack. Past speeches and writings are combed for supposed — or even real — inconsistencies with what is being said today. Once found, these changes of opinion are waved over the candidate’s head like weapons. “Look, he once said this and now he’s saying this. He’s flip-flopping!”

If you stop to consider this, free from the synthetic excitement the media try to whip up, the only thing worth wondering about is the extent to which people’s opinions fail to change — even over long periods.

Times change. Contexts change. We learn new things, find new possibilities, ought to forget old grudges and hurts. Why shouldn’t our opinions change in line with the new realities?

The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind.
~William Blake

Continued

There’s always someone who tries to look on the bright side. This time it’s Foreign Policy magazine’s web site with an article listing the potential benefits of sky-high gas prices.

The writer thinks that, while the oil-price hikes are crashing the global economy and making everyone miserable, there’s an under-appreciated upside too.

Here’s the list (“The List: Five Reasons to Love $4 Gas”):

• A boom in the use of mass transit. Three quarters of Americans now believe more money should be spent on developing and improving mass transit systems, after decades of neglect and apathy.
• Lower obesity rates.Charles Courtemanche of Washington University headed research that found, for every dollar increase in the average real price of gas, overweight and obesity levels in the United States would decline by 16 percent after seven years.
• Fewer accidents. Less driving means fewer accidents, as does driving slower and more cautiously.
• Shorter commutes. Worry about rising gas prices has encouraged workers to move closer to their jobs.
• The biofuels craze. More of the world’s fuel is coming from renewable energy sources instead of Middle East oil drums.

I wonder how many of these we will see as benefits in a few years time?

I’d pick improvements in mass transit and shorter commutes. The American love affair with the automobile has been the major cause of urban sprawl. I’m also amazed as the number of my American friends who rave about the usefulness of mass transit systems when the take European vacations, yet fail to connect the dots and support similar systems in their own home towns.

We’re always being told people resist and dislike change. Not so. What they hate is stupid, pointless changes that produce nothing useful.

Change has become a constant mantra. We’re always being told that “change is inevitable” or “change is necessary” and that “without change, there is only decay.” All true — up to a point. You would think people would have got used to change by now. Besides, there’s little doubt that some kinds of change are welcomed. Look at the thousands of people turning out for rallies in the American presidential election, excited and energized by the prospect of significant changes after eight years of President Bush.

So why is it also a truism that much change is resisted, whether it’s change at work, change in social attitudes, or personal changes affecting how we live?

The Financial Times tackles the topic in an article called “Change we can believe in”. As you would expect, their emphasis is on changes in the workplace, but you can easily apply the same principles to any other type of change that threatens to effect groups and individuals. Continued

Is it possible that we need recessions for the economy to stay healthy?

That’s the message from this article by Drake Bennett for The Boston Globe’s blog (“The good recession”). While most people focus on the harm recessions do to earnings, employment and consumer spending, Bennett takes a look at some potential long-term gains.

Amongst the benefits he finds: a slowing economy, some economists suggest, can help you live longer. During recessions people drink and smoke less, get sick less, and even die less than during boom times. People who worry about losing their jobs do things to keep them from getting laid off — they drink less, they fight less, they become less risk-taking. If they have less disposable income, perhaps they will spend less on drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. Cut-backs in driving and car ownership should mean less traffic and fewer accidents. Continued

Do you suffer from letting other people walk all over you, rather than expressing your own opinions, just because it might upset someone? That’s the question asked by Bonnie Staring in an article for healthszone.ca, part of The Toronto Star’s blog network (“The 7 deadly doormat sins”).

What makes you into a doormat? Here’s what she writes:

The Seven Deadly Doormat Sins (SDDS) are anxiety, denial, doubt, mediocrity, resentment, self-helplessness and silence. Whether performed on their own or in a heinous combination, SDDS can stop us from reaching our full potential, awakening the powerful person within, or simply getting to the office on time.

She also offers tips on how to identify SDDS behavior and learn not to do it again. Continued

Some ways to help bring back the pleasure and excitement to your life

Do you sometimes feel that life is against you? People around you appear preoccupied and indifferent to you. There are constant hassles and upsets. Whatever enthusiasm you once had has disappeared and everything feels gray. You have little energy and feel like giving up. There’s no spark. No sense of excitement or joy in life.

If it happens to you, don’t ignore the situation and hope it will pass. Don’t tell yourself you’re maybe coming down with a cold, or you just need a few days vacation and you’ll be fine.

Try some practical ways to refuel your internal life.

Ignoring feelings like those described above is a mistake. Although not spectacular, they’re a symptom of your mind telling you that you’ve lost your way in life. Until you get back on your path, they’ll keep returning. Continued

If you don’t know where you want to go, follow the advice of the Cheshire cat. Try being open to the possibility of any road that may be as good, or even better, than planning — and certainly than taking advice from other people, all of whom will have their own agenda.

Here’s Alice talking with the Cheshire cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Like many of us, when faced with a choice, she has no idea where she ought to be heading.

Alice came to a fork in the road. “Which road do I take?” she asked.”Where do you want to go?” responded the Cheshire cat.”I don’t know,” Alice answered.”Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”

“Shouldn’t I listen to advice?”
Of course, but beware. Others may try to set you on a path that they wish they’d taken themselves. Then, how do you know they have your best interests at heart? What seems a good idea to them, may be a bad idea for you. Even those closest to you don’t necessarily know you as well as they think they do. Even you may not know yourself as well as you think you do. Continued