Personal Inconsistencies

[Solid Snake]

Has anyone ever noticed that, despite how rational or how intelligent or how well-informed we may attempt to be, as individuals we continually make decisions and adhere to beliefs in specific situations that would be described, at best, as inconsistent? That despite all our efforts to rely on cold, hard logic alone to guide our lives, our raw emotions still get in the way of our ability to sometimes make the "best" or most "pragmatic" choice?

Here's an example I was just thinking about. I was having a political discussion with a group of friends, conservatives and liberals, at a coffeehouse a few hours ago and I realized this as we were conversing about the DNC and other developments (we're all political science nerds, it's what most of us majored in)
I'm (most likely, unless something catastrophic happens to change the course of the elections) going to vote for McCain, unless Mitt Romney is the VP. If Mitt Romney is the VP, I'll be voting for Obama.

The moment I muttered these sentences my friends -- even the Democrats who should have been elated to hear there was a chance I'd be shocking them by voting Obama / Biden! -- were absolutely shocked. They couldn't understand why I'd take such an irrational viewpoint.
And they convinced me it was irrational. Mitt Romney and I agree on most the issues, the Vice Presidency is one of the least important factors in a presidential election, Vice Presidents don't do jack crap in terms of policy decisions anyway unless you have a 50-50 division in the Senate, Mitt Romney is not the antichrist and does not deserve my illogical hatred, Romney as a VP selection does nothing to change Obama's positions, and I'd vote for McCain and nearly any other VP, including even "more divisive" picks mentioned in GOP circles like Joe Lieberman.

At one point during the conversation I simply had to acknowledge the truth: They were right with all their criticisms.
But if Mitt Romney is John McCain's VP choice, I still was going to vote for Obama.
Why? Because I just don't like Mitt Romney. At all. I like, trust, and respect Joe Biden and Barack Obama more then I like Mitt Romney and I don't agree nearly as much with the Dems on the issues.

So anyway I was wondering if I was the only person in the world who has completely illogical beliefs like this. What's intriguing to me about this inconsistency in my thought patterns is that I'm
-- Capable of rationally recognizing my position is illegitimate and founded on mere emotion,
BUT
-- I have absolutely no interest or desire in changing my perspective, anyway.

I know someone here is going to interpret this as an excuse to bring up religion, but I'd really prefer to limit this conversation to the rather menial and trite inconsistencies that plague our lives. Religion is so inherently complicated a topic and though some could define it within the scope of this topic, it's not where I intend it to go.

Oooh! Here's another example. A few days ago I concocted a white lie to my parents...a completely harmless and ireelevant story of "someone I ran into" that never actually happened. I was just trying to make innocent small talk about a related subject but there was absolutely no rational reason -- nor any real benefit for that matter -- in the lie. I could have just as easily asked my parents about the topic I wanted to breach directly, but instead I told a roundabout five minute story that wasn't true. Why? There was nothing to gain, no benefit nor harm committed...but I just felt like it.

[Seil]

Has anyone ever noticed that, despite how rational or how intelligent or how well-informed we may attempt to be, as individuals we continually make decisions and adhere to beliefs in specific situations that would be described, at best, as inconsistent? That despite all our efforts to rely on cold, hard logic alone to guide our lives, our raw emotions still get in the way of our ability to sometimes make the "best" or most "pragmatic" choice?

I've been saying this forever:

"Life is simple. People make it complicated."

[bluestarultor]

I'm pretty black-and-white, believe it or not. Anything indicating a gray area is really just because to understand the complex calculations going on in my mind probably would drive most humans insane, if their heads didn't explode from the sheer number of variables alone. It all makes sense, mind you, but only if you understand my perspective and the way I look at the world around me, which I've established via people who know me to be very different from how most people's brains work.

That said, I think emotions SHOULD be factored into decisions, as well as gut instincts and other things people would normally consider irrational. To illustrate this:

Your parents give you a $20 and a $50 in church and tell you to donate one of them to the collection. Your factors should include:
- whether or not you have a job
- whether there is something you want to buy
- whether it is worth disappointing your parents by donating less
- whether your parents will be impressed by you keeping more because
- the church already has buttloads of money and is planning on using it to renovate
- and your parents dislike the new design
- plus there will be a second collection for more philanthropic purposes
- and they never said WHICH collection you had to donate to

And so on and so forth.


Basically, assuming my personal bias in the matter (sorry for locking in some factors, but it's really for your benefit):

I will donate the $50 to the second collection. I really don't want anything right now, and while I'm not working, I have loads in the bank, so $50 isn't going to make or break me. They'll be impressed that the church isn't getting their cash to paint the walls blaze orange and that I'll have donated more to the starving kids in Africa because I remembered the second collection and didn't assume it had to be the first.



Or in choosing a career path. Say you want to be an artist, but people always tell you you'll starve and say you should be an accountant instead. Your art skills rock, but you're also okay at math, you guess. But you REALLY want to be an artist and are good at it, and your passion shows. If you decide to become an artist, maybe you won't make it big, but you'll love your life and small apartment, where if you become an accountant, you'll have a nice, sterile suburban home with a wife, 2 kids, and a dog, but you'll forever carry a notebook of pen sketches with you and think of what might have been.

Obviously, your life as an artist would have been a happier, if less stable one, where your life as an accountant would be sterile, but stable. But dammit, it's your life and happiness!

[DarkDrgon]

I tend judge my emotions as more important than whatever logc anyone can come up with, and while most of the time it bites me in the ass, the few times it worked out were the best decisions of m life.

[Sir Pinkleton]

Originally Posted by DarkDrgon

I tend judge my emotions as more important than whatever logc anyone can come up with, and while most of the time it bites me in the ass, the few times it worked out were the best decisions of m life.

I tend to think that if I did use my emotions to make a decision, then that decision is one I'll not regret.

[Pip Boy]

Originally Posted by Aunty Sir Dr. Pinkleton "Nightshade" III Cubic

I tend to think that if I did use my emotions to make a decision, then that decision is one I'll not regret.

Yes, I've had a lot of friends say that, and all of those friends did very stupid things that they now regret. Isn't irony a whore?

[Mesden]

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

I'm pretty black-and-white, believe it or not. Anything indicating a gray area is really just because to understand the complex calculations going on in my mind probably would drive most humans insane, if their heads didn't explode from the sheer number of variables alone.

Really?

I am a completely illogical person inasmuch as I am a vocal human rights activist and yet I still defended China being allowed to host the Olympic games, etc etc.

It might've been because I had this deep down hope that China would stop torturing and killing people as much but I was pretty sure that wasn't happening, so I'm not entirely sure.

[Solid Snake]

And ironically, McCain follows up my post by...making a personally inconsistent decision (probably) based entirely on raw emotions!
I mean if your main criticism against your opponent is "he's all hype" and "has no substance or experience," does it make any rational sense whatsoever to choose a governor in an uncontested, faraway state who has no experience (first-term governor!) and is all hype? (90% approval ratings!)

[Fifthfiend]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

And ironically, McCain follows up my post by...making a personally inconsistent decision (probably) based entirely on raw emotions!
I mean if your main criticism against your opponent is "he's all hype" and "has no substance or experience," does it make any rational sense whatsoever to choose a governor in an uncontested, faraway state who has no experience (first-term governor!) and is all hype? (90% approval ratings!)

No less than running as Changey McChangerson and going with Joe "ESTABLISHMENT DC 4 LYFE, BITCHEZ" Biden.

[Fifthfiend]

FYI: Anyone who didn't read the spoiler text in SS's original post should do so, and anyone who does what he advises against doing, I will be rather indelicate towards.