The Power of Thought

I recently listened to a presentation given by a member of the Department of Student Life of my school (UTSC) about the preconceptions held by people about our campus before they actually go there to study or visit. The presenter was quite peeved that many people were under the impression that the campus was "small, boring and inferior" compared with the other two UofT campuses. In his presentation he tried to dispel many of these rumors, and he posited some theories as to how and why exactly these false notions even came into being. He commented that some people may go around spreading such rumors based on their own personal indiviual experiences (not necessarily giving "unbiased" opinions), and these rumors would grow until finally it became "common knowledge" that UTSC was in fact a small, boring, unimpressive campus. Thus, a student's experience here would be made not by what actually happens to them , but may instead be defined by the parameters of belief of the student prior to even coming here.

Complex as his explanation was, his logic lead me to think about the power that thoughts and beliefs carry with them. Thoughts can alter the basis of reality and its perception; in saying that, it is possible to say that one's thoughts essentially can constitute a "truth" to the beholder that seems perfectly logical and acceptable. even though this "truth" may not necessarily be the case if looked at from a less biased point of view.

Most people's minds operate with what is called a CONFIRMATION BIAS. Borrowing from psychology and cognitive science, a confirmation bias is a tendency of the human brain to search for or interpret new information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions and to irrationally avoid information and interpretations which contradict prior beliefs. In other words, when a person holds a particular belief, the mind generally filters out any information that may contradict this belief, and tends to only allow itself to process information which affirms the beliefs already held.

The problem with this function of human logic is that it limits our abilities to change the way we think and act, even if these are not congruent with development of society and civilization. Someone who is racist by nature may be difficult to persuade to think outside physical differences, because their thought process is constructed in such as way as to block out information that will discourage their racist behavior; on the contrary, it will selectively absorb information that serves to reinforce their own reasons for racism. This is just one example. I infer here intuitively that this confirmation bias is one of the main reasons why, despite the outcries of millions of marginalized people, many groups and individuals seem to be fatalistically hard-headed and seemingly immovably ingrained in their philosophies and principles. This is why we continue to see racism, homophobia, sexism, political idealism ans so many other principle-based conflict starters continuing to retard the process of peace and equality among all human beings.

The point I make here is that consciousness makes all the difference. it is important for us all as individuals to recognize the flawed logic of many traditions and societal norms and customs, and to truly self-examine in order to liberate ourselves from the constraints of sub-conscious cognitive bias. In other words, we should all strive to create our own beliefs based not on what we were told but on what we can objectively observe and infer based tangible evidence and not perceived knowledge, so that we can avoid selective logic and be more tolerant, inclusive and compassionate towards our fellow men. Our thoughts and beliefs hold power, and can make reality; all we need to do is truly believe in equality, and it can come to pass.

What do you believe ?