The Ignorance of Religion: Applying the 80/20 Rule

In 2008, an American TV political commentator/comedian produced and starred in a documentary called, Religulous, in which he examined and attempted to point out the ridiculousness of organized religion.  

His point is show how religion and faith seem to foster ignorance in that “faith makes a virtue out of NOT thinking.” And although his attempts were meant as a negative, as we’ve discussed here, faith is a part of who we are, it influences our instinctive character and therefore does make a virtue of not rationalizing, of reacting spontaneously, and exactly as he stated… of not thinking. 

But where there is good, there is also bad, and Religulous aims to point out the latter. 

It’s true; there is much ignorance in faith-based groups because faith is about trusting beyond reason and logic.  But where is the line between discernment and faith?  Or how can we avoid the ignorance of faith and NOT live in a constant state of doubt?

Discernment starts at the acquisition level, before knowledge becomes a part of core beliefs.   However, a lot of our core beliefs come from our childhood, and how discerning are we at 5 yr old, or 8, 12, even 16?

We all start somewhere with something.  Yet at some time in our lives, we all need to leave the “faith of our fathers” to forge our own.  It’s not a path many choose to take willingly. That takes the ability to accept a core part of who we are is…. well… could be… possibly… wrong. 

For some… reality hits them hard in the face, and they are forced to re-evaluate things.  For others, it begins with a choice whether to even consider the possibility of going through the anguish of re-evaluating.

This is the first step at becoming truly discerning.  Some have their lives accustomed to change and applying new information, others have set their lives firmly around what they have grown know and therefore any change in that core is quite dramatic. Regardless of how difficult it may be, it needs to happen, in order to continue developing productively.   That is where the 80/20 rule comes into play.  

To explain this point, I’ve re-cycled an older article about the 80/20 rule to World Peace which applies to the development of personal discernment. 

The 80/20 rule to World Peace. 

Three’s Company was popular TV comedy that ran for 8 years in the early eighties about 2 women and 1 man living together to share rent. The basic plot for each show revolved around a misunderstanding, mis-communication and crazy attempts to get out of situations caused by the conflict. Phrases like, “It’s not what it looks like,” and “If only they would listen to my side of the story,” made their lives more interesting and their conflicts laughable.

But in real life, too many times, the situations that result are far from comedic:  Families torn apart, relationships severed, communities uprooted, lives destroyed, even war. Imagine how much conflict could be avoided in relationships at work, politics, even international affairs, if the rush to judgment would be replaced with patient discernment? 

This is the basis for the 80/20 rule to World Peace.

The 80/20 rule to World Peace implies that 80% of world conflicts can be resolved if everyone accepted a 20% chance that they COULD be wrong.

Have you ever been in an inter-personal conflict and NOT think to yourself, “I’m right.” Have you ever continued conflict thinking, “Maybe, I’m wrong?”

The problem with conflict is everyone believes they are right, or everyone else is wrong, which is, in fact, true, from their own perspectives. Everyone believes they are right because that is the basic way we know how to interact with our world. Every decision we make is a reaction to what we believe to be true. So not only are each of us right, but everyone does what they believe to be in their best self interests.

Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Jews all are right from each of their own perspectives. Russians, North Koreans, Chinese, Iranians and Americans; conservatives, liberals, progressives, each believe likewise.

The “I’m right,” culture leads to a world of absolutes causing people to stop listening, stop learning, and refusing to look at other perspectives. This leads to ignorance, intolerance, and eventually conflict.

Therefore the 80/20 Rule to World Peace asks that since EVERYONE is right, in order to give peace a chance, simply adopt an attitude towards conflict that accepts a 20% chance that MAYBE you’re not. Or, for the especially proud, like myself, an adjustment to the rule would be to accept a 20% chance that MAYBE you don’t have all the information.

From a psychological perspective, people are uncomfortable with lingering questions. We prefer to live in conclusions and certainty. Therefore judgment is quickly made based on the information that is known or perceived. The information that is not known or even in conflict is then assumed to be what is the most common or logical based on our experience so a conclusion can quickly be made. And because we are “always right,” those conclusions usually become beliefs. This is what causes misconceptions, misperceptions, and miscommunication. This is what draws out our impulsive physical and emotional reactions to events.

By consciously acknowledging a lack of information, “Huh?” and a willingness to linger in uncertainty for a little while, we avoid the automatic judgments, “I can’t believe you did that,” which then turns on the inquisitive side of our psyche, “What the hell are you doing?”

This is called, discernment.

It is the difference between trained and untrained, mature and immature, educated and uneducated. It is, or should NOT, be the difference between primarily logical and emotional decision-makers. But it should be included at the  base of curriculum principles within ALL formal learning.

Should everyone accept the 20%, the result is at least 80% of the world’s conflicts could be resolved or even avoided from playground arguments, to marital conflicts,  even world wars.

Most conflicts occur from one of three reasons: Pride, Desire, or Resources, translated into, “I’m right,” “I want,” “I need,” or any combination thereof, and each of them driven by absolutes.

What this is NOT is an abolishment to faith. Rather it is a willingness to accept an attitude of humility that MAYBE I don’t know everything.  This provides the opportunity for an openness to seek further information, to gain a broader perspective, and to make more informed decisions.

The truth is, conflict will always exist. But reducing it would be a huge help. With discernment comes a life where conflict, like a comedy, can be a lot more laughable. But, don’t take my word for it, there is a 20% chance I could be wrong…

The Importance of "k"

Imagine playing in a league where wins and losses are not determined by performance but by the size of bribes for referees and players.

Imagine going to a school where grades are given not by competence with the material or completion of assignments, rather on the teacher’s feelings toward the student.

Imagine running a business in a market where agreements are not respected and success is determined, limited or usurped.

Imagine being in a relationship with a daily fear of being abandoned.

Imagine living in a country where the rule of law fluctuates on the whims of the powers that be.

This is the reality for many in the world today which is caused by the lack of a quality constant.

The constant is basic principles from which values are made, that determine right from wrong, fair from unfair and most importantly, no matter what happens and regardless of what powers have influence, does not change. And on this, development and progress can be based.

Without the constant, there is no order, there are no standards, and values, performance, rewards and success are arbitrary. People without a constant are reduced to hedonism, which leads to anarchy, which leads to chaos.

The constant determines the identity of a person, organization, culture, or nation, and therefore is the basis for decision-making.

The Constant varies in different situations. The following are constants for healthy societies:

· For a school, the constant would be the catalogue registered under.

· For a business it is a contract.

· For competition, a rulebook

· For a nation, it’s constitution

· For Christianity, the Bible

· For Catholicism, the Pope

· For Capitalism, the local market regulations under the principle of profit over loss

· For a couple, a commitment to the bond

· For a person, that constant rests in faith, family or community

Because of the importance of the constant, it is usually held as sacred and therefore protected and nurtured and explains why there is such outrage and reactions when people’s constants are threatened.

This is why appointments for the US Supreme court are taken so seriously and why conservatives are questioning whether Jud. Sotomayor will treat the constitution with respect or be an activist judging on racial issues. This is also why the US is wrong to not support the Hondurans in removing their democratically elected President who tried to unlawfully change their constitution.

It explains why there is uproar with U.S. Government playing and involving itself in the markets beyond regulation.

It explains why referees typically get most of the negativity in sports.

Since the constant controls decision-making, values and opinions, real change happens on two levels. The strength of an entity is a direct result of the quality of its constant. So the first level regards the constant itself. Documents like the Bible and the US constitution are held as solid and therefore sacred, so changes to either are met with incredible resistance. Sports rules and school catalogues change all the time, but require consistency of those rules at minimum through the end of the term. Faith and Commitments are on a personal level and subject to education, maturity, and accountability.

The constant is a set of principles, not issues, on which one chooses to exist. Therefore change on this level is the hardest thing to do, and should be done carefully and rarely. It is not something to be done on a whim or urge, in a 5 minute conversation with a stranger on the street, based on a political agenda, or done just because it feels right.

The second level of change then builds off the principles included in that constant and regards the entity’s ability to live according to that constant.

This is why a nation the role of a supreme court and law enforcement, why there are managers, why people follow religion, why we hire coaches and trainers and why, for many, a wedding is much more than a piece of paper.

This is also how we can measure and keep in check those who are in charge of our development, (educators, pastors, politicians, leaders) to make sure they are leading us according to our established principles and prevent manipulation, indoctrination, or being misguided.

Therefore, a stable entity, be that anything from a person to a nation, needs to ask itself a few questions:

Do we know what our constants are?

Are they solid and based on firm principles?

Do we believe in them?

Are we actively protecting and nurturing them, or even prepared to defend?

And finally, are we living or attempting to live according to them?

More than a Fruit Fly?

A friend of mine called me to talk about his depression. He explained that he had recently come to a realization that scared him, life seemed less useful than a fruit fly.

To him, it came down to this: we go to school, to get a job, to earn money in order to raise a family SO that our kids can go to school, to get a good job to earn money so they can raise a family and the cycle continues. We live, we die, we multiply. The only difference is we live a bit longer than 10 days.

Although the continuation of the human race is a noble cause, he wanted to be about something more. He wanted better answers, and asked many people. The responses did little to alleviate his new-found uselessness.

As I swat and eliminate the fruit flies in my kitchen, I ask myself if there was a difference because of their existence. Is there a difference because of my own?

There is one important difference between us and fruit flies…we have soul. We have conscious thought, not just instinct, which searches meaning. Meaning, comes from perspective, how we see life. That perspective comes from what we believe to be true….from faith. From faith, we establish what is important and from that, we can find our role….simple right??

Sure, if the following questions can be answered:

1. Am I willing to look?
2. What do I believe to be true?
3. Who am I, and what can I do?

Where to start?

Ancient wisdom literature says: fools are found in the house of feasting, the wise are found in the house of mourning.

One of the clearest ways to focus on life, is to reflect on death. What did you think about the last time you were at a funeral or a cemetery? If you can’t remember, take an afternoon and allow yourself to experience either of the two. Imagine what you want your tombstone to say, or how you want to be remember after you’ve gone.

You’ll also find in that time, things that you believe to be important, and therefore, unless you already know, the foundation of your faith.
Put the two together, add a little passion and you’ve got the potential for an inspired fulfilled life.

It seemed my friend’s depression turned out to be his own soul taking him down through the façade that was his life. He had to hit bottom to find out what was real, which gave him the chance to rebuild. He did. And you can too.

If life is a bowl of cherries, do more than just buzz around it.