radical transperancy

I'm not an absolutist about much, but I'm a believer in honesty.  Honesty with others, though not necessarily needing to tell everyone everything.  For one thing, most people really don't care.  More than that, I've found honesty with myself critical.  It's so easy to slip into narratives, to be so sure of things, but the mind fabricates a lot.  We forget more than we want to admit.  Without even taking the time to think about it.

As I've been following the news closely for a few years now, I've realized that people have no memories of anything, unless the news cycle's been reminding them of it.  The present is always decontextualized in this way.  Often the memories are in there somewhere, but we're not as good as we think we are, at associating a memory with current relevant information.  Honestly, I find it implausible that I'm speaking only for myself here, but go ahead, believe what you want.

It's a lie of false certainty and unchecked bias, when the brain really isn't processing the whole picture.  Disproportionate values placed in all sorts of ways.  Focusing on one thing more than another, for no reason other than self bias.  Empathizing more with those who are more like ourselves, for example.  Sapolsky says oxytocin does that, but spellcheck thinks 'oxycontin' is the real word.  Even spellcheck lies to us.

Just the other day, I'm out buying beer.  Now I'm looking in my fridge thinking, why the hell did I buy coffee stout.  When am I supposed to drink this, without screwing up my new coffee regime?  I think there had to have been a moment of self-deception involved there.

I am an idealist when it comes to honesty with others, in this respect.  I believe in the premise that checking each others' bullshit can be an important part of being less wrong about everything.  Sometimes I've needed the help, but I think it takes a balance.  No one really gets to claim that they're the one whose right about everything.  Except maybe Noam Chomsky.

The problem with this ideal is that most people are so very wrong as to be not that helpful.