presumptive matrix

As I've fallen back into arguing about the news a lot, I've been thinking about why almost nobody ever changes their minds. Those that do, generally take a long time to come around. It takes a long time for the influx of new evidence and ideas to outweigh everything we've cobbled together already. Not just everything about any given argument, but the entire worldview of context it exists in.

If we're arguing about a given conflict, every piece of the puzzle we throw at each other will be understood within the context of our ideological adversary's existing understanding of the whole situation; everyone and everything involved in that understanding, reinforcing it.

On every issue, there are competing narratives. Entire stories built on countless instances of deceit by the bad guys, and heroic deeds by of our allies. Each event, such as a missile attack on civilians, where both sides blame the other. No matter what the facts suggest, if you're standing with Ukraine, it's going to sound highly implausible that they'd do anything like that - while of course Russia would. 

"In the face of so much horror, Europe cannot turn away!"

A whole matrix of presumptions reinforces our understanding of any facts or events in question. If you've only been getting one side of the story, event after event, hearing the other side will sound preposterous. Our ingrained understanding of context outweigh the evidence, such that contradicting information will look like deceit; Russians trying to frame Ukraine, or vice versa. Every opposing detail in the narrative can look like misinformation.

Argument becomes pointless, tedious, and frustrating. As long as someone is following the same media, that will offset other perspectives they encounter. The countervailing information coming in will have much further to go to ever exceed the reinforcement of the established narrative. Changing minds takes time, but it's also rare that it happens at all. 

I don't know why I care so much. We're all just animals scurrying about doing the best we can to live our lives. Following world events can be a fine hobby, but it doesn't matter so much that I should get all upset about everyone else's terrible opinions.

I'm unstable, reactive, and emotional, vulnerable to negativity. I get wrapped up in it, addicted to grappling with it. I have nothing better to do. When mental health is stronger, mountains become mole hills. So I think a lot about what's making me unhealthy. Loneliness is a good bet, but it's all speculation. I often fear it's just an excuse. I shouldn't need people like this. I should be stronger.

Others seem to take each other for granted though. How important it is to have people to go through the good and the bad with. Not just people to spend time with, but people to lean on when life gets traumatizing. Trauma disorders occur not only when we experience a traumatic event - many people survive such events without developing disorders. The number one difference between severity of outcomes has not been found to be the severity of trauma, but whether victims of trauma had supportive people in their lives to help them through it.

I'm not special. It just really sucks that everyone else has such terrible opinions.