Black And White Thinking: Are Some People Conditioned To Believe That Everything Is Black Or White?

When one learns about something, it can be a time where they are told to believe just about everything they hear. There is then no need for them to question anything and to think for themselves.
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The Education System

It could be said that this is something that typically takes place when one goes to school for the first time. During this time, different authority figures will talk to them about what took place in the past, amongst other things.

This is not to say that these people are going out of their way to deceive people, as this is unlikely to be the case. There is a strong chance that they believe that what they are talking about is the truth.

Agents

If this is the case, then these people are unknowingly filling people’s minds with lies and illusions. And as they don’t realise what is taking place, it is going to be normal for them to stand by what they know.

Therefore, even if one was to question what they are told, they could end up being overlooked. One could also find that it is not always possible for them to know if they are being told the truth, as they might not be very well informed at this stage of their life.

Glorified Regurgitation

After learning about different things whilst they were at school, they will have a mind full of information. Yet although it is information that has been passed from other people, it can end up defining how they see the world.

As a result of this, one might no longer see the world through their own eyes, and this can be due to one being told what to think as opposed how to think. In this sense, they will have been let down by the mainstream education system.

Ill Equipped

This can then make it easy for other authority figures to manipulate them, and this is because they don’t have the skills that they need to read between the lines, so to speak. For example, one could then have the tendency to believe everything they read in a paper.

The same thing could also occur if they were to watch the new on TV, or if they were to read about things online. One way of looking at this would be to say that the people behind the scenes want people to leave school without the right tools, as it will be a lot easier to control them.

It Goes On

But while one could leave school and seek employment, they could also end up carrying on with their education. They could then go to college or university, and they can then continue to be told what to believe about the world.

However, if one has spent most of their life being told what to believe, they could end up being on board with it at this stage in their life. One is then going to have no reason to question what they hear and it could also be easy for them to find evidence for what they believe.

Validation

Through coming into contact with information and experiences that back up what they believe, they could say that this proves that they are right. Yet, what this could also show is that their mind is blocking out anything that goes against what they believe to be true.

Still, without realsing how the mind works, it is going to be a challenge for them to see when this takes place. At the end of the day, one will be able to find information to back up most things.

Another Response

Nevertheless, it would be inaccurate to say that everyone needs to be taught how to think critically in order for them to have this ability. What this comes down to is that some people are able to do this regardless of what their time in the education system was like.

This can then mean that they won’t have believed everything they were told, and this may have got them into trouble. Even so, it will be something that allows them to function better in a world that is full of propaganda.

Two Options

And when one learns about something during their time in the education system, they are likely to learn that most things are black and white. This is not to say that these words will be used; what it comes down to is that there can be one way of looking at things.

How they see things is then going to be how things are, and that’s going to be all there is to it. One’s ability to think critically can then be inhibited and they won’t be able to see that there are more than two ways of looking at things.

Examples

If they were to go to university, they could be conditioned to believe that the only reason one sex wouldn’t get very far in life is because of sexism. Racism could be another term that is used when one race is seen as doing better than another.

One Outlook

There will then no reason for them to take a deeper look into why certain things happen, and it could then be said that they will end up making things even worse. As without knowing what the causes actually are, it won’t be possible for them to find the right solutions.

But if one has been told that there is only way of looking at something, there is going to be no reason for them to take a step back. They won’t need to think critically and this will save them a lot of energy.

Conclusion

Ultimately, very little in life is either black or white, but to see this one will need to be able to think critically. Now, while this will mean that one needs to actually use their mind and not allow their mind and their emotions to use them, it will allow them to form more accurate conclusions.

The alternative will be for one to believe that something is black and white and then to allow their life to be defined by it. One is then going to be operating in the same way as a young child, and this is because their thinking brain won’t be fully functional.