The psycho-babble method

When many of us in our own ways try to interpret all we read and hear, many will also try to rise above the innate human tendency to attribute motives and intents to all people, both those we agree with and those we disagree with. Now most of we humans, are after all, humans, and we will necessarily use our own personal experience and knowledge to put ourselves into the shoes of others, and then proceed to say what we think the others are “thinking”. This is too often a waste of well-intended time, though we all do it, I think.

Now to support this idea of well-intended time, one should be aware of “studies” such as one in Scientific American Magazine decades ago that suggested normal human jurors were just as savvy as court expert psychiatrists and psychologists in trying to guess motives. I for one, invoked this idea and reference in trying to get “challenged” off of a court martial, and I failed. Though later I led the effort to condemn the guilty party to life imprisonment. He stomped a little girl to death.

So one can think and do as they like, and I suspect most will. Anyway, I will, too.

Now I can also report that there are other names and phrases for the psycho-babble method. I have heard pop-psychiatry, psycho-wacho, intents, and idealogy, to describe how other humans think. I am sure others have many more phrases like these.

Recently I heard another slightly different approach to this method’s problems that appealed to me. This approach was so human and so simple it caught my attention.

Suppose we think other humans are well intended, and wrong. Now that places both sides on dangerous ground, as in psycho-babble stuff. But, what was new to hear, was the consequences of being wrong. The idea of being wrong is what got my attention. Hence, I even entered the world of psycho-babble.

Here is where I crossed “capabilities” with my judgment of “intents”, and what I had listened to. Suppose other humans are well intended, but wrong?

I for one can live with that chance, until I think it will adversely affect my children and their children. Then I will rise up, which where I live on the Cumberland Plateau, means I will vote in all elections, school board, local, state, and federal. The alternatives like revolution and civil war, are so much worse, and silly to think about, but also worth mentioning as an example of my seriousness about the future of my children and their children.

So has this voter succumbed to the psycho-babble method. I don’t think I have. But maybe others have succumbed; that I just don’t have an opinion about right now. Sounds a little bit like “Forest Gump”, doesn’t it?