Yoga Stories and Essays
by Charles MacInerney
| Cognitive
Dissonance Many years ago, a university student seated next to an old man on the train, observed him shuffling rosary beads between his fingers, lips moving in prayer. "Sir, do you still believe in such outdated things?" asked the student. "Why yes, I do. Don’t you?" asked the man. Laughing, the student replied “I don’t believe in such silly things. Take my advice. Throw the rosary out through this window and learn what science has to say". |
| "Ah
yes, science. I have never felt I really understood science. Perhaps
with help, someday I will." the man said humbly with some tears
in his eyes. A little embarrassed now, the student said "Please
give me your address and I will send you some literature to help
you on the matter." Louis Pasteur, Director of the Institute
of Scientific Research in Paris, presented the young man with a
calling card from his coat pocket. On glancing at the card, the
student, lowered his head in embarrassment and became silent. Un-attributed
story told and retold about Pasteur, paraphrased. |
| Western
psychology has a term called cognitive dissonance which refers to
the uncomfortable tension that comes from holding two seemingly
contradictory thoughts at the same time. Most people attempt to
reduce this tension by changing or rejecting one or the other thought
in order to resolve the apparent conflict. For example, in the lead
story above, the student attempts to resolve the perceived conflict
between faith and science, by suggesting that Pasteur throw the
rosary beads out the window and turn to science! Most people prefer
to feel certain about things. They float through life following
the path of least resistance, avoiding cognitive dissonance when
ever possible. |
It
is the greatest scientists and philosophers that do not run from
paradox, but instead learn to use it to achieve a deeper and more
penetrating understanding of reality. Pasteur held close to science
and his rosary. Krishnamurti advocated sitting quietly with your
own confusion and fear in order to increase self-awareness. Niels
Bohr, the famous physicist, had a horseshoe over his desk. When
asked if he really believed that a horse shoe brought luck, Professor
Bohr replied, "I am given to understand that it does, whether
you believe in it or not." |
| One the most popularized aspects of Zen meditation is the koan… the paradoxical question that has no answer. The koan is a tool that the monks use to create cognitive dissonance in the mind. Rather than attempting to resolve the conflict, students are trained to embrace cognitive dissonance through steady focus on paradox, increasing the internal tension of the mind until they resolve the paradox by breaking through to a new level of awareness beyond thought. |
| Einstein was approached by one of his students who pointed out, "The questions on this year's exam are the same as last year’s!" "True," Einstein said, "but this year all answers are different." |
