My view is that shallowness of thinking is not the problem here (I also dispute that they're "ignorant", which is a term used in the film "Bridge of Spies" that I have just re-watched - although they may, indeed, have been poorly educated by the system on law, human rights, what protecting a nation means, etc): my view is that the issue is a combination of improper viewing of reality (the sort of issue that is often described these days as a "filter bubble", and used to be described as "cherry picking" or "selective evidence - perhaps "flawed perception" is the best term), and taught worldviews - specifically, a (to use a philosophical term) worldview that, in my terms, applies Newtonian physics to thinking and feeling - to heart, mind and soul.
In the Newtonian heart, mind and soul worldview (which I will refer to as "Newtonian non-physical worldview" for the - slight - convenience of my aged fingers), if someone is doing something is harmful (such as, say ... taking drugs) you apply a more or less equal (or overwhelmingly larger) and opposite force to stop them - for instance, sending kids to boot camps, or interventions, or, ultimately, locking them up "for their own good" - NONE of which addresses the cause for the drug-taking, and thus not only fails to help, but adds additional damage from the way that the person has been treated.
In the real world, providing psychological help will often (not always - and that MUST be acknowledged), which is utterly bewildering and mystifying to the person with the Newtonian world view: in their mind, how can a change happen when no force has been applied?
The problem, when dealing with an adult who has a Newtonian worldview, is: how do you convince them that gentle techniques can and do work - that love is greater than violence, and a non-Newtonian worldview is MORE effective on thoughts and feelings?
Incidentally, the subtext that often goes with this, and is often not acknowledged, is proving to them that violence is harmful - consider, for instance, the late middle aged person who says "well smacking me never did any harm!": you have to convince them that it does do harm (e.g., it perpetuates domestic violence, which is now seen as unacceptable in many places in the world - not all, though), and that INEVITABLY means you have to address the issue of possibly criticising their character, which may be repressed and lacking in demonstrativeness as a result, as not good.
Before going what to do about that, I would like to briefly move on to the issue of how they wound up like that. I suspect that parents are most commonly blamed for this affliction, but there are other likely more significant influences:
- peers and fiends (I recall posting a link to a news article quite some time ago at my main blog about this possibly being more influential than parents);
- what people bring into their life from previous incarnations (which is a feature of my worldview, and a key part of main blog; this is also one of the many reasons I refuse to use the blanket statement "I like kids" is that not all kids are basically good - some are born inherently nasty [true psychopaths], and others are made that way [sociopaths], perhaps by scarred parents who found themselves as parents largely because of moronic social pressure ["oh you've got to have kids - it's wonderful"] or religious stupidity [such as telling teenagers "just say no"]);
- life events (especially anything which can scar a vulnerable young person); and
- inadequate teachers.
Now, teachers need far more support and resourcing (I consider they should have the highest paid jobs in society), but they must also acknowledge what it is that they're doing, which is more than the Newtonian non-physical worldview of inculcating the 3Rs and their modern equivalent: it is SHAPING young people, as people.
(I also consider that funding for schools should be based on NEED, not rewarding the already successful - which compounds social disadvantage.)
Going back to the adult with a Newtonian non-physical worldview, I'd like to return to the topic of what to do with them (and they're often too influential, so just ignoring them isn't an option, as that allow the world to continue experiencing ever increasing suffering at the hands of their blindness). Their flawed perception may well be based on socialisation (including family-sized socialisation) that could be compared to brainwashing, and they may well be emotionally stunted (or even crippled) to the extent that they seem impossible to deal with, but, at the end of this incarnation, they do NOT wink out of existence (yes, as I have already indicated, my non-physical worldview includes survival after death AND reincarnation): their soul continues, and will be reincarnated. Attempting to get them to change will benefit:
- them, possibly in this life, but quite possibly more so in future lifetimes (incarnations);
- the people around them / influenced/harmed by them; and
- the person/people trying to get them to change (one can get to a kill level where the best way to learn more is to try to teach it - something I can vouch for from sailing and many other areas of my life).
So, what to do?
Well, I suggest (and you are free to disagree with this):
- calm, well-researched and prepared, and PERSISTENT education;
- better advocacy, advocacy which acknowledges the sorts of issues raised in this post, and aims to convince people like those I am writing about, rather than "preaching to the converted";
- guidance that the targeted people will respond to as to why their perceptions are flawed - the sort of guidance that veterans gave on the Viêt Nám War to other military people, for instance;
- whilst remembering that the people you are seeking to change may well be damaged, not being so naïve as to think they will be timid, or that they won't fight back, or that they will easily acquiesce;
- adaptation to responses to the above points, and then persisting with efforts - remember, you are planting seeds that may take decades to flower, which is a reason to be as respectful and non-patronising of them as you can (while making sure you defend and protect yourself against them); and
- as much self-care as is needed to avoid errors such as responding angrily to baiting, or becoming damage oneself by contact with these flawed human beings.
