The old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” seems apropos in trying to change the mind of a follower of toxic liberalism.  You cannot reason with them and when you try, they become intolerant and unreasonable.  They become the opposite of what they insist we must embrace tolerance and reason.  Figure that one out!

For the Left and some on the Right it has become, “If Trump and Conservatives are for it, I am against it.”  Evaluating the total picture, weighing the facts, the benefits, versus the negatives is not part of the equation, it is simply, “If he and they are for it, I vote NO!” 

The reality is that most Americans are suffering under the Biden administration and yet, those on the Left seem incapable of acknowledging that.  We keep ‘circling back’ to blaming Trump, the Republicans, Christians, Conservatives, White Men, Russia, or something.  When the simple math of what Biden-nomics is doing to America they remain willingly blind and if you present facts, they revert to Biden’s statement in the Iowa campaign stop, “We prefer truth over facts.”  That is beyond nonsensical for facts are truth and truth embraces the facts.  But not the liberal mind.

I have become convinced that the liberal mind is incapable of change politically.  Even when highly intelligent, factually accurate, and unbiased efforts are made to demonstrate how dreadful things are in today’s America, they remain rigid and their mind impenetrable.  The Leftist policies being enacted are counter to sound economics and are causing the loss of jobs, creating unreasonable prices for gas, oil, and energy, out-of-control inflation, and curbs on religious freedom and speech, and yet the Kool-Aid drinkers refuse to see the truth.  The water of truth is there, but they refuse to drink preferring the water from the septic tank.

I read a discussion by Keith M. Bellizzi, professor of human development and family sciences, from the University of Connecticut regarding cognitive psychology and neuroscience.  He explained that there are survival systems hard-wired in the human brain that causes stubborn adherence to wrong beliefs. 

He called it “belief perseverance.”  In that system of thought and condition even when one is presented with facts that suggest their current beliefs are in error, they feel threatened and often go on the attack.  The result is their errant beliefs become even more entrenched and they become incapable of listening to reason.  Basically, it is the old saying, “Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind’s made up.”

The human brain is hardwired to reinforce existing opinions and beliefs, even if those cause harm to the individual or others.  For example, when one wins an argument, the body releases a rush of pleasurable hormones (dopamine and adrenaline).  If it is a high-stress or threatening situation, cortisol is released.  That release depresses the logical mind and triggers a more basic portion of the brain, which controls the fight or flight response.  The person begins to ‘see red,’ and becomes highly agitated often resulting in raised voices, clenched fists, and a willingness to become violent.  Reason exits stage left.  The horse is unwilling and incapable of drinking at the fountain of reality. 

Most humans tend to gravitate to those of ‘their tribe.’  We are more likely to believe what those of our ‘tribe’ report as truth than anyone we deem an ‘outsider’ or ‘enemy.’  The term ‘tribe’ is not a reference to ethnicity or religion but to a plethora of belief systems, such as Global Warming, abortion, and many other ideologies. 

It is a fallacious belief that people, by nature, are well-intentioned and that belief opens the door for one to hear a lie and believe it.  After, all those well-intentioned people would not distort, would they?  Sadly, the bigger the lie the more easily it is believed, too frequently. 

I have tried to reason with unreasonable people, and it is like dealing with a drunk. So long as the influence of the intoxicating substance is present, the drunk is unreasonable even when he/she is seemingly docile, compliant, and manageable.  They are incoherent and incapable of cognitive rationalization. 

I have tried some suggested approaches and frequently found them to be inadequate.  We can attempt to identify our commonality if it exists.  We can seek their permission to discuss matters, and usually, that only tends to an argument.  We can remain calm and that usually infuriates and exasperates them even more.  We can be well-versed and knowledgeable only to discover they are disinterested in logical factual information. 

The most recent displays of vitriolic rhetoric by Joe Biden and the Left should be an eye opener for all in America who genuinely want America to be great, productive, and successful.  His claim of fighting for “the soul of the nation” is deeply troubling and reinforces what I am saying about changing the mind of a liberal ideologue.  

Biden and the Left refuse to acknowledge any failures on their part.  Their hubris and arrogance are off the charts.  If they were to eat humble pie and acknowledge the shortcoming of their policies, the American voters would respond positively.  They have chosen the path of ‘Divide and Conquer’ rather than any attempt to ‘Reconcile.’  Sadly, they project the things they are guilty of and accuse their opponents of those. 

The deep anger within the heart and mind of this president elicits comparisons to the tyrannical despots of history such as Hitler and others.  His threats of harm to those who disagree pose a danger that should be addressed by those on both sides of the political aisle and the Department of Justice.  In his tactic and rhetoric, he is guilty of inciting violence, and I believe that his handlers know full well the danger.  In fact, I believe it is their objective to cause such chaos that people are distracted from the real and vote based on emotion rather than reality.

I had many questions flood my mind concerning the visual presented by the background in his hate-filled speech.  The ominous red hue and flanked by uniformed Marines made it look threatening, not encouraging.  His statement that Americans should, “unite behind the single purpose of defending our democracy regardless of your ideology” is interesting.  Especially since his rhetoric is anathema to unity.  His lack of understanding of our true system of government is troubling but one shared by the majority of Americans so I will not address that.

We live in a time when those on the Left are actively seeking to divide the country and have anyone not agreeing with their ideological agenda labeled, ‘domestic terrorists.’  The attempt of this administration to establish a ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ is incredibly akin to the methodology of Nazi Germany under Hitler.  The misinformation that has been promoted by the Left has repeatedly been proven fallacious, but the liberal minds will not those facts to change their minds. 

Another saying, I will conclude with could be applied to Biden and the Leftist.  “The road to power is paved with hypocrisy and casualties. Never regret.” – Frank Underwood.  We are being overrun with sex and human traffickers due to our open border.  We are being flooded by disease-ridden illegals and drug smugglers, and there are known terrorists among them.  This president and his family appear to be wholly owned by China and Ukraine and who knows what other foreign entities.

We are in a fight for the soul of America, but a deal with the devil will not fix our problems.  We need to return to God and return to insistence upon having a limited and constitutional government.  Anything else will prove disastrous.  What will we do?  That will be revealed after the ballots are counted this November.  Freedom or Tyranny, those are our choices.

God bless you and God bless America!