‘Reality control’, they called it: in Newspeak, ‘doublethink’.” ~ George Orwell, 1984
There’s a saying about consistency: “What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”
In July I signed up for ladies’ golf classes — a first for me — in an effort to add some “work-life balance.” I’m only going to the golf course once a week for an hour, but just that much effort has already improved both my confidence and my skill set. I’m beginning to understand the near-obsessive appeal of this Scottish sport.
The primary definitions of the word consistent are as follows: 1) marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity: free from variation or contradiction. This is the kind of continuity that creates that “practice makes perfect” effect, or creates results from an exercise routine or a healthy change in diet. Eating a salad once will not give you abs, which is unfortunate. We’re all pretty aware of this truth, even when we get sidetracked by those marketing campaigns that promise instant results — for a price.
The second definition is this: 2) marked by agreement: compatible — usually used with with, as in “not consistent with the truth.” This one is similar to the third definition: 3) showing steady conformity to character, profession, belief, or custom. (Merriam-Webster)
I think it’s violations of the last two that cause the gear-grinding sensation of cognitive dissonance. It’s when someone is saying one thing and doing another. It’s accepting, ignoring, or approving some celebrity’s bad behavior while condemning the same in your neighbor, or in reverse, condemning a stranger while giving someone you like (or yourself) a pass. It’s holding conflicting points of view based on subjective situation ethics: “good for me, not thee,” “not in my backyard,” etc. Where consistency in good habits and practice produce results, being inconsistent is destructive.
Chronic cognitive dissonance, the kind we’re all experiencing on a grand scale, creates a steady underlying buzz of anxiety and discomfort. Several times a day I catch myself saying, “Make it make sense!” when I read opposing articles or see absurdities blasted out on social media. I can’t make it make sense, because it’s incompatible with the truth. It’s inconsistent.
We have options… we can just be an echo of whatever we’re hearing and seeing, replicating the madness to the masses. Or, we can acknowledge that’s not reality and put our proverbial feet back on solid ground. One of the recommended ways to deal with an anxiety attack is to count things you can see, hear, touch, taste and smell. It’s like a reset for your nervous system, a return to what’s real and consistent, verifiable and tangible. What does that look like in your life?