Repeat After Me

Author Sybil Stanton once wrote, "if you're not willing to receive, even Omnipotence can't give".

Which is why I don't waste time trying to convince those who refuse to accept the truth.

Take for instance, the 36% of us who still approve of George Bush. Convincing them that Bush lied his way into war would be futile, regardless of proof, if their hearts and minds prevent them from opening their eyes to the obvious.

So how, do you ask, do we lead our lost brethren to the light? Tristero at Hullabaloo has some good advice:

...First of all, the person you are trying to convince is perfectly capable and in fact probably has read many of the same articles you have read, in which the lies of Bush are so painfully apparent. Their ability to reason is skewed, not their ability to read. Attempts to "set their reason straight" by advancing reasoned arguments merely reinforces the delusion.

The important thing to remember is that a deeply-held delusion is invested with deep emotional attachment. One's self-esteem, one's positive opinion of oneself, has become deliberately entertwined [sic] with maintaining that delusion at all costs. Dangerously so. It is that emotional attachment you must confront. When that has been dealt with, the ability to reason is freed to arrive at the obivious [sic] conclusion: The president is a liar.

[...]

It's only when they respond, "Okay, he's a liar. He lied and manipulated intelligence to get us into the war. But we have to support Bush now if we are not going to embolden the enemy" that you ease up slightly. You say, "The president is a liar. He lied to your face. Over and over. He lied to the soliders who are now fighting for their lives over there. The president is a liar. You owe him nothing. He owes you the truth."

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