Dear Friends,
It seems to me, many of us, for many reasons, would rather believe a huckster than our own eyes. Whether out of laziness, self doubt, self delusion, weak mindedness, etc… the fault lies in us. The shyster cannot work his guile on people who are situationally aware, self assured and tireless. Often, the scammer will enchant us by holding out that which we most desire as bait, and in that way get us to ignore what our own eyes, minds and common sense scream to us. This way, even the most intelligent can be driven into nets and trapped, even as they say, “I know, I know…” This truth cannot be denied. History is nothing but a list of tragic examples proving the point. Yet how much easier would our lives be, if we did indeed give our own eyes, mind and common sense the gravitas we do grifters?
The used car business is built on the principle, we will ignore our eyes and minds and go with our hearts most every time. That is why a car ad doesn’t tout the car’s statistics, they go long on the car’s feel, status and atmosphere. Rather than shop based on pure self interest we temper our self interest with emotion. Cars are not the only thing that is sold on emotion, status and feel though, virtually everything you buy and sell is in some way based on how it makes the consumer feel, what status it bestows and it’s appeal, as well as it’s utility, price for function, etc… We are emotional, it is a fundamental quality of human beings, but we also have the ability to reason. Reason however is not the handmaiden of emotion but anneals it.
While moving a used car or a sofa is not a sin, fooling someone into ceding a nation to authoritarianism is. The same tactics and strategies used by Wells Fargo to get people to put money in their bank despite the atrocious record they have with stealing from their customers, Equifax to get us to trust them again with all our most valuable information, and cruise ship companies to get us to continue riding their fancy expensive petri dishes… that are used by the political class to get us trust a government that cannot tell the truth, accept that colluding with foreigners to generate a political indictment for colluding with foreigners is perfectly acceptable, that our leaders are not utterly corrupt despite the Panama Papers, that unlimited immigration selecting for criminals will work out well, or that freedom is slavery.
The same qualities that make one hard to scam by the political class makes one better at seeing the enchantments of criminals. Fall for the Nigerian prince who wants to move several million dollars to the US and just needs your help? You might also believe that a government bureaucrat is going to save you money on your health care too. Ever given your bank details so some foreign lottery can transfer a million dollars into your account? You might also complain about your taxes as you vote progressive as well. Have you immediately sent your private information to an email address you don’t know because an email from them said you had been hacked? It is possible you have also been duped into believing there is a revenue problem with government instead of a spending problem. Anyone can fall for a well rehearsed trick, but the machinations of the political class must be clumsy.
Yes indeed, every aspect of our lives is improved when we pay attention, trust our eyes, our minds and common sense. Instead of letting our emotions take us for a ride, imagining what we would do with that windfall and instead open our eyes and examine the deal. Reason is there to temper our emotion, not provide post facto excuses… justifying our emotional decisions and instead provide reason for other more logical ones. Logic can only function when one allows oneself to see and so is situationally aware, has self awareness, is open minded, can soften their emotions with reason, and listens to their inner common sense. So, next time you get a certified check for $100.00 and all you have to do is send back $50.00… or maybe vote for someone who will take from others to give to you.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
