Dogmatic 🇬🇷
"The outside influences are always pouring in upon us, and we are always obeying their orders and accepting their verdicts."
—Mark Twain
> 35,000 decisions | trash talk
There was a regular customer at a Tulsa coffee shop where I worked. We met when I was still putting time between myself and the last drink.
He liked a good laugh and had an impressive ability to talk trash for a Greek octogenarian. 🌿☀️
His order was usually oolong or darjeeling tea with small butter cookies and jam.
One of the first things I noticed about him was the stack of magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals he was always carrying.
In his clutches could be seen The New Yorker, Harper's, The Atlantic, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
But there's more to him. He does something many Americans never would.
He reads both liberal and conservative academic journals and considers a broader spectrum of arguments and ideas. He's unafraid to read competing views that challenge his interpretations of the world.
For so many people, tethering ourselves to the dogma of a political party or ideology eases the cognitive strain of thinking for ourselves.
- next time Chapter end
- listening System of a Down "Chop Suey!"
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