From Consumerism to Divorce: How the Culture of Perpetual Dissatisfaction Reached the American Family
"We live in an economy that depends heavily upon dissatisfaction.
The advertising industry does not survive by convincing us that what we already possess is enough. It survives by reminding us that something newer, faster, prettier, richer, easier, or more exciting is available.
The old car becomes inadequate.
The old phone becomes obsolete.
The house becomes too small.
The clothes go out of style.
Yesterday’s entertainment becomes boring.
And the algorithm always has another video waiting.
But what happens when a civilization spends generations training human beings to think this way?
What happens when the habits developed in the marketplace migrate into our marriages?"
https://ironcountynews.org/from-consumerism-to-divorce-how-the-culture-of-perpetual-dissatisfaction-reached-the-american-family/
"We live in an economy that depends heavily upon dissatisfaction.
The advertising industry does not survive by convincing us that what we already possess is enough. It survives by reminding us that something newer, faster, prettier, richer, easier, or more exciting is available.
The old car becomes inadequate.
The old phone becomes obsolete.
The house becomes too small.
The clothes go out of style.
Yesterday’s entertainment becomes boring.
And the algorithm always has another video waiting.
But what happens when a civilization spends generations training human beings to think this way?
What happens when the habits developed in the marketplace migrate into our marriages?"
https://ironcountynews.org/from-consumerism-to-divorce-how-the-culture-of-perpetual-dissatisfaction-reached-the-american-family/
The Rising Cost of Mistakes: Growth, Responsibility, and the Wisdom We Pass to the Next Generation
"There is something deeply unfair about looking backward at an earlier version of ourselves and judging that person exclusively by everything we know today.
Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle captured the idea well:
That does not mean our past decisions were necessarily right. It does not erase consequences, excuse harm, or eliminate accountability.
It means something more useful:
The person making the decision then did not possess all of the knowledge, experience, perspective, emotional maturity, or wisdom possessed by the person evaluating that decision today...
Sometimes I am not even the same person I was three hours ago, because a conversation, book, experience, mistake, prayer..."
https://ironcountynews.org/the-rising-cost-of-mistakes-growth-responsibility-and-the-wisdom-we-pass-to-the-next-generation/
"There is something deeply unfair about looking backward at an earlier version of ourselves and judging that person exclusively by everything we know today.
Dr. Glenn Patrick Doyle captured the idea well:
“It’s not fair to look back on who we used to be and judge them by the standards of what we know now.”
That does not mean our past decisions were necessarily right. It does not erase consequences, excuse harm, or eliminate accountability.
It means something more useful:
The person making the decision then did not possess all of the knowledge, experience, perspective, emotional maturity, or wisdom possessed by the person evaluating that decision today...
Sometimes I am not even the same person I was three hours ago, because a conversation, book, experience, mistake, prayer..."
https://ironcountynews.org/the-rising-cost-of-mistakes-growth-responsibility-and-the-wisdom-we-pass-to-the-next-generation/
THE CHESSBOARD: Mapping the Players, Pieces, Squares, Channels, Moves, Crises—and Who Controls the Board
"When most people look at politics and geopolitics, they are trained to watch the visible conflict.
Republicans versus Democrats.
America versus China.
Russia versus NATO.
Israel versus Iran.
Capitalism versus socialism.
Globalism versus nationalism.
But the visible fight is only one layer of the board.
The deeper task is to identify the architecture underneath it.
Who are the actual Players?
Who moves the Pieces?
Which Squares matter most?
Which Channels carry money, energy, information, weapons, technology, data, and people?
Which Moves alter the position?
Which Crises suddenly rearrange the board?"
https://ironcountynews.org/the-chessboard-mapping-the-players-pieces-squares-channels-moves-crises-and-who-controls-the-board/
"When most people look at politics and geopolitics, they are trained to watch the visible conflict.
Republicans versus Democrats.
America versus China.
Russia versus NATO.
Israel versus Iran.
Capitalism versus socialism.
Globalism versus nationalism.
But the visible fight is only one layer of the board.
The deeper task is to identify the architecture underneath it.
Who are the actual Players?
Who moves the Pieces?
Which Squares matter most?
Which Channels carry money, energy, information, weapons, technology, data, and people?
Which Moves alter the position?
Which Crises suddenly rearrange the board?"
https://ironcountynews.org/the-chessboard-mapping-the-players-pieces-squares-channels-moves-crises-and-who-controls-the-board/
THE CHESSBOARD — THE PLAYERS: Mapping the Institutions and Powers That Can Move the World (PART II)
When most people look at geopolitics, they see presidents, prime ministers, billionaires, generals, wars and elections.
Those people and events matter.
But durable power usually resides one level deeper.
It resides in institutions capable of surviving:
elections
administrations
recessions
wars
financial crises
technological revolutions
and sometimes even regime changes.
A serious power map therefore begins with a different question:
Which institutions possess the ability to move capital, create credit, impose law, deploy force, control infrastructure, set standards, shape information, restrict access, or redirect critical flows?"
https://ironcountynews.org/the-chessboard-the-players-mapping-the-institutions-and-powers-that-can-move-the-world-part-ii/
When most people look at geopolitics, they see presidents, prime ministers, billionaires, generals, wars and elections.
Those people and events matter.
But durable power usually resides one level deeper.
It resides in institutions capable of surviving:
elections
administrations
recessions
wars
financial crises
technological revolutions
and sometimes even regime changes.
A serious power map therefore begins with a different question:
Which institutions possess the ability to move capital, create credit, impose law, deploy force, control infrastructure, set standards, shape information, restrict access, or redirect critical flows?"
https://ironcountynews.org/the-chessboard-the-players-mapping-the-institutions-and-powers-that-can-move-the-world-part-ii/
West from Appomattox: How the Civil War Reconstructed America and Laid the Foundations of a New National Order
"Civil War West from Appomattox The Civil War Ended, but the Reconstruction of America Had Only Begun
On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.
The American Civil War was approaching its conclusion.
More than four years of devastating conflict had determined that the Confederate states would not establish an independent nation. Slavery was being abolished, the Union had survived, and the federal government had demonstrated an unprecedented capacity to mobilize soldiers, industry, transportation, finance, and national resources.
But what kind of nation would emerge from the wreckage?"
https://ironcountynews.org/west-from-appomattox-how-the-civil-war-reconstructed-america-and-laid-the-foundations-of-a-new-national-order/
"Civil War West from Appomattox The Civil War Ended, but the Reconstruction of America Had Only Begun
On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.
The American Civil War was approaching its conclusion.
More than four years of devastating conflict had determined that the Confederate states would not establish an independent nation. Slavery was being abolished, the Union had survived, and the federal government had demonstrated an unprecedented capacity to mobilize soldiers, industry, transportation, finance, and national resources.
But what kind of nation would emerge from the wreckage?"
https://ironcountynews.org/west-from-appomattox-how-the-civil-war-reconstructed-america-and-laid-the-foundations-of-a-new-national-order/
The Moving Fence: How “Proactive” Government Can Quietly Move the Constitutional Boundary
"Why America Needs Proactive Citizens, Restrained Government, and a Classical Liberal Education That Remembers Where the Fence Originally Stood
There is a simple idea that may help explain the larger argument behind the When Enforcement Becomes Identity series:
We want proactive citizens and restrained government.
Those two principles are not contradictory. They are complementary.
Individuals should develop initiative, responsibility, discipline, foresight, and self-government. Families should solve problems before they become crises. Communities should strengthen themselves. Businesses should innovate. Parents should anticipate the needs of their children. Citizens should educate themselves and participate in their communities.
But government is different.
Government possesses . . . "
https://ironcountynews.org/the-moving-fence-how-proactive-government-can-quietly-move-the-constitutional-boundary/
"Why America Needs Proactive Citizens, Restrained Government, and a Classical Liberal Education That Remembers Where the Fence Originally Stood
There is a simple idea that may help explain the larger argument behind the When Enforcement Becomes Identity series:
We want proactive citizens and restrained government.
Those two principles are not contradictory. They are complementary.
Individuals should develop initiative, responsibility, discipline, foresight, and self-government. Families should solve problems before they become crises. Communities should strengthen themselves. Businesses should innovate. Parents should anticipate the needs of their children. Citizens should educate themselves and participate in their communities.
But government is different.
Government possesses . . . "
https://ironcountynews.org/the-moving-fence-how-proactive-government-can-quietly-move-the-constitutional-boundary/
The Age of AI: Kissinger, Schmidt, Huttenlocher, and the Transformation of the Human Future
"In 2021, Henry Kissinger, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and MIT computer scientist Daniel Huttenlocher published The Age of AI: And Our Human Future.
The combination of authors was unusual.
Kissinger spent much of his life thinking about diplomacy, nuclear weapons, balance-of-power politics, and world order.
Schmidt helped build Google into one of the most powerful information companies in history.
Huttenlocher came from computer science and academia and became the founding dean of MIT’s Schwarzman College of Computing.
Together they attempted to answer a question considerably larger than whether artificial intelligence would create better computers:
What happens to civilization when machines begin discovering things, interpreting reality, recommending actions, and making decisions in ways human..."
https://ironcountynews.org/the-age-of-ai-kissinger-schmidt-huttenlocher-and-the-transformation-of-the-human-future/
"In 2021, Henry Kissinger, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and MIT computer scientist Daniel Huttenlocher published The Age of AI: And Our Human Future.
The combination of authors was unusual.
Kissinger spent much of his life thinking about diplomacy, nuclear weapons, balance-of-power politics, and world order.
Schmidt helped build Google into one of the most powerful information companies in history.
Huttenlocher came from computer science and academia and became the founding dean of MIT’s Schwarzman College of Computing.
Together they attempted to answer a question considerably larger than whether artificial intelligence would create better computers:
What happens to civilization when machines begin discovering things, interpreting reality, recommending actions, and making decisions in ways human..."
https://ironcountynews.org/the-age-of-ai-kissinger-schmidt-huttenlocher-and-the-transformation-of-the-human-future/
Breaking: Ammon Bundy Arrested in Cedar City before his movie premiere at Thanksgiving Point; Show up in Lehi Oct 8th
From People's Rights: For those who are interested, we will have an after show meeting to discuss the continued persecution of Ammon and Diego for daring to intervene on behalf of baby Cyrus. The location is Olympic Park, 2700 W Parkside Dr, Lehi, UT 84043 and has an atrium with tables and benches.
https://www.defendingutah.org/post/2026/10/07/breaking-ammon-bundy-arrested-in-cedar-city-before-his-movie-premiere-at-thanksgiving-point-show-up-in-lehi-oct-8th/
From People's Rights: For those who are interested, we will have an after show meeting to discuss the continued persecution of Ammon and Diego for daring to intervene on behalf of baby Cyrus. The location is Olympic Park, 2700 W Parkside Dr, Lehi, UT 84043 and has an atrium with tables and benches.
https://www.defendingutah.org/post/2026/10/07/breaking-ammon-bundy-arrested-in-cedar-city-before-his-movie-premiere-at-thanksgiving-point-show-up-in-lehi-oct-8th/
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Trump, World Liberty Financial, and the New Digital Banking Architecture
"Follow the Money—and Then Follow the Architecture
For years, Americans concerned about the emergence of a digital financial control system have focused much of their attention on one particular threat:
Central Bank Digital Currencies.
The fear was relatively straightforward. What happens when physical cash is replaced by government-controlled digital money? What happens if money becomes traceable, programmable, restrictable, or ultimately connected to digital identity, surveillance systems, artificial intelligence, and government enforcement?
Those remain legitimate questions.
But an important possibility has increasingly emerged:
What if the transformation doesn’t arrive primarily through a Federal Reserve CBDC?
What if much of the same digital financial infrastructure develops through privately issued dollar stablecoins. . . "
https://ironcountynews.org/trump-world-liberty-financial-and-the-new-digital-banking-architecture/
"Follow the Money—and Then Follow the Architecture
For years, Americans concerned about the emergence of a digital financial control system have focused much of their attention on one particular threat:
Central Bank Digital Currencies.
The fear was relatively straightforward. What happens when physical cash is replaced by government-controlled digital money? What happens if money becomes traceable, programmable, restrictable, or ultimately connected to digital identity, surveillance systems, artificial intelligence, and government enforcement?
Those remain legitimate questions.
But an important possibility has increasingly emerged:
What if the transformation doesn’t arrive primarily through a Federal Reserve CBDC?
What if much of the same digital financial infrastructure develops through privately issued dollar stablecoins. . . "
https://ironcountynews.org/trump-world-liberty-financial-and-the-new-digital-banking-architecture/
The Battle for Utah’s Children: How Education Became a Battleground for Faith, Family, and Cultural Independence
"How Utah’s early educational system changed, why nineteenth-century religious and political leaders fought over children’s education, and what that struggle reveals about the relationship between schooling, parental authority, government, and the beliefs of future generations.
Whoever Educates the Children Helps Shape the Future
When the Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, they were not simply establishing settlements, farms, roads, and businesses. They were attempting to build an entire society.
Their vision of Zion extended beyond Sunday worship.
It included economic independence, political self-government, family responsibility, religious freedom, and the education of their children."
https://ironcountynews.org/the-battle-for-utahs-children-how-education-became-a-battleground-for-faith-family-and-cultural-independence/
"How Utah’s early educational system changed, why nineteenth-century religious and political leaders fought over children’s education, and what that struggle reveals about the relationship between schooling, parental authority, government, and the beliefs of future generations.
Whoever Educates the Children Helps Shape the Future
When the Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, they were not simply establishing settlements, farms, roads, and businesses. They were attempting to build an entire society.
Their vision of Zion extended beyond Sunday worship.
It included economic independence, political self-government, family responsibility, religious freedom, and the education of their children."
https://ironcountynews.org/the-battle-for-utahs-children-how-education-became-a-battleground-for-faith-family-and-cultural-independence/
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Utah and the Reconstruction of America: How Zion Was Absorbed into the Emerging National Order
"From the Civil War and the conquest of the West to federal intervention, railroad capitalism, religious competition, and the transformation of Utah’s economic, political, and educational independence.
1. What If Utah’s Story Is Part of Something Much Bigger?
When Brigham Young led the Latter-day Saint pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847, they were attempting something extraordinary.
They were not simply looking for land on which to build another American settlement.
They were seeking refuge from persecution and attempting to establish Zion—a religious society organized around covenant obligations, family responsibility, cooperation, economic self-sufficiency, education, and a substantial measure of local self-government."
https://ironcountynews.org/utah-and-the-reconstruction-of-america-how-zion-was-absorbed-into-the-emerging-national-order/
"From the Civil War and the conquest of the West to federal intervention, railroad capitalism, religious competition, and the transformation of Utah’s economic, political, and educational independence.
1. What If Utah’s Story Is Part of Something Much Bigger?
When Brigham Young led the Latter-day Saint pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847, they were attempting something extraordinary.
They were not simply looking for land on which to build another American settlement.
They were seeking refuge from persecution and attempting to establish Zion—a religious society organized around covenant obligations, family responsibility, cooperation, economic self-sufficiency, education, and a substantial measure of local self-government."
https://ironcountynews.org/utah-and-the-reconstruction-of-america-how-zion-was-absorbed-into-the-emerging-national-order/
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Liberty for All, or Liberty for None: The Forgotten Struggles for Independence and the Moral Contradictions of American History
"From Native American nations and the Latter-day Saints to African Americans, Native Hawaiians, Mexican Americans, and Filipino independence movements—how the expansion of American power transformed communities, and why universal principles must transcend race, religion, politics, and national allegiance.
A Statement of Purpose: This Is a Defense of American Principles, Not an Attack on America
Before examining these historical struggles, an important distinction must be established.
This article is not an attack on America. It is an examination of whether America has consistently lived according to the principles upon which it was founded.
The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that human beings possess rights..."
https://ironcountynews.org/liberty-for-all-or-liberty-for-none-the-forgotten-struggles-for-independence-and-the-moral-contradictions-of-american-history/
"From Native American nations and the Latter-day Saints to African Americans, Native Hawaiians, Mexican Americans, and Filipino independence movements—how the expansion of American power transformed communities, and why universal principles must transcend race, religion, politics, and national allegiance.
A Statement of Purpose: This Is a Defense of American Principles, Not an Attack on America
Before examining these historical struggles, an important distinction must be established.
This article is not an attack on America. It is an examination of whether America has consistently lived according to the principles upon which it was founded.
The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that human beings possess rights..."
https://ironcountynews.org/liberty-for-all-or-liberty-for-none-the-forgotten-struggles-for-independence-and-the-moral-contradictions-of-american-history/
From Republic to Empire: How America’s Struggle for Liberty Became a Struggle Over Power
"From the Founding Fathers and the Reconstruction South to Native American nations, the Latter-day Saints, and the rise of American global influence—a historical examination of how the institutions of a republic expanded, how communities adapted, and why liberty must remain a universal principle.
When a Republic Becomes the Power It Once Resisted
The American Revolution began as a struggle against imperial authority.
The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that human beings possess rights that governments do not create and that legitimate governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed.
The Constitution subsequently established a federal republic with enumerated powers, divided authority, and institutional checks intended to restrain abuses of power."
https://ironcountynews.org/from-republic-to-empire-how-americas-struggle-for-liberty-became-a-struggle-over-power/
"From the Founding Fathers and the Reconstruction South to Native American nations, the Latter-day Saints, and the rise of American global influence—a historical examination of how the institutions of a republic expanded, how communities adapted, and why liberty must remain a universal principle.
When a Republic Becomes the Power It Once Resisted
The American Revolution began as a struggle against imperial authority.
The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that human beings possess rights that governments do not create and that legitimate governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed.
The Constitution subsequently established a federal republic with enumerated powers, divided authority, and institutional checks intended to restrain abuses of power."
https://ironcountynews.org/from-republic-to-empire-how-americas-struggle-for-liberty-became-a-struggle-over-power/
Eisenhower’s Forgotten Warning: The Rise of the Government–University–Industrial Complex
"From the military-industrial complex to American universities, foreign textbooks, global education programs, and artificial intelligence—how government funding can shape research, knowledge, and institutions across generations.
The Other Warning in Eisenhower’s Farewell Address
On January 17, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered one of the most consequential farewell addresses in American history.
A five-star general who had commanded Allied forces in Europe during World War II, Eisenhower understood military power, government bureaucracy, and the enormous industrial capacity required to sustain modern warfare."
https://ironcountynews.org/eisenhowers-forgotten-warning-the-rise-of-the-government-university-industrial-complex/
"From the military-industrial complex to American universities, foreign textbooks, global education programs, and artificial intelligence—how government funding can shape research, knowledge, and institutions across generations.
The Other Warning in Eisenhower’s Farewell Address
On January 17, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered one of the most consequential farewell addresses in American history.
A five-star general who had commanded Allied forces in Europe during World War II, Eisenhower understood military power, government bureaucracy, and the enormous industrial capacity required to sustain modern warfare."
https://ironcountynews.org/eisenhowers-forgotten-warning-the-rise-of-the-government-university-industrial-complex/
Education Without Borders: How American Universities Helped Shape the World’s Classrooms
"The Classroom Becomes an Instrument of International Influence
When Americans think about the expansion of national power, they usually picture armies, military bases, financial institutions, corporations, treaties, and political alliances.
Rarely do they picture a classroom.
Yet education has long played an important role in the relationships between powerful nations and the societies they seek to influence.
A military can occupy territory.
A government can negotiate a treaty.
A bank can finance development.
A corporation can establish commercial relationships.
But education operates through another channel."
https://ironcountynews.org/education-without-borders-how-american-universities-helped-shape-the-worlds-classrooms/
"The Classroom Becomes an Instrument of International Influence
When Americans think about the expansion of national power, they usually picture armies, military bases, financial institutions, corporations, treaties, and political alliances.
Rarely do they picture a classroom.
Yet education has long played an important role in the relationships between powerful nations and the societies they seek to influence.
A military can occupy territory.
A government can negotiate a treaty.
A bank can finance development.
A corporation can establish commercial relationships.
But education operates through another channel."
https://ironcountynews.org/education-without-borders-how-american-universities-helped-shape-the-worlds-classrooms/
The Institutional Ratchet: How Government Programs Become Permanent Systems of Power
"From the Reconstruction of America to the military-industrial complex, the War on Terror, financial crises, global education programs, and artificial intelligence—how temporary responses can create lasting institutions, new dependencies, and expanded capabilities.
The Crisis Ends, but the Institution Remains
Throughout American history, crises have repeatedly produced extraordinary government responses.
Wars require armies.
Economic collapses require emergency measures.
Public-health emergencies require coordination.
Terrorist attacks produce new security arrangements."
https://ironcountynews.org/the-institutional-ratchet-how-government-programs-become-permanent-systems-of-power-2/
"From the Reconstruction of America to the military-industrial complex, the War on Terror, financial crises, global education programs, and artificial intelligence—how temporary responses can create lasting institutions, new dependencies, and expanded capabilities.
The Crisis Ends, but the Institution Remains
Throughout American history, crises have repeatedly produced extraordinary government responses.
Wars require armies.
Economic collapses require emergency measures.
Public-health emergencies require coordination.
Terrorist attacks produce new security arrangements."
https://ironcountynews.org/the-institutional-ratchet-how-government-programs-become-permanent-systems-of-power-2/
From Land to Algorithms: Who Controls the Infrastructure of Modern Liberty?
"The New Geography of Power
For much of human history, power was closely connected to the ownership and control of land.
Kings claimed territory.
Empires conquered territory.
Landowners controlled agricultural production.
Governments collected taxes from the people who lived and worked upon the land.
Territory provided access to food, water, minerals, transportation routes, and strategic positions.
But as civilization developed, power became increasingly interconnected with institutions operating beyond the land itself...
What does independence mean when the infrastructure necessary to exercise it is increasingly owned, financed, operated, or governed by institutions beyond the individual’s direct control?
This is not merely a question about technology.
It concerns the historical evolution of political and economic power."
https://ironcountynews.org/from-land-to-algorithms-who-controls-the-infrastructure-of-modern-liberty/
"The New Geography of Power
For much of human history, power was closely connected to the ownership and control of land.
Kings claimed territory.
Empires conquered territory.
Landowners controlled agricultural production.
Governments collected taxes from the people who lived and worked upon the land.
Territory provided access to food, water, minerals, transportation routes, and strategic positions.
But as civilization developed, power became increasingly interconnected with institutions operating beyond the land itself...
What does independence mean when the infrastructure necessary to exercise it is increasingly owned, financed, operated, or governed by institutions beyond the individual’s direct control?
This is not merely a question about technology.
It concerns the historical evolution of political and economic power."
https://ironcountynews.org/from-land-to-algorithms-who-controls-the-infrastructure-of-modern-liberty/
The Inheritance of Liberty: What One Generation Tolerates, the Next May Embrace
"From the Founding Fathers and the pioneers of Utah to constitutional government, cultural assimilation, institutional dependency, and the age of artificial intelligence—what happens when future generations inherit the institutions of their ancestors but forget the principles those ancestors struggled to preserve.
The Generation That Forgot There Was a Struggle
One of the most consequential transformations in human history occurs when a people forget why their ancestors resisted something.
The first generation remembers the conflict.
It remembers the arguments, warnings, sacrifices, and consequences.
The second generation inherits the changes.
The third generation grows up within the institutions those changes created.
Eventually, later generations may no longer recognize that an earlier arrangement ever existed."
https://ironcountynews.org/the-inheritance-of-liberty-what-one-generation-tolerates-the-next-may-embrace/
"From the Founding Fathers and the pioneers of Utah to constitutional government, cultural assimilation, institutional dependency, and the age of artificial intelligence—what happens when future generations inherit the institutions of their ancestors but forget the principles those ancestors struggled to preserve.
The Generation That Forgot There Was a Struggle
One of the most consequential transformations in human history occurs when a people forget why their ancestors resisted something.
The first generation remembers the conflict.
It remembers the arguments, warnings, sacrifices, and consequences.
The second generation inherits the changes.
The third generation grows up within the institutions those changes created.
Eventually, later generations may no longer recognize that an earlier arrangement ever existed."
https://ironcountynews.org/the-inheritance-of-liberty-what-one-generation-tolerates-the-next-may-embrace/
Discernment With a Backbone: How to Think Clearly Without Becoming Naive, Cynical, or Tribal
"Discernment is often confused with intuition, suspicion, intelligence, or simply having strong opinions.
It is none of those things by itself.
Discernment is the disciplined ability to distinguish what is true from what is false, what is important from what is noise, what is principled from what is manipulative, and what deserves trust from what deserves rejection.
It is not merely the ability to see problems.
It is the ability to test what we think we see.
That distinction matters because human beings are not neutral observers. We bring emotion, memory, fear, loyalty, trauma, pride, prejudice, ideology, group identity, and personal interest into almost everything we interpret.
Without discipline, what feels like discernment can easily become bias."
https://ironcountynews.org/discernment-with-a-backbone-how-to-think-clearly-without-becoming-naive-cynical-or-tribal/
"Discernment is often confused with intuition, suspicion, intelligence, or simply having strong opinions.
It is none of those things by itself.
Discernment is the disciplined ability to distinguish what is true from what is false, what is important from what is noise, what is principled from what is manipulative, and what deserves trust from what deserves rejection.
It is not merely the ability to see problems.
It is the ability to test what we think we see.
That distinction matters because human beings are not neutral observers. We bring emotion, memory, fear, loyalty, trauma, pride, prejudice, ideology, group identity, and personal interest into almost everything we interpret.
Without discipline, what feels like discernment can easily become bias."
https://ironcountynews.org/discernment-with-a-backbone-how-to-think-clearly-without-becoming-naive-cynical-or-tribal/
“Trust the Plan”: How Loyalty Can Replace Evidence, Critical Thinking, and Accountability
"The sequence we identified describes a psychological process in which a belief becomes increasingly resistant to correction, even when evidence begins contradicting it.
It can occur in political movements, religious groups, corporations, military organizations, families, and other institutions.
In the context of Trump’s presidency and the QAnon-associated phrase “Trust the Plan,” the particularly interesting question is how a promise of hidden knowledge can turn legitimate skepticism into unquestioning loyalty.
The process resembles a self-sealing belief system: instead of testing the original claim against new information, the believer continually reinterprets new information to protect the original claim."
https://ironcountynews.org/trust-the-plan-how-loyalty-can-replace-evidence-critical-thinking-and-accountability/
"The sequence we identified describes a psychological process in which a belief becomes increasingly resistant to correction, even when evidence begins contradicting it.
It can occur in political movements, religious groups, corporations, military organizations, families, and other institutions.
In the context of Trump’s presidency and the QAnon-associated phrase “Trust the Plan,” the particularly interesting question is how a promise of hidden knowledge can turn legitimate skepticism into unquestioning loyalty.
The process resembles a self-sealing belief system: instead of testing the original claim against new information, the believer continually reinterprets new information to protect the original claim."
https://ironcountynews.org/trust-the-plan-how-loyalty-can-replace-evidence-critical-thinking-and-accountability/