"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a conspiracy so monstrous, he can not believe that it exists. The mind has simply not come to the realization of evil, which has been introduced into our midst." A quote from J. Edgar Hoover.

Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. This typically manifests itself in the difference between how we believe we should act, and how we do act.

The typical republican represents pro-life, and discusses the sanctity of it. And yet, they are usually the beings who support the war machines which spread death throughout the world.

The typical democrat proposes war, and reminds the masses how innocent civilians perish in barbaric wars. And yet, they are also the same individuals that support abortion.

Both of these groups hold contradictory ideas that they feel are worth fighting for. If life is truly sacred and needs to be protected, it's plausible that republicans should be pro-life, as well as antiwar. If humans hold the right to kill each other, and impose their will upon others, then abortion and war are one in the same. The result is that there are millions of people contemplating these contradictory ideas, however, if they truly pondered, they would not be able to move past it.

We observe this in every election cycle, when we believe that there is somehow a difference between democrats and republicans, when every single fact points to the stark realization that there is no difference between the two parties, and the most important issues.

More debt is created by a privately held central bank, to fund more spending, to create more wars, to secure more resources, to create large corporate profits, to ship more jobs overseas, to destroy the middle class, to create a police state in order to control the masses.

Nothing in my lifetime, despite who resides in the Whitehouse or Congress, has ever challenged the way that our paradigm operates. And yet, we still feel some need to vote.

People become predisposed to thinking that they are correct, despite evidence to the contrary. Dissonance is also magnified by how much that person suffered to attain that idea, or how much they are personally invested in that belief.

"Military men are dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy." A quote from Henry Kissinger.

Marines created dissonance upon the suffering and survival of bootcamp. They overlook the fact that they are stripped of their individuality, trained to sacrifice themselves at the instant obedience of their commanders, and live lifespans of poverty.

Few marines ever stopped in order to realize that they were not fighting to spread freedom. They are fighting for corporate interests by stealing the natural resources of other nations.

General Smedley Butler was one of the most decorated marines in history. He fought through his dissonance, not by justifying his actions, and he didn't attempt to convince others that being a marine was worth the sacrifice. He fought through the dissonance by admitting to himself and the world, "I spent 33 years and 4 months in active military service. During that period, I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for big business, for Wall Street and the bankers. Sure, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. Looking back at it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best that he could do is operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents. If we were merely dealing with the law of averages, half of the events affecting our nation's wellbeing should be good for America. If we were dealing with mere incompetence, our leaders should occasionally make a mistake in our favour. We are not dealing with coincidence or stupidity, but with planning and evil brilliance."

If an individual has their entire existence tied to an idea or job, the cognitive dissonance grows stronger. Rare is the man who sees the true cost of their actions, and quits doing it. It is infinitely easier to create justifications, rather than stop the actions that caused the dissonance.

Noticing a contradiction in ideas will inevitably lead to dissonance. This can be experienced as anxiety, guilt, shame, anger, embarrassment, and stress. When people are confronted with the conflict that cognitive dissonance produces, they must resolve the conflict in order for that person to move on.

This can be resolved in many ways, the anxiety that comes with the possibility of making a poor decision can lead to rationalization; a tendency to create additional reasons or justifications to support one's choices.

The classic fable of the fox and the grapes is a story of the fox observing the grapes hanging from the tree. The fox wishes to eat them, but upon realizing that he can't reach them, he overcomes his cognitive dissonance with the rationalization that the grapes are more than likely sour, and he didn't even want them. Hence the phrase, "sour grapes."

The same process is repeated within our society, by individuals who desire something. When they discover that it is unattainable, they continue reducing the cognitive dissonance by criticizing it.

Dissonance can lead to seeking information from biased sources, denial of contradictory evidence, as well as many other ego defence mechanisms.

The two main forms of dissonance are hedonistic dissonance, which people act in a destructive behaviour themselves, such as smoking. And moral dissonance, in which people act in a way that is destructive to others. This could be as simple as lying, or something much more catastrophic. A common justification for moral dissonance is that the ends justify the means.

By not having the capacity to logically process and solve the dissonance by ridding oneself of the contradictory belief, self delusions are created in order to solve the dissonance, so that people can live with themselves.

"One day, you will wake up and confront reality, or it will confront you. Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth." A quote from Henry David Thoreau.