Carter Jobe - The "I'm Always Right" Method of Thinking

    How do you feel about your moral values? Would you say your belief system is greater than that of your fellow people? Typically, the average person thinks they're morally greater in some way than the average person. A study from the University of London found that in regard to moral beliefs, “The individuals in our sample consistently judged themselves to be superior to the average person.” This myth of thought was touched on in our class discussion and is a great example of how myth can affect the psychology of humans.

    Professor Redick relayed his tale of his time in the military, and how he was trained to participate in a war that was "for the greater good." This state of mind has been a recurring fault in American history, as in each war we are made out to be justified in our history, minimizing the murder and terror that is warfare. Having read "Myths America Lives By", by Richard Hughes, I can state there is an idea known as the Myth of American Supremacy. To summarize, under this presumption the United States of America is routinely presented with this "God-like" pardon from sin and wrongdoing, as all of their actions have been with morally sound intent. A lot of Americans do not question the history they are taught, they do not realize that all of their country's history has been skewed with propaganda to paint the picture that their country is the good guy, and above everyone else. 

    Americans succumb to this myth because their country is a part of their identity, and people need to be assured their identity and morals are good, or else they will be punished by guilt. Even deeper than this, I believe that a large majority of people in general fall victim to this general and individual "myth of supremacy"; a method of thinking in which they label themselves as inherently moral, and never question their decisions or truly criticize their own wrongdoings. This mythical method of thinking can be harmful to society as a whole, limiting our open-mindedness and hurting our growth as human beings. 

    Heroes in mythology and modern media alike have been known to make this mistake. In Star Wars, Anakin Skywalker progresses down a dark path that he starts with the good intentions of following his emperor's words, however, due to this myth he does not take the time to reflect on his actions from an unbiased perspective. In ancient mythology, Heracles is attacked by Centaurs when he drinks their wine. He thinks he is justified to fight back, as through this mythical supremacy he doesn't consider that here he is a thief and in the wrong. These grave mistakes made out of ignorance and arrogance show a succumbing to the myth that we are morally right.

    We as people want to be good people or "Heroes", and as such along our own journey, we must take critical time to acknowledge our own wrongdoings and grow from these mistakes.

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