Shortsighted Fundamentalism and Dogmatic Attitudes

[DISCLAIMER]

Looking back at my time in the United States Marine Corps (1996-2007), as military police (MP) when stationed aboard Camp Kinser in Okinawa, Japan (1997-1999), I realize how shortsighted (lacking foresight—a view forward) I was. To elucidate this point, forgive me an anecdote.

When initially introduced to the provost marshal office (PMO) in Camp Kinser – affectionately referred to as Mayberry, Killer Kinser PMO, and Kinser County PD [police department] – I maintained rigid views about fraternization, about which one source states:

Fraternization (from Latin frater meaning “brother”) is the act of establishing intimate relations between people or groups. It is generally used to refer to establishing relations that are considered unethical, controversial, problematic, or illegal.

In many institutional contexts (such as militaries, diplomatic corps, parliaments, prisons, law enforcement or police, schools, sports teams, gangs and corporations) fraternization transgresses legal, moral, or professional norms forbidding certain categories of social contact across socially or legally defined classes.

As a young private first class (enlisted [E]-2), I eschewed fraternizing with senior enlisted and Marines and officers. Not everyone else at Mayberry took as inflexible of an approach to PMO life. Thus, I unproductively clung to fundamentalism, about which one source states:

Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing one’s in-group and out-group, which leads to an emphasis on some conception of “purity”, and a desire to return to a previous ideal from which advocates believe members have strayed. The term is usually used in the context of religion to indicate an unwavering attachment to a set of irreducible beliefs (the “fundamentals”).

Although not a matter of religiosity (the quality or state of being religious), my shortsighted fundamentalist beliefs about fraternization were unnecessarily dogmatic (characterized by or given to the expression of opinions very strongly or positively as if they were facts).

Unhelpfully, I lectured other junior MPs about how they shouldn’t, mustn’t, and oughtn’t to have fraternized with senior Marines. As one may imagine, the MPs with whom I served at Killer Kinser PMO didn’t appreciate my attitude, as one source thusly defines this term:

[A] relatively enduring and general evaluation of an object, person, group, issue, or concept on a dimension ranging from negative to positive. Attitudes provide summary evaluations of target objects and are often assumed to be derived from specific beliefs, emotions, and past behaviors associated with those objects.

By the time I promoted to the rank of lance corporal (E-3), a rationally-compassionate sergeant (E-5) helped me to change my unfavorable attitude. Thereafter, I began fraternizing with senior MPs, as well as allowing my actions to change with newfound non-dogmatic attitudes.

As an example, in the above photo, I violated Kinser County PD rules by (1) allowing a female into my male-only room and (2) watching television with a corporal (E-4). As friends, she and I had a great time getting to know one another, because I was no longer dogmatically shortsighted.

Fortunately, by the time I left Okinawa, the corporal and I had toured various spots on the island that I otherwise wouldn’t have visited. Now, I’m reminded of how helpful it was to have let go of shortsighted fundamentalism and dogmatic attitudes as I read a book.

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

The authors quote ancient Stoic philosopher Seneca who stated, “I’ll never be ashamed to quote a bad writer with a good saying” (page 259). I hope that others will be as non-dogmatic in their approach to the content of my blog. In any case, the authors state of Seneca’s view (page 259):

One of the striking things about Seneca’s letters and essays is how often he quotes the philosopher Epicurus. Why is that strange? Because Stoicism and Epicureanism are supposed to be diametrically opposed philosophies! (In reality the differences while significant tend to be overblown.)

But this is true to form for Seneca. He was looking for wisdom, period. It didn’t matter where it came from. This is something that a lot of fundamentalists—in religion, philosophy, anything—seem to miss.

Who cares whether some bit of wisdom is from a Stoic, who cares whether it perfectly jibes with Stoicism? What matters is whether it makes your life better, whether it makes you better.

What wisdom or help would you be able to find today if you stopped caring about affiliations and reputations? How much more could you see if you just focused on merit?

I stopped “caring about affiliations and reputations” toward the end of my time in Okinawa, and my life was made significantly better as a result! Now, I offer this psychoeducational lesson on shortsighted fundamentalism and dogmatic attitudes for your consideration.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

References:

APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Attitude. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/attitude

Daily Stoic. (n.d.). Translating the Stoics: An interview with “The Daily Stoic” co-author Stephen Hanselman. Retrieved from https://dailystoic.com/stephen-hanselman-interview/

Holiday, R. and Hanselman, S. (2016). The daily stoic: 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Penguin Random House LLC. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-daily-stoic-366-meditations-on-wisdom-perseverance-and-the-art-of-living-d61378067.html

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