5 Element strategies for reducing congitive dissonance while holding both hope & despair

Cognitive Dissonance:

Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors. This produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance.

In these first few days of 2025, we are faced with both hope for the coming year, and a reckoning of what has come and is to come. The political landscape, the ongoing genocide, the human rights violations continue. Also - the celebrations, sunsets, birdsong, and poetry continue. The complexity of holding hope and despair continue.

If you are feeling cognitive dissonance around experiencing joy while so many are suffering - you are not alone. This discomfort is the seed that grows into meaningful change in our lives and in our country. Here are some strategies we are working with in 2025…….