Many years ago I was in a conversation with someone close to me about 9/11.
We were discussing what we were told about 9/11, what we know is true, what we don’t know is true, and what we may not have been told en masse.
I was coming from the stance informed by my many years of research into the topic. I felt (and still feel) that the official story of 9/11 that we received from NIST, the 9/11 Commission report and the US government is not accurate.
Something else happened. What exactly? I don’t know. But what they told us does not hold up.
The conversation was calm, respectful and curious. It was not a battle of opinions where one was trying to convince the other of anything. Nonetheless, we did not agree on much.
I was bringing up points, facts and perspectives that were hard to dismiss given their objective truth. But every time I would bring something like this up, it was brushed off and not truly considered.
As we continued going over these facts and ideas in conversation, I felt a building resistance in the mind, energy and body of the person I was speaking with.
Slowly, the person’s shoulders sunk and their eyes began to feel a bit dissociated. Noticing and feeling this change in posture during conversation I asked: “what exactly makes it so difficult to consider we were not told an accurate story about 9/11 by a powerful government?”
The response came after a few moments in a calm and almost hopeless voice:
“Joe, I just can’t believe that any government would knowingly do something bad to its own people. Or that anyone other than terrorists would do something like this to innocent people for political gain.”
There it was…
The essence of what was holding this person back from honestly considering the new information around 9/11 was the uncomfortable feeling in their body (and mind) that wanted to be avoided.
I’m not saying they were resisting the truth, but instead the sensemaking process.
In some way, it was uncomfortable to consider authority figures with great power in society may not have our best interests at heart. This may have been touching on other aspects of this person’s past as well in a roundabout way.
And THIS is why I’m so keen on my idea of Embodied Sensemaking (more on this in a soon.)
First, let’s be real for a second…
This response of shutting down, rejecting, dropping the shoulders is a survival mechanism at play. (We could have also seen fight, defense, aggression, raised voice etc.)
It’s not always easy to integrate worldview-changing truths into our mind, body, emotions and spirit.
If we don’t feel safe hearing what we hear because the conclusion is overwhelming, our body (via the nervous system) may ring alarm bells because it’s feeling threatened. Without using our awareness to take a close look at what is being triggered in us, we automatically begin to reject.
I want to be clear, this same all-out denial and rejection happens in every sphere.. not just with ‘normies’ as some people say. I’ve seen as much cognitive dissonance, bias, and delusion in alternative thinking spheres over the last 15 years as I have in those stuck in the mainstream trance.
That said, it’s important to have compassion and empathy for our tendency to respond with bias and rejection as part of it is our biology at work. The other part is whether we have the awareness to listen to our biology so our bias doesn’t consume us.
Our ability to truly make sense of something, change our mind, and integrate these new understandings in a safe and effective way relates to our levels of capacity, resilience, self-awareness and overall emotional regulation.
For example, I’ve seen many who reflexively go ‘full on red pill’ and crash out their worldview with one big ‘truth seeking’ session… often times they end up way out of touch with reality, paranoid, perpetually angry and unwell.
They don’t know what’s true anymore, discernment is gone, nothing can be trusted, and black and white thinking ensues.
This is because the person isn’t effectively integrating and shifting their worldview on the various layers of our mind, body, emotions and spirit. It’s too much at once.
So let’s jump back to embodied sensemaking here as it relates to the 9/11 conversation…
It’s built on the idea of curiosity, empathy and connection.
I’m not in conversation with someone to CONVINCE them of a truth, but merely to explore and discuss with curiosity.
Embodied sensemaking happens through conditions of being present and embodied, truly connecting with others, and being intuitive. It’s committing to curiosity and noticing how we’re feeling in our body before unconsciously reacting to things.
As a result, we can discuss tough subjects, be intuitive, be curious about our differences, and understand the underlying drivers of our thinking and perspectives. This is because meta-awareness becomes available to us.
In the 9/11 example, if the person I was speaking with was practicing the elements of embodied sensemaking they’d be aware of the discomfort ensuing and they’d see how it’s producing a bias and contraction of mind.
They could then choose to self-regulate on the spot or maybe take a break from the conversation. Perhaps they can note that they could work on this aspect of resistance they have identified so they have the capacity to consider this 9/11 subject again with a more open mind.
Point is, there would be awareness that the subject is not being considered whole heartedly.
I want to be clear, we do not say that because someone disagrees with us they must be clouded by trauma or discomfort, but this MAY be what’s going on. Coming to these conversations with courage and good faith is key.
By me practicing embodied sensemaking in the 9/11 conversation I was attuned to myself and them. I was seeing how the conversation was affecting their being on various levels and I was curious about the complex layers informing their position. This creates a deeper connection and more meaningful experience.
I don’t see them as asleep, a sheeple, an NPC, and enemy or less than.
Embodied sensemaking also doesn’t invite debate and ‘win’ mode. It’s more focused on open (free), honest, meaningful, radically connected, and productive conversation.
Why We Need This Now
We are in a time of great change and transition. We have an incredible amount of topics where experts disagree and where our understanding of them is shifting. At the same time, we have a polluted information commons, poor public sensemaking, and a social media world that incentivizes content with incomplete or lazy thinking.
A new way of approaching (new level of consciousness) how to explore and discuss these subjects is crucial. And it comes down to our willingness to show up for it. 🙂
In the process, we foster and embody a new level of consciousness that can emerge novel solutions as well.
