Revelation 8 January 2020

CHANGE
Cognitive Dissonance | Make A Difference | Change

Revelation
What is a revelation?

Every religion has its own holy

scripture. Each one claims
theirs is divine as the words of
god/s.

The word revelation derives

from the word reveal, which
means:

1. Disclosure

2. Divulge

3. Open to view Change is the only constant

The next question is how did
Sir Isaac Newton knew about
gravity?
He did not create gravity, but
Embrace change
You are not the same person you were 30 years ago, or 30
weeks ago, or 30 hours ago...not even 30 seconds ago. The
cells in your body constantly die and reproduce every now and
then. The changes that take place within your body is ongoing
even while you are reading this. The only time you may have
realized that you’ve changed is when you look in the mirror
and noticed that wrinkles on your face, or you receding
forehead has widened.

Are people scared of looking in the mirror?

Could that be the reason people fear change?

discovered it, or could we say

that it was revealed to him?

Revelation 1
Revelation
Be the change
And if you obey the majority of
the people on Earth, they will
lead you astray from the path of
God. They follow not except
conjectures, guessing and
falsifying.
Q 6:116
Revelation
8 January 2020
It’s been said, “Change is the only constant”. Like it or not, it’s a
(scientific) fact of life and the best way to deal with entropy
will depend on how you deal with it, which by the way will
either turns you into being happy or miserable.
On the outside world, change happens in many ways and
facets like the weather, landscapes, businesses, geopolitics,
technology, and in all and every aspects of human activities.
The change I want to talk here in particular is the change in a
human’s development process. The paradigm shift which
almost every one fears. Changing beliefs, mindsets, habits,
cultures — generally in the way humans Be-ing & Do-ing.
Every one lives in a paradigm created and set by oneself. The
paradigm is a collection of what have been learned from
learning how to walk as a toddler, taste and scents of food
that were being fed, character and traits picked up from
family and friends, emotional intelligence formed from
interactions with various people. In short it’s the data
collection of all the experiences in one’s life, which moulded
and formed the person one has become.
In an ever changing world, living rigidly holding on to a set
paradigm could prove challenging if not fatal for any person
on his life long journey. Rejection to change could end one
being caught in cognitive dissonance, which eventually
may end one on a hospital bed suffering from a otherwise
avoidable dis-ease mainly caused by chemical reactions
imbalance.
2
Revelation 8 January 2020

Using the computer analogy, one needs to update one’s paradigm regularly to stay in tune and current
with the environment to avoid ‘hanging’ or disruptions to one’s operating system. An update entails
the removal of old invalid data to rid off inconsistencies and contradictions resulting in cognitive
dissonance.

If I may (not out of being religious), I’d like to point to a verse of the Quran: Al Baqarah 2:185

Allow me to give my slightly different interpretation:

The period of heated restlessness sets in upon the reading, a guidance for the people and clear proof of
guidance and criterion. Thus, whoever experience it let him contemplate, and whoever is indisposed or on a
journey, then a number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and not hardship for you to pass through
the period and to appreciate Allah for His guidance, and to be in gratitude.

The “period of heated restlessness” (ramadan) I read as ‘cognitive dissonance’ which quite naturally
befalls any one upon receiving any kind of new information which contradicts with the one he dearly
holds to. This is a mind blowing upsetting moment, and unless he takes the time to contemplate on
the matter at hand, he will remain in cognitive dissonance unnecessarily longer than is good for him
and detrimental to his well being.

This is not a one off scenario pertaining only to the reading of Quran, but to every new information
that comes one’s way. With the advent of the Internet, massive information and disinformation are
being disseminated throughout the world. I see chaos in real time where people sink into cognitive
dissonance simply because they do not adhere to contemplation as advocated in the Quran. The
irony is unbelievable when people just dive in to the data pool and choked themselves out of breath.

Revelation 3
Revelation 8 January 2020

The key to managing data is to practice discernment (furqan) hence be accordingly guided (hudan) to
what is being read (quran).

When the issue or matter is verifiably clear as between black and white, the next step in making the
choice to accept or reject the new information would be a daunting task indeed. Old habits die hard
but the truth always prevails.

That’s not the end of the change process. The change starts when one be the change and walk the talk
and not wait for a ‘right time and place’....there isn’t such a schedule.

I’ve seen enough empty barrels in my life time and all I can say is borrow the words of Steven E.
Landsburg,

“If your religion has no apparent effect on your behavior, I’m entitled to assume that your degree of believe
is small, no matter how much you protest”

If for any reason you fear change, just remember this:

A thousand people accepting a lie, do not turn it into a truth. The truth remains the truth
even if no one accepts it.

This is not about religion

...it’s all about making the difference.

Revelation 4