Abbreviated Mind Syndrome (Article 1): Accidental Poetry & Nihilistic Implosions

Why should anyone be concerned about something called an abbreviated mind syndrome, or AMS, and what precisely is it anyway?

A syndrome indicates a set of characteristics or inclinations derived from a particular condition or disposition. An abbreviated mind, or ABM, is a condition or disposition belonging to a person inclined to do this: either intentionally refuse to cultivate sufficient understanding of an issue relevant to his or her needs and concerns, or passively neglect the necessity to do so.

Use of an abbreviated mind is what makes the more devastatingly callous aspects of guerrilla decontextualization possible. It simultaneously magnifies the impulse to avoid accepting moral responsibility for one’s actions and reduces the inclination to view fellow human beings as simply that: fellow human beings.

The results of possessing an ABM can produce wide-spread consequences ranging from such harmless side effects as unintended humor and accidental poetry, to nihilistic implosions and unchecked explosions between promoters of conflicting viewpoints.  It has its opposite and possible nemesis in a different kind of mind-model, about which more will be said later. A fair enough question at this point might be, “How would I know whether or not I have an abbreviated mind?”  The answer becomes more and more apparent as you continue reading but for the moment let’s say the following:

You might have an Abbreviated Mind

if you believe any of the statements below:

1. Digital technology is a cure-all for every problem humanity faces.
2. Women in all cultures complain too much and are too ungrateful.
3. Only one nation or group of people has ever known profound suffering.
4. Rape is really an unfortunate misunderstanding and not a criminal act.
5. Slavery exists in books and movies but not in real life.
6. Easy access to illegal guns is not a problem; mentally disturbed people are.
7. Taking credit for someone else’s work is not a big deal. 
8. Racism exists only between people whose skin colors are different.
9. You are the only person in the history of existence who knows what real pain is.
10. People over 45 years old are the biggest problem in the workplace.
11. People under 25 are the biggest problem in the workplace.
12. People who don’t “Like” you on Facebook should be sent to prison.

It is true that some of the above assertions can be described as over the top. However, it is also true that much more than a few people filter deliberations of this nature through the foggy lens of an abbreviated mind. Far less than “50 shades of grey,” wielders of abbreviated minds rarely allow for even one. The result is often unwavering faith in the perceived rightness of their convictions (no matter how extreme in the eyes of someone else) and total condemnation of the perceived wrongness of another person’s (no matter how sensible in the eyes of someone else).

Coming up next: Catfishing and the Single Story

Aberjhani
(© 2015)