Ditching Dogma: Challenging the Status Quo for a More Fulfilled Life

“Don’t let the noise of other people’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

A quote by Steve Jobs, a man who, for better or worse, understood the value of capitalizing on divergent thinking and living outside of the confines of the rules of society.

I’ve just finished reading “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet,” and in this book the author provides a very thorough page-by-page takedown of the science behind modern dietary guidance, which appears to be rooted in pre-conceived notions about proper nutrition rather than scientific objectivity.

If this book stood alone with it's criticisms then perhaps I’d be doubtful of it’s assertions, but unfortunately this is not the case. This is just one more of many arguments that I have heard by a multitude of researchers and credentialed medical professionals who flatly reject the standard dietary guidance of eating low fat, low red meat, high carb, plant-heavy diets. They point to a litany of inconsistencies in the science and provide historical breakdowns of the politics, profit motives, and human bias that was at play (and still is) in the formation of modern American dietary guidelines that we have come to learn (The Food Pyramid, My Plate, etc).

These arguments have been put forth by esteemed professionals with the credentials to back up their criticisms. Take for example the following highly acclaimed books:

• “Metabolical: The Lure and Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine” by Dr. Robert Lustig (Professor, Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at UCSF)

• “Lies My Doctor Told Me: Medical Myths That Can Harm Your Health” by Dr. Ken Berry (M.D, American Academy of Family Physicians)

• “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration” by Dr. Weston A. Price (Dentist)

• “Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Chronic Disease - and How to Fight It” by Dr. Ben Bikman (Professor, Cell Biology and Physiology at BYU)

I think you get the idea…

While there is almost universal consensus about certain things such as the earth being round (an oblate spheroid to be specific), what I’ve gathered from my reading is that in the world of health and nutrition such universal acceptance of official dietary guidance does not actually exist. In many cases, scientists and health experts point out the glaring inconsistencies, sampling biases, and faulty conclusions in the research that serves as the foundation of our modern eating habits, and in other cases scientists have gone a step further to present exceedingly strong evidence that suggests that we should in fact be consuming diets that are the complete opposite of what is currently perpetuated by health institutions and doctors alike.

How can this be the case? How can our governments and healthcare organizations so confidently publish guidance backed by highly controversial studies which are not universally accepted to advise the population on best dietary practices while at the same time sweeping under the rug the plethora studies conducted by esteemed professionals who have consistently drawn conclusions to the contrary?

This question can be answered with one word…. “DOGMA.”

What is dogma?

Dogma, defined as “a belief held unquestioningly and with undefended certainty.” In other words, it is holding something to be undeniably true despite a lack of concrete proof, and a closed-mindedness towards opposing viewpoints, even the ones with very strong evidence.

Dogma is an unshakable attachment to foregone conclusions despite rationale or logic that doesn’t fully add up.

This is not a diet article. The example used above is simply an illustration of how we as a society adopt all kinds of behaviors, lifestyles, and expectations based on dogmas. This article is about how we create social constructs that become so deeply entrenched in our daily lives, that we now accept them to be followed and adhered to as if there is no other way.

Dogma says that it is perfectly acceptable to sit at a desk in an office staring at a screen for 30 years, with a meager two weeks of vacation each year sprinkled in between. This is despite an overwhelming body of evidence suggesting that it is both demoralizing and incapacitating to live in such a way that’s so disconnected from nature.

Dogma says that 17 and 18 yr old young adults should take out massive student loans to go to college even if they haven’t yet figured out what it is that they want to do with the rest of their lives.

Dogma says that most homes must be constructed of various man-made chemical-infused building materials and be paid for over a 30-year timeframe. This is despite hundreds of thousands of years of humans living in earthen homes constructed in a mere couple of days, free and clear of any 30-year payment obligations.

Dogma says that consuming highly processed foods that are low in fat, cholesterol, and other vital nutrients is optimal for health because the Food Pyramid says so. This is despite the numerous instances of hunter-gatherer cultures around the world eating opposite diets and being virtually free of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, and the like.

Dogma says that we should do a lot of things that are the societal norm but may not actually be the most logical decision when we take a step back and observe the situation for what it is.

Why we follow dogmas

I truly believe that we all at some point in our lives question some sort of belief that has been perpetuated by our society, but doesn’t pass our own logic test. Despite this, we tend to perform mental gymnastics to justify why society is correct, or why we should bury our thoughts and not explore them further. I think that we do this because we easily succumb to logical fallacies that convince us that society has it all figured out.

What are logical fallacies?

As described in this writers.com article,

" A logical fallacy is an error in reasoning that undermines the logic, but not necessarily the persuasiveness, of an argument.”

Two types of logical fallacies come to mind when it comes to our sometimes refusal to follow our intuition and challenge the status quo.

The Fallacy of Mass Appeal which is believing something to be true because the majority of the population also believes it to be true.

The Appeal to Authority Fallacy which is believing something to be true because a person or group of people who are in an official position of authority deems it to be true.

Going back to the diet example from the beginning of this article; because the messaging that saturated fats are bad is ubiquitous and the vast majority of the population in western societies believe this to be true, and because most doctors and health organizations state such, we now accept this as an undeniable fact.

But remember the numerous doctors and highly researched individuals who have presented information to the contrary.

This highlights the point that we don’t actually know much about anything but we live our lives and make decisions as if we do. And perhaps making such sweeping assertions makes life simpler in many cases, but oftentimes this leads us down a dangerous path as individuals and as a broader society.

As I’ve mentioned in my Savage Manifesto, I really believe that a key element to a life well lived is feeling a sense of fulfillment, yet our propensity to unquestioningly follow dogmas can lead to a life unfulfilled.

The case for ditching dogma

With increasing instances of people struggling with mental health, chronic diseases, weight gain, and purposelessness, we can clearly observe that the “truths” that we live by are not working for us. Perhaps a societal system that funnels people into a specific way of being, a system that robs people of their individuality, and a system that suppresses creative and divergent thought is a system that lends itself to mediocrity and a bunch of unhappy and unhealthy people.

• Perhaps its not in every child’s best interest to sit still at a desk and be lectured to for 8 hours during the day instead of being active and learning by exploring their curiosities

• Perhaps it’s a better path for some people to pursue manual labor or people-focused careers than to take on student loan debt and spend the next 35 years of their lives in a sedentary job staring at a computer screen

• Perhaps some people don’t need to buy wedding rings and spend $30,000 on a wedding to prove the love that they have for each other

• Perhaps pill-pushing and advocating for diets that are the complete opposite of what humans have eaten for hundreds of thousands of years is not the best form of healthcare

• Perhaps some people do not want to obsessively embrace every new technological advancement that is contributing to the ongoing dysevolution of the human species.

• Perhaps not participating in social media doesn’t make a person weird, but simply helps them to achieve more sable mental health than the masses that mindlessly consume content in a way that the human brain is wholly incapable of processing.

Perhaps we need to give ourselves permission to think and operate outside of the boundaries of the dogmas set by our society. I believe that doing so opens the door to the deep introspection that we need to understand our true calling in life, and to live in a way that is more aligned with our intuitions.

By tearing down the guardrails of society’s dogmatic expectations on how we should live our lives, we give ourselves a license to explore concepts that can drive us to be more creative, more authentic, and more purpose-driven. As a society, by ditching old “truths” we open ourselves up to discovering new solutions to problems that have plagued us for decades, and continue to get worse.

There are certainly times where it’s better to accept the status quo. In fact, there is a strong rationale for going along with societal beliefs and traditions that don’t pass our own logic test when the benefits justify doing so, or when the consequences are just not significant enough to matter. I do not necessarily believe that it is worth it to question every aspect of life for the sake of being a rebel or non-conformist, but I do believe that in the aspects of our lives which are very important to us, we benefit greatly by throwing societal conventions out of the window, unlearning everything we think we know about the matter, and reassessing it with a fresh approach.

Call to action

Going back to the food example. I used to subscribe to the notion that butter, fat, meat, and cholesterol were bad. I believed that the standard dietary guidelines provided by health organizations and the federal government alike were created to serve the public interest.

However as I exposed myself to the full spectrum of ideas out there, I realized that my previously held beliefs were the result of a dogmatic view on health and wellness even within the scientific community. I can’t say with 100% certainty that where I landed is correct, but I can say that it aligns better with my truth and my interpretation of the world given the information that I have access to.

I think Robert Greene sums it up perfectly in what I believe is one of his most profound observations about what he refers to as the primal inclination:

In childhood [a certain force] directed you toward activities and subjects that fit your natural inclinations, that sparked a curiosity that was deep and primal. In the intervening years, the force tends to fade in and out as you listen more to parents and peers, to the daily anxieties that wear away at you. This can be the source of your unhappiness—your lack of connection to who you are and what makes you unique.

My challenge to you is to think about any sort of recurring questions that you have about something that just doesn’t add up. Or think about an interest or passion that you’ve always had, but you didn’t pursue it more deeply because of expectations from other people to conform to a way of living that aligns with society. What are your primal inclinations?

Pick one thing about yourself that maybe doesn’t fully align with the expectations of society, or the people around you; something that represent your genuine curiosities, something that brings you joy, or something that you’ve been wanting to explore. Perhaps it’s a hobby, or a travel destination, a career change, or a lifestyle change. whatever it is, make it’s something that goes against the grain of expectations and conventional wisdom, and explore that idea further. Think about what sort of assumptions were made that led you to accept the conventional wisdom about the matter. Seek out alternative narratives, preferably from other highly credentialed people or groups, and compare these narratives with your own logic. Embrace the cognitive dissonance that occurs if an alternative narrative is supported too strongly by evidence to discard the thought.

It’s okay to carry a healthy level of skepticism, and to scrutinize the “generally-accepted” cultural norms that could be casting a shadow on your physical health, your mental well-being, and your ability to make the absolute most out of life.

If everything checks out, and you feel that things as they currently are is justified and reasonable, then all good. Keep doing what you do. At least now, you’ve gone through a mini thought exercise to clarify your understanding of the issue at hand.

However, if the reasoning for whatever prevailing dogma is holding you back just doesn’t add up despite approaching it from multiple angles, then it might be a sign that it’s time to make some adjustments in life. It may be time to take action that will put you on a better course for achieving whatever goals, aspirations, and accomplishments that you’ve been harboring all this time.