“We can only operate from what we know and what we have. And when we learn something new, we operate from that new place. Judging ourselves backward? Futile, right?”
Sean’s Monologue: The Impact of Social Construct
Today’s episode features the amazing Dr. Nava Israel, author of the award-winning book
CONEtrolled: How We've Lost our Freedom and How to Reclaim It. Nava begins by defining the idea of “core certainties”, a term she herself coined during the conception of her CONE theory. And, would you believe it, they are very much like dog shock collars! Listen to hear why Dr. Israel feels we are teetering on a worldwide tipping point.
Next, using religion as an example, Nava talks about how oppressive constructs can fizzle out, but then laments that humanity tends to build new constructs on the ashes of the old ones. Find out Nava’s hope for her book and learn how people often react in their lives after learning the concepts of CONE theory. Nava tells us about the structure of CONES, citing examples, and explains how a person can become their own CONE after internalizing a set of beliefs.
We learn what it’s like to discover your own neurodivergent thinking structure later in adulthood, as Nava tells us a little of her life story. Spending her early childhood in the Soviet Union, young Nava avoided indoctrination by simply not buying into the propaganda they fed her in school – as Nava puts it, “people with autism see beyond the bullshit.” Soon after, as an immigrant to Israel, she couldn’t comprehend the country’s strong national pride. As adult – now in Canada – Nava earned her PhD in epidemiology and began to understand more about the patterns she’d been noticing her whole life. Finally, the pieces fell into place and left her with a simple model to share with the world.
Sean talks about how Nava’s book has changed the way he sees himself and his own ideas, while Nava disputes the concepts of shame and guilt. She tells us about “social lynching” and “moral homelessness”, then she walks us through each layer that creates a CONE of core certainties. Listen to learn why marriage is a solution to a very persistent problem and how something that is inanimate – a system – can be self-conscious.
Sean asks Nava to tell the “Listerine story”, which leads to a discussion of manufactured needs & climate crisis (which is NOT manufactured). Then Nava explains how the illusion of choice creates dependency, using the example of modern medicine. She tells us how CONEs operate and reincarnate with two different types of CONE masters. During this topic, Nava speaks about communism with the authority of a person born in the Soviet Union. As horrible as many aspects of her childhood may have been, she can acknowledge the good features of communism, and she warns us how CONEs can cause harm by promoting a ‘burn it all down’ philosophy, rather than observing, learning, contemplating, and creating something better. Then Nava shares a wonderful story of collaborative and communal living in Sri Lanka.
What is the takeaway? How do we change our thinking to create the best solutions to our problems? Listen to find out!
You can learn more about Dr. Nava Israel and CONEtrolled: How We've Lost our Freedom and How to Reclaim It by visiting:
