Dispelling Delusional Thinking, Gently

 BY NOW you've surely noticed that the liars who insist that the election was stolen from Trump do so with absolute certainty, with nary a trace of doubt or suspicion, nor, for that matter, evidence. And yet, they persist, just as certain of their false belief as they can be.Delusional people cling tenaciously to their delusions if only to strengthen them against the he greatest threat to them; reality. Delusional thinking, seemingly ubiquitous in contemporary America, you can't swing a dead cat without encountering it, serves various psychological purposes, and in that sense can be quite useful, particularly in bringing emotional stability to an otherwise troubled mind. This, according to a newly published book "Useful Delusions" by a rock star of a pop psychologist, Shankar Vedantham, of widespread radio fame. Delusions  should be resisted and dispelled, says Shankar, but not always in the usual manner. The way to do this is not necessarily to oppose them with contempt, ridicule, anger, and hard core facts and reality, but rather, with tact. Those who embrace delusional thinking are only likely to resist compromise and change more forcefully if so confronted, but will bend as the blade of grass in the summer breeze, if only the rest of us will. To wit; to present the benefits of rejecting falsehood and replacing it with truth. Like: "If you might consider accepting the thirty thousands lies of Donald Trump as actual lies rather than alternative facts, you might be able to produce a political leader who can make america even grater than Trump did!" Or, "If only you could convince those annoying aliens to stop abducting you every night, you might get more sleep, and then have more time and energy for scientific research concerning the possibility of life on other planets!" Now, as for me, I still prefer the old fashioned tried and true way of opposing nonsense with scorn, contempt, ridicule, and anger, even though it never works, it at least has the advantage of turning former friends into enemies and thus ridding them and their insanity from our busy lives. A fanatic fan of rock solid established empirical science, I have long detested the purveyors of pseudo science, fantasy, and alternative realities and cosmic paradigms. In that regard, Trump and his following put me over the edge. One simply cannot simultaneously support Trump and remain moored to reality. Delusional people are invariably dead set certain of the truth of their insane delusions. They have all the answers, somehow, but they never ask questions. I  them with untempered fervor, but I resolve to try the "useful Delusion" approach.This method seeks to dispel delusions, but gently. Refusing to do this puts me at risk of being one of them.