Your reality isn't real: A lesson from the Nazis

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I found myself in a disagreement with someone this week.

One set of circumstances, two people with wildly opposing views. In my mind, my counterparty’s viewpoint was as logical as the Apple mouse’s charging port:

But then I remembered this story* about World War 2 (the eternal fountain of knowledge and fascinating stories), which gave me a helpful perspective and moved us closer to a resolution.

When the Allied forces landed in France, some Nazi soldiers reported that they were shocked at how angry the American soldiers were at the Germans. To the Nazis, it didn’t make sense because they had been conditioned to view themselves as the virtuous guardians of Europe.

One Nazi soldier said:

“I think that I had the belief that the civilised Americans would not wish to disturb the peace of France. We in the German forces thought that we had gone to such lengths to protect France, to guard its people against harm. I think that deep down I could not believe that the Americans would shatter this peace we had achieved.

I was wrong about everything. I know today, ten years later, that everything I believed during the war was a mistake. I understand today that we Germans were not in France to protect the people, we were there only to exploit and persecute them. We should never have been in France, or Russia, Italy, any of those places. The things that we did were appalling . . . everything was wrong.”

The moral of the story:

Our grasp of reality is as malleable as a yoga instructor. Our fears, circumstances, incentives, and information diet shape our minds. Whatever you know to be true, might not be.

The next time you clash with someone, remember that even the Nazis believed they were the good guys. So, although you may find your foe’s views ludicrous, try to empathise and listen with a more open mind.

*The above passage is from the book The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness

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