Rationalise Away for Dummies

Hey there! It's great to see you eager to learn! Let me break down what "rationalise away" means.

Imagine you have a situation or a problem that might make you feel a little uncomfortable or uneasy. In order to deal with it, sometimes people tend to rationalize it away. Now, what in the world does that mean? Put simply, it means to come up with reasons or explanations that make the situation seem less important or troubling.

Let's say you have a friend who borrowed your favorite book and returned it all tattered and torn. Instead of getting upset, you might rationalize it away by thinking, "Oh well, at least they returned it. It's just a book, and books are replaceable."

So when we say someone is rationalizing away, it means they are trying to make themselves feel better about something by finding reasons to minimize its significance or ignore its negative aspects.

But it's important to remember that while rationalizing away might make us feel temporarily better, it's not always the best approach. It can sometimes prevent us from finding proper solutions or acknowledging our true feelings about a situation.

To better understand it, think of a metaphor. Imagine you have a big pile of laundry that needs to be folded. Instead of tackling the task head-on, you might rationalize it away by saying, "Oh, I'll just do it tomorrow. It's not that big of a deal right now." But in reality, that pile of laundry will just keep growing and become an even bigger problem later on.

So, to summarize, "rationalise away" means finding reasons or explanations to downplay or minimize the importance or impact of a situation or problem. While it may temporarily make you feel better, it's important to address and confront problems directly instead of rationalizing them away. Keep on asking questions, and you'll keep on growing!