Rationalize Away for Dummies

"Rationalize away" is a phrase that people use when they want to explain or justify something that may not be reasonable or logical. It's like when you try to find excuses or come up with reasons to make something seem okay, even if deep down you know it's not. It's kind of like making up a story in your mind, trying to convince yourself that what you're doing or thinking is perfectly fine.

Let me break it down for you with an example. Imagine you really want to buy a new toy that you saw at the store, but you're not supposed to spend your money on toys right now. Instead of accepting that fact, you might try to rationalize away this rule by telling yourself that you've been working hard and deserve a treat. You might say things like, "I earned this toy because I did well on my homework," or "I'll never get to enjoy my childhood if I can't have fun toys." So, by thinking this way, you're trying to make the idea of buying the toy seem more logical, even though it might not be the best choice.

Rationalizing away can also happen when we try to convince ourselves that our actions or thoughts are reasonable, even when they might not be. For example, let's say you didn't study for a test and you end up getting a bad grade. Instead of accepting that you didn't prepare enough, you might rationalize away your poor performance by saying things like, "The test was too hard anyway," or "I was too busy with other things to study." These rationalizations are attempts to make ourselves feel better about our choices or mistakes.

So, in a nutshell, when we say "rationalize away," we mean trying to explain or justify something that may not actually be reasonable or logical. It's like creating stories or reasons in our minds to make ourselves feel better about a decision or action, even when deep down we know it might not be the best choice. It's important to be aware of when we're doing this, so we can make more thoughtful and informed decisions in the future."