It is incredibly difficult to win a battle when you have the facts, but the opposition has emotion, even when the battle is with yourself. The more I try to eliminate emotion from my decision making, the more I fail. You can throw every fact, figure, graphic, and scientific study, but it is very difficult to beat emotion when it comes to decision making. Going with your gut is the easiest, even if it isn't correct.
Just think of the "social battles" that are being fought right now, and ask yourself which side has the most emotion.
- ObamaCare versus "Death Panels": I don't know if ObamaCare is good or bad, but I know whoever thought of the term "Death Panel" was pulling an emotional trigger.
- Genetically modified foods vs Frankenfoods: Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that genetic modification is safe and beneficial for food production, consumers still fear something they perceive to be "unnatural". It's so very easy to be critical of food production when you've never been hungry a day in your life, and have no understanding of plant breeding and genetics.
- Vaccines vs autism: Your child has autism, and there must be something to blame. I will admit I do not have the background to say vaccines don't cause autism, but I know NOT vaccinating is causing large hot spots of preventable diseases.
I could keep going on, and on, and on with the list of facts versus emotion. Just watch some talking heads on cable news, and see how often they use facts, and how often they use emotion. Something in our brains is wired to side with emotion, and if you understand and accept that, decision making can becoming easier.
Think of your farm, and the decisions you make. Are they based on emotion, or reason? The biggest problem you have is likely crop marketing. That is almost always an emotional decision. We all know the crop is worth a buck or two more than the market is offering, and it's hard to let it go when you know it is much more valuable.
I don't have a secret weapon to fight battles with emotion, but I think if you recognize the problem, you can find ways to fix it. The odds are against logic and reason, but you can find ways to beat the battle with emotion. Good luck!