Willfull blindness or fear of change?

Ostrich syndrome, also known as willful blindness, refers to a person's refusal to see or acknowledge a potentially harmful or inconvenient truth. It is named after the common misconception that ostriches bury their heads in the sand to avoid danger, when in fact they do not exhibit this behavior.

The term "ostrich syndrome" can be used to describe situations where individuals or groups avoid facing reality or dealing with a problem in an effort to avoid the anxiety or stress that might come with it.

I am interested in WHY this occurs and even normalized amongst the human condition.

First off we must admit that we as a species are made of and contained within a complex system. Living and walking in a world of further complex systems. Due to my belief in holistic system intelligence, whether in a body, institution, or culture, I will attempt to address more than the obvious reason(s) as to why this is not only a pernicious pattern but a destructive one.

Let's start with the obvious.

Humans turn a blind eye to the truth to feel safe, to avoid conflict

To reduce anxiety, and to protect prestige, reputation, and even to claim to protect others, especially children or close knit kin and those we "care" about.

Now that we got that out of the way, let's go a bit deeper into each of these so called defense mechanisms.