When I think about “pragmatic”, it seems to include a bit of the connotation of excusing cynicism. There’s no aspiration in it, it’s just doing what needs to be done or exactly where the steps before lead you. So if I’m being pragmatic, it’s almost like settling for the path of least resistance. It’s “sensible” with a touch of guile. To me, that describes the pros and cons of pragmatic thinking. It definitely has it’s place, but it’s not something I take pride in.
The upside of dogma is that you don’t have to put any energy or thought into things you can accept at that level. The downside comes when you simply never examine those things at all, and take them at someone’s word. You’re essentially acting with zero cynicism.
I think way too much, and I’m prone to reexamining everything over and over, even when the decision has been made so many times before. So I’ve learned to lay down my own dogma when I can, and just let those things be for a while. It’s a better approach (for me).
Relationships, decisions, and things we accept to be true about ourselves can really suffer from over examination. Putting those things away for a while can help and free up yourself up for new ideas and experiences.
Sprinkling a little dogma in helps me get out of my own head.