I find the idea of Bokononism in Cat's Cradle to be interesting. Essentially, in Bokononism, there are teachings, exercises, and doctrines that are all 'fomas', or lies that are relatively harmless in life. It's interesting how open Bokononism is about itself, however (reminds me a bit of some of the segments on metafiction based on how "aware of itself" Bokononism is), specifically with how it is explicitly stated how it is built of lies. Any conscious person should have a red flag set off at that point. How can so many people simultaneously believe in something that is stated to be a lie? Can one person sincerely believe in two conflicting thoughts at the same time? It sounded very reminiscent of "doublethink" from 1984 to me, which essentially is holding two beliefs that contradict each other in order to fill some purpose. In 1984, the act of doublethink seemed to be an appeasement to group mentality and government. In Bokononism, however, this is more of a nod to how humans live. The religion is completely aware of human suffering and need for human connection and thus is a construct providing both. If untruthfulness is equated with meaninglessness, then Bokononism ideals are entirely devoid of true realistic meaning. And yet, to be a Bokononist like so many, this has to be acknowledged.
I think there are definitely thoughts and ideas that we subconsciously know are inaccurate or not consistent with reality. "Hope for the Future", "Trust", and "Love" comes to mind as primary examples of this. Like the San Lorenzans, this helps us cope with our lives, and is why we can paradoxically believe two opposing facts at once.
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