Finding Strength in Times of Weakness

Our country, our democracy is being tested. We may draw inward, seeking protection from the fallout of a system that benefits the most privileged, at the expense of the most vulnerable.

If you find yourself less able to watch the news, less able to imagine something better; if you’re doom scrolling into the night and cutting off certain friends and family for the sake of your own sanity - here’s one thing you can do: the opposite.

Our family, social circle, and work colleagues form the foundation of our lives - our bubble. What about those on the outside? When our foundations begin to crack, maybe it's time to reach outside the bubble. Different times call for different actions. 

If we feel helpless to change what is out of our control, perhaps it's time to change our perspective. There is a certain magic in that - as we change, so does the world around us.

Below are a few personal steps that could help engineer positive change. This journey takes patience, self love and forgiveness. Change is never easy, but often necessary. In embodying these traits for ourselves, we can begin to project them outwards, and begin shifting the current paradigm.

• Questioning our privilege. What privileges do we enjoy and how have they influenced our worldview? As we see people being denied their rights to due process, do we believe that our privilege protects us from our own rights being violated? Is anyone really immune?

• Question our fear of “the other.” Do we feel threatened by someone of a different race, religion or sexuality than our own? Can we learn to see each other as human beings seeking the same goals of safety and happiness, before categorizing each other according to whatever (false) constructs society has dictated? 

• Question our beliefs around individualism vs. collectivism. While we are immersed in an individualistic culture, how can we incorporate collectivist approaches to the well being of the whole? Do we see education, housing or health care as basic rights or privileges? What influences our views on this?  

• Question our susceptibility to propaganda. We are a propagandized society and as we seek comfort in like minded circles, we tend to limit our interactions to outlets that reinforce our beliefs. Independent media outlets are springing up as a counter to the mainstream media’s normalization of political events that, not too long ago, would cause outrage. Expand your diet of media beyond the mainstream to outlets not beholden to corporate sponsors. Listen to as many independent voices as possible, including ones that voice beliefs different to yours. With the information gained, engage in critical thinking to extract what makes sense from the noise. 

• Use our voices for the change we want to see. Arguing with friends and family who hold opposing viewpoints is pointless. Just as they haven’t changed our minds, we are unlikely to change theirs. We can speak calmly. We can ask questions. We can listen.

• Seek out good news. According to neuropsychologist Dr Rick Hanson, our brains are “evolutionarily hardwired with an internal negativity bias.” While bad news sticks to our brains like velcro, good news slides right off our brains like teflon. Check out this excellent source of good news which can help to lift us out of the doom and gloom and to appreciate the good happening in the world. We could all do with a good dopamine release in our brains, with the resulting uplift in our mood and motivation. 

When we feel defeated, we are at our weakest. But it is there we can find strength. By changing how we interact with the world, we can change the impact we have on the world. 

When a force causes harm, remember where our strength comes from. In times of crisis, people naturally come together to help those most affected. Regardless of race, social bracket or political affiliation, we unify in the shared focus of rebuilding. 

Like other catastophes before, this too, shall pass. And until it does, feel secure in knowing that many others, like you, are working toward a common goal - a better world for all. 

By Spooky N, a ghost writer and guest content contributor