Paranoia
“The
more you talk about it, rehash it, rethink it, cross analyze it,
respond to it, get paranoid about it, compete with it, complain about
it, immortalize it, cry over it, kick it, defame it, stalk it, pray
over it, put it down, or dissect its motives, it continues to rot in
your brain...”
Shannon L.
Adler
This pretty much
describes America right now. Maybe the rest of the world, too, though
I doubt it. We have spent the last two years talking about nothing
but the insane politics of our time. The election has consumed us,
and with the advent of a Trump presidency, we have become
irrationally paranoid and obsessed. In Shannon Adler's words, it has
rotted our brains.
There is a time when
talking and rehashing is healing and restorative. After a personal
loss, we need to process our feelings. After something amazing
happens, we assimilate it by talking through it, and coming to an
understanding of how it impacts our life. When we're trying to
clarify our thoughts and feelings, it's helpful to discuss, and
listen to other opinions before coming to a conclusion. But paranoid
obsession about anything is neither healthy, nor helpful. It is
simply one manifestation of fear run amok; it takes away our ability
to reason.
The problem with paranoia
is that it tends to spread from one aspect of life to the next. On
television right now, there's a commercial for cough medicine that
shows the vapor field of a cough as a purple cloud spreading like a
wave to wash over everyone around. Paranoia is like that—it spreads
from one area of life, such as politics, to others, like friends and
family. Gradually, we see everyone and everything as suspect.
One solution for
combating mistrust is to get out and do something purposeful. Give a
helping hand to your fellow humans. Get involved in the world, in
making a difference in your community. If there's a cause that's dear
to your heart, volunteer your time. There's no better way to restore
confidence in the decency of humanity than to exemplify it.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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