Three Step Program Towards Rational Thought

Let's All Settle Down and Teach the Children Well....

Political and cultural authoritarians are scared that they are losing control of society and are becoming increasingly shrill about it. It's nothing really new, as fears have been gradually heightening over the last year. We've repeatedly seen presidential candidates and others use race, religion, domestic violence and international terrorism to whip people up into irrational fear. Meanwhile, the children are watching. I fear they are learning the wrong things about the world.

In just the last month alone we've seen terrorist acts, both foreign and domestic. Turkey has suffered a military coup. ISIS is being framed as a threat to Western democracies. We've seen people wrongfully killed by the police. We've seen police assassinated by a murderous military veteran. Cops are scared. The people are scared.

People are perplexed that the best the two major political parties could do was Trump and Hillary. (Maybe it’s time for everyone to consider Libertarian Gary Johnson.) The bottom line is that there seems to be a sense that America is unraveling. I'm more optimistic. Maybe what America needs isn’t a great national leader but instead, hundreds of millions of engaged and diverse citizens who care about the direction of a nation.

Let me offer a three-step program in helping people to find their way back to their rational senses, instead of subsisting in constant fear and alarm over domestic and world events.

First, there seems to be an illusion that we are able to completely control the outcome of our lives. Somehow there are people who believe there's a systematic formula for long life, good health, and vast wealth. And politicians, bureaucrats, and nanny-state do-gooders reinforce this idea by telling us that if we avoid, *this* and pursue *that,* vote for *them* and against *those,* we can all have the picture perfect American dream home, live to a ripe old age, and die peacefully in our sleep. We all seem to want the fairy tale.

So let's be honest for a moment. We don't control everything and certainly cannot determine whether good or bad things happen to us, our friends, or our family. We can hope for the best in all things, but we cannot control outcomes. And that's okay by the way.

If we cannot control the outcome of life then why waste time and anguish worrying about things we cannot control? If you hate feeling out of control then please get used to that feeling or learn to embrace the fact that you cannot control outcomes. At best you can influence the outcome. That's about it.

But for those who think they can control outcomes, they spend their lives dealing with inner strife and fear of failure. And sometimes that fear is paralyzing and irrational. Sometimes that fear drives us to succeed. But it’s not because we controlled the outcome. Recognizing that outcomes are often completely outside our control should help us focus on more productive things.

Knowing we cannot control the outcome of life means that we should stop fearing failure to control outcomes and focus on things we absolutely do control. And that would be our own personal efforts.

Every day we awaken, we all have a decision to make about the aim of our day. The goals, tactics, methods, time commitment, and strategies are up to us. That's all we can control. And where does family fit into this 'to do' list? Remember, the children are watching. Should they live in constant fear that their efforts will never be good enough? Or should we simply ask, "Did you have fun?"

Second, while we certainly have no control over the world around us, I find it productive to find a corner of the world that needs attention and try to aim my best efforts at changing things for the better. Despite not having any control over the outcome, at least I have the opportunity to focus my efforts on things that I find worthwhile. For me these things involve public policy. For my wife, it involves art.

While we are powerless to control outcomes, we are empowered to address things all around us. In the last ten years, I have served on citizen committees, been a mentor to former students, been a group leader for a disfluency support group, a leader of a monthly liberty movement group, an organizing promoter of cannabis legalization, an organizing opponent of the death penalty, an activist in support of immigration and criminal justice reforms.

I've stood in protest of government officials, marched in support of LGBT and Black Lives Matter. I’ve stood in support of Muslim rights of religious expression. And I try to be a great husband, father, and papa to my family. I do these things and many others not mentioned, outside of my employment. And I lose a lot. And that's okay because I cannot control the outcome. Just the effort. And that's empowering to me.

Third, I accept that I am mortal. People often act like mortality is something involving other people. None of us get out of this game alive. People often don't like to think about these things. I had no control over when and how I came into this world and I will have no control over how I leave it. All I can do is work hard and try to live my life in a way that reflects my best hopes, dreams, and mission.

If I am lucky enough to live to a ripe old age, I hope I can look back over the years of my life and feel like I did the things I needed to do. To challenge myself to look beyond failure and fear to pursue the best of what life has to offer. And to embrace the idea that wisdom is knowing you can't change everything in the world but that doesn't mean you should not try to do so.

And since the children are watching all that we do today in this seemingly tumultuous time in American history, perhaps we can teach them to pursue truth, work hard in all they do, love and cherish people around them, and fight for justice and freedom for everyone.

If the kingdom of God dwells within us, then certainly all of the best things in the universe can be found there as well.
Peace.