We have entered a tumultuous time. The new US administration sends waves of uncertainty throughout the political and economic landscape. Talk of tariffs has frayed the trade relationship between the US and Canada. The US’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate agreement signifies a setback in efforts to mitigate climate change. The threat of a US take-over of Gaza further threatens a fragile ceasefire. A flurry of executive orders – from the pardon of January 6th rioters to sanctions against the International Criminal Court – reveal an alarming form of autocratic rule. We are witnessing the arrival of revenge governance, the spiteful exercise of power that uses the state as an instrument to rectify a personal aggrievement. This form of rule harbours no respect for norms; it upends the establishment not from a principled vision of reform but a sense of personal injury. The ruler uses power as a means of deliverance from perceived injustice. Under this regime, political discourse tends to be stark and divisive: bad actors, cheaters, criminals, and oppressors torment the populace. Such deplorable conditions can only be overturned by a hero who experiences his own persecution as part of a campaign waged by nefarious forces. The demolition of opposition becomes not only a political, but moral imperative. We have seen this before. Revenge governance throughout history has given rise to fascism and totalitarian regimes across the world.
The swirling madness exacerbates our anxiety and heightens our fear. What was once stable is now pulled out from underneath us. If modernity is already fraught with difficulty (technological change, global pandemics, extreme weather, economic hardship), political strife further erodes our wellbeing. In these perilous times, we need perspectives and values that will keep us steadfast and poised. More than coping mechanisms, which only soften the sting without removing the poison, we need principles and intentions to serve as our compass. While adversity brings hardship, it also holds possibility for growth and maturity. In this blog post, I present a few points to serve as guide as we navigate these treacherous times. I hope that in doing so we are better able to preserve our sanity, maintain perspective, remain upright, and stay true to the better angels of our nature.
Titrate Media Consumption
In the internet age, we easily forget that the media produces information and entertainment. We consume media products. What we take for granted as news is not the reality of the world itself, but a packaged derivative that contains facts about global events. The media mediates what we see of the world, giving us a rendering of our situation. The media is not reality itself. Although some forms of media coverage strive to be more objective than others, the rise of social media has cast doubt on established institutions that strive to maintain journalistic standards. In the fray of twitter-sphere, speculation and inuendo are as good as facts. To question a claim is to refute it. Misinformation abounds. Rumour and outrage quickly overtake reason and analysis.
Even in the measured space of established media outlets, a constant stream of discourse can overtax our anxious minds. In times of uncertainty, we often look for commentary from trusted sources who provide qualified assessments of a given moment. However, excessive punditry can aggravate rather than alleviate our anxiety. Debate often intensifies a climate of hostility and distress.
When we feel diminished by our exposure to the media, we can take a step back and reduce our consumption. Turn off the TV. Close the laptop. Put down the phone. We have a capacity to monitor our mental wellness and make healthier choices. We need not cut ourselves off from media completely; we only need to curtail the compulsive habit that keeps us rivetted to the screen.
Polarization is Radicalization
Today, we find our democratic institution facing strain. Social discord erodes the fabric of togetherness. There is a perpetual aura of suspicion and animosity toward those who disagree with us. The inscrutable other seems ignorant, absurd, unhinged, and dangerous. Over the impersonal portals of our computer screen, we rage over other people’s beliefs and thus forget what the cords that bind us together in a shared humanity. The echo-chambers of social media can further entrench our views and vilify those who differ from us.
When we lose the capacity to listen, to see the humanity in another, something in us dies in the process. In the confrontation with a perceived threat, the ego galvanizes its defences and reinforces its existing structure. If the threat persists, combat and defence become a fixed feature of the ego, making us prone to aggravation and conflict. Other people become odious, life descends into conflict, the world becomes intractable. We lose our ability to communicate, much less commune, with others. Polarization leads to radicalized positions that erode the basis of society.
To guard against the corrosive effects of polarization, we can examine the forces that push our views to extremity. We can be more aware of the currents of information that shape our views, question their influence and examine their credibility. We can make a conscious effort to listen to those who differ from us, consciously identifying the emotional core behind their political commitments. Those who advocate for tough laws on criminals, for example, are often wounded by injustice. Conversely, those who advocate for moderate laws often harbour a passion for human rights. On the level of policy, people may disagree on many points; however, fundamentally, justice and human rights do not contradict one another. While I may oppose a person’s views on policy, I can respect their commitment to justice and thus maintain contact with the goodness that resides within them. Our disagreement need not relegate us to bitter division.
Embody the Qualities that We Aspire To
Many previous generations have endured hardship more severe than what we see today. Through catastrophe, war and famine, they resiled against the odds and survived to tell their stories. Coming of age during the great depression and living through the Second World War, our grandparents made do with what little they had, learned the value of thrift, deepened their store of resilience, and burnished an unflappable optimism that many of us look upon with envy. Adversity, it turns out, gave birth to the “greatest generation.” Today, material prosperity and technological progress coincide with social inequality and a severe mental health crisis. A comfortable life is not conducive to growth and maturity. In many cases, wealth and security corrupts our character and disrupts our development. Times of adversity often burns off the chaff, leaving us with the essentials.
These challenging times invite us to rouse our highest intentions. We invoke our aspirations by asking: how will I carry myself during this time of upheaval? What are my priorities? What is this moment teaching me? These questions serve as guides as we face each day. They provide the principles that inform our action; without them, we are likely caught in reactivity. Once we identify what we aspire to, we can then infuse those qualities in our interactions with others, bringing intention to our work, home, and relationships near and far.
Return to the Present
Reading the news and listening to the radio, I often find myself overwhelmed. There is a world of malaise served up in a bouquet of misery. The suffering of millions far surpass what little I can do as an individual. When the world seems too oppressive, too acrimonious to handle, I can return to the immediate present, the here and now right under my nose. When I come home to the present, life returns to its appropriate scale. My senses reconnect me to what is immediate, and everything is once again workable. If my mind is caught in wicked global problems, anxiety and frustration ensue. However, the desk needs dusting, the dishes are waiting to be unloaded from the dishwasher. When I apply myself to these tasks, I witness my own agency and claim what lies within my power. Whereas global problems are abstract, the present moment is always concrete and definite. The here and now is always a reliable refuge against the buffeting winds of uncertainty.
This Too Shall Pass
When asked what gave him comfort while his country was torn apart by war, the Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh answered: “everything is impermanent, even war.” Impermanence is the law of the universe. Nothing stays the same. The evanescence of what we hold dear can leave us with sorrow; conversely, what we find difficult to endure must also come to an end. Therein lies a source of comfort. To realize the nature of impermanence is to ripen into equanimity, an inner poise swayed neither by fortune nor misfortune, neither gain nor loss. When we internalize the impermanence of all things, we come back to a more spacious attitude that accepts a world in flux, and soften into the flow of things, exactly as they are.
In these tumultuous times, we need values and principles that provide safe mooring. Much uncertainty lies ahead. Hardship awaits. If we can remain upright and relatively poised, there is a distinct possibility for growth and maturation. We may look back upon this period with gratitude and marvel at its formative influence in shaping our character. The choice lies in how we comport ourselves amidst the today’s challenges.