What's going on with the world? It's time to choose hope over fear! (part 1)

On soul perspectives, silver linings and conscious media consumption.

Hi friend,

Are you concerned about the world?

I recently talked to a friend who is astute, caring, and insightful. And this person was extremely worried about the future and the world.

Listening to my friend showed me the difference between how I typically look at the world (it took me a while to get there), and how many other people are looking at it. I generally feel an underlying sense of peace and trust (even when I’m sometimes upset or angry about certain events)—my friend, not so much.

Unfortunately, there is currently a lot of fear going around (I will share more on what I see as the real reason for that fear in the next article in this series).

For now, I want to share what helps me to choose trust in the midst of all that is happening in the world:

Taking a soul perspective

A while ago, I realized that I see the soul as the ocean, and the personality/ego as a drop in the ocean. In the same way, I believe we can look at the world through the eyes of our soul, or through the eyes of our personality.

Our souls know that they are essentially immortal, so they can access deep trust and wellness.

In contrast, our personalities/egos/bodies know that they are very, very mortal—which explains why they experience so much fear.

Here’s the different between a soul and a personality perspective:

When it comes to what’s going on in the world, I am currently focusing more on the still depths of the ocean (the soul perspective):

Photo by Cristian Palmer on Unsplash

My friend, on the other hand, is currently focusing more on the intense waves on the surface (the personality perspective):

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Now, I’m not trying to say that my perspective is the right one.

One of the main issues I’m seeing in the world right now is that we are trying to argue about rightness, as if the deep questions we are pondering could be solved through a rigorous debate.

In reality, my friend and I are both right. There is a deep sense of wellness accessible on this planet right now, and there is a TON of drama and trauma happening.

In many ways, we live in the best world humans have ever lived in (for instance, if we look at the increase in lifetime expectancy) and in other ways, we are living on an active volcano (man-made, existential risks are something relatively new).

So, there is evidence both for a positive and for a negative read of the situation. And generally, we tend to have a preference/bias for one over the other. (Disclaimer: I have a positivity bias—but you probably could have guessed that.)

That bias could be described as our core belief system.

If you believe the world is a scary place (negativity bias), the world is a scary place… and because you come across so many things that evoke fear, it’s hard to let go of this belief.

If, like me, you believe the universe is ultimately benevolent (positivity bias), you live in an ultimately benevolent universe. Just like the other belief system, this one is also self-perpetuating: I just need one shred of evidence and I can stick with it.

Again, both of these belief systems are right. My belief system isn’t necessarily more accurate than my friend’s, we are just looking at different pieces of the puzzle.

I’m also not trying to say that my perspective is better than my friend’s perspective. I’m just saying that my perspective makes me feel better.

(And also, perhaps I shouldn’t even call this “my” perspective. I sometimes also find myself taking the personality perspective and experiencing fear. Similarly, my friend is very spiritual and developed, so he’s easily capable of accessing states of deep trust and wellness.)

Trust just feels better than fear. It also doesn’t add more fear to a planet that’s already steeped in fear. Trust is a much-needed remedy for fear. When you can feel deep trust, you can help your friends and loved ones whenever they are going through intense worry.

So, let’s explore two things that help me cultivate trust: being conscious in my media consumption, and looking for silver linings.

2. Staying away from the news/being conscious in my media consumption

It’s kinda funny that I’m writing this. You see, I stopped reading the news* many years ago. Well, I started reading the news again just a few weeks ago.

Which just confirms to me that it’s better to avoid the news.

So, I might once again stop reading the news*.

* I will still read news articles if something big happens that I want more information about but other than that, I stay away from the news.

If reducing your news consumption is something you are also interested in, here are a few recommendations for accomplishing that:

How to reduce your news consumption

Basically, reading the news is a habit, and a societally acceptable one at that. As such, it’s useful to apply some tools that I have gathered as a certified habit coach:

• Identify your triggers for checking the news. Often, this is boredom or being in a state of low energy. Then, find a replacement habit. For instance, instead of checking the regular news when you feel tired or bored, you could go to goodnewsnetwork.org (a positive news website), or read a few pages in a fun fiction book.

• Sometimes, it’s specific platforms, such as Social Media, that tempt us to follow the news. Since Reddit is my “gateway drug” to the news, this means I need to stay away from Reddit, or at least use it in a more productive way (for instance, by only checking out “feel-good” communities on there).

• Set the tone for your day by starting your day mindfully. If you still feel the desire or need to check the news, at least don’t do it first thing in the morning.

• You can also use my one-page checklist for a conscious media diet:

In general, staying away from the news has

• improved my mood,

• helped me feel a deeper sense of trust (focusing on the ocean, not the waves),

• helped with focus,

• helped me focus on the bigger picture (the 24-hour news cycle is the antithesis of deep analysis), and

• allowed me to focus on the positive (given that the news have a negativity bias).

I share more about my experience with it in this video here:

Further resources about staying away from the news:

• I wrote an in-depth article about my experience with not reading the news if you want more insight and information.

• You can also watch my video here:

• Ryan Holiday’s brilliant article “Seriously, You—Ok, We—Need To Stop Watching The News This Year”—this one actually convinced me to stop reading the news.

• This one is a really cool article from

  Through the Fog, by Elliot Kirschner
  who has front-line experience with the news cycle:

Breaking the News Cycle

• This article by

  I’m Walking Here
  is great because it addresses a concern many people have: is not watching the news a sign that we are ignoring our duties to other humans?

"The Privilege To Look Away"

3. Finding the silver lining and putting things in perspective

Whenever I come across something that’s awful, I try to put it in perspective and focus on the positive. Let me share an example with you.

(The following includes discussions of maternal mortality. If that’s something you would rather avoid, scroll down to the next divider.)

Last week, it was reported that software engineer and long-term Kansas City cheerleader Krystal Anderson had died after giving birth.

While reading about this, I was saddened that such a wonderful person—she had made significant contributions to improving healthcare, including a patent—had died so early and in this way.

And, I was able to balance that sadness and anger over systemic issues that might have contributed to her death (the state of the US health care system, racism, and threats to reproductive rights) with a sense of hope and trust.

How is it possible to see a silver lining in this, you might ask?

I personally find it helpful to remember that the reason we people are so shocked about someone dying in childbirth is that we have come so far. We simply don’t expect this to happen anymore.

Maternal mortality is so much lower than it used to be throughout almost all of human history—to the point that someone dying in childbirth is a rare occurrence.

If we look at history, both Julius Caesar and Cicero lost a daughter to childbirth-related complications. They were two of the most privileged men of their time, citizens of the most powerful empire of its time… and their beloved daughters still died from something that most likely would have been treatable today.

I assume back then, almost everyone just accepted this as a fact of life.

Well, we don’t anymore, as seen by the reactions to Krystal Anderson’s death.

True, maternal mortality is rising in the US (EDIT: this is actually not true), and the maternal mortality of Black women (like Krystal Anderson) is 2.9 times as high as that of white women, none of which is acceptable.

And the very fact that nobody thinks this is acceptable is another sign of how far we come. Take a moment to take this in: nobody says it’s acceptable that the US maternal mortality rate is rising, or that there’s such a large racial gap in health outcomes. (If racists are thinking the latter is acceptable, they are at least keeping their mouths shut about it.)

If you look at history, that is huge progress!

Progress can come in two ways:

• consciousness changes, and

• external changes.

Sometimes, the external change comes first and then the collective consciousness changes. This can happen if a government brings about a top-down progressive change that may not yet be backed by popular opinion. Over time, people get used to this change and start to appreciate it.

More often, the collective consciousness changes, and then we see external changes.

In this particular case, we don’t yet have a shift in external results (where the US maternal mortality rate is down to its lowest ever level, without a racial gap in outcomes). However, we at least have a consciousness shift where we expect and demand this result.

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As you can see in this example, by putting a sad event into perspective and context, it often takes on a much more hopefully tone.

Another example is when I read the news after the 2017 attacks in Manchester. What’s the silver lining I found there? The kindness of strangers.

People were supporting others in many different ways, including by rushing to donate blood. The blood donation center reportedly was inundated with volunteers who wanted to give their blood.

This to me shows that ultimately, love is stronger than hate.

Do you have other examples of silver linings? Please share them in the comment section!

It’s easy to focus on the hatred of a few individuals, and ignore the good things that the many are doing.

Please don’t do that. There’s a strong negativity bias in the world right now that makes people feel miserable. In the midst of that, we need people to focus on the positive, and on silver linings.

We can still listen compassionately to people and their fears. We can just also present our perspective, and inject some much needed positivity into the conversation.

Warmly,
Louise

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