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Why Do We Assume the Worst?
Yesterday, I was in a state of high anxiety as I worried about the outcomes of the election. Fortunately, I was commenting on a post and expressed my concern, and the suggestions, comfort, and humor that were shared were such a great relief for me and for others. We laughed and made fun of each other in the most caring way.
Today, the darkness has descended. There have been all kinds of evidence cited that demonstrate that the Democrats are cheating. Doom and gloom engulf our environments and psyches. I’m not here to criticize these attitudes, but they motivate me to ask a question:
Why do we assume the worst?
Now I know you’ll want to tell me about all the things that already point to mismanagement and cheating: anecdotes of foul play, delays of all kinds, sudden increases in votes for Joe Biden—the list goes on. But what is really driving all this discussion is the mind-chaos that emerges out of one thing: “not knowing.”
“Not knowing” refers to our looking at the near or distant future and realizing that we can try to predict outcomes, but we really don’t know with any kind of certainty what they will be.
And it drives us crazy.
It reminds us that we cannot control the future. It mocks us when we think can somehow predict what will happen. The insecurity and anxiety that comes from Not Knowing, if we remained in that state, could drive us mad. Or at least it feels like it could.
The problem with thinking that we know is that we don’t. We realize that the state of the country, maybe the world, depends on the outcomes of this election. We realize that the Democrats have a history of cheating, and they likely are cheating, but we don’t know where or to what degree they are cheating. We just want to have a fair outcome. Is that asking too much?
Yes, it is.
So, we have a few choices when Not Knowing is playing games with our minds. We can deny its presence and make believe we know the future, and we can prognosticate all the terrible, potential outcomes. Or we can, as my husband says to me, “Suck it up, buttercup!” We can acknowledge our uncertainty and discomfort. And watch events unfold. We have that choice.
I’m choosing to acknowledge, for now, how I hate Not Knowing, and will pick up my knitting, practice my Hebrew, write to a friend.
But I will understand why you may choose to predict the worst.
Just know that you have a choice.
Published in Elections
Yes – where did the stories go about that laptop????? We could have a crime family leading our country soon.
We don’t know what will happen but we know their objectives even though we don’t even know who “they” are, i.e. we don’t know how power will be sorted out among the Democrats in congress, on the ground, the radical leftists groups, radical kids, the giant trading companies or the Chinese but we know their objectives, stay in power as long as possible and make sure to avoid challenges in future elections. We have to sort it out now or it could be a generation before some system is opened up again.
Such a beautiful and kind comment, @ryanfalcone. I do find solace in knowing that we will find a way together to move through and transcend whatever happens. And I do believe at some point there will be justice. Thanks.
Isn’t that amazing, @misterbitcoin?! Although I don’t often agree with her, I hold her in high esteem for her speaking out during the Kavanaugh decision. She’s one courageous lady!
Excellent comment, @jdfitzpatrick. I especially liked the statement I copied here. Fight with courage, direction and dignity!
Interesting points, @iwalton. How are all those different groups going to come together with any coherence? That could be very interesting to watch!
They’ll fight over power but the one thing they’ll agree on is how to shut out the Republican challengers, that is the only interest they share and they’ll work it out. The rest will take a while, but they’ll have lots of time and wealth to sort it out. They’ll probably give different groups’ leadership power and wealth. All the various group leaders have to do is keep their supporters quiet or irrelevant, which with time will be easier. Some of their supporters will join us and that is why it might take a generation to sort out and we don’t know what things will look like after a decade or so of top down politics, consolidation of economic and political power, but we have a lot of history around the world to give us insights, Pretty much all history everywhere actually. I suppose it’s fair to say none of that history is like ours, none as rich as our people, none as used to everything and it takes a while to forget, so you’re right we can’t know. Since we have the Senate and some states and top down will be costly for a lot of people so there is hope if we mobilize while folks have memories.
I can’t like this response enough. Because if we get an illegitimate government once, what’s to stop it from happening again? If red state citizens cannot guarantee that they occasionally get a conservative president, why on earth would they want to remain in the country?
An illegitimate Biden presidency would get a lot of people—people with guns, families whose sons dominate the military—talking about secession. And that is one of the most destructive things that a country can experience.
Furthermore, imagine the consequences of American political disunion in a modern world that has come to rely on American hegemony.
This is where that enthusiasm gap is so incredibly significant. I doubt that those people take time out of their day to join 95-mile Trump trains will accept an illegitimate president without a fight. And if they can’t fight with their votes, because their votes have been stolen from them, …
Meant as encouragement :-) Apologies and will remember you in prayer.
Thank you