Adam, I really liked this very interesting column even though I don't entirely agree with your premise. I think the bottom line, where you are entirely correct, is that people need to be aware that there is a tendency to focus on the negative and we should guard against that human tendency. At the same time, in some people, there is a tendency to blow sunshine everywhere they look despite obvious negative things that happen on a daily basis. Such people live in a state of denial. What we should strive for is balance through temperance and patience. As in most cases involving human behavior, extremes in any direction are harmful and detract from clear, logical thinking and good decision making.
We can achieve balance by remembering a few basic rules, some of which I learned in 22 years in the Army...Army rule one is that the first reports are ALWAYS wrong, sometimes second reports and thirds also. That is simply the nature of information sharing, particularly about rapidly unfolding ongoing events. So when those first reports come in we should relax, take a breath, show temperance and patience, and wait for the full, complete and accurate reports to start rolling in. Sometimes this takes days and even weeks or months, depending on how complex the situation is. I say temperance because under such circumstances it's essential to practice moderation, self-restraint and patience and keep one's emotions under control. If we allow the emotions that arise from first reports to grab control of our brains we are in for a bad ride.
Rule two is to be realistic and recognize the negative when it's there, don't blow sunshine everywhere, but at the same time don't be so focused on "worst case scenario" thinking and planning that you miss the glass half-full when it appears. Seek balance in everything you do and in how you react to events. Do so through temperance and patience as discussed above.
Rule three is back to emotions. Emotional reactions devastate one's ability to discern truth from falsity and think in a clear and logical manner. Avoid emotional reactions and even if you cannot, which is entirely a possibility, get through your emotional reaction and then get back to calm, clear and logical thinking. Included with "emotional reactions" is the concept of politics. While politics aren't entirely emotional, emotions plays a huge part in politics. My friend Pete Blaber, retired Army officer and author, in discussing good leadership, urges leaders to rise above the noise that clutters thinking and prevents good decision making. He wisely includes politics in such background noise. Political thinking often prevents people from making good decisions because politics leads to decisions based on political doctrine or dogma, rather than evidence based decision making. So if there is a rule four it would be to stay away from political thinking, dogma, doctrines and ideology and focus on the facts at hand. Doing otherwise will interfere with seeing things the way they really are thereby preventing good, sound and logical decisions and choices about the information one receives.
As to the parts I disagree with, well they're not that important because what defines this issue is the areas where we agree. I will point out, however, that "if it bleeds it leads" has been the mantra of the media for, well, centuries perhaps. That was the motto of almost every newspaper editorial room across the country. So while technology has probably made this worse and highlighted our tendency to embrace the negative, I think that it has merely magnified what is an age old and natural human tendency that has allowed humans to survive throughout our entire history. Physical survival of the species is only helped by worst case thinking and planning. So we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves for this, although being aware of it is critical to moving forward and your column does a superb job of illustrating that.
Great article. I had not thought about it that way and I really like your term "reactionary consumers." You are so right, when we give in to the fear mongering so prevalent on line, it certainly can shape how we see everything. Thank you for bringing this important topic forward with such great insight.
You hit a tender spot. I found the algorithms of youtube suggesting videos that have the effect of keeping my emotions stirred. I finally stepped away.
Adam, I really liked this very interesting column even though I don't entirely agree with your premise. I think the bottom line, where you are entirely correct, is that people need to be aware that there is a tendency to focus on the negative and we should guard against that human tendency. At the same time, in some people, there is a tendency to blow sunshine everywhere they look despite obvious negative things that happen on a daily basis. Such people live in a state of denial. What we should strive for is balance through temperance and patience. As in most cases involving human behavior, extremes in any direction are harmful and detract from clear, logical thinking and good decision making.
We can achieve balance by remembering a few basic rules, some of which I learned in 22 years in the Army...Army rule one is that the first reports are ALWAYS wrong, sometimes second reports and thirds also. That is simply the nature of information sharing, particularly about rapidly unfolding ongoing events. So when those first reports come in we should relax, take a breath, show temperance and patience, and wait for the full, complete and accurate reports to start rolling in. Sometimes this takes days and even weeks or months, depending on how complex the situation is. I say temperance because under such circumstances it's essential to practice moderation, self-restraint and patience and keep one's emotions under control. If we allow the emotions that arise from first reports to grab control of our brains we are in for a bad ride.
Rule two is to be realistic and recognize the negative when it's there, don't blow sunshine everywhere, but at the same time don't be so focused on "worst case scenario" thinking and planning that you miss the glass half-full when it appears. Seek balance in everything you do and in how you react to events. Do so through temperance and patience as discussed above.
Rule three is back to emotions. Emotional reactions devastate one's ability to discern truth from falsity and think in a clear and logical manner. Avoid emotional reactions and even if you cannot, which is entirely a possibility, get through your emotional reaction and then get back to calm, clear and logical thinking. Included with "emotional reactions" is the concept of politics. While politics aren't entirely emotional, emotions plays a huge part in politics. My friend Pete Blaber, retired Army officer and author, in discussing good leadership, urges leaders to rise above the noise that clutters thinking and prevents good decision making. He wisely includes politics in such background noise. Political thinking often prevents people from making good decisions because politics leads to decisions based on political doctrine or dogma, rather than evidence based decision making. So if there is a rule four it would be to stay away from political thinking, dogma, doctrines and ideology and focus on the facts at hand. Doing otherwise will interfere with seeing things the way they really are thereby preventing good, sound and logical decisions and choices about the information one receives.
As to the parts I disagree with, well they're not that important because what defines this issue is the areas where we agree. I will point out, however, that "if it bleeds it leads" has been the mantra of the media for, well, centuries perhaps. That was the motto of almost every newspaper editorial room across the country. So while technology has probably made this worse and highlighted our tendency to embrace the negative, I think that it has merely magnified what is an age old and natural human tendency that has allowed humans to survive throughout our entire history. Physical survival of the species is only helped by worst case thinking and planning. So we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves for this, although being aware of it is critical to moving forward and your column does a superb job of illustrating that.
Great article. I had not thought about it that way and I really like your term "reactionary consumers." You are so right, when we give in to the fear mongering so prevalent on line, it certainly can shape how we see everything. Thank you for bringing this important topic forward with such great insight.
You hit a tender spot. I found the algorithms of youtube suggesting videos that have the effect of keeping my emotions stirred. I finally stepped away.