The world today seems to have gone radically irrational. We are so polarized about
everything that critical thinking is almost nonexistent, and everyone is just
spouting the latest soundbites from whatever media they subscribe to without
giving a real thought to what they are truly saying.
So, here’s a soundbite: The biggest motivator of human behavior is the need to
belong to the group.
This is actually a survival mechanism rooted deep in our limbic systems. We are
social creatures who need to belong to a group in order to survive. That was true a
few million years ago and, for different reasons, it’s true now. As a group, we
depend on our governmental systems to provide our infrastructure – business,
social, environmental, and physical. As individuals, we rely on our family, social,
and community support systems for our emotional well-being.
The problem is, that this need leads to us being easily exploited. All someone has
to do is tap into our fear of being excluded from the group, or being unsafe, and
then tell us that they will take care of us and alleviate that fear, and we belong to
them. In fact, politicians, business people, and cult leaders will create something
for us to fear, tell us they will fix it, and we will follow them forever.
This is true whether it’s an ad telling us we smell bad and need to buy a particular
product to smell better; a politician telling us that a particular group is going to
take away our freedom, livelihood, safety, etc.; or a charismatic leader who tells us
that he has the all the answers and that we will go to hell if we don’t follow him.
Why do we fall for this so easily? Because when fear is activated in the limbic
system, our prefrontal cortex (thinking, reasoning, and rational part of the brain)
shuts down. We literally can’t think.
Again, this is keyed into basic survival. If we are in actual danger, our survival
brain needs to react immediately, without thinking, or we could be killed. That is
not the case with the manipulations of those who want to control us, however.
So, what can we do? We can ask, “Does this make sense?”
When you are listening to the news, to a politician, to anyone who telling you
“facts” so you will act in accordance with them, first ask, “Does this make sense?”
Does it make sense that every person trying to escape intolerable conditions in
their own country and come into the U.S. is a rapist and criminal?
Does it make sense that, despite more than 50 years of scientific study, man-made
climate change does not exist?
Does it make sense that someone who espouses hatred and violence follows a
religion that teaches the opposite?
When I teach a Research class, I focus on reading research articles critically and
questioning all statistics. Who did the research? What were their biases? Who
funded the research? Who was in the research sample? What was the hypothesis
and was it supported? What were the limitations of the study?
Help bring some sanity back into an insane world. Be an informed consumer of
information and make up your own mind.
Be a light of reason in the darkness of fear!
Be In Light,
Carol
