As I listen to the collective voices of society, my concern is more for the health of our people than for those currently serving in the government. To be sure, politicians are always a concern, as they should be. But let’s put aside public names and personalities aside for a moment and take a look at ourselves.

Abraham Lincoln made a famous speech following the Civil War, known as the Gettysburg Address. He referred to our government as “of the people, by the people, for the people”. This is very important to remember. If our government is “by the people” then that means healthy people generate a healthy government.

Lincoln reminds us that we have a collective responsibility in keeping our democracy intact. Right now we have unhealthy people running the government between left and right factions. Neither side is healthy. We “the people” find ourselves jerked around in a political custody battle.

If our government is “by the people” then that means healthy people generate a healthy government. Lincoln reminds us that we have a collective responsibility in keeping our democracy intact.

When Nobody Wins

If one party wins and is able to destroy the other, nobody wins. If there is no healthy collaboration between parties then nobody wins. If it’s all resistance and no reasonableness, we have each party trying to over-correct the other. In many instances, it looks like we are swinging between extremes.

The fear narratives have both sides splitting off into extremes. We are too frequently getting lost in conspiracies and information wars that are unhelpful. Journalists and politicians alike often sound like lost children. Truth is reduced to my truth versus your truth. From there, we spiral into name calling and posturing until it’s our default reaction.

Unfortunately, people with a lot of fear and limited perspective tend to be the loudest. Their voices are given too much power these days. The latest crazy, unhinged person gets amplified by news media. Controversy is elevated to draw us into clicks and views, because fear is addictive and highly profitable.

Our brains respond powerfully to fear by looking for solutions and control. As a result, we sink slowly into the endless swirl of collective rumination and anxiety in a world where the internet never sleeps. To deal with this, we look to our ideological tribes for a sense of safety, security, and narrative. Thus, our anxious divisions increase.

Fear and anxiety have a tendency to disrupt our best thinking. When we make decisions and vote based on fear, we select news sources, politicians and policy that reflect that. Usually in that order.

Is This Helpful?

Every controversial moment has people on both sides on every level throwing the same ideological rocks at each other. Can we work on our collective self-awareness and ask, “Is this helpful”? Yet, all sides are angry and feeling absolutely morally justified in their positions and actions. Can we pause for a moment and see what we are doing to ourselves as a whole? Can we step away from our juicy conspiracy theories, algorithms and echo chambers? Can we lower the volume on our favorite journalists and influencers? Anxious momentum is hard to stop.

As a result, we sink slowly into the endless swirl of collective rumination and anxiety in a world where the internet never sleeps.

Our differences are real and necessary and good. We must allow for a certain amount of tension and discomfort that are naturally a part of our system of government. Our government was built for it. It is good to have multiple perspectives and opinions. We need the conflicts and disagreements to keep moving forward. From that point, people with real character, experience and courage can formulate the best solutions. These are the people we need to elect and support.

But first, we the people, must understand our role in the process. The politicians we select and the kind of pressure we put on them has a real impact on our present and future. Politicians tend to reflect the demeanor of the people they represent. As we continue to move away from healthy conflict into unhealthy contention, we must understand that we will continue to see this happen with our political leaders also. Rather than grow more frustrated with our leaders, let’s recognize where we as individuals have contributed.

Many of us have lost the ability to manage our own anxiety in healthy ways. Individuals tend to seek out other individuals with similar fears. This has the potential to be productive among well-informed, concerned citizens. However, when we see social behavior leading to predictable patterns of meaningless violence and chaos, both physically and verbally, it’s time to stop and evaluate ourselves.

Truth is not tethered to you, me, or a political party. It deserves to be seen objectively and from multiple angles so that reality can be discerned. Here are some helpful questions: Am I getting good information from multiple sources? What kind of biases am I drawing from? Is my activism helpful? Is my pacifism helpful? Do I have something to contribute that will help or am I holding back because I am too scared?

The politicians we select and the kind of pressure we put on them has a real impact on our present and future. Politicians tend to reflect the demeanor of the people they represent.

A calm, sound mind is a rare and valuable treasure these days. “We the people” need to find our way back to that kind of poise and demeanor in the face of our great challenges. We will be amazed to see the difference it makes on our representatives. As it stands, our constant entanglement with fear keeps our words and actions ineffective and our politicians on edge.