If we look ahead to prospective futures for purposes of caution, we can try and prepare ourselves for them. This is how we apply the lessons of our own personal evolution and become able to navigate situations that are similar to ones we have either experienced before, or things we think might happen. It becomes a survival mechanism that the ego implements in order to dodge pain, avoid danger and make life more convenient for ourselves -- these are all things that increase our base chance of survival. However, when we succumb to long-term anger and bitterness, it can become a double-edged sword and actually cause us to become stuck in a rut; in a loop which is difficult to escape from unless immense insight is reached and applied towards breaking the cycle. As the emotional response and provocation gets stronger, it makes the reality more likely to happen. This is always a risk, especially when anger and spite are motivators in the equation.
In today's political world, "pre-reacting" has been encouraged of us. When we talk about punching Nazis, we are foreseeing and expecting violence from them; we are responding to something that hasn't even happened yet in the specific instance we ourselves are experiencing and creating. Then, we are calling it our own personal gesture of defense for the good of the general picture, instead of what it becomes: offense. Not only that, but offense based upon the negative beliefs and things we ourselves have heard about a group of people. We are generalizing and averaging out all the characteristics we've been told about nazis, who they are as a group and what they believe in, and then taking it and applying it to our specific narrow situation which only includes a couple of individuals. This is manifestation, because often what we expect is what we get.
People upset about Nazis are making people who are Nazis lash out even more than they probably would be otherwise, and this is just how simple feedback loops of anger and human emotions work.
Therefore, when we try to inspire people to "stop" nazis by talking and posting everywhere about punching nazis, we are actually only going to invite and incite more trouble from these groups. Sure; some Nazis would get scared and back down, but others are reckless, overbearing and stupid (just like any sample group of people would be). Enough are the latter that the response might be difficult or dangerous. Dragging people up out of their hidey holes to participate in a fight is not going to result in a good situation before it gets worse first. We need to show disapproval for racism in some other way. The way we are doing it now creates too much backlash.
Therefore, when we try to inspire people to "stop" nazis by talking and posting everywhere about punching nazis, we are actually only going to invite and incite more trouble from these groups. Sure; some Nazis would get scared and back down, but others are reckless, overbearing and stupid (just like any sample group of people would be). Enough are the latter that the response might be difficult or dangerous. Dragging people up out of their hidey holes to participate in a fight is not going to result in a good situation before it gets worse first. We need to show disapproval for racism in some other way. The way we are doing it now creates too much backlash.
Forgiveness is needed in order to fix feedback loops, but it also isn't realistic to make us forget because we do need to be concerned for our well-being and survival on many levels, self all the way to society. Therefore, forgiving but not forgetting is ideal because then we can protect ourselves, but without letting our emotions put us into riskier situations.
We are literally being (click)baited into a war.. by whom or what, I don't know, but if we take a look at the influences in the situation, that should give us a clue. Remaining neutral and skeptical, and most of all open-minded and compassionate, is the only way we can avoid setting off this chain reaction of violence. Everyone believes that they are doing what's right, but its time that we used our logic and awareness of the bigger picture in order to overcome the strong responses to our emotions of fear, bitterness and vengefulness.
Good points here. I think a large part of these feedback loops has to do with the very definitions. Once you look at someone and label them as part of a group you oppose, whether this is "black" "Nazi" "Trump supporter," "liberal" or whatever, you're already stuck in the old paradigm and are likely to react in predictable ways. We need to deconstruct these memes or definitions and understand that people can't be reduced to these labels.
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with the thinking in this piece up to the point where viable alternatives are discussed. We are likely being click-baited into a stance for war, but I recently read a post by someone arguing the US has been in a state of civil war for over a decade. I see the manipulation and I wonder about motivations, but I also see a concerted backlash against fascism has been brewing for a long time. The crazy thing is violence is warranted, acceptable, yet at the same time sub-optimal as a response to Nazi totalitarianism. I'm less sure about the disruptions playing into a response for Martial Law...which could very well be the end game of forces on the right. We are on dangerous ground.
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