In Pursuit of Prevention — A Time to Respond Instead of React
By: Jonathan Isbill Ms
Tags: Culture, Humanity, People, Personal Development, Politics

These are not moments in history that will be so easily forgotten. These are critical times for hard conversations and difficult discussions — a peaceful discourse that is. What will the future hold for the next generation if our world continues to unfold and implode due to prejudice, hate, injustice, and anarchy?

If we all can agree upon the fact, we want to see a more beautiful future for the next generation, then we need to step up. Just as Greta Thunburg has sparked us to reconsider the reality of the looming climate change pandemic, our similar pandemics of hate, fear, and xenophobia amongst others must be faced for us to have any hope for a prosperous future.

It’s crippling, isn’t it. The 24-hour news cycle that suggests we need to be glued to our televisions, radios, and all other devices to be aware of national and international concerns. Most of us nowadays have little to do with local issues or local governance for instance because we’re so focused on the world at large. There’s enough news produced on any given day to last us the rest of our lives in my opinion.

And while my 86yr old grandfather may think, “Most of this news is stupid these days compared to when I was young. It’s just propaganda from talking heads speculating their opinions, when in my youth they would actually inform you rather than provoke you.” And I really think my grandpa makes a great point on the emotional connection of most news and media channels these days, inherently designed with provocative emotion in the language used and scenes displayed. As human beings, we have a beautiful ability to respond to emergencies with vigilance and diligence.

But, so easily can we get wrapped up in the hysteria of the great big world — and other people’s issues — without the chance to simply live our lives and love those around us.

It seems that many people are so irritated and constantly on edge these days. Ask someone for the time or smile while walking your dog (mask or no mask) and you’ll likely get your head bitten off. Humans have the ability to get along, and we also have the tendency to not. Misconceptions run rampant along with misunderstanding between the infinite differences in how we live our lives. Furthermore, miscommunication tortures our potential cohesion even more when we react rather than appropriately recognize, internalize, and then later respond.

I want to encourage all of us, myself included to take those five deep breaths, five-minute walks, or whatever it is we each need to decompress, to sit without our thoughts and really meditate in our feelings before we go spewing words out of our mouths or actions on the street. I believe we have the potential to be better, some of us can improve our understanding and compassion for others by great amounts.

Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash

Let me ask you this, when was the last time you ran into a stranger in your everyday life and felt like you made an authentic connection with a fellow human being on this planet. When was the last time you felt genuine kindness, appreciation, joy, peace and positivity when striding down the sidewalk in your local city, town, or neighborhood? These experiences are ones my grandfather can speak about with great recollection throughout the many years of his life and business travels. Yet, I would suggest his familiar experiences are rare if not extinct occasions in generations like my own or even my parent’s.

Where is peace if it is not in our present presence?

If the news feels too heavy for you to even turn on the tele, then perhaps we do indeed need to make a change. Our emotional reactions to the news do not often prompt the appropriate response to the actual events of the news. We live in a society today where reaction is the regular response, almost expected chain of events, when in reality it provides no responsible critique or suggestions of improvement.

Genuine response comes from reading a lengthy novel that you enjoy to yourself, by yourself, on your own time and at your own pace. Musing over lessons learned in fictional stories and putting pencil to pad while journaling through non-fictional self-help books provide incredible opportunities for critical consideration. When we neglect the need to internalize our thoughts and emotions, sculpt and craft them into something better, such as a speech or presentation, we’re likely to make erroneous misjudgments and mistakes.

At our best, we have the time and attention needed to mold and shape our perspectives with water-like flexibility. The words and phrases we use in times of emergencies, or the irrational behavior we perform when we are emotionally provoked doesn’t always look that great if you ask me. I know I haven’t always used the most clean and crisp words when I’m angry, upset, sad or depressed. But, when I’ve taken the time to write a manuscript over two and a half weeks (or months in some cases), then these can be some of my best words, m best honed thoughts and feelings.

While society calls us to react to everything, from “like” button on social media, or double-tapping to “heart” pictures, it seems our abilities to recognize, internalize, and then later respond appropriately with critical thoughts and feelings is an unpracticed and unfamiliar skill. But we can get better.

We HAVE to get better if we want to remain humane. Our communities are built by bringing two stones together with mortar and clay, not by throwing stones through windows and using tear gas spray.