Stuck in Fear

The unknown and uncertain can be scary and when we feel anxiety, we tend towards the familiar. I get this and I have done this but when the world around us is changing daily and the information we receive can be unreliable, we need to search out the best available data from the most credible sources rather than find comfort in those who confirm our position and rely on yesterday’s common sense, even when it has become nonsense.

Whether the issue is the environment, health, economics, diet, or philosophy there are opinions galore. I have a position on climate change and its causes, the validity of pandemic protocols, the impact of holding 19th C policy to still be true, and the right for individuals to have a measure of control over their bodies(especially women). I recognize that some of my opinions, even those based in facts, are in conflict with some positions that I take on other issues that we face. I have found space to live with the apparent incongruity because I don’t ascribe to any one value set.

During campaigns and elections, zealots expect that of I believe “a” then I accept “A”. Because I am alive, I ask questions and in all cases, there are parts of candidates and parties rhetoric that I find unbelievable. I make an unscientific calculation that weighs whether there is a platform or a person that reflects 80% of what I understand to be true and if the remaining disagreements are significant or of less importance. I select the candidate that best reflects where I have landed and who I trust, regardless of their affiliation to an ideology or party.

Where I live, get to make choices on September 21 and October 18. I have made a choice where my X will go but I remain open to additional information and shifting sands. In both the federal and municipal elections, I am voting for someone rather than against someone else.

Even when I feel afraid, I can be brave, Even when I am confused, I can be curious, Even when I am sure, I can ask questions.