Stoicism.

Over the past six days I have experienced too many irrational emotions to the new normal in the United States. The fact of the matter is, the majority of American voters selected racist, sexist, small man who is also a felon to sit in the White House again. It’s a fact that can not be changed.

I can change my response to the situation. For the past week I let my feelings bring me too far down as I try to understand why Americans would vote this way. I was too wrapped up in feelings of betrayal and asking myself “why?”

It’s not for me to understand. I can’t control these voters, but I can certainly control my response to the situation.

I’ve come to the realization that if I found myself in the unfortunate circumstance of being on a passenger flight that has crashed and caught fire, more than half the people around me would grab their luggage from the overhead bins and trample their way to the exit. They wouldn’t care if I was stuck in my seat, they’d just be getting out. Fear fuels the majority of Americans.

This is a fact.

What I can do, and this is something that I really need to get better at, is take a “tactical pause”, take a deep breath, and then do what I can to help the flight attendants in that burning airplane situation.

I need to refuse to make room for fear.

There is NOTHING in this world that can happen where we don’t have room for a “tactical pause”. We always have time for a breath, we always have time for a beat. And with that moment we can look toward our center. Find it and embrace it.

“Fear exists for one purpose: to be conquered”.  

– Kathryn Janeway on “Star Trek: Voyager”

I stand by my decision to distance myself from those that would trample with their luggage to exit the burning airplane. Those with a loose moral foundation are what they are; and any hooting and hollaring around the situation is not going to make a difference.

Just be the one advancing and helping those around us that do the same. It’s our only way to safety.