A crash course in changing the world.
Denial versus panic
1. Legitimize fear.
People go into denial because they don't feel entitled to be afraid. The more entitled
people feel to be afraid, the less likely they are to go into denial. This is
why the message, "Don't be afraid," is a very destructive message in
serious circ**stances. Much superior is the message, "Well, of course,
you're afraid, I'm afraid too. We're all afraid. We'll get through this
together."
2. Things to do.
It's not that if you have things to do you are less afraid; it's that if you have things
to do you are better able to bear your fear. The military understands this very
well. It tries to keep soldiers busy so that they can tolerate their fear.
3. Things to decide.
Whenever possible, offer people menus of things to do so they have opportunities to
decide what they want to do and what they don't want to do. This makes them
less likely to go with the denial, because it makes them more able to bear
their fear.
4. Love.
Anyone who has had the experience of loving knows that we are much better able to bear fear on
behalf of those we love than on our own behalf. The military knows well that
soldiers don't fight for their country; they fight for their buddies. Again,
it's not that loving makes you less afraid, it's that loving makes you more able
to bear your fear.
5. Hate.
This is the more controversial bulwark. Having somebody you hate, or maybe a virus you hate, can
enable you to bear your fear and hang in there without tripping the circuit
breaker into denial.
Fear is a solution, not the problem. It simply makes no sense to say, "I want
you to take precautions, but I don't want you to be afraid."
I really enjoyed reading this Nieman guide. And I have particularly found this Denial vs. Panic is
interesting.
I just watched a video about global warming and its dreadful effects. Then I started thinking and questioning, “does it have to affect people we love first, that we then feel entitled to be afraid
and forcefully drive to do something??”
How about doing something so as to not letting it happen to people we love??
(Because of the same reason: we are afraid that it will hurt those we love if it finally happens)
Fear that drives us to do something in order to help people we love and ourselves to
survive is the fear that considered as being the solution, not the problem.
Fear that causes us to hide, do nothing and to give up is the real problem that
needs to be transformed into fear that can be borne hence become a solution.
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