Skip to main content

We've Seen It All Before: Don't Panic and Read the Cycle

"I, I'm a one way motorway

I'm the one that drives away

Then follows you back home

I, I'm a street light shining

I'm a wild light blinding bright

Burning off and on

It's times like these you learn to live again

It's times like these you give and give again

It's times like these you learn to love again

It's times like these time and time again"

--Times Like These, by Foo Fighters

These are tough times. Inflation is turning common goods to luxuries and outpacing wage growth. Gas prices are higher than ever while faith in elected officials has gone the opposite direction. A proxy war is in progress between Russia and the U.S. while an energy crisis threatens to make this year's winter colder for so many people.

Wait...is it 2022 or 1982? 

Yes, we've seen it all before. Between the industrial burnout and stagflation and the shadow war that put U.S.-backed rebels up against the Russians in the hills of Afghanistan, it seems like a time machine has opened up a portal between the two decades....and only the bad parts are traveling through.  I don't say any of these things to trivialize the challenges being faced, from the bloodshed in Ukraine to the pain of choosing between fuel and groceries here in the states. 

My primary point, however, is that history is often like weather. Patterns develop. It travels in waves and repeats itself every so often. Those wise enough to watch and listen can see replays of old scenarios and hear the echoes of the past reverberating on the walls of today. More importantly, we can investigate what worked and what didn't in our hopes to push for better outcomes. 

Yes, these statements are oversimplifications, to be sure.  In addition, the angst produced by these troubling events gets amplified by the ever-present news cycle and social media. When something happens just about anywhere in the world, we don't just hear about it at noon and 6 p.m.; we get bombarded with details through all channels of interaction, with free commentary from anyone with a smartphone or laptop.  Don't get me wrong; I think the democratization of free speech through social media is a good thing, but these outlets have changed the way we hear about (and process) world events. Every "news alert" brings us hope that something good will have happened or fear that we've edged closer to the button being pushed. 

As a result, our fear responses are triggered more often, and we seek safety.  We want answers. Solutions. Higher ground to get us as far away from the flood waters as possible. This kind of thinking turns those who seem to have "all the answers" into magnets for our attention.  The louder (and simpler) the messages, the more targeted they are to our hopes (or more frequently, our fears), the harder it is NOT to listen. Nuance and detail disappear in favor of following someone who will do the thinking for us, even if we're not completely sure what their solutions will look like or how evil the devil in their details really is. 

Times like these are boons to extreme thought. Politicians, commentators, and thought leaders pull as hard as possible to their corners so they can clearly blame their polar opposites and leave no doubt as to whose fault everything is. Such approaches are appealing to us; we're tired of trying to figure things out, so the angry or scared person on TV, radio, or internet can tell us how it is. We latch on to these beliefs and buy in. 

All the while, fewer people are willing to "jump in the middle" to find truth in the noise. To see clearly the patterns revealing themselves and to make decisions based less on panic and more on sound reasoning. Yes, some of the events we're living through ARE nightmare fuel. The thought of a land war spreading through Europe is terrifying. The potential of massive poverty and recession in our country is both real and ulcer-inducing...but we seldom make good plans when we're angry or scared out of our minds. 

Instead of giving in to the fear, it might be helpful to take a breath and remember that we've seen it all before. And we got through it. In the midst of the worst conflicts and awful times in history, I'm sure that people were sure the end was near. But the world never stopped turning.

Make no mistake, dark days are likely ahead. Our optimism and resolve will continue to be tested. No knight on a white horse or flying man with a cape is showing up anytime soon, so we'll have to figure it out ourselves. In the same way that the lessons of 1939 are being recalled as Europe stands united against a new dictator, let's look back to our history to see what got us through the dark days of the early 1980s. In the same way that day can't exist without night, we don't get the good times without the bad times. 

The good times will come again. They always have.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Different Kind of Christmas Story

Everyone is familiar with the themes behind 1983’s “A Christmas Story.” Ralphie desperately longs for the toy of the year, in this case, a bb gun. Mom and dad are hesitant. Their concern for his safety and the hanging threat of “you’ll shoot your eye out” mask the bigger looming fear, namely the beginning of their son’s transition to adulthood. Eventually, the parents relent, providing one of the keys which help Ralphie open the door to making his own decisions (good and bad), experiencing both joy and success and heartbreak and pain, and coming into his fully-formed self.                (Photo credit Hollywood Reporter) The movie’s turning point, where Ralphie receives “ol Blue” as surprise final gift, actually played out in my own life. It was 1987; my friends and I had all hatched an idea in study hall to form a band. Scott played drums. Bob was practicing the hell out of an old acoustic guitar and Dan already had an electric to play lead. Jason could sing AND play keyboards.  All w
7 comments
Read more

Keep saying “hi”; a case for saving human interaction across generations

  A few weeks back, my brother and I were shopping at an area Target. When I came out of an aisle, I almost collided with a trio of college-age people. “Woah, I’m sorry,” I said, realizing I should have looked before moving into the foot traffic. None of the young folks responded to me. I said “I’m sorry about that” as they continued to walk past, not one of them acknowledging the attempt at normal social interaction. I couldn’t decide if I was more irritated or offended. Like the rest of you, I’ve experienced similar interactions at stores, restaurants, and while walking my dog Willis at the local college campus. Attempts at polite social norms (i.e., saying “excuse me,” when walking past someone, thanking someone for holding a door, etc.) are often met with eye contact and no vocal response. While such instances are usually people far younger than me, I’ve noticed more of this behavior in older folks as well. I think this approach to communication (namely choosing NOT to vocall
Post a Comment
Read more

Fleeting Light: Thoughts about "50" on the shortest day of the year

  I’ve been told that it’s common during one’s fiftieth year to do a recounting of the life you’ve lived so far. While the big 5-0 is past the halfway point for most of us, it’s a place to check momentum. How has the trip gone? Which turns have been the right ones (or wrong ones)? Is there enough gas in the tank to make it the rest of the way to the “final destination”…and in a way of our choosing? Momentum, at this point, seems to take the place of fuel. If anything, the challenge is to gear down to keep the car from flying down the hill. While not everything our elders told us is gospel, the old folks who say that life starts moving faster at the half-century mark have it right in my book.  Despite the pressures of time, much of this year has been a chance to stand on top of the hill (the one I’ve been told I’m on my way over) and look around. It’s been less about innovation and change than inventory; directly, what’s been done and what’s left to do? 50 is a rare sweet spot in life;
Post a Comment
Read more