The election this week puts another round of harsh polarization behind us. We find ourselves truly exhausted by the political rhetoric. It seems a new wave is upon us as the election results trigger a desire to predict the future.

Our crystal ball isn’t any better than yours, but we do bring some information about how our brains work that might help us do our best thinking as we move into the new year. 

Briefly, our Old Brain – so-called because it evolved first and is the primary source of our survival – plays a strong role in politics. Whenever you see fear, simplification, or blaming, on anyone’s part, you can bet their Old Brain is doing the driving. Our New Brain, which houses our ability to think analytically, solve complex problems, attend to the detailed complexity of life, and to communicate effectively with others, is easily hijacked when doused with a large dose of these Old Brain messages.

Politicians of all stripe utilize Old Brain triggers – intentionally or not – to entice us into our simplest and harshest selves. Here is what it sounds like: 

“We need less government and more fiscal responsibility.”  “Without a public health care program, people will die.”  On either side of the aisle, very complicated issues are summarized in one sentence that elicit a catastrophic vision of the future.
“We have lost our past, our heritage – we want “America” back!” A view of the past with the message of loss stirs our Old Brain’s protective mechanism and reduces our ability to see what is real.
“Obama’s White House is making things worse.” “George W. ran this country into the ground.”  Blaming is a great way to deflect responsibility, and politicians on both sides are doing just that.

The impact is that we will be enticed into an Old Brain-driven desire to blame, simplify, polarize, and generally lead with fear-based responses. When we recognize this Old Brain dialogue, we can not only protect ourselves from its siren song – because our Old Brains respond so quickly to any fear-inducing tag – but we can begin to think about how we can, in fact, be united in our efforts to have a better America, no matter how you define it. That beginning resides in our New Brain.

Recognizing Old Brain triggers

Listen for language that makes you uncomfortable. Do you see or hear the signals of Old Brain activity: blaming, simplification, threats of catastrophe?  If you do, the speaker – intentionally or not – is trying to trap you in Old Brain processing.  You are more likely to fall under their spell if they can limit your ability to think clearly by triggering your Old Brain. No good planning, clear thinking, compassion or true vision of the future is at play in this realm.

Here are some suggestions: 

Any “imperative” language – we MUST, they HAVE TO, you SHOULD – is a dead give-away that the speaker is crossing the Old Brain line.
Check to see if someone is to blame. If so, even if you agree, it is a trap! Blaming is never helpful and it is a sure sign that progress has come to a halt.
If the view is of the past, wait for a clearly defined view of a positive future. Do not allow a description of some past (“a simpler time, when we were happier”) to sound real to you. Even if it does, it is not helpful, because it is gone.

What You Can Do

The best thing you can do is define for yourself what positive future you want, in detail. You want to maintain your right to bear arms? What does that actually mean to you? Get a clear picture of what you want – to keep your gun collection with pride, to be able to protect your home, to be able to hunt or shoot competitively. The right to bear arms is different for different people, and you probably do not agree with some of them about what it means.

Keep in mind how complex things are. We all want things to be simple, easy, and fast. This is an Old Brain driver that served us well when our survival depended upon recognition of simple indicators and fast reactions. We probably cannot hope to solve America’s problems by keeping things simple, however. Look for those who are willing to take on the complexity and work it through – not to a 2000 page health care bill, and not with a 10-hour filibuster.
Resist polarity. When we are entranced with a “we-they” message, we make assumptions about those at each end of the spectrum that are simply not true. It is most definitely possible to find out what the other side actually thinks, wants, feels, and is willing to do. Then we can decide what to do.
Recognize blaming for what it is – a way that we distance ourselves from things that scare us. We, the people, are responsible for correcting the ills of our country. Let us stop blaming the politicians, the “other side,” or anyone else. Let us stop blaming. Let us start doing our best thinking and taking smart action. We are in this together.

Let’s move forward together, with New Brains in the lead. 

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