Many of us are upset – if not horrified – by current events in our country and the world. These events bring our body to a state of high alert, a state designed to protect us from imminent danger. 

In terms of responding to a real danger to our lives, this system is crucial.  Our brain/body instantly decides if we should fight (which includes, among other things, using our words, or physically wrestling a person to get a gun or knife away from them) or engage in flight (which includes, among other things, running by foot or some other form of transportation, or “leaving the field” emotionally, where we are unable to move or respond).  Our brain determines which tactic increases our chance of survival.  It is a system that is supposed to be employed rarely and end quickly.

On a daily basis, however, we are all confronted with increased uncertainty.  We question our safety in almost every area of our lives.  Will this violence be at our doorstop next?  Will this violence end?  Will other innocent people be arrested?  Will our freedoms be curtailed?  Will our jobs become obsolete?  Will we be laid off?  Will we be able to buy groceries or pay our rent?  Will these powerful storms destroy our homes, our livelihoods, our neighborhoods?  All of this threatens us, wears us down emotionally and physically, and causes our fight or flight response to stay on, at least, a low level of alert. 

We try to believe that the threats are not imminent.  They are happening outside of us – in different neighborhoods, different states, different countries, or different continents.  But the threat seeps back in.  We remember that the world is connected; Covid started “there” and suddenly it was “here.”  Suddenly, we all knew someone impacted by it.  The threat rises again.

So, we disconnect.  We disconnect by turning off the news, by playing on our phones or playing video games, or binge-watching TV shows.  This time away allows our bodies and our minds to recover.  Recovery is important.

But, we must make sure that we do not also disconnect from the people in our lives by spending more time on our phones, games, or television than we do with each other.  Once we connect with those in our lives, we can connect with our larger society and take actions that replace horror and pain with kindness and action.

“We’ll take our stand for this land and the stranger in our midst.” ~ Bruce Springsteen