Fake News, Fear, Responsibility and Growth

That’s not real, it’s Fake News, it’s the media trying to illicit fear, and it’s not my responsibility. How many times have you heard people say Fake News in the last 4 months, 6 months, year? I know I have. This poll from 2018 says that 77% of people think major news outlets report Fake News. If that poll was accurate then, I suspect those numbers would be even higher today. Fake News has become America’s favorite excuse.

You know that person who is always late, and always has an excuse? “It’s not my fault, there was traffic,” they say every time. Their inability to step up and take responsibility drives you crazy. They could take responsibility and say to themselves: there is always traffic, I will leave my house earlier–but they don’t. Fake news is America’s traffic. People could invite the possibility that the things they don’t want to hear might be true, but they don’t.

Fake News

Fake news has become an excuse to avoid change, step out of our comfort zone, and take responsibility. It gives us an instant out.

Kinda like when I was date raped by a former lover. When confronted he claimed not to remember because he was drunk, and said,
“I can’t feel bad about something I don’t remember.”

Saying or assuming something is Fake News without researching and digging into the facts is like using your drunkenness as an excuse.

It’s not real if I can’t remember it, and It’s not real– I don’t have to accept it when it’s fake news.

Why Deny the Facts?

Simple. When facts contradict your beliefs, they are uncomfortable.

What if I believed homosexuality was a sin, but I found out my favorite teacher in school was gay. Now I face a decision.

• Do I choose to see my teacher as the same person, and allow them remain my favorite? This may mean my belief is wrong–Uncomfortable!
• Do I decide to hate my teacher, but now question my judgement–Uncomfortable!

But, if I take the Fake News way out and decide whoever told me is wrong, I don’t have to face the discomfort at all! I may even choose to hate the messenger (insert a certain reporter or news outlet here), because then I have someone to blame for ALMOST making me feel uncomfortable.

Our brains will make up the craziest stories to prevent us from feeling uncomfortable. 

Fake News and Fear

If I chose to call it Fake News, I avoid my fear, and I do not have to accept the things I cannot change–facts. Denying any story before confirming it’s accuracy allows us to AVOID sitting in the uncomfortable space of fear. Fear motivates us, and we will do almost anything to avoid it. 

I may choose to not wear a mask, because masks slowing the spread of corona virus is Fake News. In fact, I might even choose to believe that the numbers of people dying around the world is Fake News. I am unaware that my unconscious mind is terrified. The idea that my life will change for the foreseeable future or that I might die it too much to bear, too scary. It’s easier to call it Fake News, than to accept that reality, or face the fears in my mind. 

Fake News and Taking Responsibility

When I chose to call it Fake News, I am not responsible for how my actions affect others. I am not responsible for the role I played in creating the problem. I get to deny it using my favorite excuse: Fake News.

If I don’t want to believe that thousands of people are coming out day after day to protest against racism in this country, I can choose to say it’s Fake News. I can choose to say they are all looters and rioters, and they are members of a terrorist organization that wants to take all my privileges away from me. I can call the peaceful protests Fake News.

It is easier deny than to stand up and do something about it. It is easier than accepting I may have unconsciously played a role in perpetuating racism. I don’t have to look at how I may have been racist, how I may have been brought up to perpetuate a racist system, and I don’t have to look at how my elected officials have stacked the deck against certain people.

I KNOW there is a ton of Fake News out there, and it is coming at us from all directions.

But, even if something turns out to be Fake News, it is up to us to examine what the possibility of it’s truth makes us feel. It is important for us—if we want to elevate ourselves, to look at those uncomfortable feelings -all of them- as an opportunity to grow and to face our fears.

Opportunity for Growth

Feeling uncomfortable is a powerful thing, but what we do with it makes all the difference. We can choose to tell ourself stories that temporarily ease our discomfort, or we can step up and take the opportunity to grow. Standing in the uncomfortable is an opportunity to expand our perspective. The more comfortable we get with the uncomfortable, the easier it is to navigate everything in life, without anger, fear, and those nasty “triggers.” 

What would it be like to take all those uncomfortable feelings, accept them, and use them as an opportunity to elevate yourself and your life? If you would like to explore that schedule an opening conversation with me here.

#elevationguide