2016 Election Aftermath

I have made a conscious choice with this blog to be non-partisan. I want to address universal philosophies here, not specific people or groups, and I only bring up current events to illustrate deeper messages and their relevance.

In that spirit, I am only going to say this about the 2016 United States presidential election:

No matter what happens, we must care about all people. We are all human, we are all in this together, no matter how different our beliefs on how to approach problems may be. Respect others' lives, choices, and emotions, even if you disagree with them. Remember that no demographic of people is truly homogeneous and being part of one does not reveal an individual's entire character. Voice your beliefs, voice them clearly,  but do not let yourself become tainted by hate or fear. They make you unhappy and easily misled, by both others and yourself.

If you want to do good, take action. I thoroughly encourage it. But know why you are doing it and ensure you are being productive. If you seek to change established minds, you will not do so by being antagonistic. If you present yourself as an enemy, you will be treated that way. They will shut you out and with you, your message.

If you're unsure how to fight without anger, how to foster acceptance without condemnation, I recommend reading this article:

http://sabotagetimes.com/life/daryl-davis-meet-the-black-man-who-befriended-the-ku-klux-klan

and watching these videos

The Neural River

Think about how valleys are formed, a flow of water gradually forming its path. But it doesn't happen overnight - one bucket tossed will not a valley make. But a thousand buckets, continuously, over time - that will. Once a river forms a valley it will want to follow it. And that valley will get deeper, and deeper.

Many people become frustrated with psychotherapy. The advice they are given is not producing noticeable results. Our thoughts and neural pathways work like these rivers and valleys.

The brain is a complex network of neural connections. Think of our these as the valleys and our thoughts as the water. The flow of our thoughts creates new pathways, though deep routes do not happen immediately. This is especially true when trying to change a way of thinking that already exists. Trying to redirect a river out of a valley is not a small feat and not one that can be accomplished with a single tossed bucket.

Our brains will try to justify their current state. They will rationalize why this state of being is appropriate, or inevitable. This is natural.

It is the natural order of the universe, of everything, to follow the path of least resistance. Our brain circuitry is no different. The path of least resistance is the one that already exists.

To change something that is on a undesirable path, including our thinking, we have to go against that order. We have to do it by redirecting the river where we want it to go. At first, this will difficult. The water wants to follow its old path and does not yet have a new one. But with continual small changes, it will form over time, through single gallons that individually may seem to do nothing.

Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all interlinked. By slowly changing the course of that neural river, our thoughts, we can change ourselves as a whole.

This is how cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works.