In traditional education, lying is universally abhorred. Children are
taught that one should tell the truth under any circumstances. Such
paradigm is usually reinforced with morality tales of liars who suffer
terrible punishments. However, when children grow up and become
adolescents, they realize that some details do not match in the story
they've been told.
Why emotional stability is so difficult
The extreme emotionality of teenagers is
linked to their moral awakening. At thirteen, they complain that people
don't follow the principles they preach. At fourteen, they point out
inconsistencies between ideals and facts. At fifteen, they long to see
alignment between purpose and means, but where should they find it?
In
this context of straight virtues and twisted reality, becoming an adult
frequently leads to disillusionment, cynicism, or sectarian
self-delusion. As a result, truth is reduced to the realm of talk,
actions become unpredictable, and promises unreliable. What an ethical
mess, what an intellectual nightmare.
The solution to the problem
The moral confusion of our
age is the natural consequence of contradictory premises in our
thinking. You cannot expect people to tell the truth while you overwhelm
them with equivocations and misrepresentations. There is no excuse for
eluding the issue. There is no answer to this dilemma except for that
provided by logic and evidence:
1. The ethical requirement to
tell the truth under any circumstances does not hold water and there is
no evidence that it has ever worked. Such requirement lacks solid
grounds, since it fails to acknowledge the difference between good and
evil.
2. When dealing directly with nature, it is in our own
interest to remain faithful to acquired data and confirmed observations.
Machines and chemical processes operate according to the laws of
identity and causality. In those cases, if you lie, you will simply get
different results or none at all.
3. When dealing with other men,
truth is morally due to those who are themselves authentic and
reliable. The proportion of genuine and benevolent individuals in your
life might include, depending on the context, a few or most people.
Indisputably, you should be loyal and faithful to those who are honest.
What
about the rest of your social contacts? How should one face individuals
who are evil or misinformed, in numbers large or small? For those
cases, we need to define clear guidelines for ourselves and our
children. For instance, when we have a duty to provide accurate
information, what we should do in case of doubt, and so on.
How to achieve emotional stability
No
morality should demand individuals to tell the truth to those who are
trying to do them harm. Equally, no ethical system should require people
to disclose private details to random strangers. Contradictory ideals
lead to random reactions. The key to emotional stability is ethical
consistency.
We have seen too often what prejudice has to offer.
We have experienced too frequently how chaos arises from contradictions
and waste from inconsistencies. Let us place our principles under reason
and our actions under logic, for no other approach can ever meet the
demands of reality.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by Chi King under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
A free e-book presentation of my work “The 10 Principles of Rational Living” can be downloaded in this link
Adults living in industrialized countries spend more than 300 hours per
year watching news on television, listening to commentators on the
radio, and reading newspapers. That time exceeds what they devote to
reading books or acquiring knowledge in any other way.
Keeping your serenity in difficult environments
The
greatest part of the information that is absorbed during those hours
consists of catastrophes, disruptions, violence, poverty, divorce,
vengeance, dishonesty, criminality, incompetence, hostility, complaints,
abuse, and decay.
In view of the messages that fill the airwaves
and newspapers, it is no wonder that many people suffer from anxiety or
depression. If a man is convinced that the overall situation is
deteriorating and that he is doomed, he won't be motivated to improve
his life.
Should reporters be blamed for the negative bias given
to daily news? Is it not true that those are the sort of reports that
people want to read? If television news focus on negative events, are
they not responding to their audience? If debates on talk radio are
conducted in a harsh tone, it is not because this is what listeners
want?
Do not let negative news get you down
The media deliver negative news to those who are thirsty
for them. Depressing television programmes confirm the views of those
who believe that man cannot improve his lot. Bitter discussions on
talk-radio reinforce the listeners' conviction that life consists
primarily of conflict.
Dispiriting messages attain their targets
with the precision of a laser. No discouraging word is wasted and no
gloomy prediction remains ignored. The machine that destroys hope and
inspiration works with outstanding efficiency.
Those who love
dire forecasts expect to find them in the media. Those who want to hear
about poverty and dereliction want television stations to cover those
subjects. Those who believe that the next crisis is going to destroy the
world expect their favourite talk-radio host to share that view.
Nevertheless,
despite the massive barrage of depressing messages, other individuals
remain unaffected by anxiety and depression. Instead of seeking out
alarming news, these persons read newspapers sparingly. Instead of
watching calamities on television, they prefer to devote their energies
to improving their own lives.
How did this minority arrive at
their independent thinking? What is the key behind their psychological
stability? How can we protect our serenity against the negative bias of
daily news?
How to protect your peace of mind
The following ideas can help you preserve your peace of
mind:
[1] Transform risks into numbers: Most reported threats
refer to events that, most likely, will never happen. For instance,
every few years, newspapers discuss anew the possibility of an asteroid
hitting the earth and killing millions of people.
Such calamity
would be terrible, but you should not allow vague menaces to disrupt
your tranquillity. Instead of losing sleep over risks, you should
transform them into numbers or percentages. What are the actual chances
of an asteroid hitting the town where you live? If the result of the
calculation is one in a million, how much are you willing to worry?
[2]
Set a limit to damages: Companies operating in consumer markets
inevitably incur risks of civil liability. If you deliver products to
millions of people, an accident will occur sooner or later, for example
due to the failure of an electrical component.
No one is exempt
from occasional mistakes and this is why liability insurance exists.
Entrepreneurs who wish to limit their risks can purchase insurance
coverage so that, if the worst happens, their financial losses will be
limited.
Similarly, if you live in an area with a high risk of
floods, you should insure yourself against damages caused by water. The
rational approach to dealing with potential catastrophes is to reduce
risks. By setting a limit to damages, you can protect your peace of mind
against gloomy forecasts aired by the media.
When commentators
predict a stock market crash, you can protect yourself by converting
part of your investments to cash or by purchasing other assets, such as
gold or real estate, whose performance is not correlated to the price of
shares. In general, if you set a cap on potential losses, you will be
able to stop worrying about catastrophes.
[3] Face problems by
taking action: Uncertainty, more than any other factor, is what causes
anxiety and fear. The feeling of not knowing what to do can render you
insecure and lead you to make mistakes. Indecision causes physical
tiredness and disrupts sleep at night. The solution is not to ignore
risks, but to face them by taking action.
If your neighbourhood
is becoming increasingly dangerous, you can choose between taking action
or worrying yourself to death. Assess the problem and see what
alternatives you have. Should you install an alarm system at home? Does
the situation justify that you move to another part of town?
As
soon as you make a decision, your preoccupation levels will diminish.
People who lead serene lives tend to be incredibly proactive and
organized. Those persons are always the first to adopt measures to
prevent problems.
[4] Use only quality information: This is a key
factor for maintaining your peace of mind. Why would you want to read
gloomy articles in newspapers and magazines? What's the point of
devoting your time to watching depressing reports on television?
Negative
information is highly addictive and, without a strong will, the habit
is difficult to break. You have to make a firm decision and stop paying
attention to distorted news. You have to make the effort to filter out
the noise and focus on quality information.
In most cases, you
can keep yourself well informed by spending a few minutes a day on a few
selected websites. If you make yourself deaf to nonsense and
discouragement, you will have more time for pursuing your primary
objectives.
Conclusion
Protect your peace of mind against negative news by
transforming risks into numbers, setting limits to damages, facing
problems with action, and using only quality information. Every minute
of anxiety that you eliminate from your life will add positively to your
well-being.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by OliBac under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
A free e-book presentation of my work “The 10 Principles of Rational Living” can be downloaded in this link
