It is better than we think

The other day I was listening to someone complain about the current state of the world. They pointed to all the violence and hatred that exists. They said political views divide families and friends. They are argued that crime has never been higher, and that people have never been more selfish.

Most of our personal worlds revolve around systems that impact us. It could be relationships with family, our workload at our job, the weather and economic makeup of our community, our choices in entertainment, etc. Certainly, those can be negative.

While the world may feel worse, if we look at the data it suggests that is incorrect. Poverty has never been lower from a global standpoint. Crime is also on a downward trend. For many, it doesn’t feel that way because our personal worlds feel worse.

Those systems that surround us are more impactful than the reality. There is a common saying, perception is reality. I’ve seen when a boss takes a dislike to an employee or let’s one rumor tarnish their objective thinking. I’ve seen people make self-sabotaging decision after another, always blaming others for their lack of success or growth.

Because perception is reality, what we think we know becomes much more meaningful to us than what is real. If we think poverty has continued to increase, that becomes very real for us. If we think others are holding us back in life, we never explore how we can take responsibility for our lives to move forward.

I tend to watch YouTube videos frequently. If I watch a few videos on guitar amp reviews, I start to get more guitar video suggestions. This also means if I watch a video on the horror of some human event, I will get more displayed to catch my attention. If I want a political insight I will get flooded with similar videos by self-proclaimed experts telling me how they are right and the other side is wrong.

This doesn’t just happen on YouTube. Confirmation Bias says that we go through life looking to confirm our beliefs, not counter them.

Because 1) perception is reality, 2) our inner systems impact us more than systems further away, and 3) the world magnifies and reflects back to us what we notice, it may feel that we powerless. What other option do we have besides going through life taking whatever it gives and making up our own narrative about the world around us?

Luckily, we have the ability to decide our fate. Humans were given the gift of volition. This allows us to pull our head out of the sand and make the world around us better.

Instead of 1) accepting perception as reality, we can challenge it. We can get additional perspectives. We can read books that explain that humanity is much more positive than what we have been led to believe. Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman is a great example. In the book he dispels most of the narratives, studies, experiments, and historical events that most use to prove the world is a terrible place. His argument is made clear that humanity is not the evil monster it has been made out to be.

Because 2) our inner systems matter more than external systems, we can focus there. The benefit is that inner systems are more controllable than external systems. We can choose how we spend our time. We can decide to look for the positive. We can gain resilience and push towards a better future by working and growing and developing our ability to succeed.

Since 3) the world magnifies back what we notice, we can look for whatever we want. If you want to find examples of hate, it is easy. If you want to find examples of love, that is easy also. If you want to see violence you can. If you want to see people helping each other that is everywhere also. Instead of being passive and taking whatever perspective comes at you and then holding on to it, you can choose the world you want to live in.

If someone says the world is a terrible place, they are right. If someone says the world is a great place, they are also right. The reality is that the paradoxical complexity in life makes life whatever you make of it. You get to choose how you experience life. And it is better than we think. It might just need us to use our volition and finally design the life we want.