"Moved by Principle, not by Rage"

So much of what we see in our modern-day world is the result of reacting to the personal and national events of life, and not thinking deeply about those events. People are being moved by their reactivity to environmental stress and letting what scientists identify as their “reptilian brain” manage their day to day life. Unfortunately, so many people who simply react to what they perceive to be an “out of control” world, rarely get to thinking in their deeper or higher brain. So, they rule their life by visceral emotion—like road rage all the time. Unfortunately, when stuck into high emotional drive there is no room for principle, let alone ethical principle in their lives.

To some degree this is where we are in American political circles today. To quote Peter Finch’s character in the 1976 movie “Network” many people are “mad as hell, and aren’t going to take it anymore.” I’ve heard people go on to say that they do not feel in control of their lives. They go on to blame any outsider, but usually the government, or the opposing political party, for what they are experiencing. Like emotion often does, the signals of their brain are blocked or overfull and there is no room for thoughtfulness, at least rational thinking that some of what they are experiencing is their own responsibility. It becomes easy to target the person of another race or country or even political party.

Human beings at their best base their lives on their beliefs or principles. I think of this as those deep, built-in commitments to how to live in society. Such things as trusting others and caring for others and living in community with others are bedrock principles by which we live. When a person can think clearly and deeply emotions like rage are well controlled by wanting to get along with others and not to hurt others. The old “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (revenge based living) is replaced by “doing to others as you would have them do to you.” Within our highest thinking process, we can have empathy for one another and feel a sense of compassion for other people who are hurting. In any kind of difficulty or scarcity when ruled by principles we might say “at least I don’t have it as bad as the people living in ____________.” We will have some understanding of proportionality in our situation and will try to make the best of it.

As leaders and participants in the world today we need to work at restoring the rule of principle today. We can begin by understanding how deep and drastic change has been in our world. Many people feel insecure in today’s world. We can reassure those we talk to with “I-statements which reflect our empathy.” For example, “I am feeling many of the things you are feeling about the world and change, but I don’t think everything is bad in the world today. For example, __________________.” We can take responsibility for our own life and hopefully reflect this to others. We can reassure others that they have their family and friends and me to motivate them to live life with principle.

More than anything else when we are moved by principle, we will encourage others to make their lives count. God does have a reason and purpose for living, and although sometimes bad things happen to relatively good people, God will have the last word in your life. That word will be “yes.” “I do love you and I do care about you and just trust in me that in the end it all makes sense.”