Finding Sanity in a Storm
Waking up from the "outside-in" illusion when the world feels like it's falling apart.
I’ve been feeling deeply unsettled lately.
I’m looking at the same headlines you are—the shootings in Minnesota, the political chaos playing out, the growing divisiveness that feels like it’s pulling the floor out from under us. It feels like pure insanity. There’s a sense that something must be done before we destroy ourselves and each other.
But as I sat with that feeling of “What should I do?”, I remembered something about the nature of my own experience.
The Outside-In Illusion
What we are witnessing is the “outside-in” illusion on steroids. We’ve been conditioned to believe that our internal state is a direct result of external circumstances. We blame the situation, the “other side,” or the news for our feelings. We each create our own world, believe it to be the only “true” world, and wonder how everyone else could be so blind.
Yesterday, I had the idea that I should join the voices—hop on the protest train and add my voice to the rising tide. But my quiet wisdom stopped me. It told me that I was looking in the wrong direction.
Climbing Aboard the Titanic
As I reflected on this, I suddenly saw that adding my voice to the cacophony was like climbing on board the Titanic to scream along with all the other passengers. At best, it adds to the confusion. At worst, it hinders the rescue efforts and causes the ship to sink faster.
Action taken out of anger or unsettled feelings is what got us into this mess. It’s “folly” to try to fix a fire by throwing more gasoline on it.
A Sane Presence
So, what is there to do?
I’ve realized that the most radical thing I can offer is my own sanity. There is a quote I love: “Never underestimate the impact of the presence of a sane human being on those around them.”
I believe my “job” right now—and perhaps yours, too—is to be a guiding light. Not by shouting louder, but by pointing people back toward the truth of where their experience is actually coming from.
When we realize that our feelings are coming from our thoughts in the moment, and not from the world “out there,” the world stops looking like a monster and starts looking like a place in need of a little more grace and a lot more understanding.
So now what?
We’ve tried outrage, and we’ve tried blame. Neither has moved us an inch toward peace. In fact, they’ve moved us further away. It’s time for the most radical action of all: Sanity.
Today, I’m putting down the megaphone and picking up the light. I’m committing to being a person who sees the ‘inside-out’ nature of this chaos, and I’m asking you to join me. Before you post, before you argue, and before you succumb to despair—stop. Find your center.
The rescue effort doesn’t start with a louder voice; it begins with a quiet mind.
If you have questions or would like to discuss what I call the Inside-Out Understanding, by all means, message me. I would love to chat.