Are you Addicted to Chaos?

“Stay where you are. Find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering, and the lonely right there where you are — in your own homes and in your own families, in your workplaces and in your schools.” -Mother Teresa

Many of us are addicted to societal chaos. Before we even make our morning coffee, we’ve probably already scrolled through social media or turned on the news to catch up with what horrible injustices have occurred overnight, thousands of miles away. You may feel triggered by people who seem to “stand by” as if they don’t care about all the terrible things happening in the world.

It’s important to stand up for justice. However, we are not physically designed to be in the know about every injustice, everywhere, all the time. It’s just not something our nervous systems can handle. We were designed to respond to acute stressors in real-time in our physical environment - not the whirlwind of drama and politics that flood Facebook - an angry cacophony of unsolicited opinions screaming into the void.

The thing is - the world is inevitably a chaotic place. There are always going to be people with whom you do not agree. There will always be injustice and hatred. But the decision and the freedom we have is in how we choose to respond to it. And when we choose to tune it out.

Realistically, we can’t donate to every cause or know every perspective on every issue that’s trending this week. We aren’t gods, although sometimes we tend to act like we are. We have only the viewpoint of our own environment and experiences, right here where we are, the people we know and love.

So what do we do? First, chill out. You are not responsible for every single human rights issue on the face of the planet. And sometimes, promoting everything you see can do more harm than good. We are all here for different purposes with specific gifts and passions that should be channeled into specific causes in real life, real-time. We are all just different people with different stories. If we were all called to do the same thing, we’d be fighting over who did it best. We aren’t built for competition, but for community and collaboration.

So what next? We find our own Calcutta. We find the need that God has placed here in our own little bubble for us to devote our time and attention. It doesn’t matter how many infographics or firey posts you share on Facebook about every social issue on the planet. If social media didn’t exist, and that problem was not presented to you in your daily life - in real life, there’s no need to get fired up about things you can’t presently and physically do anything about.

It’s anxiety-inducing to entertain thousands of realities in our minds when we are powerless to control any of them. As Edgar Allen Poe once said, “I remained too much inside my head and ended up losing my mind.” So be careful what you fill your mind with. That becomes your reality.