The Brussels effect: what’s next.
How this tragedy in Belgium will affect us all
This morning I woke up to the news about the terrible bombing attacks in Brussels and my mind snapped back to November when I’d visited Brussels with my mum. My thoughts are with the victims of the devastation, as well as my friends/family that live there and had to experience this. Thankfully they’re all ok.
Once the situation sunk in a little more, the next place my mind went was fear. Not fear of terrorism (which is what you might expect.)
My fear was how these attacks will be used as a tool to provoke fear for millions of people through politicians and news media.
Why fear works on us
Fear is the strongest human emotion because it’s instinctual. Our brain uses it to protect us and keep us alive and due to its instinctive nature it tends to ignore rational thought.
Here’s an example; consider a time when you were home alone and you heard a noise outside. My guess is that rather than being rational that it was most likely a tree branch or animal outside, your brain goes right to the worst possible thing. Your fear shows up with thoughts of intruders and wondering how you will protect yourself against them etc.
Hello Fear.
Bye bye, rational thought.
With the state of American politics right now you can be assured that the catastrophe in Brussels will be used as a weapon of fear moving forward.
Donald Trump plays the politics of fear better than anyone by playing to the people’s worst sentiments. By appealing to people’s worst fears in his campaign rhetoric, he’s essentially removing all rational thought from people’s brains so that they act from fear.
It’s already begun:
And the U.S. Media plays right into his game by giving him more (23X more) air time than any other candidate because of the drama and ratings he brings with him.
“We don’t submit to terror. We make the terror.”
If you’re a House of Cards fan and have seen the latest season on Netflix, consider the similarities between the show and what’s going on now. I won’t spoil it for anyone who didn’t watch it all over one weekend (me), but when you watch it, you can draw your own conclusions.
“Everyday you need to stand guard at the entry to your mind” — Jim Rohn
I wrote this small piece this morning for one purpose, to remind everyone that our thoughts shape our reality so we must exercise caution over what we let affect us.
Don’t fall victim to the fear mindset that is perpetrated by the U.S. Media; our thoughts are the engine that controls everything we do.
Don’t let anyone else take the wheel out of fear. You got this.
My thoughts go out to Brussels and all of the victims of this horrible atrocity.
#prayforbelgium
