JenMerciecaNov 9, 2022

Here's a thing I say a lot on the bird site: arguments about future facts are weak. They're guesses. Sometimes well informed, sometimes not. A lot of times they are actually pre-emptive framing trying to shape the future.

Please consider this as we head into the 2024 election.

Show threadJenMercieca
Politicians and pundits and news orgs and pollsters and etc. will try to spin what will happen, they win if they can convince you that their predictions are true. They can shape reality that way.
Nov 9, 2022 at 7:29pmWeb
Show threadJenMerciecaNov 9, 2022

We all have a cognitive & emotional weakness for wanting to know what will happen in the future. Our brain spends a lot of time/effort on predicting and we feel more at ease in the world if we can predict what will happen. So we listen to those who claim to know.

But see how that's so easy to abuse?

Show threadJenMerciecaNov 9, 2022
My dad worked in & ran a car factory for his life's work and is an expert in production methods. He's a bit of a fatalist (if it's you're time, it's your time), but also made sure that we knew the PDCA formula for getting stuff done, and done well. Plan Do Check Adjust.
Show threadJenMerciecaNov 9, 2022
It assumes you need a plan, but that your planning will be imperfect and the future will not be as you thought. No worries, check (evaluate) and make adjustments. You can't predict accurately, but you need to act.
Show threadJenMerciecaNov 9, 2022
<the overlord bought my dad’s old car factory and, according to him, did not PDCA 😂>
Show threadnomiNov 9, 2022
@jenmercieca an issue I've seen before is confusion between the vastly different strategies required for success in events that occur repeatedly (building a car) vs those that reoccur only thematically (elections or military action) vs those that essentially never reoccur (natural disasters)
Show threadThe Lone AppleNov 9, 2022
@jenmercieca No one remembers the 1000 things the psychic got wrong, just the one thing they got right.
Show threadJenMerciecaNov 9, 2022
@theloneapple exactly
Show threadleafnstoneNov 11, 2022
@jenmercieca It is so hard, nearly painful, to live entirely in the present. If you are completely in the present, the mind does not enjoy it. There are moments when we each experience the present so entirely, such as when taking care of someone who is dying.
Show threadGayle J. Greenlea 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Nov 11, 2022
@leafnstone @jenmercieca This is absolutely true, and it’s what makes us vulnerable to disinformation influencers who have a vested interest in convincing us things are not as bad as they seem (re pandemic, climate crisis, rise of fascism, war in Ukraine). As painful as it may be to stay present in reality, I find it even more excruciating to exist in a gaslit irreality in which facts are disputed & truth-tellers are demonized.
Show threadGayle J. Greenlea 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Nov 11, 2022
@leafnstone @jenmercieca Progress is being undermined by those who have ulterior motives (authoritarian power, fossil fuel protection, wealth aggrandizement) to keep the masses ignorant and powerless. I find it such a challenge to stay engaged while also taking care of myself & loved ones. Anyone who’s grown up in a dysfunctional family understands the purpose false reality narratives serve to disguise abuses. I think people all over the world are currently traumatized.
Show threadGayle J. Greenlea 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Nov 11, 2022
@leafnstone @jenmercieca Your dad’s advice is really helpful, Jen: “Plan Do Check Adjust”. We can’t know the future, but our superpower is resilience. We have an amazing ability to adapt to change, both good and bad. We can’t necessarily control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond. I’m always grateful for the humans who respond with kindness, compassion and truth. We’re never really powerless, though sometimes we have to adjust and reclaim our power and voices.
Show threadGayle J. Greenlea 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Nov 11, 2022
@leafnstone @jenmercieca Your description, Leafnstone , of caring for a loved one who is dying is poignant. That’s one of the most painful things we will ever do. Making spaces to zone out becomes necessary to keep functioning. It’s a good example of checking the wind (exteriorly and interiorly) and making critical adjustments in order to survive; something many of us are likely doing now as we navigate and grieve collective losses of the last few years. Comfort to you.
Show threadleafnstoneNov 13, 2022
@jenmercieca @GJGreenlea Comfort to you as well. And Healing.