How to Stay Sane When the World Is Losing Its Mind

I had an entrepreneurial blog post scheduled for this week, but then I realized there’s a civil war scheduled that might be a bit distracting. We’ll get back to the Entrepreneur journey next week.

I don’t intend to wade into politics often on this blog. It’s a dangerous game in today's polarized environment. Still, how we handle anything is often how we handle everything, and that’s worth exploring.

What are we to do when we’re told the end of the world is upon us? 

As a Canadian, a bit of distance gives me some perspective. I’m not a Republican or a Democrat, though I’ve had opinions on which candidates I’d support (if I could) in each U.S. election. I don’t have a vote to cast in this battle, but I know the outcome will affect the rest of the world.

In 2016, I was as shocked as many of you when Trump won—against every poll and prediction. Many people seemed to be deeply traumatized by that event.

But the world kept spinning. 

In 2020, I was shocked again by the violence on January 6th at the Capitol. Once more, many were traumatized.

And still, the world didn’t end.

Since then, I’ve been repeatedly shocked: by the COVID-19 propaganda machine, the Twittergate revelations of government overreach, the government-induced inflation and debt balloon, Biden’s decline and replacement, assassination attempts (multiple!) and all the other strange dramas during this election cycle. 

At each escalation, I find myself becoming less shocked, less emotionally affected, and more curious. 

I understand why people are fiercely advocating for one side or the other. I feel the emotional pull too. I understand why half the country is outraged by what they see as Trump's self-interested narcissism, dishonesty, and corruption—he violates many of my core values. And I also understand why others feel similarly about Kamala's perceived incompetence and dishonesty—she, too, violates my values.

We’ve been told that one candidate is Hitler, the other Stalin. But do we truly believe that? Are concentration camps or KGB-style Great Purge really around the corner?

I doubt it.

Yet each election pushes the world in a direction—sometimes more aligned, sometimes less aligned, with your beliefs. I believe there’s no "correct" choice, and I’m not even sure there’s a “preferred” one.

I’m not as wishy-washy as that may sound. I believe I know who I’d vote for if I had the chance. But I also see how a slight change in the prioritization of my core values could make me swing to the other side. And I see why everyone is advocating so fiercely for their values to be understood and represented. 

And that’s the important insight, I think: people are fighting for their values to be heard and respected. 

I’ve heard people say, “How could anyone would be a [Trump/Kamala/Biden/etc.] supporter?! Are they crazy?”

If something doesn’t make sense, it’s because you’re missing information. If you truly want to understand, you need to try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. And not just from a logical standpoint. 

Jonathan Haidt gave a great explanation of this divide in his book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, which I highly recommend to everyone. In it he explains how people develop and hold different moral beliefs, which direct their political affiliation. He shows specifically how to understand the opposing side, influenced by his own experience as a highly educated liberal Western academic when he did first-hand research in traditional India. That new perspective helped him see that American conservatives weren’t immoral—just morally different from liberals.

I’m interested today in what we can do to survive and thrive when the world seems chaotic and everyone is villainizing each other.

In my daily meditation, I often find comfort in Queen's wise mantra: “Nothing really matters.” It reminds me that the things occupying my thoughts today will, tomorrow, be distant fog. 

I also try to remember the Focusing Illusion: we overestimate the impact of whatever we’re currently focused on. This week, the election might seem like the most important thing in our lives. But in two months, we'll be fixated on something else entirely.

Elections are important, but they’re not as life-or-death as they might feel today. So advocate for what resonates with your values. Stand up for the issues, parties, and candidates that matter to you. Get out the vote. 

But remember: tomorrow, the sun will rise again, regardless of the outcome.