Around 12 years ago I went on an overnight backpacking trip with a couple of friends in Colorado. We were tackling Mt. Audubon, one of the 13,000’ high peaks near Boulder. It was April and there was still plenty of snow on the ground so required equipment included… snowshoes.
This was my first big trip – at altitude – since arriving in the state a year earlier. During a major part of the ascent we needed to get over a ridge that was too steep to go straight up, especially with the thigh-deep snow. So we were traversing the ridge instead, that is, hiking at a shallower angle, back and forth. The distance and time were greater but this bite-sized approach made it achievable.
I’d never snowshoed before and at one point, my friend offered advice which has stuck with me ever since. “Remember, the slope of the terrain will pull you down. You have to step higher than you think not just to stay level but to make progress.” I had to overcome the natural drift of the land.1
And… So What?
Let’s take a side journey before I bring this all together. Ever hear of the “nocebo effect?” Its essentially the opposite of the placebo effect where negative thinking impacts health. An oft cited example is when a nurse tells you this injection will hurt more than usual because of the drug and needle size. Many people then go on to report both immediate and lingering pain from the injection site even though the nurse just made it all up.
This behavior is tangentially related to confirmation bias, one of the many biases2 we mentally engage in, where expectation yields apparently increased observation. If you’re looking for faces in clouds, you will see faces in the clouds. Thinking of buying a new Toyota 4Runner? Wow, there are suddenly a lot of them on the road! And so on.
The What
Does the world seem more crazy than usual right now? It probably isn’t if you’ve read much history. But when equal parts of natural drift and the nocebo effect are mixed together and poured into your mind it can certainly feel that way. And the effects on you – and thus your family – are certainly not to be ignored.
Now, you may be asking “Wait, I thought this was a prepper blog?” Well no, it’s not. We discuss rational self-reliance here and up-armoring your thinking is just as important as investing in some ceramic body armor along with Molon Labe morale patches.
The nature of society is to pull us down. The news that bombards us is negative because there is believed to be little sensation in the positive. Together they encourage a pattern of thought that amplifies our feelings of dread, helplessness and despair. This serves to, at best, make us less effective and at worst make you hostile in daily thinking. Seem familiar?
Now What?
You can’t change the news but you can decide to stop the learned habit of seeking it out. Got a family member that is always sending you the latest newsy item (and it is typically negative?) Ask them to take a break. Expecting the worse in people and events? That’s a harder one but smart people have written top books on how to reform your thinking in this area. Here are a couple that have helped me:
12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The 7 Resolutions by Karl Clauson
Maybe you’re thinking “Oh great, another item for the to-do list!” after reading this. I certainly get that. But view it this way: if you don’t save some money every month, in one facet you’re not investing in your future well-being. But if you do spend a little time now managing the natural drift of life and deflecting nocebo-type thinking, you will have a future harvest to enjoy in all fullness. And those books are cheaper than a good pair of snowshoes.
"But standing up straight with your shoulders back is not something that is only physical, because you’re not only a body… Standing up means voluntarily accepting the burden of Being. Your nervous system responds in an entirely different manner when you face the demands of life voluntarily. You respond to a challenge, instead of bracing for a catastrophe."
- Jordan B. Peterson
My same friend on that trip humorously also said “Oh snowshoes, how I love you and how I hate you!” They really are difficult to hike in.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/every-single-cognitive-bias/ at around the 2 o’clock position