A Better Manifesto

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog-post with an observation: We need to choose our leaders more carefully. The world has become a pretty scary place, and when we are unsure of ourselves, we tend to pick leaders who are “win-lose” instead of “win-win.” This is an evolved human adaptation that has resulted from our species existing as a part of the food chain for as long as we did. When we are scared, we revert back to “us vs them.” My tribe over your tribe. Kill or be killed. But at this point in history, people are really one big tribe, and our leaders set the tone. So many of us are isolated, and people like mass shooters are losing their ability to relate to others.  Living alone goes against our biology. If we had not worked together as humans, we would not have made it to the top of the food chain. Some technologies allow us to exist in an isolated state, so the “other” can be strange and even terrifying. Our win-lose response kicks in - and we want to win. So we take out the competition – even when the “competition” has no interest in taking anything from us. Many evolutionary researchers throw up their hands and say “That’s just the way people are,” but I disagree. If those of us who do not want to live in fear choose leaders who are inclusive and win-win instead of win-lose, that will set a new tone. There is hope. Be confidant. Be reasonable! I am a housewife who’s into science. Why should you listen to me? Because my message is way better than the “manifesto” of that ass-hat being arraigned in El Paso today. What’s YOUR manifesto?