Out of Our Rut

Changes to the governing of the United States that some citizens deem inept or even cruel multiply around us, and because the majority of the people who voted in the last election saw nothing that threatened them personally, the choices their representatives can now make are no longer optional. The die is cast. The populace must live with the alterations—hopefully not quietly if they disagree. (Democracy can rise again with broad enough effort.) Anyone who has studied stress knows helplessness intensifies stress, and relentless stress can contribute to negative outcomes in health and human relationships. We feel much better if we’re convinced we can impact our situation meaningfully, even if we’re wrong. And so we struggle to find ANYTHING we can do to matter. There’s no quick fix.

Whether or not we act, we’re inclined to complain a lot. Depression has become a national pastime for young and old alike. Suicide is up. Some of the country’s brightest scientific stars are leaving. We look at what’s happening, see potential for the worst outcomes, and slip into a dark pool of worry. IF ONLY WE WERE AMONG THE OBSCENELY RICH! What seems like millions of e-mails (the reality can be thousands arriving daily) melodramatically insist the donation of our unimpressive disposable income could save the day if only we were unselfish enough to part with it. Now and then, we relent and trust we can join sufficient true believers to add up to significance, and we do give…resulting in our receiving hundreds more e-mails that usually don’t reflect we made any difference at all. The result is intensifying gloom. But as we learn more about science, we discover our lack of optimistic disposition isn’t all our fault. We inherited it.

As I began reading SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE: ACTIVATING THE FOUR CIRCUITS OF THE AWAKENED BRAIN by Dawson Church, I seized upon a tiny nugget that had been missing from previous explanations I’d read. I already knew as cave folk we had a fight-or-flight response built in to save us from marauding predators. What I hadn’t realized is survival favored the pessimists. Those early humans who perpetually expected the worst were watching for trouble, so they tended to react to threats more quickly than those bathed in cheer. Quicker reflexes meant increased survival. (The slower partner became lunch.) Our brains understood the command and preserved it. Hence, complaining persists as a default today.

Unfortunately, looking for things to grumble about—and finding them!—doesn’t make us happier or healthier. But enter into a casual conversation anywhere these days and count how many times the tone slips into negativity. Is this purely a function of today’s threats? No. Helpless worry is nothing new for humanity. The thrust of Church’s book is to lead the reader to take control of the creeping darkness, not with empty phrases but real command over the brain. (Spoiler alert: change requires effort.) A person who’s happier weathers problems more effectively.

Church suggests we’re capable of realizing our identity as an integral part of the universe. He advises, “The time has come for us to recognize that our personal growth is inextricably linked to the wellbeing of our planet and the future of our species.”* Increased spiritual intelligence allows us to frame our planetary problems as opportunities (his italics) to evolve and provides tools. Besides, an increase in the numbers of people around us who are able to cope with life from a state of emotional well-being has to contribute to a brighter society. Positive change may not be as unrealistic as we fear. And personally, we can imagine how much more pleasant a world of compassion, connection, and joy would be.

*Church, Dawson. Spiritual Intelligence: Activating the 4 Circuits of the Awakened Brain. Dawson Church, 2025, p.302.