23 Jun People Love Sticking Their Head In The Sand

They say ignorance is bliss. I say ignorance is the first step in natural selection. I’ve noticed an unnerving trend among people today and that is their inability to face reality. Most would rather go on living their happy (or unhappy) lives than look at what’s going on in reality so they can come up with a solution. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the classic case of cowardice by way of sticking your head in the sand.

Problems Don’t Go Away

I recently asked someone a question about why people don’t face reality so something can be done to better the situation. Their reply, “Most people don’t want to look at it.” To me, that would be like a hungry bear being 20 yards away, and instead of figuring a way to deal with it or get away, they just turn around and close their eyes so they don’t have to look at it. The damn bear is still there and may still decide you make for a mighty fine human burrito. Whether you look at the problem or not, it’s still there and you will still have to deal with the ramifications one way or another.

I see this behavior in everything from opinions on climate change, to self destructive behaviors, to acceptance of a culture that breeds selfishness, to the destruction of our natural environment. All compounding problems that are negatively impacting human society. Not to mention setting the stage for a very tough life for the next generations. It is a don’t ask don’t tell policy that only leads to more misery.

Born In Fear

Where this type of behavior is born from is a combination of fear, ignorance, and selfishness. Only a fearful ignorant and selfish person would rather ignore a problem that affects others rather than being a big boy (or girl) and doing something about it. Individualism often breeds this type of behavior since it’s all about me me me.

In nature, this type of behavior would be less prevalent as it would have been weeded out of the gene pool. That behavior wouldn’t have been taught to future generations and its spread would have been halted via nature’s natural life filter aka natural selection. Natural selection serves an important purpose, and that is to have the strong survive so they better contribute to the system of life. Tough truth to face, but a truth none the less.

Courage Is The Way

The way out of this cycle is courage. The courage to look a problem square in the eye. The courage to accept a bad situation for what it is. The courage to come up with a solution or gain the necessary knowledge to do so. As I mentioned, anything other than this is cowardice as these are the requirements of any living thing in nature. We are not exempt from nature, full stop.

So what’s the thing holding people back from this courage and being able to face a problem with confidence (or at least willingness)? Emotions. An inability to overcome or put your emotions aside for the moment to rationally deal with what’s in front of you. This doesn’t mean that you eliminate your emotions all the time (as this is impossible), but rather understanding that they have their place and having the developed the skill to control them so they don’t control you. This is the basic responsibility of any adult.

Now there are many that have emotional issues and trauma that make this a far more difficult task. It sucks, I know. Yet you still have this responsibility as well. Nature doesn’t care about what happened to you, only about what you do. So that means spending extra time working on yourself and through your issues so you can have the same survival chance as everyone else. Survival is voluntary and you have to decide if you’re going to make the effort no matter how great the challenge.

Cognitive Dissonance

Another thing I’ve noticed in those unwilling to look at or accept the truth of reality is outright denial. They would rather protect their feelings and ego rather than admit that maybe they were wrong or incapable. This is another form of weakness as the strong can admit they were wrong and find a way to rectify that or gain the knowledge to do so. As a society, right now we are trying to protect our feelings too much because they are overwhelming with what’s going on in the world. But again, nature doesn’t give a sh-t. The real world is a brutal (and beautiful) place, and your comfort isn’t a requirement for it to continue. Growing up in this regard would provide a huge benefit to your longterm wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of those around you that you care for. The world needs strong people who can meet the worlds challenges with courage and resolve, not people who put their feelings above the collective wellbeing of others and hide.

Sand Is For The Weak

So I say sand is for the weak; acceptance is for the courageous, and survival is for those who can face problems openly and rationally, saving the emotions for after the crisis is over or when appropriate. These are not the rules of society, but rather the general rules of nature, rules that all living things must abide by. We are not special, we are not impervious to consequences, we must stand tall in the face of calamity and make the best decision that ensures us and our loved ones get to live to fight another day. Be courageous.

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