Will You Decide on Herd Mentality?

With less than a week, we will have a national election. Here’s today’s headline:

“This week unemployment has dropped from

450,000 to 434,000

…and that’s the good news.”

And, of course this has come on the heels of several weeks (in succession) of similar such good news. Overall, this is a dismal picture that we are supposed to embrace as progress [herd mentality] because it was not as bad as expected. But, this could be any news that is fed to us by some media chain that has its own particular reporting agenda.

Herds

Many of these news outlets are the venues for herd mentality. Their goal: to move the masses. It worked beautifully in the last general election, but with the above results…millions out of work and millions losing their homes. Will it happen again?

We will know next Wednesday. One thing is certain. We will have some changing of the guard at several levels (big and small). With that in mind, what do we do regardless of how it all turns out?

Keys

First time politicians [many times] are like teenagers who have just been handed the keys to the car. You hope all those years of wisdom, trust and promises will not suddenly dissolve as you see them backing down the driveway. It leaves you with a sinking feeling. After this election, you may get the same feeling. So, what do you do with your teenager and your politician as they move forward?

Antidote

Stay vigilant, consistent and responsive. Watch for the signs: votes, citations, grades, health, habits, news, relationships/associations, communications, respect for all the related authorities, attitudes…on and on. What better antidote to herd mentality could you employ than factual accountability for those you hired to work for you?

Another key to this methodology is to lay this all down in a written expectation to your teen and your politician. Since anything can go e-viral today, the threat to any politician is that if they go their own way, the world can witness it instantly.

Teen exception: There are more creative ways to amend behavior.

The Goal: Freedom

Since we cannot predict or command how these (and subsequent) elections will go, how should we respond? Easy, we respond as if this is a continuing event…because it is! To elect them is one phase; to live under a product of their vote and influence is something else. It’s not a one shot deal.

We have read repeatedly that the death of a blog is to target religion or politics. So, maybe I’m taking a risk? The bigger risk is that we lose the freedom to even have a voice (or a blog). This election could well be a turning point for political parties, but more importantly, for freedom itself.

Decide responsibility.