In the same way, the media controls our thoughts, and decides where we focus our attention. Many of us are going to enjoy Easter weekend without a hint of covid crossing our minds. Why? Because we are focused on the Russian-Ukraine war, inflation, and radical gender ideology in classrooms. We know by now that we are pawns in a game, but no one knows the rules or the score. That is why I believe the greatest challenge we currently face is not the threat of new covid variants, or global war, but the ability to distinguish reality from fantasy, and truth from lies.

I came across the following quote in a book that I am reading: “I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.” - Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark.

When I realized astronomer Carl Sagan wrote that quote in 1995, unbidden chills prickled across my back. Juicy conspiracy theories and eye-popping headlines are designed to reduce our capacity to reason what is going on in the world and inhibit our ability think for ourselves. Therefore, we outsource our thinking to others and allow their narratives to control our thoughts and actions. Whether the narrative comes from FOX news, CNN, or even your well-to-do neighbor, it can change the way we behave. I know that I am guilty of it. For example: just a few weeks ago, President Biden mentioned two words that should have been on his “You cannot say this on tv” list - food shortage. The rational side of my brain knows that the likelihood of a food shortage in America is low, but the recent narrative and fear-based side of my brain led me to double down on groceries. Now there are canned foods in our linen closet – green bean casserole for Easter anyone?

Contrary to the current trajectory of this blog, my purpose is not to suggest “the end is near,” but instead I wish to call attention to where you focus your attention. We cannot control the markets or inflation, but we can control our trading, thoughts, and our narratives. We decide whether we “clutch our crystals and consult our horoscopes” or lean on God and think about the good in our lives.