How do we know what to believe?

In a world of polarity and opinions, is it ok not to be the opinionated one? Are you obliged to have an opinion on political matters or watch the news every day?

I think not. And before you go at me, let´s just remember that we are all just out here trying to make life work. No matter the life situation. Most people find life challenging at times. So what are the real responsibilities of being a citizen?

I personally believe firmly that in this world where we are bombarded with impressions from screen small and large, all around us at all times, the most sacred moments are the ones we are without this infiltration. Finding a place to be with yourself without distractions and really listen to your own thoughts and your own self, is incredibly important. And actually, they are in rare and in high demand. I believe that in order to decipher what you believe in, politically, in terms of religion or even just what you feel is safe and right to eat - you need these moments to yourself. The world around us is chaotic. It might even feel unsafe at times, but in reality we might be spending our lives feeling chaotic and unsafe, when that is not the whole truth. People might say "well I am just being realistic," in a conversation being negative about the future of the planet. And that is fair. I think we do all look at the news and wonder, are we going to be ok? But that might also mean that your every day normal Tuesday will be filled with fear and unease, when you could be having a great Tuesday focusing on the gratitude you might actually have for the mundane things in your life.

Are you aware that your brain produces dopamine while reading the news, even if the news are horrible? This is because you are entertained. So you brain will want you to go back and revisit the news pages, daily. And most people (including myself not long ago) have the attitude that it's just a sensible thing to do - to stay updated on the world scene. But as much as it creates a hit of dopamine I might want, I do not actually want that negativity to be coloring my day. I believe it is fair to refrain from reading the news. You are going to hear about the things that are important to you.

The main reason for saying this is to ensure that you have a regulated nervous system. It is so easy to get dysregulated. And to ensure that we are regulated, we need a strong core. So I think we need to practice some inner strength training, even to be able to read the news. The second most important point about refraining from the constant flow of information through news and social media is so that you can train your inner ability to understand what feels true. We have lived in a world where we glorify facts, statistics and science. And now we are starting to understand that science and facts have different sides to them. Science articles might have a specific agenda, research being funded by corporations. And either way, there are always so many sides to any case. And to really be able to understand what IS important to you to know or mean something about, I think you need to take good deep breaths every once in a while.

To know whats real, I think there is a human ability that we are losing if we dont harness and train it: the gut feeling. The intuition. When was the last time you really focused your attention to that, before speaking your mind?