At any given moment, your brain is actively processing 16 million bits of information.
Each of your seven senses is constantly bombarding your mind, attempting to corral your attention. If you focus, you can isolate a conversation in a room full of people; separate out instruments playing simultaneously in symphony; see a single photon of light in a dark room.
If you could perceive everything you could sense, you’d go insane.
Fortunately your thalamus–part of your neocortex–filters the information you’re consciously aware of to the top 2,000 most important bits. Human neural circuitry is designed around survival, which means being able to differentiate between what might and might not be a threat. If your brain deems something innocuous, it tunes out that receptor, choosing not to waste any more energy solving that particular problem.
This is why you might not smell your own body aroma, hear the electrical hum of your television, and why you can (mostly) walk around your bedroom furniture in the dark.
Herein lies the danger of the current political climate. If mass shootings happen weekly, if PoC are killed by police every other day, if EVERY statement from our politicians is a lie, for the sake of our sanity, we become desensitized. We then run the risk of losing our ability to identify existential threats. In a 24 hour news cycle, replete with omnipresent social media, it’s easy to develop sensory overload.
Above all things, KEEP YOUR MORAL OUTRAGE CALIBRATED. Don’t tune out. Don’t normalize racism, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, Islamophobia. See and smell it all for of its rancid putrescence.
Your life AND your WAY of life depends on it.
—
Join The Good Men Project Community.
“Here’s the thing about The Good Men Project. We are trying to create big, sweeping, societal changes—–overturn stereotypes, eliminate racism, sexism, homophobia, be a positive force for good for things like education reform and the environment. And we’re also giving individuals the tools they need to make individual change—-with their own relationships, with the way they parent, with their ability to be more conscious, more mindful, and more insightful. For some people, that could get overwhelming. But for those of us here at The Good Men Project, it is not overwhelming. It is simply something we do—–every day. We do it with teamwork, with compassion, with an understanding of systems and how they work, and with shared insights from a diversity of viewpoints.” —– Lisa Hickey, Publisher of The Good Men Project and CEO of Good Men Media Inc.
The $50 Platinum Level is an ALL-ACCESS PASS—join as many of our new Social Interest Groups, calls about life in the 21t century, and classes (writing, platform building, leadership, social change) as you want for the entire year. The $20 Gold Level gives you access to any ONE Social Interest Group and ONE Class–and other benefits listed below the form. Or…for $5, join as a Bronze Member and support our mission.
Register New Account
*Payment is by PayPal.
Please note: If you are already a writer/contributor at The Good Men Project, log in here before registering. (Request new password if needed).
◊♦◊
ANNUAL PLATINUM membership ($50 per year) includes:
1. AN ALL ACCESS PASS — Join ANY and ALL of our weekly calls, Social Interest Groups, classes, workshops and private Facebook groups. We have at least one group phone call or online class every day of the week.
2. See the website with no ads when logged in!
3. PLATINUM MEMBER commenting badge and listing on our “Friends of The Good Men Project” page.
***
ANNUAL GOLD membership ($20 per year) includes all the benefits above — but only ONE Weekly Social Interest Group and ONE class.
***
ANNUAL BRONZE membership ($5 per year) is great if you are not ready to join the full conversation but want to support our mission anyway. You’ll still get a BRONZE commenting badge, a listing on our Friends page, and you can pop into any of our weekly Friday Calls with the Publisher when you have time. This is for people who believe—like we do—that this conversation about men and changing roles and goodness in the 21st century is one of the most important conversations you can have today.
♦◊♦
We have calls about these topics 7 days a week! Join us by becoming a Platinum or Gold member. (Click on the graphic for more information about the calls and to RSVP for them.)
♦◊♦
We have pioneered the largest worldwide conversation about what it means to be a good man in the 21st century. Your support of our work is inspiring and invaluable.
◊♦◊
Photo Credit: Getty Images
