How Getting Focused is Essential to Understanding

The attack on our nation’s Capitol has me reeling. My mind fluctuates between deep concern and intense interest. There are so many worrisome and complex aspects to what occurred on that terrifying day. The new information released on a daily basis accompanied by striking pictures and videos tells different parts of many stories about what is truly happening in our nation and our world.

In the many discussions that I have been a part of about the day’s events, I notice how it can be overwhelming to even know where to focus my attention. Is this a story about politics, capitalism, or American culture? Is this a story about division, misinformation, or injustice and white supremacy? Is this a story about the sociological phenomenon of mob mentality or monopolies in multiple industries? Or is this a story about Trump and unchecked power? As I reflect on these questions, I realize that the answer is yes. It is a story about all of these things.

It is no wonder that my head feels like it might explode when I try to dive into my feelings and thoughts about the events of that horrific day. I have come to realize that I do care most about one aspect of this story. I care about how it is affecting certain individuals and communities’ sense of safety. The confederate flag and Nazi propaganda on display at a presidential rally and inside of our nation’s Capitol erodes all sense of safety for many Americans. To many, it is a direct sign that groups of people, who are tolerated and encouraged by our president, desire their demise. Black Americans may feel that they have to be extra careful for their safety. Jewish Americans may feel that a familiar tide of hatred may become acceptable. And any marginalized group not directly targeted by those flags and costumes may feel quite uneasy knowing that there are groups that do not tolerate their existence and that those groups have the support (or tolerance at the very least) of people in power.

While my particular lens of concern is just one of many important aspects of the events of January 6th, I am realizing that my deep focus on this one facet is a good thing! It is okay to pick one thing. When so much is going on and there are so many ways to look at a situation, sometimes it can be helpful to pick just one aspect of the situation to focus on. You can deliberately choose your focus because it is the thing that you care most deeply about, it is the information that you are most interested in, or perhaps, it is the area where you’d like to see change. You can then rely on others to gain an understanding of different aspects of the situation from their unique perspectives. You can engage with what other people care about and get interested in what they see, know, and feel.

In the fields of medicine and counseling, we consider this kind of focus developing expertise and mastery. Some people are generalists who are skilled at understanding many aspects of a person or situation, but many people, myself included, are more effective and driven when we specialize. Specializing in our understanding of what is going on in our world does not mean that the aspect that we are focused on is the most important or even the one that everyone should be focused on. It does mean, however, that this aspect is important and that the more we understand and try to help in this particular area, the more change we can create. We also have the opportunity to educate others. And, we have the capacity to truly learn and to lean into gaining understanding of the other areas because we know “our lane” and depend on others to teach us about “their lane”.

We can probably all agree that shaming is prevalent in our culture. Importantly, this way of delving into our stories and problems allows us to do so with great humility and without shame. Feeling shame because you don’t know everything about a situation or problem can cause a person to shut down. Humans are not meant to shut down. Humans are certainly not at their best when they are shut down. And, back to my area of focus again… many people can’t afford to shut down right now because they don’t feel safe.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by all of the incoming information about the events at the Capitol, try specializing. Ask yourself… What do I most care about? What part of this story has me curious? What part of this story or which pictures or videos can I hardly look at and why is that? Who am I wanting to talk with about what happened and why? And, if you are finding yourself shut down, examine if it might be because you feel that you should understand things more comprehensively. See if you feel more open to learning when you decide to specialize.

Change agents are transformative people. We do not need to be experts on politics, economics, media, or social justice to speak up about what is taking place around us. Finding focus might be your first step towards creating change! I believe that we all have the capacity to bring change through our own relationships and communities. Old and outdated paradigms may tell us to keep quiet if we don’t understand all of the aspects of a situation. It is time to develop new paradigms where we can all speak up and transform our world.