A Contemplative Response to Political Mind Games

Since the 2016 election, I have experienced my fair share of despair and alarm over political news and have sought to regain my mental and spiritual footing through routine contemplative prayer practices.

Over the past week, we have experienced a few particularly clear examples of the wider trends of emotionally manipulative stories in our current media and political environment. While I can’t be certain about what is actually going on behind the scenes in these news events, we have more than enough information in front of ourselves to ask questions, to develop a few theories about what is unfolding, and to then consider a contemplative response to disruptive news.

Let’s focus on the migrant caravan for a moment.

The migrant caravans were all over the news before the election, then the election became the news, and then the migrant caravans vanished from all meaningful coverage.

When the media covered the caravan, Trump got to shout angry words and to make threats, his opponents got to shout how horrible he is, and then we all moved on without any clear resolution to what appeared to be a developing crisis.

We could ask why the caravan formed right in the final days of mid-term election campaigns. But that’s not where I want to look right now. Let’s look at the way we all reacted to this story, adopting partisan responses for sure: Trump’s supporters could rage about illegal immigration and their “fear” of letting too many Latino people into America—an invasion according to some.

The left could rage about Trump’s cruelty and the lack of empathy among his followers. Mind you, we could shout all we want, but the fallout from the child separation policy remains, as there are children still separated from their parents. What good will our shouting do for this caravan that remains a long way off from America?

All of this is simple enough to observe, but now we get to the questions I want to dig into: What is actually going on behind the scenes and for what purpose?

We know from the Manafort indictments that PR firms have been hired by Trump associates in the past to plant stories and to manipulate news coverage (see ABC News, Vox, and Washington Post for more on this). So we don’t know what exactly happened, but is it possible that an ambitious reporter or a sympathetic editor could be taken in unwittingly by such a scheme about a migrant caravan? I hear of far worse things happening in the Christian publishing world where compromises are regularly made for the sake of a larger platform to sell more books.

So we know that it’s possible that our media is being manipulated with particular news stories even if we aren’t sure about the precise mechanics or the specific stories. Still, the migrant caravan story appeared at a convenient time and then disappeared without resolution. Is there an attempt to at least manipulate this story? If so, what is the goal?

My theory is that the goal of the people behind these story plants is two-fold…

The first is to maximize chaos and division. They want to push both sides to the extreme, and that is really easy with a figurehead like Trump doing unnecessary PR stunts like sending troops to the border to stop the “threat” of the caravan. Never mind that the military seemed to oppose this plan, the key is that Trump shouted about migrant caravans, his followers would cheer, and his opponents would jeer.

The second goal of this planted story is even more manipulative. While I believe that the goal of planting dire stories about migrants and amplifying them with decisive presidential proclamations is to stir up outrage on both sides of the political spectrum, the end result is very different depending on partisan allegiance.

My theory is that the outrage of the right is designed to prompt their action. Think back to the rage of Brett Kavanaugh after the extremely credible testimony of Dr. Ford. Many Republican voters cited the Kavanaugh hearing as a motivating factor in their votes during the mid-terms (CNBC, USA Today, New Republic, CNN).

On the other hand, the outrage on the left is designed to exhaust and lead to despair, which will discourage action. Of course we know that voters on the left turned out in large numbers despite this PR campaign, but I have personally felt the weight of this over the past two years. I have seen many friends despair even over the election results because particularly outspoken right wing racists were elected to office despite the wider national gains for the left.

Whether it’s despair over the saber rattling with North Korea in 2017 or despair over a compassionate and welcoming response to migrants seeking asylum after suffering brutal attacks in their home country, the end result is a psychological weight that is all too common today. Yes, people have acted and voted, but the mental toll has been widely documented (Psychology Today and CBC have good overviews among many).

I don’t know all of the details about motives or who is doing what, but I do know what I have experienced and observed. Perhaps the migrant caravan isn’t a convincing example for you, but you may be able to think of other examples once you consider the overall template of media events that lead to anger, prompting division (on both sides), despair (on the left), and action (on the right).

While some of these findings and observations are backed up by credible sources, I can’t prove all of my theories. I haven’t completed my own research for a related book in 2019, and future indictments will surely add clarity that we lack today.

I do think we can at least ask questions and develop a few theories to help us think critically in the future. I’m far more concerned about people who aren’t curious either through certainty or dismissal. There are more than enough red flags here to encourage a bit of wariness, but I don’t feel like I can come to any firm conclusions either way.

Since I’m coming at this situation from a contemplative perspective, my response to a chaotic and often discouraging political and media environment is to ground myself in my contemplative practices as a response.

What Is the State of My Soul?

The starting point for Christian spirituality is to take a basic inventory of yourself. It could be a series of questions like an Ignatian Examen or it could be a simple check in to ask about the state of your mind and your soul.

Holding your breath or clenching your fist may be clues that you’re in a bad mental space. Of course obsessing over a situation or person is a sure fire way to tell that you’re in a bad mental space!

What Is Impacting My Thinking and Spirit?

Regular daily silence, from 5 minutes to 20 minutes, and reading scripture can provide a way out of unhealthy thought patterns. While I have tried to set times each day for reading the Divine Hours and have set aside time for silence, it’s also really helpful to do simple check ins throughout the day to see if I need a bit more silence.

Whether washing the dishes or driving around town, a few minutes of deep breathing and silent prayer before God can be restorative.

What Can I Change to Remain Grounded?

I have found that social media is often an unhealthy way to access news and analysis, and even the radio can be hard for me to navigate because I can fixate on particular events or individuals.

Limiting social media has been a huge help for me, and removing almost all related apps from my phone has helped me avoid the shouting matches online and created more time to remain grounded, productive, and present.

However, it’s most important to have some steady, grounding contemplative prayer practices every day so that I can establish a new baseline for my soul. When a disruptive news story comes along, I am better equipped to spot its impact and to take action.

That isn’t to say that I’m in a serene mental health space. I’m far from that! I lean heavily on these practices. If anything, I have become more aware and have better strategies in place to respond to the shifting forces in our media and political environments.

The Psalms described it a bit like a tree that is planted by streams of water, delighting in the teachings of God and bearing fruit under all sorts of circumstances. That is a worthy goal in such a disruptive time.

Make Space to Pray Today

You can read more about my journey into contemplative prayer and my recovery from anxious Christianity in my newly revised and expanded book: Flee, Be Silent, Pray: Ancient Prayers for Anxious Christians