To the Editor: Don’t let negativity and paranoia rule

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I recently read Carlene Creps’ Letter to the Editor published on January 15th. After learning about Ms
Creps’ fears regarding our government, I had to look over my shoulder just to make sure that Jack
Nicholson, from "The Shining," was not standing behind me. With due respect, Ms Creps, with
all of your assumptions & insinuations, I felt compelled to offer some suggestions for relieving
a troubled mind and for anyone who may be suffering from anxiety and/or paranoia.
We all need to monitor what we say to ourselves on a daily basis. If we have a negative voice in our
heads that is taking up residency without adult supervision or paying rent, we need to challenge that
voice with a reality check. For example, do you really think that our president begins each morning by
telling himself, "This is the day that I plan to bring down our precious country?" Do you know
the president well? Do you see inside his heart & mind?
Fear-based thinking can be a destructive force, especially, in our divisive culture today. We need to
tone down the angry rhetoric that serves to blame others for all of our problems. Somewhere, along the
way, civil, respectful discourse between people who disagree has lost its place. Gandhi was once asked,
"What do you think of Western Civilization?" to which he replied, "I think it would be a
good idea."
I am also concerned about children who grow up believing the world is a scary and dangerous place. I
ought to know, I was one of those children. Of course, parents need to be responsible for their
children’s safety by informing them about such issues as "Stranger Danger" and guidelines for
dialing 911. However, when children are raised in an atmosphere of negativity, criticism, and suspicion,
their sense of reality is distorted and they can become paralyzed with fear.
In closing, critical thinking is an important skill whether we do our research through the internet,
books, magazines or newspapers.
Thoughtful, literary accounts should not be based upon half-truths or our own fearful projections upon
the world. As Marianne Williamson points out in her book, Illuminata, "The world is, in fact, our
collective projections of love and fear, hopes and conflicts. In taking responsibility for our own
thoughts and feelings, we play our part in the healing of the world."
Norma Davenport
Bowling Green

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