Are You Using This Superpower for Evil?
Worry is a misuse of the imagination.
Dan Zadra
Imagination is a superpower.
It is the main difference between humans and other creatures.
It allows us to perform thought experiments that save our lives.
Without imagination, we would have to learn exclusively by trial and death.
Imagination allows us to create things that never existed.
We can develop technology to do what would have looked like magic just a few generations ago.
Imagination allows us to choose the future we want to live in.
We can anticipate the result of our current choices and habits and adjust them to arrive in the desired future.
But like all superpowers, imagination can be used for evil.
Humans can devise the most horrific ways to torture fellow humans.
The Roman practice of crucifixion was a creation of evil genius, with prolonged suffering and humiliation followed by death.
The creativity villains use to swindle even sophisticated investors out of their life savings is stunning.
We might feel that we are nothing like those lowlifes.
Yet we often use our imagination as a tool of torture.
We worry about things we can’t control, most of which never happen.
To anticipate what might go wrong is useful, but using imagination to experience those things is a waste of time, a waste of energy, and a waste of the precious gift of life.
We mistakenly believe that worrying prepares us for what tragedy might lie ahead.
Not only is worrying unproductive, but it also drains our energy and motivation to make whatever preparations we could make.
The difference between responsible preparation and worrying is subtle.
We live in a risky world.
If we focus on all the potential tragedies, we will eventually be afraid to leave our homes.
Ironically, we worry about tiny risks and blindly expose ourselves to risks so big that tragedy is virtually guaranteed.
Worrying is more than just a waste of energy and a barrier to the good life.
Worry is self-harm.
So, what can you do when tempted to indulge in worry?
1. Ask yourself if you can do anything to eliminate or significantly reduce that particular risk?
· If the answer is no, go ahead to #5.
· If the answer is yes, go to #2.
2. Decide if trying to avoid this risk will take away resources from avoiding more significant risks.
· If the answer is no, go ahead to #5.
· If the answer is yes, go to #3.
3. Decide if the potential reward is so great that the risk can be dismissed.
· If the answer is yes, go ahead to #5.
· If the answer is no, go to #4.
4. Do what is appropriate to avoid the risk.
5. Use prayer, meditation, or other tools to free your mind from worrisome contemplation.
6. Focus on the awesome opportunities you have today to enjoy the abundance of this world.
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