These days, I saw the news that my region is experiencing an increase in international tensions. We are currently in an era when conflicts and tensions are rising around the world. That made me consider how to recognize them. Let’s talk about it.
How to comprehend unreasonable actions
Sometimes, we want to comprehend the factors behind others’ actions that look unreasonable.
Typical examples are international conflicts and tensions. Some politicians seem to be deliberately stirring up unnecessary tensions that can lead to war. They seem to bring no benefit. In this era, such anxiety would happen no matter which country we live in.
Their irrationality makes us want to know their intentions, especially if we have a logical personality.
However, we sometimes cannot comprehend them. Although they often bring up past grudges as a cause, we feel that something is off. That makes us anxious about the future. Although we know we are in an era in which unexpected events happen frequently, incomprehensible things continue to disturb our emotions.
That is why we want to understand the common factors behind international conflicts and tensions. Understanding it allows us to judge and decide our countermeasures rationally.
One solution is to recognize that the cause lies in their current wants, not past events. That may clarify their intentions and calm your mind. Today, I will explain the logic.
Politicians’ irrationality
When we cannot comprehend the factors behind someone else’s actions, we must not try to take hints from their words.
Although we usually try to figure out the cause based on their words, that makes it even harder to understand. Instead, we should connect their motives to their present wants. That clarifies our confusion and allows us to understand their desires logically.
To make it easier to understand, let’s look at an example of politicians. Suppose some politicians stirred up international tensions, as I mentioned at the top of this article.
They often bring up the past. They claim that the past was originally in some state, so it should be returned to that state. For example, they may insist that the land originally belonged to them and that they should take it back.
However, it doesn’t make sense. The past state is something that they arbitrarily chose. Originally, all the land on the earth belonged to no one until 10 million years ago, before humanity emerged. It is unreasonable to regard the origin as a temporary state from just a few decades or centuries ago. The same goes for trades and contracts in the past.
Considering it as the cause will confuse us about their motives. Misunderstanding this will lead us to generate more and more perplexing questions. Why have they been keeping quiet until now? Why do they bring it up now? We will be confused, since there is no answer.
The cause that is rooted in their current desires
Instead, we can consider the cause as rooted in their current desires. The past doesn’t matter to them. Since they want the land now, they made an excuse.
The motive is often simple: they want to expand their influence. This is a typical reaction during recessions. When food and abundance decrease, animals, including humans, tend to try to secure more territory. Otherwise, they might die. Fear of hunger creates an irresistible and powerful motivation in people. It is a natural reaction.
To justify their actions, they are just making up excuses that look logical. The past doesn’t matter. Even if the past didn’t exist, they would bring up another excuse.
That shows us their motives clearly. They want more power and influence now, so they stir up tensions. There would be fear at their root.
When we comprehend the situation, we can calm down. Although there are relatively dangerous areas, there are also relatively peaceful places, even during war. Rationality tells us that. Since we are at the beginning of a chaotic era, we need to live anticipating that many unexpected things will happen and that change is inevitable.
Conclusion
That is how we can comprehend the factors behind others’ actions that look unreasonable.
The cause lies in their current wants, not past events.
That may clarify their intentions and calm your mind.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
