Is America safe?

Before I was trained as a coach, I had never heard of koans.

A koan is a Zen Buddhist term for a riddle that has no answer.

They are designed to disrupt our logical path of thinking, so we get out of our own way (or become more enlightened).

The most well-known is probably, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”

I can almost feel my brain shift out of the well-worn paths it usually follows to try to imagine the unimaginable.

Koans are designed to create new neural pathways in our brains.

So, while not exactly a koan, I like to ask myself a question that is koan inspired:

What if the opposite is true?

For example, my daughter is getting ready to head out on a month-long road trip across America by herself. With a very old car. And a phone that only works intermittently.

In the background my brain is telling me that the world is a dangerous place. And that message is getting louder and crankier as her departure nears.

But what if the opposite is true?
What if the world is a safe place?

What?!?

What if just going on this trip gives her new tools to take care of herself?

I think I can come up with good evidence that the world is a safe place. And if nothing else, questioning it has disrupted my doomsday brain whisper.

Try it out on something that is bothering you. The more ridiculous the opposite seems, the better. That means it’s working.