There are people who thrive on creating chaos. I know of one person who will reschedule getting together to the point where now I probably will only meet that person by chance. Another person recently decided to create a “crisis of convenience” in which an event that didn’t happen was declared to have happened by this person. That resulting chaos, created by a fiction, ended our friendship.
We face chaos on the global stage. The recent tariff wars are all about chaos in my opinion. Elon Musk, whether you like him or not, is an unelected civilian of a large company that has taken over branches of government meant to be run by Congress--a constitutional crisis. The fact that six college students are hacking away at personal and government information is the stuff of Ferris Beuhler, were it not so chaotically serious.
Chaos is really about controlling.
The person who exercises chaos does so out of an understanding that such actions cause some sort of response. That response, whatever it is, is the reward in and of itself. There are naturally occurring acts of chaos. A tornado wreaking havoc on a Midwestern town is chaos that is called “an act of God.” The wildfires in California, could be such an act, or we may find out that some of them were indeed acts of deliberate chaos.
Those who practice deliberate chaos enjoy the idea of destruction. This destruction can be based on the belief that to destroy guarantees that something better will result. But usually, the implementation of chaos is to destroy completely without thought of the future. In the case of the on-hold trade war, there is now a sense of anger, distrust and fear among everyone involved. It is no wonder that the stock markets, in which most of our money is invested for our future, are tumbling. The markets are geared to react to chaos and when facing it, usually retract. Whether something better will result is highly unlikely.
What makes some people enjoy chaos is that there is a sense of excitement around it. Take the example of a kid with a stick poking it into an ant hill. The resulting swarm of ants, scurrying around and trying to protect their community is a scene of excitement. This is the perfect example of chaos. It is an act of superiority over another.
Mindful chaos is immoral and dangerous.
It is used by our adversaries to help sway and destroy our elections. Terrorists use a bomb to scare people from one area to a bigger, more destructive bomb. If one considers God being all serenity, order, peace and love, then it is no stretch of the imagination to underscore that people who practice deliberate chaos are actually going against God. Those who cheer on such behavior also are going against God. It is as simple as that.
What makes matters worse is that there is no good way to deal with chaos, except to excise what is making chaos happen. In the case of trade, it should not be surprising that some people will now become more protectionist. Why invite trade if it cannot be counted on? In the case of people who sow chaos, most of us avoid them. When they cannot be avoided, ultimately it comes down to confrontation. Because mindful, deliberate chaos is an unnatural act. There is no return to peace without rectifying the cause. The first step in fighting chaos in our lives is to accept that chaos occurs naturally and unnaturally. We all unknowingly create some sort of chaos. Usually, this chaos results in growth of some sort.
Sadly, the people who mindfully practice deliberate chaos are whirlwinds of wounds. They do not function properly in this world and therefore are dangerous to everyone they encounter. Such agents of chaos historically have been removed, either through isolation, incarceration or revolution. When it comes to people we know, we need to avoid such people at all costs. Chaos cannot exist in a vacuum and ultimately such people burn themselves out. It is the first step in fighting the larger threats of those who practice deliberate chaos. The destruction that deliberate chaos brings cannot be underestimated. It is a danger that, left unchecked, will destroy everything. It takes people of great moral courage to stand up to such chaos. May we all have the courage.
READ MARTIN'S OTHER BLOG HERE.
PS... My supporters are the ones who allow me to create and bring joy to the world. They are the people who contribute each week on this site. I hope you think of these wonderful people as you read these blogs. And I deeply hope you will join in helping me continue this creative adventure. Thank you!