Most people are just doing good… not great, not terrible… but perfectly fine.
This is just a fact. Most issues that are debated on are usually “made hot” by people on the far ends. The 2% on the far ends… they tend to influence the next 8% on either end that aren’t completely on either end, but more so than normal… then there’s the 80%… they are just there… usually minding their own business, just enjoying their own life.
To give you an idea: The population of the US is 325,700,000ish – so 2% of that is 6,514,000
So for any “hot topic” we can have 6.5 million people participating in the conversation on EITHER side (so 13,000,000) and still only be representing a total of 4% of the population
Next time you see a poll saying “the poll shows that 80% of people are in favor of _______” read the fine print where it says “100,000 people polled”
100,000 people out of 325,700,000 total… so I am going to base my decision of 80% of .00001%
Now, of course the numbers are made up, but you get the idea!
Think about it.
The Gun Debate: the loudest voices are on either end. The majority of people in the US don’t give a shit either way. The vast majority doesn’t participate in the random polls you see. They don’t petition or assemble for or against the issue. They have their own shit to worry about.
Self Defense Gyms/Instructors: The vast majority of self defense gyms and instructors aren’t the ones you see online with videos. They aren’t the ones claiming they are the best. Most of them are just passionate about teaching. They might not be great instructors, but they also aren’t terrible ones… they are just good. Which is perfectly fine. They want to teach students, live a healthy life, have some fun. etc…. Who cares?
CrossFit: The videos you see of “gym fails” are such a small percentage of what actually goes on. The vast majority are just men and women trying to get in shape, meet some new people, blow off some steam, etc… They aren’t the top level athletes you see on TV and they aren’t the “fool” used in the bad videos. They are just people sweating and enjoying an hour with like minded people.
We could pretty much apply this principle to a lot of things in life. Not all things of course, but plenty of them.
The problem is the squeaky wheel always gets the grease.
The vast majority of people just don’t give a shit about the majority of “hot issues” we waste our time with.
Are their some “big issues” that we should all keep our pulse on? Absolutely. Should be generally be informed on issues? Damn straight.
But remember, before we affect change or dive into the big issues nationally or globally, take a look around you. There’s probably way more important things to take care of in your family, your direct circle of influence, and your community.
You would be surprised how much more progress we can make in life if we actually took a second to focus on our own shit hah
Before you go around assuming everyone and everything is under attack or that everyone and everything is attacking you (mainly because news and social media make it seem that way) don’t forget, the majority aren’t.
Is it good or bad? Depends. But it’s true.
Your bubble is small.
Focus there first.
Stop getting pissy about things that don’t really matter.
Be good, train hard, stay safe
-aaron
Aaron Jannetti 