We the American public are being manipulated by foreign actors and some of our own politicians to divide us. We know that the Russians, Iranians, and the Chinese are injecting narratives into our feeds with the explicit intention to push us further into opposite corners.

For those on the right, these actors are stoking anxiety with lies. They are painting us on the left as radical militant socialists who will take away freedoms. For Democrats, they seek to shape our view of those on the right as insane, immoral, and beyond redemption.

Their aim is to remove from both sides all empathy and compassion so that it becomes much easier for us to see each other as enemies. From there, it's not too far a reach to imagine yourself physically attacking someone who you've been convinced is your enemy. They're also sowing distrust of our institutions. This is the playbook for how a country becomes destabilized and goes to war with itself.

We're living through an age of tech-accelerated misinformation, misdirection, and manipulation. Our social media platforms are driven by continuously self-tuning algorithms powered by profit motives that drive individualized "engagement." The best way it does that is by presenting content that draws out strong emotion – and the most engaging emotion it has found is *anger*. It uses the reward centers of the brain to keep us hooked. In large, we are latching on to content that confirms our biases and politics and the effect of this is a gradual dehumanization of those with whom we disagree.

Foreign actors are leveraging these tools to wage war and we're not really talking about it.

Before you completely write off those who don't agree with you, before you decide to cut folks out of your life, and before you decide that those who voted for the other candidate are monsters who need a good lashing - know that there are aggressors who *want* you to do that and have the means to manipulate your mind and your behavior so that you are more willing to do that. And know that the tools to help them do that are only getting exponentially better as each day passes.

What I'm seeing happen in our country is alarming and it goes much deeper than who people voted for.

Two recent documentaries that are influencing my views and I would highly recommend:

The Perfect Weapon - This is about cyberattacks that governments (including our own) are waging around the world to manipulate people, take down infrastructure, and destabilize nations.

https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/the-perfect-weapon

The Social Dilemma - This is about how social media has gotten out of control from even the people who created them, how the revenue model drives undesirable behavior in algorithms, and how bad actors are using this for their own nefarious purposes.

https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224

I welcome a respectful discussion on this post and I am also more than willing to talk over the phone/zoom to explore these ideas further.

"Democracy doesn't work without empathy. If we can't see each other as neighbors rather than adversaries, we're in trouble."

In all of this uncertainty while all of the votes are being counted and with how close the results are, I find myself waffling erratically this morning between despair and hope. My way of coping with stress like this is usually to try to wrangle together some sort of perspective to help keep me moving forward.

Personally, it's critical for me to remember the humanity of all people regardless of their views or their votes. I try to believe that most people make choices that they think are best for themselves and their families. They want a good life and will do what they think will give them that life. I can't look at this morning's 50/50 split and immediately jump to and dwell on "half the country hates me." That perspective is unsurmountable.

I think about the role of shame and ridicule and what it has wrought over the last 4 years. I think about friendships and families that have cracked and split over that same time. I'm reflecting on an ever-widening gap between us and those "on the other side." I have to prepare myself for any outcome. I have to decide how I react to these events I have no control over. I have to determine the person I want to be every step of the way.

I've always sought peace in my life – to be one who unites. I try to see the good in people and the love they are capable of. In a Trump re-election, I'll still strive to be that person. In a Biden administration, I'll also need to work for my values.

These are my own personal reflections–a self-imposed narrative that I'm choosing to help me cope with an uncertain future. Everyone has their own way of dealing and I guess what I hope for anyone reading this is that you allow yourself the space to decide for yourself how you want to *be* in this moment and the even more difficult moments that are bound to follow. Don't let the frenzy of the media or your feeds dictate your outlook. Allow yourself control of your mind, your perspective, and your actions, and let that be your freedom.