The Real Tancredo Solutions: Emotional Intelligence

Tom Tancredo  gets a lot of ink for the radical things he says.  You have  heard of the Republican 2008 presidential hopeful from Colorado for his stance on immigration. His My Space profile lists  "The complete wall between the United States and Mexico." in response to the question Who I'd like to meet.

Tom's YouTube Video Commercial makes his immigration position clear. He made the news this week for threatening  preemptive strikes on holy sites in Mecca and Medina to deter terrorist attacks. You can read some of the details and commentary in Tom Tancredo's final solution. - By Timothy Noah - Slate Magazine

I have never met Tom Tancredo. I believe that he has noble values and truly wants to serve. I'm sure Tom Tancredo is intrinsically good and not "evil" or "absolutely crazy" as some journalists, bloggers and government officials are saying, but he does demonstrate the fearful, emotionally hijacked state that is a barrier to creating peace. And, he promotes that fearful state in others.

Emotional hijack, a term coined by Daniel Goleman, author of several books on Emotional Intelligence, is the body/mind's reaction to perceived threat in which the the "fight or flight" mechanism is mobilized. When "hijacked" we are incapable of rational thought as emotions rule. You have had the experience when someone has "pushed your buttons," and your body readies for defense or attack. It is a good thing to have this capacity when your life is truly at risk and a problem when you misperceive a situation and you impulsively react instead of creatively respond.

To some degree we have been in a national state of "emotional hijack" since 9-11. I remember being in a meeting when the NYC attack was reported and hearing people react with, "Let's go over there and bomb those SOB's back to the stone age." (Rather like Tancredo's threat)

That fearful attack response has been capitalized on by some who used it to advance their agendas. Each time somebody played the 9-11 card again, the message re-stimulated the already hyperactive amygdalas', (part of the emotional brain thought to be the trigger for fight or flight) of a nation. Some more than others.

In fight or flight we are not in our most creative and resourceful state. We are not in the present but caught in the past and instead of unlimited possibilities we see only two. That makes solving important issues like immigration impossible.

There are many views on immigration. My own are that integration is desirable and ultimately inevitable. We humans are joined and have the same interests and needs. I think rather than spending money on walls we should spend it on joint development of resources and economies. I think that instead of teaching fear and separation we should be teaching love and unity. I believe that promoting fear constantly keeps us in a limited state and causes us to misdirect our personal and collective resources. I will also admit that I am a pacifist and believe that violence is never a solution.

You have your own thoughts and beliefs and so do the rest. I trust that if we are sane, not emotionally hijacked but present, and committed to peace and abundance for all that we will come to the best choices. There are many fine minds with ideas for solutions.

Let's change this: Stop coming from fear and start coming from love - the condition of oneness and trust that makes anything possible. Let's do this now for us and our world and for our children and their children. Have compassion for the Tancredos but don't join their fear. Stop threatening anyone and everyone. Start listening and understanding and validating others' needs and concerns. Start looking for ways to solve the problems together. Acknowledge your fear but listen to your heart. Joseph Liberti

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