Tether World

One of the strangest phrases to grace modern language is, “I’m keeping it real”. It’s on par with “Tell the whole truth” (as if there is any 5/8 truth) or the preface “I’m not going to lie to you…”. Life needs no help with real because it is what it is when it is wherever it is. To the point, I was part of a training recently that reminded of a motivational problem that faces students and it turns out that the problem has a universal application to people of all ages.

The term used by a man named Richard Lavoie is Learned Helplessness and it refers to, as I understand it, developing an attitude that “I can’t because I never could”. Apparently, there are reinforcements in our respective worlds which convince us that given the right situation we are absolutely helpless. So consider the majority of kids ages 6-18 and their involvement in extracurricular activities. Keepin’ it real isn’t hard as I’ve listened to what kids say:

I can’t ____study______because I’ve never been able to concentrate.
I can’t run for school office because I’ve never been able to be popular_.
I can’t shoot a basketball because I’ve never been able to make a basketball team.
I can’t learn difficult subjects because I’ve never been able to get help from teachers.

So the list is infinite and of course I personalize everything so I wondered how I learned to be helpless. Why can’t I cook like my wife? Why can’t I be on time to every single meeting I’m scheduled to attend? Why can’t I serve populations worldwide despite my own failures? Where did I learn to think that I couldn’t when that’s not keepin’ it real. I mean, it is my reality that I think I can’t but the limitation itself is a false tether. I can move, you can move and yet we can’t because we were taught, programmed, stained by an inordinate rationale of allowing perception to change what’s real. I reckon it’s the same venomous indoctrination that keeps America stratified into classes based on the dollar bill y’all. Keep it real. Unlearn helplessness. Thanks Richard Lavoie.