There are a lot of people that believe in the boogeyman even if they don’t realize it. They are afraid of things that don’t exist and that won’t hurt them. It may seem harmless at first, but the problem with believing in the boogeyman isn’t whether or not something is real.
It’s something much more sinister.
Boogeymen Everywhere
It doesn’t take long to look around and find conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory. “There is a cabal of powerful, satan worshiping, cannibalistic pedophiles!” “Windmills cause cancer!” “They’re coming to close down our churches!”
It’s really quite a lot to absorb. You would think that since similar conspiracy theories have been going on for a generation or more that the only people who promote them are the same type of people who believe in a flat earth or that the sun revolves around the earth (yes, people believe that too).
Sadly, those views are espoused by a candidate for Congress, the President of the United States, and a prominent evangelical minister. It seems the boogeymen are everywhere.
The problem with believing in the boogeyman isn’t that you look foolish. The problem is much worse.
The Problem with Believing in the Boogeyman
Sure, there are problems to be concerned about – problems that are fact based and scary, like Climate Change. You should inoculate yourself against conspiracy theories by taking the time to understand the data not just to match your bias, but to make sure your position matches the data no matter where it takes you.
Latching on to a concern without doing the due diligence can be disastrous. The problem with believing in the boogeyman isn’t that it makes you look like someone who believes the earth is flat.
The problem is that you end up looking for someone to protect you from the boogeyman. You end up accepting the help of someone you normally wouldn’t interact with because they promise to get rid of the boogeyman. You end up fudging on your ideals just to get protection from the thing you fear.
The problem with believing in the boogeyman is that eventually you end up creating a real life boogeyman by empowering the type of person who would take advantage of someone’s fears.
Give up on Boogeymen
Do you want to live a happy life? Do you want to stay true to your ideals? Give up on boogeymen. Avoid making concessions on your integrity to get protection from things that don’t exist.
Focus on what’s real, what’s known, and what’s true. Focus on positive collaboration and not negative dealmaking.
The problem with believing in the boogeyman is you end up creating one. The value in understanding that truth is you end up enjoying life instead of being afraid of it.
