More Hope and Courage, less FUD

I recently learned a new term: slinging FUD. It’s a common technique used by salespeople who, when faced with an equally good product from a different company, won’t try to get a sale on merit, but will instead rely on sowing fear, uncertainty and doubt (ie FUD) about their competitor to get the sale.  

Now that I know about slinging FUD, I see it everywhere, not only in sales. When I read the news or go on social media, I often feel like I am being sold a narrative of outrage, paid for with my own fixed attention and raised anxiety and anger.   

For example, in the last few months, every time I go online, I am fed a steady diet of world ending doom, from economy destroying tariffs to the impending disaster of global conflicts. Often, little context is provided and simple narratives place blame on entire groups, without considering the wider systems at play. I am left with what feels like an impossible choice: to respond with outrage and fear, which often ends up justifying harsh policies or military interventions, or complete avoidance and apathy.  

In a world of fear, uncertainty and doubt, I want to challenge both those choices. Instead, I am choosing hope and courage, especially when I think about my work leading MCC’s advocacy.  

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t truly terrible things taking place in the world around us. My heart breaks when I witness the senseless deaths and suffering caused by war and the impacts of environmental destruction. However I can still choose to respond with hope that God is working in the world,  instead of responding out of my anxiety and outrage.  

Not only is choosing hope and courage an approach that helps me engage with less anxiety, it is also a strategy that I see modeled after how Jesus engaged. When presented with questions by religious leaders geared towards increasing tensions and trapping Jesus in narratives of fear, Jesus often turned the tables. He would respond with a story to share a truth, or present additional questions rather than being drawn into a cycle of conflict, such as when the Pharisees tried to trap him with questions about taxes in Matthew 22:15-22. Jesus was also blunt in calling out injustice and hypocrisy when presented with FUD and refused to fall into a trap of dehumanization. Instead of using FUD himself, he encouraged love for neighbours and enemies alike. He ate with those who were the most feared in his day, Romans and tax collectors, breaking the hold of FUD altogether.  

So, what are some of the practical ways I am trying to respond with courage and hope this year?  First of all, I am asking about who benefits when fear, uncertainty and doubt are taken as fact. When I feel that anxious gnawing in my stomach after reading the news or spending time on social media, it can be a helpful signal. It prompts me to ask if that anxiety has a basis in fact or is being promoted to generate a reaction that keeps me paralyzed and unsure, or more fearful of my fellow human beings.  

I also want to lift up the people who are working to create positive change, such as MCC partners, and the many of you who demonstrate care for our global neighbours, as a reminder that positive changes emerge when we engage with hope with each other. When I look beyond headlines that tell me the world is on fire, I find people like Rifqua Al-Hamalawi working for peace in Gaza, Linda Little creating community in Winnipeg, and MCC staff in Ukraine who refuse to abandon their communities.  These stories remind me that God is at work everywhere, providing hope and courage through ordinary people like you and me.  

I can also advocate for narratives in public discourse that refuse to sling fear, uncertainty and doubt. I want to point to leaders, who, no matter their political positions or party allegiances encourage nuance, reflection, and careful decision-making based on fact. I can also seek the courage to call out injustice and FUD when I encounter it and encourage something different. This can also mean being cautious about the news and messages that I share, especially when they are designed to create a strong reaction.  

And of course, in the best antidote to FUD that I know, I can always put my phone down, go outside, and get to know my neighbours.  

These are only a few of the ways I want to engage. I’m sure there are more! Let me know,  how do you want to engage with hope and courage this year?