Surrounded by Chaos? Maybe It’s Time to Mug Up

The first few months of the Trump Administration went as promised: a firehose of executive orders that were designed to instill fear and raised concerns about whether those in charge know what they are doing.

There have been outrageous statements, performances by administration officials and cabinet members creating content for social media, mass firings, agency takeovers, and threats to institutions. The effect has been destabilizing, which appears to have been the intent.

While many law firms, media outlets, organizations, and academic institutions capitulated, we have seen others stand up to the drama, file suit, and band together over the past few weeks. It remains to be seen whether poll numbers, stock market returns, or the pushback from voters are tipping the courage scales in the right direction or if institutions realize they can hang together to hang apart.

In attempting to stem the tide of the rising panic in the first few weeks of the administration, I started pointing people to comments online that resonated. Mark Joseph Stern, who covers the courts, pointed out early on that the executive orders were "poor slipshod work obviously assisted by AI. Typos and formatting errors get repeated across EOs, revealing extensive use of copy-paste."

Maya May spoke about the Four Ds when asked how we fight this, which provided a nice primer and reminder that there are counters for all that we are being served. If, as she wrote, disinformation, divisiveness, distraction, and disengagement are the issues at hand, then the antidotes she presented—amplifying accurate information, building community, staying focused, and staying in the fight—are worth noting. 

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Therapist Jeff Guenther provided some insights about The Sphere of Concern vs. The Sphere of Influence—helpful ways to manage the chaos that seems rampant.

I came across one post on social media from January that is worth sharing with anyone feeling overwhelmed. It read,

"A friend who's a former British military officer told me that when he was training soldiers in jungle warfare they were taught that if they got lost in the jungle, the first thing they should do was to brew a cup of tea and think about what to do next."

The post is an interesting note about the British, tea, and military training, but it’s the comments that made it resonate. People from multiple backgrounds responded with similar strategies related to their occupations or experiences.

Those with knowledge of pilot training posted that "if something goes wrong when flying the plane, wind the clock." Also, "The saying 'Nothing good happens quickly in flying' is true. I was taught that if it is overwhelming . . . to take 2 seconds to synchronize your wrist watch with the cockpit clock." 

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One commenter posted that "EMTs are taught to 'blow out the candle' which literally means: Stop, take a breath in, blow it out as if blowing out a candle. Forced you to stop, breathe and then think."

Another commenter who was in the military wrote that when he was a "young Platoon Commander we called it taking a 'Condor moment' after a set of adverts for a brand of cigars where the protagonist calmly smokes one as the world falls apart around him."

One commenter wrote, "I deal with crisis response and say the same thing; first thing, put the kettle on. Thought I was being original." Another wrote, "Good for coding too! The combination of caffeine and L-theanine creates a state of 'mindful awareness,’ where you feel both calm and focused . . . and the ritual gives you time to think."

The comments also highlighted ways in which this same philosophy manifested beyond a British soldier making tea in the jungle and added perspectives that are transferable to today. One broke it down algorithmically:

"Smart. Give the soldier a task to complete; an order to give himself. He boils water, sterilizes it, brews tea (something he's competent at) showing task selection → task completion. Accomplishing something in a chaotic situation (being lost) calms the mind and centers thinking into routines. This allows the soldier to lean on his training to recall the next appropriate task selection."

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Another commenter wrote, "I think this is brilliant. Forcing some slow thinking time to soak ideas into your neocortex is a fantastic way to solve a problem." Someone offered, "Don't panic. Think instead,” and another wrote, "In survival situations, clarity of thought is the most critical asset." 

It was an image that resonated with me, however. Someone posted a photo from what looked like a British Army vehicle taken in North Africa in 1942. Painted on the side of the truck was the phrase “Brew Up,” and the soldier in the photo was doing exactly that.

“Brew up” reminded me of a phrase from the Cape Ann area of Massachusetts, where I used to work. When it was time to regroup, take a break, and get some perspective, we said it was time to “mug up.” We'd stop, walk to the local coffee shop, grab a coffee or tea, and head back to the office. That time to create some space, see other coworkers, ask colleagues for their perspectives, or maybe just get away was the break we needed to keep going.

As we face efforts to fearmonger, unsettle us, and create chaos, remember to “mug up” because, as another commenter from the tea in the jungle post wrote, "Even in chaos, finding calm can lead to clarity."

BY KATHLEEN MCEVOY

Kathleen McEvoy is a communications expert who has worked with libraries and content/technology providers for more than twenty years. Kathleen has created strategies to address legislation in multiple US states and has met directly with state executives and legislators about book banning, criminalization, and data security. Kathleen is a senior policy fellow at The EveryLibrary Institute, a board member at EveryLibrary, and is on the executive board of the American Library Association’s United for Libraries division. She is the editor of the Seeing the Whole Board Column in Against the Grain and has keynoted on the legislative and policy issues impacting libraries and academia.

You can connect with Kathleen on Substack and Bluesky.

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