I wish I could plunk Dr. Jamil Zaki on everyone’s shoulder so he could whisper in their ear, “Most people are good.  Most people are trustworthy.  Most people want peace.”  Why?  Because he has scientific evidence that says those things are true.  Zaki is a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab.  His mission is to ‘build empathy in a fractured world,’ and he’s doing a great job of it.

Recently, I heard him speak about the negative impact of cynicism on both our psyches and physical health.  He said that negative thinking not only crushes your soul, it wreaks havoc on your body.  His new book, “Hope for Cynics,” should be a must-read for anyone running for office as well as anyone voting.  Why?  Because we doom-scrolling sheep have followed each other over the cliff of ignorance long enough.  We haven’t a clue what others really think but we’re great at making erroneous assumptions and then acting on them. 

We all know that anyone hell-bent on spreading negativity is going to garner more attention than a babbling brook.  Why?  Because drama stimulates our amygdala.  It revs us up but to what end?  More drama.  Right now, millions of people are spreading outright lies that have been fed to them by outright liars.  Repeating and retweeting this pathological hysteria only grows the hysterical audience. 

I haven’t watched a single, political ad.  I don’t want someone paid to influence me influencing me with their hyped-up sensationalism.  I can assess the candidates and draw my own conclusions.  If you can’t look both in the eye and distinguish between who cares about America and who cares only about themselves, I really am sorry. 

So, ask yourself these questions:

1.         Do you believe that most people want peace?

2.        Do you believe that most people are trustworthy? 

If you answered, “No,” to either question, you’re likely a cynic.  Not me.  I’m with Zaki.  So, I’m not going to hyperventilate over Tuesday’s election outcome because I believe there are more peace-lovers than warmongers.  If I’m wrong, then maybe America should go into the wool business.  Hemingway famously said, “The best way to see if you can trust someone is to trust them.”  So, as we countdown to Election Day, I’m counting on the fact that I can count on you! 

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