Is confusion the new normal? (Opinion)

Between politics and the pandemic, some people don’t know how to process to everything that is going on in the world, Jim Gearhart suggests in the latest weekly Jim Gearhart podcast and Facebook Live show, presented every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Facebook.com/NJ1015.

“Being confused is basic in psychology. The human mechanism demands some kind of certainty. This is why you have, for example, traffic lights and some expectation of what’s going to happen," Jim says.

From a young age children start to develop their expectation for how life will proceed which stays with them for most of their lives, according to Jim.

Jim thinks the daily uncertainty of recent life will cause an increase in the number of people who seek therapy in order to cope with events that go against how the brain is wired. Among them, the changing executive orders from Gov. Phil Murphy aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus.

“In New Jersey, if someone put a gun to my head and asked what are the restrictions today, I wouldn’t know,” Jim says.

Co-host Bob Williams pointed out recent changes to the state's indoor and outdoor gathering limits and Murphy's recommendation that people not to travel out of state except for work or medical purposes.

Jim said the country seems to be between two diametrically opposed systems: one is the country as older people knew it and a new system in which “Big Brother” tells you what to do, which Jim believes is acceptable to young people.

“There’s nothing anyone is doing wrong. If you’re confused, don’t feel bad,” Jim says.

The Jim Gearhart Show podcast is available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can also subscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhones, Android devices.

The Jim Gearhart show is LIVE on Facebook every Thursday at 10:30 a.m., at Facebook.com/NJ1015. Got an idea for an upcoming installment of Jim's show? Meet Jim at Facebook.com/NJ1015 to suggest it in the comments, or email Jim@nj1015.com.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Jim Gearhart. Any opinions expressed are Jim's own.