I get it, Laura...this stuff is heavy. But the goal isn’t to scare you...it’s to make sure you’re seeing the landscape clearly instead of getting blindsided. Fear freezes people; clarity prepares them. If anything...my job is to make you less vulnerable...not more. We face it head-on...and we stay steady.
And just to be clear...and, perhaps...of benefit to others who may be reading these comments...again, my goal isn’t to terrify you. My central tenet when I teach resilience and emotional stability is this: you can only stay steady in a storm if you’re willing to look directly at the storm.
That means I will always give you the blunt truth in a way mainstream media never will. Not because I want you scared...but because real stability comes from clarity...not avoidance.
A lot of people think resilience...means never feeling fear. It doesn’t. That’s actually a prison you build for yourself...plugging your ears...ignoring the ugly parts of reality...pretending they’re not there...and calling it “calm.” It’s not calm. It’s suppressed fear… and it eats away at you.
Real resilience is the opposite. It’s being able to face the raw...sobering facts...and having the tools to stay grounded...clear-headed...and capable of making sound decisions anyway. That’s the authentic version...not denial...not avoidance...but strength built on truth.
And teaching people how to operate from that space...that’s a huge part of my mission in life. If I can help even a handful of people develop that kind of internal steel...then everything I write here...is worth it.
You're one of them...growing with every newsletter you read. How do I know? You are participating in the newsletter you invested in. That communicates a great deal.
I know but it is a very scary time we are living in. I have tried to prepare myself as best as I can but it is still a frightening time for people in the US.
Oh...it is. No doubt. I hope you don't mind me using your comment as a place to do a "Public Service" piece...that will follow..lol. It's the perfect place to do so...and is so important for people to know.
Think about this: Look at the time wasted time on in our schools today. My biggest pet peeve is obsessive standardized test prep.
Months...sometimes YEARS...spent learning how to fill in bubbles.
This trains kids to:
*fear mistakes
*chase the “right” answer
*never take risks
l*ose creativity
School should teach adaptability...not compliance.
Better yet, a focus from K-12 should be resilience and emotional management...to VERY high levels
Let's take a look.
AREAS OF LIFE WHERE PEOPLE FAIL BECAUSE OF LOW EMOTIONAL REGULATION & RESILIENCE:
1. Personal Relationships
People crash their closest bonds...because they can’t manage emotions like anger...fear...jealousy...or insecurity.
2.Parenting
This is a MASSIVE one.
Parents without regulation...raise kids...without regulation.
That ripple can last 100 years.
3. Work & Career
Most career failures are not skill failures...they’re emotional failures. Emotional resilience is a career superpower.
If you can’t regulate emotions...your money will show it. Money problems are usually emotional problems...wearing math costumes.
5. Health & Physical Well-Being
Most chronic health failures trace back to emotional regulation issues.
Health collapses...when emotional management...collapses.
6. Mental Health
Obvious...but underestimated. Emotional resilience is the brake pedal.
Without it...every thought becomes a runaway vehicle.
7. Goal Achievement & Personal Growth
Most goals die not from lack of ability...but from lack of emotional stamina. Discipline is emotional regulation...in disguise.
8. Conflict Resolution
People lose jobs...marriages...friendships...and opportunities because they cannot handle conflict without exploding or retreating. If you can’t regulate conflict...the world will feel like a battlefield
I'll stop here...because I could go on with many other areas where emotional regulation is central to success...or failure in life.
THE PATTERN IS SIMPLE:
People fail when:
*emotions run them
*fear blinds them
*stress overwhelms them
*discomfort shuts them down
*panic overrides reason
*shame keeps them stuck
Emotional regulation and resilience are not “nice extras.”
They are the core operating systems for a healthy life.
What drives me crazy about our school system is that emotional regulation and resilience skills...that determine whether a person thrives or collapses...in every area of life...are treated like optional side quests instead of core curriculum.
We act as if understanding your own mind...managing stress...handling conflict...staying steady under pressure...and navigating real-world emotions are “nice extras” we’ll get to if there’s leftover time after worksheets...test prep...and memorizing facts...kids will forget the moment they close the book.
It blows my mind. This is the skillset that determines the quality of your relationships...your career...your financial stability...your health...your safety...your ability to think clearly...when life punches you in the mouth...and yet it’s barely covered at all.
In reality...emotional regulation and resilience should sit right behind reading and writing as the foundational human competencies. Nothing else comes close.
If you can’t regulate your emotions..it doesn’t matter how smart you are...how educated you are...how “talented” you are...or how many AP classes you took.
Life will eat you alive. And yet in American schools...this is treated as peripheral ...something teachers might address if they get a spare 12 minutes on a Friday afternoon. It’s insane.
This should be at the top of the mountain...not buried at the bottom. Because if we actually taught kids how to stay calm...think clearly...handle adversity...and bounce back from difficulty, we wouldn’t just improve test scores...we’d change the entire trajectory of their lives.
Wheeew...I damn near wrote an entire article...as a reply. ;)
I say all of this...to highlight how critical these skills are for this moment we are facing...and how much I would love to see our educational system stop treating these skills are "fluff."
You’re exactly right, Sue. This is a man who can look at a leveled landscape...and see a real-estate deal instead of human suffering...that alone tells you how dangerous he is in any crisis.
And adding FEMA to the mix matters. It’s been gutted and weakened...under this administration...which means the very agency...meant to respond in disaster...simply isn’t positioned to do its job.
That’s the problem: a president...who sees devastation as leverage…and an emergency system...too hobbled to protect the public. That’s why staying clear-eyed isn’t fear...it’s preparedness.
I’m with Laura and Sue. Scared shitless that some manufactured crisis will prompt him to hit the red button, then WW3. Pray that the Generals say NO. So we get rid of trump that eliminates the nuclear risk. No other magat has the his level of severely damaged persona, thank God.
I hear you, Tom...and that fear is real for a lot of people right now. A manufactured crisis is exactly the kind of scenario where his impulses become the most dangerous. But it’s also true...that the military still has procedures...protocols...and people who understand exactly what’s at stake.
He can’t just bark an order...and bypass the entire system.
And you’re right...no one else in the MAGA orbit has his specific mix of volatility...and grandiosity.
Removing him...removes the nuclear-level risk. Until then...we stay clear-eyed...not paralyzed...because fear won’t stop him...but informed pressure and collective action actually can.
We can't tolerate someone with his narcissistic mind being in power, with the possibility of something like this happening. Jack's analysis needs to get in front of the people who can take the appropriate action to prevent such a human catastrophe from occurring. Before it's too late!
You’re exactly right, Tim.. Someone with his level of narcissism...and impulse control.. should never be anywhere near the kind of power...that can trigger a global catastrophe.
That’s why I’m writing these analyses...because people in positions to act...can’t claim they “didn’t know” what the risks are.
And you’re right...this needs to reach the folks who can actually step in...apply pressure... and put up the guardrails we still have left. The danger is real...and pretending otherwise only helps him.
We don’t have the luxury of waiting. This has to be confronted...before it becomes irreversible.
I love the question, Mary. In my estimation...no. Our nuclear posture is aimed outward... and the entire system is built to prevent anything resembling a domestic “spectacle.” The real risk isn’t him turning it inward... it’s him escalating externally in a crisis...or using threats abroad to create chaos and fear at home.
His danger comes from instability...not strategy. So the threat is global in impact...even if the shockwaves hit us domestically.
I've sent the column on to as many people as I can think of. I fear, however, that there are far too many people who are telling themselves that this will never happen, and there are an equal number of people who don't care about anything that doesn't happen to them personally. But i encourage you to keep writing because those of us who care about what happens to the country need to read your words. Thanks, Jack.
Thank you, Elizabeth...for sending it around...that matters more than people realize.
You’re right...a lot of folks are comforting themselves with “it’ll never happen,” and just as many...only react when the fire is already at their doorstep. That denial is gasoline. Naming it out loud...is the first step to neutralizing it.
I’ll keep writing. In the meantime...here’s how we turn concern into leverage:
Keep sharing; pressure your reps (calls > emails)
Bring one friend into this newsletter each week...
Support local pro-democracy groups...
Write letters to local editors/producers (they still shape community narratives)
And protect your own resilience...clear heads win long fights. You’re not alone...and your effort...is felt. Onward, Elizabeth!
I remember saying in 2015 when he became the Republican nominee "we can't let that man have the nuclear codes!". He had a leash in his first term and now... with the Roberts immunity, that leash is gone.
We don't have internet so, we don't get any of the big news networks, but I can say with certainty that the local news and nightly news (ABC specifically) are definitely NOT taking about any of shit that he and his sycophants are doing. It's shameful. When Biden was in office, they would report if he sneezed and farted at the same time (sarcasm, but not far from the truth).
THIS needs to be on every fucking network, nonstop 24/7. Bottom line... He needs to be stopped now, not later before it's to late for all of us.
Sure enough. A lot of people were shouting in 2015 that this man should never be anywhere near the nuclear codes. And you’re right...in his first term...there were still guardrails...still people willing to push back. With the Roberts immunity ruling...that leash is effectively gone...and everyone feels it.
And you’re also right about the coverage. Local news barely touches any of this...and the national networks tiptoe around it like it’s optional. When Biden was in office...every sneeze made the ticker. Now? Silence. It’s infuriating...and dangerous.
This should be wall-to-wall coverage. It affects every American...every ally...every part of the world we live in. Waiting until “later” isn’t an option. The alarms need to be ringing now...not after the damage is done.
You’re not wrong.
You’re not overreacting.
And you’re definitely not alone in seeing how urgent this is.
It would be nice to know where he would try to kill others. If I am not mistaken our nukes are already aim to hit another country if need be, not hit our own country. He is so pissed at so many other countries and has;f of us her in the USA it would be anybody's guess. Maybe we will be lucky and a massive stroke will hit him before this happens...
I hear you, Teri...and you’re right: our nuclear arsenal is aimed outward...not at American cities...and no president can simply “retarget” it at will.
The real danger...isn’t Trump picking a specific country in advance...it’s his impulse to escalate if he feels cornered, humiliated, or “disrespected.” That’s why experts worry about crisis moments...where he could misread a provocation...or push for options others would normally shut down.
And yes, his anger is scattershot...toward allies...rivals...and even Americans who don’t follow him. That unpredictability is the worst thing you can mix with nuclear authority.
But even now...there are still procedures...layers...and real people in the system who understand the stakes. He’s dangerous...but not omnipotent.
He is moving many of his top admin to military bases to live. Fort McNair, where many are moving to, has a fallout shelter. Something big is being prepped for and I don't think it is angry snap recipients. I am trying to figure out how to build a fallout shelter in my basement!
Jack, thank you for spelling it all out. Yes, we have been aware of much of it for a number of years, but not in the ways you so perfectly give it definition, put it so logically all into one place, and detail it in categorical ways so that there is no doubt about it, ways which can easily be identified by anyone caring to pay attention with all of the detailed attention your complete description deserves.
How do you think the “yes people” are feeling now? Doesn’t the person in the category described realize that there would be nobody left to fear or respect, to retell it in history, and nobody to admire anything? The person who would cause such a situation would also be gone, even if there is or were a shelter, and if there is or were such a shelter, still, who would there be to hold any admiration, to provide for any needs, to care about writing history? Then there never could be the craved number of admirers, never ever.
We have heard it said, “Ignorance is bliss.” However, so many people have not understood what they have bought into and continue to ignore, overlook, or support. How could they support the circumstance? How can they? When will people question enough, analyze enough, understand enough, admit enough, step up enough, care enough? It is hard not to wonder that and more. Or does it matter?
I believe we should keep on keeping on, continue striving to meet personal goals, certainly continue caring for humanity, decency, our faith in whatever individual ways we believe, and our Earth with the life it supports, yet still questions do arise.
Thanks Jack you do have a way of scaring me to death.
I get it, Laura...this stuff is heavy. But the goal isn’t to scare you...it’s to make sure you’re seeing the landscape clearly instead of getting blindsided. Fear freezes people; clarity prepares them. If anything...my job is to make you less vulnerable...not more. We face it head-on...and we stay steady.
And just to be clear...and, perhaps...of benefit to others who may be reading these comments...again, my goal isn’t to terrify you. My central tenet when I teach resilience and emotional stability is this: you can only stay steady in a storm if you’re willing to look directly at the storm.
That means I will always give you the blunt truth in a way mainstream media never will. Not because I want you scared...but because real stability comes from clarity...not avoidance.
A lot of people think resilience...means never feeling fear. It doesn’t. That’s actually a prison you build for yourself...plugging your ears...ignoring the ugly parts of reality...pretending they’re not there...and calling it “calm.” It’s not calm. It’s suppressed fear… and it eats away at you.
Real resilience is the opposite. It’s being able to face the raw...sobering facts...and having the tools to stay grounded...clear-headed...and capable of making sound decisions anyway. That’s the authentic version...not denial...not avoidance...but strength built on truth.
And teaching people how to operate from that space...that’s a huge part of my mission in life. If I can help even a handful of people develop that kind of internal steel...then everything I write here...is worth it.
You're one of them...growing with every newsletter you read. How do I know? You are participating in the newsletter you invested in. That communicates a great deal.
-Jack
I know but it is a very scary time we are living in. I have tried to prepare myself as best as I can but it is still a frightening time for people in the US.
Oh...it is. No doubt. I hope you don't mind me using your comment as a place to do a "Public Service" piece...that will follow..lol. It's the perfect place to do so...and is so important for people to know.
Think about this: Look at the time wasted time on in our schools today. My biggest pet peeve is obsessive standardized test prep.
Months...sometimes YEARS...spent learning how to fill in bubbles.
This trains kids to:
*fear mistakes
*chase the “right” answer
*never take risks
l*ose creativity
School should teach adaptability...not compliance.
Better yet, a focus from K-12 should be resilience and emotional management...to VERY high levels
Let's take a look.
AREAS OF LIFE WHERE PEOPLE FAIL BECAUSE OF LOW EMOTIONAL REGULATION & RESILIENCE:
1. Personal Relationships
People crash their closest bonds...because they can’t manage emotions like anger...fear...jealousy...or insecurity.
2.Parenting
This is a MASSIVE one.
Parents without regulation...raise kids...without regulation.
That ripple can last 100 years.
3. Work & Career
Most career failures are not skill failures...they’re emotional failures. Emotional resilience is a career superpower.
4.Money & Financial Decisions
Money is emotional.
If you can’t regulate emotions...your money will show it. Money problems are usually emotional problems...wearing math costumes.
5. Health & Physical Well-Being
Most chronic health failures trace back to emotional regulation issues.
Health collapses...when emotional management...collapses.
6. Mental Health
Obvious...but underestimated. Emotional resilience is the brake pedal.
Without it...every thought becomes a runaway vehicle.
7. Goal Achievement & Personal Growth
Most goals die not from lack of ability...but from lack of emotional stamina. Discipline is emotional regulation...in disguise.
8. Conflict Resolution
People lose jobs...marriages...friendships...and opportunities because they cannot handle conflict without exploding or retreating. If you can’t regulate conflict...the world will feel like a battlefield
I'll stop here...because I could go on with many other areas where emotional regulation is central to success...or failure in life.
THE PATTERN IS SIMPLE:
People fail when:
*emotions run them
*fear blinds them
*stress overwhelms them
*discomfort shuts them down
*panic overrides reason
*shame keeps them stuck
Emotional regulation and resilience are not “nice extras.”
They are the core operating systems for a healthy life.
What drives me crazy about our school system is that emotional regulation and resilience skills...that determine whether a person thrives or collapses...in every area of life...are treated like optional side quests instead of core curriculum.
We act as if understanding your own mind...managing stress...handling conflict...staying steady under pressure...and navigating real-world emotions are “nice extras” we’ll get to if there’s leftover time after worksheets...test prep...and memorizing facts...kids will forget the moment they close the book.
It blows my mind. This is the skillset that determines the quality of your relationships...your career...your financial stability...your health...your safety...your ability to think clearly...when life punches you in the mouth...and yet it’s barely covered at all.
In reality...emotional regulation and resilience should sit right behind reading and writing as the foundational human competencies. Nothing else comes close.
If you can’t regulate your emotions..it doesn’t matter how smart you are...how educated you are...how “talented” you are...or how many AP classes you took.
Life will eat you alive. And yet in American schools...this is treated as peripheral ...something teachers might address if they get a spare 12 minutes on a Friday afternoon. It’s insane.
This should be at the top of the mountain...not buried at the bottom. Because if we actually taught kids how to stay calm...think clearly...handle adversity...and bounce back from difficulty, we wouldn’t just improve test scores...we’d change the entire trajectory of their lives.
Wheeew...I damn near wrote an entire article...as a reply. ;)
I say all of this...to highlight how critical these skills are for this moment we are facing...and how much I would love to see our educational system stop treating these skills are "fluff."
-Jack
I am with you!
And I...with YOU.
Add in that FEMA is wrecked which leaves no way to respond
This is a man who looks at land reduced to rubble and sees real estate development opportunity instead of a humanitarian crisis.
You’re exactly right, Sue. This is a man who can look at a leveled landscape...and see a real-estate deal instead of human suffering...that alone tells you how dangerous he is in any crisis.
And adding FEMA to the mix matters. It’s been gutted and weakened...under this administration...which means the very agency...meant to respond in disaster...simply isn’t positioned to do its job.
That’s the problem: a president...who sees devastation as leverage…and an emergency system...too hobbled to protect the public. That’s why staying clear-eyed isn’t fear...it’s preparedness.
-Jack
I’m with Laura and Sue. Scared shitless that some manufactured crisis will prompt him to hit the red button, then WW3. Pray that the Generals say NO. So we get rid of trump that eliminates the nuclear risk. No other magat has the his level of severely damaged persona, thank God.
I hear you, Tom...and that fear is real for a lot of people right now. A manufactured crisis is exactly the kind of scenario where his impulses become the most dangerous. But it’s also true...that the military still has procedures...protocols...and people who understand exactly what’s at stake.
He can’t just bark an order...and bypass the entire system.
And you’re right...no one else in the MAGA orbit has his specific mix of volatility...and grandiosity.
Removing him...removes the nuclear-level risk. Until then...we stay clear-eyed...not paralyzed...because fear won’t stop him...but informed pressure and collective action actually can.
-Jack
We can't tolerate someone with his narcissistic mind being in power, with the possibility of something like this happening. Jack's analysis needs to get in front of the people who can take the appropriate action to prevent such a human catastrophe from occurring. Before it's too late!
You’re exactly right, Tim.. Someone with his level of narcissism...and impulse control.. should never be anywhere near the kind of power...that can trigger a global catastrophe.
That’s why I’m writing these analyses...because people in positions to act...can’t claim they “didn’t know” what the risks are.
And you’re right...this needs to reach the folks who can actually step in...apply pressure... and put up the guardrails we still have left. The danger is real...and pretending otherwise only helps him.
We don’t have the luxury of waiting. This has to be confronted...before it becomes irreversible.
-Jack
While scary, we definitely appreciate your in-depth analysis!
Thank you, Tim. And I...definitely appreciate YOU.
-Jack
Is it more likely to be a domestic spectacle than elsewhere?
I love the question, Mary. In my estimation...no. Our nuclear posture is aimed outward... and the entire system is built to prevent anything resembling a domestic “spectacle.” The real risk isn’t him turning it inward... it’s him escalating externally in a crisis...or using threats abroad to create chaos and fear at home.
His danger comes from instability...not strategy. So the threat is global in impact...even if the shockwaves hit us domestically.
-Jack
Thx, Jack, great details, not least of which is the final clause (…even if the shockwaves hit us domestically).
Indeed, Mary.
GREAT QUESTION...
Agreed!
I've sent the column on to as many people as I can think of. I fear, however, that there are far too many people who are telling themselves that this will never happen, and there are an equal number of people who don't care about anything that doesn't happen to them personally. But i encourage you to keep writing because those of us who care about what happens to the country need to read your words. Thanks, Jack.
Thank you, Elizabeth...for sending it around...that matters more than people realize.
You’re right...a lot of folks are comforting themselves with “it’ll never happen,” and just as many...only react when the fire is already at their doorstep. That denial is gasoline. Naming it out loud...is the first step to neutralizing it.
I’ll keep writing. In the meantime...here’s how we turn concern into leverage:
Keep sharing; pressure your reps (calls > emails)
Bring one friend into this newsletter each week...
Support local pro-democracy groups...
Write letters to local editors/producers (they still shape community narratives)
And protect your own resilience...clear heads win long fights. You’re not alone...and your effort...is felt. Onward, Elizabeth!
-Jack
And he wants the Nobel peace prize..?!
Right, JP?!
IN HIS SICK MIND!!!
I remember saying in 2015 when he became the Republican nominee "we can't let that man have the nuclear codes!". He had a leash in his first term and now... with the Roberts immunity, that leash is gone.
We don't have internet so, we don't get any of the big news networks, but I can say with certainty that the local news and nightly news (ABC specifically) are definitely NOT taking about any of shit that he and his sycophants are doing. It's shameful. When Biden was in office, they would report if he sneezed and farted at the same time (sarcasm, but not far from the truth).
THIS needs to be on every fucking network, nonstop 24/7. Bottom line... He needs to be stopped now, not later before it's to late for all of us.
Sure enough. A lot of people were shouting in 2015 that this man should never be anywhere near the nuclear codes. And you’re right...in his first term...there were still guardrails...still people willing to push back. With the Roberts immunity ruling...that leash is effectively gone...and everyone feels it.
And you’re also right about the coverage. Local news barely touches any of this...and the national networks tiptoe around it like it’s optional. When Biden was in office...every sneeze made the ticker. Now? Silence. It’s infuriating...and dangerous.
This should be wall-to-wall coverage. It affects every American...every ally...every part of the world we live in. Waiting until “later” isn’t an option. The alarms need to be ringing now...not after the damage is done.
You’re not wrong.
You’re not overreacting.
And you’re definitely not alone in seeing how urgent this is.
-Jack
I mean... Even his own mother said that he should never run for president. A warning that fell on deaf ears.
It would be nice to know where he would try to kill others. If I am not mistaken our nukes are already aim to hit another country if need be, not hit our own country. He is so pissed at so many other countries and has;f of us her in the USA it would be anybody's guess. Maybe we will be lucky and a massive stroke will hit him before this happens...
I hear you, Teri...and you’re right: our nuclear arsenal is aimed outward...not at American cities...and no president can simply “retarget” it at will.
The real danger...isn’t Trump picking a specific country in advance...it’s his impulse to escalate if he feels cornered, humiliated, or “disrespected.” That’s why experts worry about crisis moments...where he could misread a provocation...or push for options others would normally shut down.
And yes, his anger is scattershot...toward allies...rivals...and even Americans who don’t follow him. That unpredictability is the worst thing you can mix with nuclear authority.
But even now...there are still procedures...layers...and real people in the system who understand the stakes. He’s dangerous...but not omnipotent.
We stay informed...not panicked.
We see the threat clearly...without freezing.
And we remember...the story isn’t written.
You’re not alone in this.
-Jack
He is moving many of his top admin to military bases to live. Fort McNair, where many are moving to, has a fallout shelter. Something big is being prepped for and I don't think it is angry snap recipients. I am trying to figure out how to build a fallout shelter in my basement!
Jack, thank you for spelling it all out. Yes, we have been aware of much of it for a number of years, but not in the ways you so perfectly give it definition, put it so logically all into one place, and detail it in categorical ways so that there is no doubt about it, ways which can easily be identified by anyone caring to pay attention with all of the detailed attention your complete description deserves.
How do you think the “yes people” are feeling now? Doesn’t the person in the category described realize that there would be nobody left to fear or respect, to retell it in history, and nobody to admire anything? The person who would cause such a situation would also be gone, even if there is or were a shelter, and if there is or were such a shelter, still, who would there be to hold any admiration, to provide for any needs, to care about writing history? Then there never could be the craved number of admirers, never ever.
We have heard it said, “Ignorance is bliss.” However, so many people have not understood what they have bought into and continue to ignore, overlook, or support. How could they support the circumstance? How can they? When will people question enough, analyze enough, understand enough, admit enough, step up enough, care enough? It is hard not to wonder that and more. Or does it matter?
I believe we should keep on keeping on, continue striving to meet personal goals, certainly continue caring for humanity, decency, our faith in whatever individual ways we believe, and our Earth with the life it supports, yet still questions do arise.