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Writer's pictureYolanda Webb

Rising Above the Noise...

Smart Talk...Conversations That Matter


I disembarked from the plane into a bustling airport terminal. I decided to take my time since I was home and needed to call an Uber. I strolled through the airport, visiting some of my favorite shops and enjoying a meal at one of my favorite spots in the airport.


As I boarded the train to the terminal, I heard our mayor's voice welcoming visitors and residents alike to our beautiful city.


While waiting for my Uber, my phone rang. It was my daughter's voice, urging, "Mom, don't panic." A series of family medical emergencies had plunged our world into chaos.


Above the din of airplanes, a group of teenagers on fall break awaiting their Uber, alongside a couple who had missed their connecting flight and were now also waiting for an Uber, unable to fly out until the next day, I stood contemplating the noise.


Noise. Amidst our personal crisis, I sought an inner sanctuary to quell the impending chaos.


In the days following my daughter's call, I contemplated how to transcend the clamor, especially the relentless election noise—daily texts, emails, and voicemails urging me to donate and vote. We must find a way to rise above it.


In pondering how to elevate above the din, I discovered a tranquility I hadn't realized I possessed. It's the kind of peace that stems from extraordinary strength, revealing that what we desire lies just beyond fear.


A colleague from another state phoned me, upset after being racially insulted. "This is freaking 2024," she exclaimed. I advised her as I would myself: "That's just noise." It's a distraction, the sort that derails you from your center, your peace, and your purpose.


An hour later, she had calmed down and half-jokingly remarked, "that's why people call you the People's Whisperer."


Every day, I receive calls or messages from people curious about my constant calmness. They seek guidance on aligning their lives with such tranquility, even during crises.


Believe it or not, we are shaped by the noise around us. We attract it. The sounds we hear and the thoughts we entertain all contribute to the noise that distracts us from peace.


I often discuss attention bias, and the initial step to transcend the noise is awareness of our thoughts, our auditory environment, and the voices we heed.


The subsequent step is to assess the internal impact. Are you experiencing headaches? Stomachaches? The term "disease" should remind us of the mind-body connection and that our discomfort, our lack of ease, is often the root of our external turmoil.


Furthermore, it's crucial to be in the company of positive individuals. I've distanced myself from those who contribute to the chaos in my life—complainers, whiners, the perpetually dissatisfied, and those who judge and criticize. Instead, I've chosen to be around a community that shares my vision of a harmonious world for everyone.


Regarding our family's medical emergency, we navigated through it with prayer, and remarkably, no one succumbed to panic, including the patient.


Ultimately, rising above the noise, both internally and externally, is a deliberate choice we all have the power to make.

 

The WEBB Advisory Group


The WEBB Center for Social Impact was created and shaped by over 50 years of lived experience as a Black woman in America.


Focusing on domestic policy specifically, our institute provides a global worldview perspective for black and brown women from the diaspora living in America today.  

Using research data, lived experiences, and stories of impact, policymakers and leaders can understand the social impacts various policies have on black and brown children and women, today and tomorrow.  

In response to various incidents in our country's recent history, history mustn't repeat itself.  Therefore, the WEBB Center For Social Impact strives to provide voter information, information on issues for policymakers, information for community activists, and information for anyone who seeks to understand the social impacts of public policy on individuals and communities.

 

Attention Bias

What is attention bias? Attention bias is our tendency to prioritize certain types of stimuli/information over others. At any given moment, an individual's senses can perceive countless stimuli in our immediate surroundings. Threat-related attention bias refers to the tendency to prioritize the processing of threats over benign or neutral stimuli. Is it no wonder we have biases related to race, ethnicity, disability, and more?


Each of us individually generates more information than ever before in human history. We take in almost 90,000 pieces of information daily, yet our brains can only filter in about 10 percent of that information. The rest, well is stored in our subconscious minds and often when we perceive a threat we act upon it.


How do you perceive the world around you and how can you understand your attention bias?


 

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WEBB Advisory Group

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"Inspired (In Spirit), we live and move and have our being."

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Prayer for the Week

Dear God,

Sometimes life get really noisy with all the news, emails, messages, and other peoples opinins. Our minds can feel like we are are overload. The world seems to be growing louder and louder. Help us to focus and to not get distracted by the things that don't matter. We long for moments of peace. Thank you for teching us that if we go inside of ourselves and focus on what you have taught us about the peace that passes understanding we will find comfort for our overwhelmed souls. Amen.

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