Hidden in Plain Sight – The Filters That Obscure and the Exhaustion That Cripples – Our Response to the Need for Change

We all possess personal filters that shape our perceptions – of ourselves, our work, our relationships, and the wider world. These filters, often unconscious, provide us with a means of coping and adapting, allowing us to tolerate hostile environments or catastrophic events as a form of self-protection, or so we believe. However, when these individual filters become collective, they can give rise to groupthink or, even more damagingly, a general inertia towards injustice. So effectively can these filters operate that the issues they obscure become hidden in plain sight.

The role of inertia

This inertia is reinforced by our shared defence mechanisms, which nudge us to overlook matters that are inconvenient, threatening, or abhorrent, or that seem so far beyond our control that simply contemplating a positive contribution feels exhausting. We tend to avoid standing up for alternatives – a kinder, more rational way of living – because such an approach lacks the immediate acclaim that comes with venting our emotions. Instead, the alternative, quietly persistent path, is rooted in respect for each human’s need, acknowledgement and negotiation.

The consequences of silence and polarisation

It is this very inertia that, in my view, explains why the silence of good people – the so-called “silent majority” – can allow the minority who do harm to prevail and further polarise society. It is considerably easier to shout divisive slogans, to stir up fear and suspicion, than it is to listen deeply, reflect, and try to understand the beliefs of those with whom we strongly disagree. Following a societal, political, economic, or global insult, it is far more taxing to seek common ground and strive for a just, inclusive response for the majority than it is to make demands from the side-lines about our own desires.

Inertia and T Cell exhaustion: a biological analogy

This inertia, present at both individual and societal levels, is reminiscent of the biological phenomenon known as T cell exhaustion. In this state, T cells – key players in our immune defence – become less effective (dysfunctional) after prolonged exposure to hostile antigens and a hostile microenvironment. Similarly, our constant bombardment by global trauma, social media disinformation, hate speech, and polarised political debate encourages the majority to construct filters of inertia and exhaustion. In doing so, we become blind to the potential for communal good, instead defaulting to a state of protection through the very exhaustion we wish to escape. Overcoming this requires a concerted effort to shift perspective.

The challenge of addressing ‘exhaustion’

As coaches we need support those wishing to remove their filters and who choose to consider the possibilities for change. We must not allow our own exhaustion to prevent us facilitating this work or our own filters to define its outcome. We can offer tools – patient listening, negotiation, acknowledgment, respect, forgiveness – and promote clarity and curiosity in our clients. After all, under such relentless bombardment, we collectively become more rigid, less open to debate and dialogue, and more exhausted by the very thought of change.

Starting with what we can influence

Coaching the individual to remove filters one at time begins with inviting a client to exercise their agency. I may not have the power to shape global events, but I can advocate for change with those around me. I can approach opposing views with curiosity and practise kindness on a personal level. I can lead my organisation with purpose, guided by values supported by colleagues and underpinned by compassion. I can choose to do all of this even when exhaustion is urging me to preserve my filters and pursue not to. This, today, is how I define my resilience, and I am grateful for the autonomy to do so.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Often attributed to Edmund Burke and cited by John F Kennedy in 1961, the quote is from John Stuart Mil’s writings: “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”