Sitting on a rocker on the front porch of my older brother's house in Michigan, smoking a cigar, watching his dogs play (the size of which might cause you to confuse them with small horses) as the summer sun set over the tall pines, I was struck by something.
He has trained his dogs (as many folks have) to stay within bounds of the property using an invisible fence. This is a device that includes a collar for each dog and, when a dog strays past the invisible fence line, it is given a shock of electricity -- the purpose of which is to keep the dogs from running off, doing what they might want or to keep them out of trouble on the street. It is a control device so you can let them seem to roam free but really not allow it.
The interesting thing about these invisible fences for dogs is that, at some point, the dog has been so conditioned by the shock that you can actually take the collar off the dog and it won't ever venture past that imaginary fence line even though a shock isn't coming its way. It has now been drilled into the dog's very being that crossing that line will receive some punishment whether it is true in reality or not anymore.
So many of us have these invisible fences in our heads, trained in the past at some point (as far back as childhood, for some) through negative experiences, messages or even trauma. At the time, we might have developed them as a real protection from a fear or troubled situation, but so many of us now have the collars off and are free to roam in different ways. However, because this "training" earlier runs deep, we still believe it exists. We still believe we will be shocked if we do something that ventures past the invisible fence line.
Most of the fears and inabilities we bring to relationships come from some past shock or trauma and it hampers us in our desire to have a free and healthy interaction. We think if we love someone else we will get hurt or lose them, so we pull back and stay in an old pattern. Or we think the professional chance we might take to do something we love is bound for disaster or failure, so we keep doing what we always have done even though it is without much joy or fulfillment.
We repeat the pattern of past decisions and relationships because we are hampered by these invisible fences that we think are true, and we don't realize the collar fell off long ago (if it ever really existed, for some of us we were told things about the world and this became a verbal collar). It is only after we realize the myth of many of these control rules that we begin to venture out in new ways or try new dynamics in our interactions with others. And for each step when we are not "shocked" we realize what we have been missing and reestablish our own sense of freedom. Most people who operate as victims in their lives bear with great weight a collar which is attached to an invisible fence in their head.
The same is true for our politics and the interactions of many of our leaders within this country and around the globe. Many politicians won't venture to solve problems and compromise because they have bought into the myth of being shocked in elections. As one looks at the results in the past few years, the folks who have lost didn't lose because of bipartisanship, but because they became disconnected from their constituents. They lost not because they tried, but because they took voters for granted.
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Invisible Fences of Our Lives and Politics
- 'Tacky': Texas city blocks off access to part of its famous river - MySA - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Kings Roundtable: Does Sacramento need to swing for the fences? - Sactown Sports - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Alabama to swing for the fences to keep the 'good vibes rolling' as five-star prospect makes critical visit - A to Z Sports - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Is virtual fencing the future - Hay and Forage Grower Magazine - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Finland completes first 35 km of fence on Russian border - Reuters - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Fence, originally thought to be stolen from nonprofit, removed by the city - WHEC.com - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Neighbors Come Up With Adorable Solution to Pet Corgi Over The Fence - Newsweek - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- 5 best climbers to plant in May: fill fences and walls in weeks - Homes and Gardens - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Picking buffaloberries and electric fences: how wildlife is being managed ahead of G7 - The Globe and Mail - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Thieves cut through fencing in 'high value theft' at York car dealership - Yahoo News UK - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Picking buffaloberries and electric fences: how wildlife is being managed ahead of G7 - The Spec - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Picking buffaloberries and electric fences: how wildlife is being managed ahead of G7 - MSN - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- AgLife: Virtual fencing regulations closer - The Weekly Advertiser - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- I was fed up of neighbours looking through my fence - a 18 B&M buy gave me instant privacy & it looks so good - The Sun - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Advanced Fences: Elevating Security and Style with the Launch of Custom Driveway Gates and Iron Fencing - GlobeNewswire - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Female fencer who took a knee is invited to testify before Congress alongside trans inclusionary USA Fencing chair - New York Post - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Garden fence algae will be all gone in 1 hour by spraying 1 game-changing item - Daily Express - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Three things you probably missed about the fencing tournament Fox News has been targeting - Media Matters for America - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Porras Wraps Up 2025 Junior Fencing World Championships - University of North Carolina Athletics - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Why do the Japanese line their streets and fences with water bottles? - Times of India - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Grow Up! Flowering Vines to Adorn Walls, Trellises and Fences - Country Living Magazine - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Russell T Davies Wants Doctor Who to Keep Swinging for the Fences - gizmodo.com - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Two teenagers killed and several others injured as fans trapped under falling fences before Copa Libertadores match - The US Sun - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Hope for rare 'icon of the bush' after sightings behind predator-proof fence - Yahoo - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- EXCLUSIVE: Trump Launches Investigation Into Colleges Over Transgender Fencing Scandal - The Daily Wire - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Rustic Fence Reinforces Dallas-Fort Worth Businesses with Trusted Commercial Fencing Solutions - openPR.com - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Women refuse to compete against transgender athletes. They shouldn't have to. | Opinion - USA Today - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Trump admin to investigate USA Fencing incident after punishment to woman who refused to face trans opponent - Fox News - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Ted Cruz goes after USA Fencing over trans inclusion policies - Outsports - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Mauricio Dubon swings for the fences with torpedo bat as Astros seek offensive revival - MotorcycleSports - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Eagles swing for the fences (and miss) with underwhelming wide receiver signing - Inside the Iggles - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Amazon is selling 7 bargain gadget that will transform your fence in minutes this spring - The Sun - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Shrewsbury car park fencing plan prompted by tragic death of 18-year-old student is set for approval - Shropshire Star - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- People are raving about the 60p hack for painting garden fences in minutes & say its way better & quicker than a brush - The Sun - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Trumps defiance of court orders is testing the fences of the rule of law - The Guardian US - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Kovacs Earns Earns Third Straight All-America Honor; Fencing Finishes 13th - UNC Athletics - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Deer farmers, DNR clash over fence rules intended to curb spread of chronic wasting disease - Minnesota House of Representatives - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Andy Frasco & The U.N. Tap Eric Krasno and G. Love on New Single "Swinging for the Fences" - Relix - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- The More People that Push Barriers, the Better: New Era of Frangible Fences Debuts at Thoresby - Eventing Nation - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Andy Frasco & The U.N. Knock It Out of the Park with Motown-Inspired Single Swinging for the Fences - That Eric Alper - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Wood & Bruk Earn All-America Honors At Fencing NCAAs - University of North Carolina Athletics - UNC Athletics - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- One Handy DeWalt Tool Is A Game Changer For Fencing Projects, According To Buyers - House Digest - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Delays expected on Silver, Orange lines as crews repair fence that fell on tracks and I-66 - WJLA - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Andy Frasco & The U.N. Are Swinging For The Fences Of Love - Tinnitist - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Switch 2 swings for the fences as Nintendo promotes it at the ballgame - AS USA - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- SPC swings for the fences with KBO bread collaboration - The Korea JoongAng Daily - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Jeff Bezos' insanely high fence to protect $175m Beverly Hills compound - HELLO! - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Migrants cut through metal fence at Poland-Belarus border, halted by guards - CTV News - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Ownership of Damaged Fence Remains a Mystery - KTVN - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Brian Minter: Creating a colourful living garden fence is easier than you think - Vancouver Sun - March 26th, 2025 [March 26th, 2025]
- Manure and fences: How SLO neighborhood is bracing for St. Frattys Day party - San Luis Obispo Tribune - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- ACH baseball ready to swing for the fences in 2025 - Columbia Basin Herald - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- St. Louis Storm Leaves Trail Of Roofs, Fences - The Weather Channel - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Elton John, Brandi Carlile release Swing for the Fences video - The Music Universe. - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Air Force Places Eight On All-MPSF Fencing Team - U.S. Air Force Academy Athletics - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Why there are fences around Minneapolis' Washington Avenue bridge - CBS News - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Installation of Long-awaited Suicide Barrier Fencing to Begin This Spring - Midcoast Villager - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- SJV WATER: Kings County Water District wants to mend fences with groundwater agency it imploded last year - Maven's Notebook - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Brandi Carlile and Elton John drop Swing For The Fences video from upcoming album - wmix94.com - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- The high school sport of fencing is drawing more adherents to 'the strip' in Connecticut - CT Insider - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- August Wilsons Fences bears witness to the value of Black struggle - Winston-Salem Chronicle - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Picket Fences subdivision to be closed Tuesday, other roads closed throughout week - WSAV-TV - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- One of Stardock's best Windows customization tools is getting even better - XDA Developers - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Multivehicle crash sends car through fence in Roosevelt - News 12 Long Island - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Fence up, coffee coming: Shirley Starbucks is on track for summer opening - Greater Long Island - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Gardening expert names DIY tasks to 'revamp your fence and patio' - avoid 'long-term problems' - GB News - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- In northeast India, a border fence could cut through villages, houses and lives - The Associated Press - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Fence surrounding West Main Taproom Grill in Parker removed - Denver 7 Colorado News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Mystery as bras found tied to fences near Cornish villages - BBC.com - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Fencing Champion Turned Entrepreneur Shares Business Insights with St. Johns Students - St John's University News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Manhunt launched after Philly inmate escapes jailers by climbing over two fences - The Independent - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Selecting the Best Fence Material for Properties in St. Tammany Parish - EIN News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Seal Rock fire board member tries to mend fences with chief, but says "obsession" with Central Coast fire needs to end - Yachats News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Wired no more: Old fences removed to benefit wildlife - Gold Country Media - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Warning to anyone with a garden fence - Express - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- LANGDON READY TO SWING FOR THE FENCES AGAIN IN 2025 - Competition Plus - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Bengals swing for the fences in first round of Mel Kiper's latest 2025 NFL mock draft - Stripe Hype - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Player shares weird Minecraft mob behavior causing cows to group near fences - Sportskeeda - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The Disappearance and Timely Discovery of Lubavitchs Fences - COLlive - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The Fence Industry in the Tampa Bay Area Adapts to Growing Demand for Customized, High-Quality Installations - EIN News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]