Lately, it feels like Western civilization is completely unraveling. Even some of the most optimistic people I know are dipping their toes into the sulfurous doomsdayer pool. It's not easy to stay positive when negativity bombards us all daily, like a steady drip of poison, on mainstream socials and in the media. The doomsday drip is impossible to escape unless you live as a hermit in some off-grid cabin deep in the woods.
"One mark of a deteriorating society is when people can't discern between the truth and lies. Another is they don't care and will believe anything their itching ears want to hear." - Cal Thomas
Fear is an extremely powerful weapon in the war of manipulation and when in fear people typically don't behave rationally. Fear has a way of wearing you down, it weakens your resolve and your ability to think critically. When you find yourself lingering in that particular fear-based mind space for too long madness isn’t far behind.
With the US Presidential elections coming up in just a few months I can honestly say that I’ve never been more confused. It's as though these past few months a curtain has been parted, the puppet masters have been revealed, and it’s making me question how I’ve thought about the world of politics all along.
I see people enthusiastically lining up, being spoon fed the same old tired promises hoping they somehow materialize this time. They want so desperately to accept the words that their itching ears want to believe. It’s easier to do this than to accept some hard and uncomfortable truths so they allow themselves to be seduced.
How do we insulate ourselves from the doomsday drip? I’m finding that I have to consciously bring myself into that place of; clarity, acceptance, joy of being, understanding, inner peace, and gratitude on a daily, sometimes an hourly, basis now. There are several ways to center yourself — meditation, immersing yourself in nature, yoga, tai chi, qi-going. Whatever method of centering floats your boat will do. I'm a firm believer that we all co-create our collective reality and that reality is born into the physical world in the form of our thoughts.
In the weeks leading up to this election it’s imperative for us to insulate ourselves from the doomsday drip. If we can do this it’ll be possible not to be seduced, to think critically, remain centered, and most importantly to be clear and conscious of the quality of our own inner thoughts.
Some would say this is no longer even a functional democracy so it doesn't really matter who you vote for. Sometimes I wonder if they might be right (but I hope not). Honestly, I couldn’t care less who you vote for, it's none of my business or anyone else's. My only wish is that you vote with your head instead of your heart. A vote is not a valentine will remain my mantra when it comes to politics from this point forward. In the days leading up to Tuesday, November 5th my only wish is for you to regularly check-in with yourself and ask, Where am I living?.
All for now.
Be well and make the most of this day. Thank you for reading!
Growing weary of the ads and divisiveness on mainstream social media? If so, why not try Hive? Click on this link to sign-up and join our growing global community.
Want to Keep Up with My Travels? Please subscribe to my YouTube channel.
It's really concerning the world we are living in. Although I am very young, was not born in cold war period, I definitely find the current world more chaotic. "A vote is not a valentine", this is also my takeaway. Our choice is not absolute, we have to make a choice out of the available.
Interesting read Sir I can mirror your emotions and feelings right now. Fear has always been a weapon to curb the voice or mend the voice under the carpet.
Thank you Sir.
Have a great day.
🙏🙏🙏
It is concerning. I have a lot of hope that your generation will be awake and engaged enough to change the world for the better. I do feel like people are waking up. Thanks for your comment!
Yes sir, waking up is more important. Becuase that's the first step to make a resolve, be reasonable and rational.
The current world is increasingly chaotic. I don't know where it will lead us. Considering the real war, narrative war, misinformation campaign, etc, it's high time people take charge to set the things in order from the disorder. Otherwise it will lead us to a bottomless abyss.
Hello,
this Comment has been upvoted with 50%, thanks to @littymumma who burned 500 PLANET
With this burn @littymumma is actively participating in the CLEAN PLANET reward protocol.
@littymumma is helping @cleanplanet to grow with the curation.
Thanks for your help
@cleanplanet
If we make a political summary of, say, 1000 years, we could conclude that ‘nothing has changed’. The common denominator of the citizen of any country is programmed from birth to consider "presidents" as gods. It is a kind of "neural marketing", imposed in the same way as religious belief.
If, when growing up, an ordinary citizen has a different view, he or she is considered "anti-social, dangerous to the state". In one saga, they call them “DIVERGENTS".
What happens, frankly, is that education aims to make you more and more dependent. They don't want to educate thinking people but “manipulable" people. I come from a Latin country where the population is bought by a bag of food and a paltry contribution from the state. I liberated myself fourteen years ago, when I migrated to Canada, today a Canadian citizen.
I just read The Lessons of History by Will & Auriel Durant and the book supports the fact that not much has changed with the cycles of civilization. It was a great read. What has changed is how effectively the media and social media algos can influence peoples' perception of reality. I think this gives the people in power much more influence to "move the needle" to manipulate the public. Poverty and hunger have always been the biggest political motivators. It's a shame how ordinary people who just want to live their lives and be happy always seem to be the ones who suffer the most.
!gifs peace
Via Tenor
Peace to you!
This is me
but I haven't given up on life.
Having a great time, right now, visiting The Netherlands and enjoying time with friends and having to work a bit harder to enjoy my time with family in this ever changing world ;^)
Life is still beautiful and magical but what we focus on seems more important than ever before✨♥️
I'm leaning more in this direction as well. I see how corporations donate the same amounts to each party so they have "all their bases covered" when it comes to influencing the candidates. RFJ Jr. talked a lot during his campaign about there is really only one party left (duopoly) since both parties are influenced by the same entities. I connected with that. This explains why nothing seems to change no matter who gets elected.
It's important not to give up on life! Politics aren't life. I love the quote, "Idolizing a politician is like believing that a stripper loves you." There's been no truer words ever uttered. What you say is 100% true and was the whole purpose of this post. We must pay attention to our inner dialogue, remain centered, and focus on the kind of world we really want.
I finally feel optimistic. I will say that I lean left. I am not trying to write a highly politicized or inflammatory answer here. But from my perspective, a more youthful candidate not obsessed with their own political gain, but instead dedicated to the good of the common person who’s worried about medical bills and family well-being and putting food on the table who also has a long history of fine tuning skills in politics and diplomacy — vs. an ancient convicted felon and reality TV host who fans the flames of negativity and hate, feels like a big breath of fresh air. The choice couldn’t be clearer to me.
As you said, how others vote is not our concern. I agree completely. We all need to vote with our hearts and minds.
I reckon go for the one less likely to start ww3
I'm glad you're in a place of peace/optimism and you've analyzed the candidates' policies thoughtfully and thoroughly before you've made your decision. Despite what side of the aisle you're on this is the really crucial part. Personality and integrity are certainly important in a candidate but policies are equally, if not more, important. Thankfully both candidates have a track record that can be studied so all the data is out there. I'll be so glad when the election is done and we can move on with our lives.
Doing the right thing is never comes easy, listen carefully to inner voice.
Having recently come through elections, for the first time I really looked at options, trust factor, then voted people I never would previously consider I'm glad I did..
Our system is different we have to have an identity document to prove who we are, the only thing one can do is vote for an outcome in direction that is positive to all.
Sadly, apathy has become rampant here in America when it comes to politics. People love to argue about politics but so many voters don't take the time to really analyze the candidates and their past records. A lot of folks base their decisions on what their favorite news station, celebrity, or their family tells them to believe. I think this is one reason we've found ourselves in our current rut. I think IDs should definitely be required to vote and can't imagine any good reasons not to do this. Most of the civilized world requires voter IDs already.
Currently looking in as an outsider, Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump being prepared to work together might be an excellent option. American politics still affects everyone, although candidates I mentioned are not too keen on our country, it would be pleasant to see change, move off this crazy train we currently have with division by unelected forces.
Sadly it's not really a chess move either when the opponent has already made the majority of their moves before you even get started. Those in power will seemingly always have us at a disadvantage. At least until enough of us are smart enough or care enough to see through it all! I like the idea of trying to stay positive. I hope to see the silver lining no matter what happens.
Agreed, or when both parties are being controlled by the exact same corporations. Focusing on the positive and doing what you can to change things for the better is the only real way to sanity, peace, and happiness.
Discernment! That's the drip required to navigate this 3rd dimensional clown-world.
I'm 100% with you on the following, Eric:
1.The more of us wake up aka remember who we are and
2.the better we become at walking the middle path, living from that zero point where all possibilities reside,
the higher the impact/imprint on (upgrade of) the collective consciousness.
Yes! It can be very frustrating to witness people being tricked time and time again. But we only really have power over ourselves and our own actions. This is where we need to focus and those who are awake will indirectly influence by their example. This is how it's always been, I think.
It's a constant practice, checking your reality.
I certainly know after Brexit, there were a lot of people who voted because they'd fallen for the scare tactics and in the cold light of the following years, realized their kids can't buy property in Europe and easily work abroad, import taxes had gone up and so on - all predicted, but not considered.
Consideration of the bigger picture rather than voting because your hearts been manipulated by pollies and the media is not the populaces strong point, which is the nicest way I can think to put it.
It's never-ending work in a world of constant change...it feels like surfing. If we lose our focus for one split second we fall.
It certainly doesn't seem to be working out well for England. We follow quite a few British YouTubers and the cities seem to be deteriorating like ours are in America.
You've encapsulated my entire message in that last sentence. Hearts can be seduced but minds of those who can still think critically, not so much. It goes so beyond just two candidates, the entire system is broken and needs to be revamped -- no more corporate lobbying, age/term limits, etc., etc. So many things need to change.
There's a LOT of institutions that need to change - education another case in point. It's like we have gone so far that we can't step forward or back.Think of all the radical change in the past few hundred years in all kinds of areas - but we can't change something so integral to the way our society functions.
I agree, pretty much all three-lettered agencies need a complete overhaul.
“A vote is not a Valentine's Day gift” . What a good phrase. Politicians have a bad habit of appealing to feelings to gain indulgence. When a person uses arguments appealing to the good heart of others, it is because rationally what they say, is not the most credible. This is the method used by some candidates: “Your family always belonged to this party, you cannot belong to another”, “The most needy need us”, “The richest are the bad ones”. We must vote for the one who offers real jobs, real solutions, real projects. And when I say real, I mean credible: ending poverty in three months is not real, even if it pains us to admit it. In a world in which everything seems and nothing is, let's vote for the one who from far away seems and from close up we have no doubts.
September begins. Let's hope it will be a month of increases, abundance and health. Hugs, Eric
You're right, candidates usually always succeed by seducing the voters instead of winning their minds through reason. Sociopaths are great at the art of seduction and most people who seek high political offices crave the power of it and do, in fact, have narcissistic/sociopathic tendencies.
Yes, how is it September already?! We're getting into the 40's (F) at night this coming week. Time to break out the warmer clothes! Thank you, Nancy. Enjoy your week my friend!
It's crazy what is going on now.
I've seen the Valentine quote previously and I so agree. I just wish more folks got their brains out of the bogus headlines and thought it through for themselves and made their votes for the right reasons.
I'm not so sure that everything is not already set up in the background, rigged if you will, so that it won't really matter who votes for who or what the majority of the people really want. Of course, that thought alone adds a little doomsday.
It is terrible what is being pushed out all over, polls that mean nothing, false claims, bombarded from every side with untruths. Too many people will make their decisions from the headline. I'm afraid they will only see the truth, after it is too late.
It's so crazy! I'm dumbfounded that people still trust the media. Each media outlet is spins stories in one way or another based on their allegiances and that fact is so crystal clear. But people keep tuning in and being manipulated, I think, partially out of habit and partially out of apathy. This part is super frustrating.
I don't know how rigged the actual election will be but I do believe that both parties are very similar at this point except for a handful of issues. All you have to do is follow the campaign contributions to see the same corporations are financing both sides and will expect a lot in return for that money.
I wish we can change something by our votes. I sometimes think that we choose just another puppet, all serves for their interest in fact.
This is what it feels like sometimes and probably isn't far from the truth.
Whoever wins or loses the election will reflect the will of the people. What is the use of being afraid of it? I hope people will take the right decision
What I fear is how easily manipulated people are. They say everyone gets the leaders they deserve. This seems harsh and isn't true in all cases (like North Korea, for example) but there is some truth to it.
It's just sometimes I actually believe in the fickleness of the human mind, you are fed lies today, tomorrow the same crop of people tell you more lies and then the next and the day after, the same sugar coated lies and we ain't doing nothing about it, we just keep hoping the lies would change this time around. What a vicious cycle! Just like what's currently happening in my country.
Yes, here in the US hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on both sides in every Presidential election to win the hearts of the people. There's a lot of scientific study that goes into how to best manipulate people and the "proof is in the pudding". It works. I always say it's like people suffer from amnesia every four years because they fall for the same old tired promises.
I think it's a state of helplessness, people feel that they're incapable of changing the status quo.
You're 100% right. Instead of choosing a candidate we really believe in it's more like "who is going to damage us the least?"
Wow, it looks like your country is going to hold elections. I hope you can choose the right president to lead your country and bring world peace. Have a nice day, Eric
Thank you Eliana! I hope you have a wonderful week!
Elections and fear go hand in hand. More of fake promises, fake involvement in personal and public lives, a hidden mask,, infact a fake smile where some poor people definitely fall into. This is the routine story of any country when elections are coming up A tough time indeed. Hope you get an exceptional ruler for this elwction. All the very best wishes.
The same story certainly does to be widespread, across all oceans and borders. It's probably been this way since the beginning of civilization too. Thank you!
Yes, it is the truth.
Life move on and we keep going no matter what
One of the things I have been able to build is constant resilience actually against life
Yes, we only really have control over our own thoughts, perceptions, and actions. Focusing on these things are the best way to insure we live a good life.
#hive #posh