SweepTheLeg said:
I am all for people taking action but I cringe when reading into peoples reasons as to why they are taking action and their response is either remarkably inaccurate or that they don't even know why, they are just because they are. It's a mob mentality where I feel like more harm than good is being done. If people want to get involved with politics I am all for it, I know how difficult and mundane it is because I have trouble trying to keep up with everything with real life going on but those people who want to be more involved need to make more of an effort than just listening to people who's views they agree with and that is the only way they get their news and then reacting in kind.
The grass is always greener and the past is always romanticized while the present is always miserable doom and gloom.
Hey there,
So I read what you posted and spent some time thinking about your post rather than responding from impulse. Theoretically, I get what you are saying. I really do. But I personally cannot allow that kind of thinking to be an excuse for me to just be cool with the way things are. I am certainly NOT cool with the way things are now and I refuse to just sit back and watch it all happen progressively. As far as history is concerned, yeah, we have made a lot of mistakes, the same ones, repeatedly in fact. But I do not choose to focus on these, I chose to focus on the positive changes that have been made, whether they are few and far in between-and what potential positive changes can be made in the future. Also as far as history is concerned, I think we are facing a time like we have never faced before and many would agree. This is a time to make it or break it. And whether we make it or not truly depends on us. As much as I love Ron Paul, unfortunately, I don’t think he is going to be able to save us. Only we can. And the stance at which we take towards tyranny is very important. We can fight it, stand against it, pay it glib intellectualizations, or just give up all together.
I guess whether or not one chooses to see through the bullshit or not is personal preference. However, I know there is a certain amount of Cognitive Dissonance that is involved in accepting some of the harsh realities about society, politics and the world as a whole. I know a lot of people who just don’t want to talk about some of these issues, because it is uncomfortable or hard to believe or they just don’t want to “rock the boat” or there is something better on TV to discuss. I also think when one allows themselves to be passive about these things it leaves them vulnerable to being controlled by a larger entity-history will show this. The powers that be want us to feel helpless and out of control. We have to start standing up for selves for heaven sakes! Remember the movie Network? The scene where the newscaster says “ I am a human being god damn it!, I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore…” I can so identify with the man’s thoughts. Don’t you get mad at what you are witnessing in our society and politics today? I guess how one handles such frustrations, is what is truly important.
Briefly, I agree with the political paradigm issue. It is ridiculous. I know it is just something that limits and pigeon holes our ideologies, and I refuse to accept that as “just the way things are” and am really not going to spend that much time on it. Most know that life, human nature, politics, whatever is much more complex than this. I know that systems set up like this only serve us in one way-they limit our options. Less options equals less freedom (in many ways). I don’t allow this paradigm to dictate or label my thinking.
As far as taking action, I think it is quintessential to know how and why you are doing so, and to have an explanation that is organic and not a learned or regurgitated response based on whatever kind of disinformation that is out there. Being able to explain why you think the way your think is a very important skill. This gets into self-awareness and critical thinking. Unfortunately, these abilities don’t seem to be respected or encouraged much these days in my opinion (all we have to do is look at society and its many influences, media, education and so forth, to see how this is the case.) I also feel like many people don’t want to work hard toward change, or many people just rather give up, because it is too hard or painful or whatever. We have been conditioned by a culture that is ingratiated by needs for immediate gratification- so persisting in an ideal that is against the norm can become boring or too difficult. I get really tired of individuals simply placating the issues at hand by intellectualizing them. It seem like a good way to stay safe, is to stay in one’s head. But this temporary feeling of safeness can only last so long until the harsh realities of what is happening become even harder to ignore.
MY reasons for taking action with this stuff is because I believe in freedom and free will. I also believe in the human spirit. I don’t think we are all stupid, in fact, I think we have some amazing abilities, that need to be encouraged and harnessed (of course the “system at play” is against this-they want us to be dumb, defenseless and powerless). I also STRONGLY believe in reason, ethics, and justice-something I also feel is fleeting these days. These are values I understand and find personally meaningful, and do my best to integrate them into my own life in whatever way I can. Of course what we all experience as meaning is a completely subjective psychological experience-and that is fine, we have free will to think this way or not. I don’t want to live in the Matrix.
Also I simply choose to stand for something rather than nothing.
Lastly, (I know I am now reaching rambling zone)-sorry forum…. I also think the stuff in which we are debating is really more than “just politics.” It is about our freaking lives, our society, our world in which we function and live in, our future… I can’t fake it like this stuff doesn’t bother me… we are in a BAD place in time.
Personally, I’m so tired of people and myself being lied to, taken advantage of and disenfranchised. I’m sick of people treated like they are stupid and can’t make decisions for themselves. I am sick of justice deteriorating in our society. I’m tired of hearing about massive amount of people losing their jobs, their freedoms, their lives, and their ability to support themselves. I’m so tired of losing my basic privacies bit by bit. I’m sick of being monitored everywhere I go it seems. I’m tired of listening to useless, empty rhetoric by those in power while audiences just applaud mindlessly. I’m sick of the pageantry of politics. I’m sick of the rat race. I’m sick of things like fluoride and other toxic matter being in our water system. I’m tired of meeting people in their 20’s and 30’s with cancer. I’m tired of hearing how school children being conditioned to accept tyranny and forced terror drills by their useless school systems. I am sick of watching everything my family and other families have worked for deteriorate day by day. I’m extremely tired of hearing about demonstrative abuse by those in forces that are supposed to serve and protect. I am so tired of diagnosing and labels and pharmaceutical sorcery to manage everything it seems. I’m sick of working with children who are having nervous breakdowns at the age of 5. I’m tired of the government trying to control aspects of our lives. Im sick of witnessing the deterioration of sanity and morality in our country. I am tired of many people being more concerned with Whitney Houston’s funeral rather than focusing on extremely important economic issues that are taking place as we speak. I am tired of spectacles and the government creating problems so they can offer solutions. And I AM EXTREMELY tired of wars, endless wars, (funded by our taxes). I am tired of fear and/or complacency being two of the driving emotions today. I am also tired of those consumed with GREED, having so much power and making it hard for those who just want to make a decent life for themselves succeed. These things I am discussing are not sweeping generalizations. They are real.
I could go on and on and on and on. I could also provide you examples of these matters in which I just described if you need some kind of proof. I’m concerned about the future, not just mine, but yours, everyone else’s, and future generations. Because where we are now, things are kinda scary, can certainly get worse and are freaking real! Anyone who is paying attention can see this. Anyone who does not, has to have their head in the sand. I never thought I would live in time where I would have to witness all of this crap. If we just sit around letting this shit happen, what the hell is our future going to be like?
I see all this stuff, and yeah, it’s depressing and sucks, somehow I manage to stay positive as much as I can even if it is through simple things… It takes some work some days, more so than others. Im just ready to start seeing people wake up. And whenever I do encounter this, it truly refreshes my spirit and faith in humanity and makes it worth it.
This whole mentality, that there is just nothing we can do is so lame and so trite. I seek to light a spark in others who are tired of the massive amount of bullshit that is perpetuated by the machine, who have a desire to start standing up for themselves and society and who also want to help others do the same. I could be wrong about all of this stuff-and if so, I will accept that. But at least I know I tried…
I don’t know if you agree with me or not.
Feel free to give me your insights. These are the things that are important to me and why I continue with the things I do… Please help me to understand what is important to you and how it has influenced your beliefs… ?
Okay.. so this may have been a rant… but as you know now, I am very passionate about these issues and will always be. I’m sorry this is so long, I think having these kind of discussions are extremely important.
Best wishes to you all…
In truth and freedom, LL