felipe on Nostr: AN INTROSPECTIVE JOURNEY Challenges and struggles are inevitable. We are persistently ...

AN INTROSPECTIVE JOURNEY
Challenges and struggles are inevitable.

We are persistently exposed to the people we surround ourselves with, the media and the content we choose to consume and the experiences we encounter along the way. This shapes our perceptions and it influences how we grow and develop.

Furthermore, what we prioritize to focus our attention on amplifies its importance, ultimately impacting what matters to us, and what we continue to focus on.

For a fair good while, I’ve wanted to publicly share my thoughts and realizations about a struggle of mine. Lots have been posted on my Facebook profile the past 5 years, most of it with a derogative tone towards authority and powerful entities around the world.

For whatever it is worth, I hope this post will help clarify my thinking and feelings.

STRUGGLE 1.0
Many years ago when I was still a teenager I noticed how devoted the TV news anchors were to report on disasters and crime. I found it strange, as I never saw or witnessed anything like what was being reported. What I saw were kids playing and people going about their business.

I knew crimes happened and that there were “bad people” in the world. The constant reporting on crimes and atrocities, however, made it seem like a huge problem. I was often scared and felt like I had to be careful when wandering outside.

It’s well documented that fear, anxiety, anger and outrage sells more news and acquires more clicks than any alternative. I doubt that to be surprising to read. We only need to load news on our browsers or watch the evening news show tonight to see what the focus is.

Humans are drawn to perilous situations due to our ancestors’ need to survive and stay vigilant of imminent dangers in their surroundings. We don’t really need that trait to the same extent anymore, but that part of our brain is still present and active.

Therefore, it is an undeniable and profitable strategy for news outlets to cynically exploit this psychological fact to their utmost advantage.

At one point I remember deciding I would not watch legacy media anymore, it was simply too depressing. Many of you know me from the past. I used to be a lot more focused on well-being and happiness than disastrous world events.

STRUGGLE 2.0
My disillusionment with mainstream news media led me to seek alternative sources of information, which I found in the form of ‘independent journalists’ on social media platforms like Twitter (now X). These individuals, operating outside of traditional news organizations, offered a diversity of perspectives and voices on important issues.

I started following and reading the work of a wide range of people I both agreed and disagreed with. More perspectives and voices reporting on the same issues gave me a richer and more nuanced understanding of any given topic.

An interesting observation I made through listening to said reporters on podcasts, and through reading their work, was that those who disagreed with each other on the surface tend to agree with each other on a fundamental level; we all want our families and loved ones to be well, we all want a peaceful living standard, a livable wage to support such a lifestyle, and the opportunity to build the best life we can have.

In my view, there’s an element that complicates these conversations tremendously.

We get so inundated with doomsday fear-mongering by legacy news, so many people have become nihilistic. The amount of times I’ve heard friends or acquaintances say “whatever, everything is going to shit anyways” is disheartening.

Our constant social media scrolling has become a coping mechanism, allowing us to mentally disengage from disturbing realities rather than directly confront them.

But the first step toward meaningful progress is awareness. We are not as powerless as so many believe. Objective reporters and informative sources are available for us to find, learn from, and share.

STRUGGLING
I’ve grown increasingly resentful and angry at the systems that govern us, and the way those in power, running those systems are portrayed by legacy media. A strong sense of distaste has settled within, which I attribute to my ability, or lack thereof, to deal with “public servants” who actually do the opposite of serving the public.

Consider a group that claims to be defending and promoting democratic values globally. Their methods involve bullying and forcibly strong-arming other nations into compliance. Can bullies and oppressors be the defenders of democracy?

To me, that group is a clear example of demagoguery. In other words, these are leaders who play on people’s emotions, anxieties and biases to win them over rather than using logic and facts.

Here are some reference points for you to research if you care to do so:

- The work of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, uncovering war crimes committed by the US military in Iraq (there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq)

- Edward Snowden uncovered the NSA had been, and still is, spying on US citizens

- The Twitter Files uncovered by Michael Schellenberger, Beri Weiss, Matt Taibbi, and David Zweig. The Biden administration paid twitter to sensor “misinformation” about c0vid

- Anthony Fauci, the guy the entire world entrusted with lockdown measures during the pandemic, funded gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, through an organization called EcoHealth Alliance and the NIH (many now believe this is where covid19 originated)

- J. Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO. The FBI conducted a series of covert operations aimed at monitoring and disrupting political dissidents, civil rights activists and anti-war protestors (how democratic of them)

- Jeffrey Epstein is mysteriously killed in prison, his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell is sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking of minors, yet, not a single one of their clients are head-hunted (please watch the movie “The Sound of Freedom”)

- MK ULTRA 1950s-1970s, the CIA conducted a mind control experiment on unsuspecting individuals, using LSD

- The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment between 1932–1972, a medical study conducted by US Public Health Services in which African American men with Syphilis were left untreated

- The FBI’s surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr.

- Go see what O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) under James O’Keefe have uncovered the past 5 years (it’s actually mind boggling what these undercover videos show)

- Study how and why the Federal Reserve (US Central Bank) prints money and the consequences of such practice

By perpetuating a climate of fear and promoting the idea of external dangers, legacy news media provides a convenient pretext for governments to wage wars and erode individual freedoms under the guise of security measures. There appears to be a cyclical relationship between fear-mongering news coverage, manufactured public anxieties about perceived enemies, and governments exploiting those fears to expand their powers.

Thanks to the investigative work of social critics and fearless independent reporters we have a look into how governments have misused their influence for decades, if not centuries.

THE CONSEQUENCE
My intention has been to shine light on issues that affect all of us, but unfortunately for the people who I spend the most time with — and for you who read what I post — that intention has been expressed bluntly, with anger and animosity.

I’ve likely pushed some to mute or block me. I’ve surely done damage to my reputation. There’s a chance some will never speak to me again due to what I have shared.

That’s their choice, and they are free to make them. I can’t take back what I’ve shared, nor do I want to. Regretting does no good at all.

Regardless of the consequences, it is lamentable that I have permitted resentment towards heavy-handed authority figures, and those oblivious to such abuses of power, to take root.

It’s not something I am particularly proud of.

HOPE
Moving forward, I will try to be more thoughtful about how I share my opinions.

I will strive to rise above feelings of bitterness, address these issues compassionately while upholding justice and demanding ethical leadership.

Rather than succumbing to cynicism, I will aim to engage in constructive discourse, and hold those in power accountable to the highest standards of integrity and service to the people.

Through open and thoughtful dialogue, and a commitment to understanding different perspectives, we can work towards a society that aligns with our shared hopes for equal opportunity. I intend to approach these issues with more nuance and seek common ground, even with those I may disagree with.

As human beings, we all fundamentally desire well-being, freedom, and the option to thrive in our communities. By recognizing our shared hopes and aspirations, we can channel our collective power towards promoting a culture of responsibility, ethical leadership, and positive change.

We the people are incredibly powerful, and I hope more of us gradually arrive at that conclusion.

Thank you for reading.

Love,

Felipe