I have seen my share of dark days, but these, my friends, may be among the darkest.
There are characteristics within the human heart that can lead us out of darkness and back into the light: we must access those traits now.
Our troubles are so vast and complex; it is incumbent upon each of us to do what we can to not only change the narrative but reshape the course of human history.
We have to go beyond our grievances and the limitations of our ego - and stop reacting from a place of self-righteousness or resentment.
Though both of those mind states - defects if you will - seem perfectly valid in this moment of pain, confusion and fear.
I get that fully and grieve alongside you.
We must tap into something deeper within ourselves; leave the limitations of our conditions - whether cultural, socioeconomic or ethnocentric - and see the truth and humanity in every situation we face.
Both geopolitically and domestically, we must stretch towards clarity and bend away from the darker desires of the human mind that seem to be forced upon us all in this moment of catastrophic upheaval.
Hate and division, not to mention outright warfare, threaten us all.
I am not unaware that upon reading these words your mind perhaps immediately goes to the reasons for these conflicts and to matters of both self-defense and prevention of terroristic violence committed by bad actors on the world stage that must be stopped.
I get it, my mind goes there too.
But it’s the awareness itself, even in the face of those seeming contradictions, that we all must tap into in this moment.
The terror and destruction we are facing on this planet, whether from war or man-made environmental calamity, are part of a larger trend that stem from an aberration in the human personality.
It’s as much a psychological phenomenon as it is wedded to any specific ideology.
At its core, this outright evil and belligerence of spirit is being driven by a handful of mostly men who allow their own avarice and desire for power to overshadow any regard for the suffering of millions of people.
Of course they use a combination of elements to build up a following that both feeds their own narcissism and solves a primal need in the broken spirits of many to avoid their better selves - and trade it in for the empty promise of redemption that never comes.
Only more pain and bitterness.
This dynamic also allows industries to prop up economic systems that in many ways have turned conservative political parties into Ponzi schemes where the wealthiest 1% are able to buy the souls and favors of politicians and justices, ensuring their own outsized share of the world’s wealth.
Protection for billionaires, ensuring they can avoid paying their fair share of taxes, no matter who gets hurt in the process or how many people are punished, has led to a mutiny of the soul and the desire to lord over people with fundamentalist dogmas.
Such as the rapidly expanding Christo-fascist movement in the United States that has deigned themselves worthy of dismantling our bureaucratic state through the ‘Project 2025’ initiative and refashioning our government to serve the profit and desire of one man.
The ‘Unitarian theory’ behind ‘Project 2025’ has been guiding philosophy of conservative think tanks for decades but we’re now approaching the stage of the game where they’re handing out metaphorical brownshirts and putting jackboots on the ground (so to speak).
Incumbent of course on their ability to elevate Trump to a second term by campaigning on tactics of voter suppression and rhetoric that is essentially xenophobic hate speech mixed with the promise of retribution by their iron-fisted leader.
Trump in reality is a pampered moron from Fifth Avenue and Palm Beach with manicured little doll hands and a face full of orange makeup who spends his days scowling and trolling the many judges and prosecutors attempting to finally hold him accountable for a lifetime of criminality and malfeasance.
At the extreme end of the personality spectrum is what we are witnessing in the Middle East where leaders of terrorist organizations live lavish lives in Doha while the people they claim to represent live impoverished lives and are used as human shields.
Of no real value or concern to their so-called leaders - other than to be used as pawns in propaganda videos and to have their very real deaths and suffering exploited by the terrorists hiding in tunnels under their hospitals and homes.
A nightmare scenario if ever there was one; the world is bearing witness to unspeakable human suffering that would not be occurring without the heinous attacks of October 7th.
Much of which, I believe, we will come learn was funded by Iran and Russia who both have a very vested interest in the continued chaos and calamity of this awful conflict.
This is not to say that Israeli far right interests, often aligned with the Trump/Kushner cabal are not without their share of blame in many aspects of Israeli policy and lapses of security that led to these cataclysmic events.
We must not forget the many Israelis that protested for months against Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption and the far right members of his cabinet that were in opposition to a two state solution, if not outright courting conflict towards Palestinians, especially along the West Bank.
All that said, the strategic and cultural importance of US and Israeli relations, as well as our steadfast support of Israel’s right to exist and the security of its citizens is a must in this moment if we want democracy to succeed both at home and abroad.
The larger point I am ultimately trying to make is that the ego and narcissism of a handful of bad actors is raining down chaos upon the world.
There’s also a handful of billionaires, some of whom could pass for Bond villains, wreaking as much havoc as they can on social media networks for the purposes of elevating hate speech to undermine democracy and suppress progressive communication.
It’s basically a global assault not just on liberalism but on common decency, empathy and understanding between people of different cultures and backgrounds.
Snark and misinformation are the coin of the realm; an ‘America First’ fascism promoted by misogynists and dorks is the quickest ticket to becoming a viral influencer.
These digital destroyers are not without influence in the global communications sphere.
They in fact have an outsized influence - it was no accident that while the attacks were still raging on the awful morning of October 7th, Elon Musk was promoting monetized-paid for verification-accounts that were known for spreading antisemitic and fake videos.
The accounts already had posts up that were not real when Musk told his followers to ‘follow these accounts for breaking news from Israel/Palestine conflict’.
Outcry led to the removal of Musk’s posts but the pattern was set and the lure of being paid to sow discord and hate with false information was too tempting for many to resist.
Social media platforms themselves have become an extension of the battlefield, with even ‘kinder/gentler’ Threads turning into a bit of a cesspool in the last three weeks. (I’ve blocked more accounts than I ever expected to on a newish social media app until I basically gave up on that one as well, locked my account and walked away).
The tone of conflict seems to be deeply established in the collective psyche at this point; the best way out is through the present moment with an awareness of the bigger picture and the common good.
Despite our differences were are all one family in the end: the sooner we wake up to that fact the quicker we can climb out of this pit of despair.
The first step on that journey begins with each of us training our minds and spirits to stay present, alert and aware.
We must begin to treat ourselves with kindness and then pass that love on to our fellow human at every opportunity.
We can each make a difference in this blighted world - NOW is the time to react with love and compassion.
Anything less only invites in more darkness and despair.
Be well.
Wonderful. Thanks
🎯. ❤️