Just woke up with serious thoughts on my mind. There’s something about thinking in the morning that brings a kind of clarity I don’t quite get to at other times. Perhaps it’s an illusion, perhaps not. Disaffected Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Aug 12, 2023·edited Aug 12, 2023Liked by Josh Slocum
What keeps getting me is even if there's no more open physical conflicts (riots, Rittenhouse, etc.) there's now several BRAND NEW precedents in place for the most harmful bullshit to be "normal", "OK" or even "a good thing" to the masses.
PGE (a local PNW electric company) has been sure to include in their newsletters lately that there may be blackouts in places due to fire "safety". How in the hell am I supposed to take that in good faith after the past four years??
I think many here are predisposed to high anxiety but the fact of the matter is there are concrete reasons for concern. Everyone should be prepping according to the retardations of their region in addition to seeing how they can help address the many new social concerns.
Josh, in my opinion your level of outrage and despair are appropriate to the level of fuckery presenting on so many fronts today. I know you are not a bible person but Jesus is quoted as saying “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” You, Josh, are hot with outrage and this is a very good thing.
Thank you. I'm much more of a bible person than it might seem. It's true that I don't believe in a conscious God (that might change, might not), but I do recognize the wisdom of Christian tradition. I find myself finding meaning in scripture in ways I never expected.
I wonder similar thoughts often. I’m pretty outspoken and opinionated. Its been a risky character trait in better times. These days I make myself a target. But I think I’d rather go down being a loud mouth for naming the bs and demanding something more courageous and truthful from us all than to live in quiet, subjugated and ‘safe’ misery .
It’s like choosing, intentionally to breathe. Because of the way we were raised and because we became the people we are submitting to the lies or even A Lie feels like a threat to our soul’s survival. And as dramatic as that sounds I think, maybe, that it really may be just that. If we agree to lie to ourselves knowingly or to anyone else for any reason we might just go insane.
The four worries on your mind are on my mind as well. Given where I live (state red, city blue) and my chosen lifestyle (quasi hermit), I don't have much personal exposure to the degrading condition of our country, but I'm not ignorant of what is happening. The country-wide response to a pandemic-that-wasn't, and the slavish adherence to the mandates that stripped people of their constitutional freedoms leaves me astonished and sickened. These are my countrymen? The hideous acceptance of the mutilation and mind-deadening of our children who cannot find respite anywhere - not their families, their schools, their churches, their peers - is beyond my comprehension. They have been thrown into the pit of hell and I cannot fathom how that has come to be. One despairs, truly one does.
Aug 12, 2023·edited Aug 12, 2023Liked by Josh Slocum
Josh, I've lurked for awhile and have not commented until now. That means I'm your latest subscribed supporter. Why?
Because of this bit of writing you did in the morning.
Thank You.
When you have another quiet moment, please consider watching Jordan Peterson tell his version of the Book of Jonah. He is entertainingly frank and, well, brutally truthful about what each of us must do for the sake of those we love and for our own sakes. He describes the significance of The Lie that keeps Totalitarianism going; and the significance of the teller of Truth (even when racked with self-doubts).
Aug 13, 2023·edited Aug 13, 2023Liked by Josh Slocum
We have seen this throughout history (see the book Live Not by Lies)...super unfair cruel central planner collectivist government oppresses massive amount of the populace who either:
1) drank the Collectivism Kool-aid (useful idiots)
2) or who put feeding their family now, ahead of not feeding them later
3) or can't handle being tortured by the gestapo, or IRS, or whatever latest tool the gov't uses
What is shown NOT to change people's minds? BEING RIGHT. One example of this phenomenon is known as the Semmelweis Effect.
Even Trump FORGOT "the art of the deal" during his debate with Biden in the 2020 election.
Lastly, in an Iowa interview: "..Tucker Carlson Details What He's Learned Studying The Bible", Tucker says something profound about how little control we have over our mission that we feel called to, "...though we have free will, we are not in charge of the arch of history at all. We are being acted upon alot, I mean A LOT. ...I didn't grow up with that understanding because I'm American (believing people are the sum total of their choices...), ...but there are unseen forces...and it's very important to approach politics with that in mind and approach politics with humility because we don't always know if a candidate is a tool of light or of darkness."
So with that said Josh, I think you are a tool of light. I hope you can reframe the effect of your efforts today, as you were able to do in your consumer advocacy around death. Sometimes it's the small victories and the individuals that mean the most. Mother Teresa served only the one in front of her ...and her effect was huge.
What keeps getting me is even if there's no more open physical conflicts (riots, Rittenhouse, etc.) there's now several BRAND NEW precedents in place for the most harmful bullshit to be "normal", "OK" or even "a good thing" to the masses.
PGE (a local PNW electric company) has been sure to include in their newsletters lately that there may be blackouts in places due to fire "safety". How in the hell am I supposed to take that in good faith after the past four years??
I think many here are predisposed to high anxiety but the fact of the matter is there are concrete reasons for concern. Everyone should be prepping according to the retardations of their region in addition to seeing how they can help address the many new social concerns.
Retardations of their region!
"Each according to his own level of retardation."
Chef's kiss, Viv.
Josh, in my opinion your level of outrage and despair are appropriate to the level of fuckery presenting on so many fronts today. I know you are not a bible person but Jesus is quoted as saying “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” You, Josh, are hot with outrage and this is a very good thing.
Thank you. I'm much more of a bible person than it might seem. It's true that I don't believe in a conscious God (that might change, might not), but I do recognize the wisdom of Christian tradition. I find myself finding meaning in scripture in ways I never expected.
You've never gone too far, Josh.
I wonder similar thoughts often. I’m pretty outspoken and opinionated. Its been a risky character trait in better times. These days I make myself a target. But I think I’d rather go down being a loud mouth for naming the bs and demanding something more courageous and truthful from us all than to live in quiet, subjugated and ‘safe’ misery .
Same. I'll die before I submit, and before I falsely profess to submit. Never. I'm willing to lose **everything** before I go back to living that way.
It’s like choosing, intentionally to breathe. Because of the way we were raised and because we became the people we are submitting to the lies or even A Lie feels like a threat to our soul’s survival. And as dramatic as that sounds I think, maybe, that it really may be just that. If we agree to lie to ourselves knowingly or to anyone else for any reason we might just go insane.
The four worries on your mind are on my mind as well. Given where I live (state red, city blue) and my chosen lifestyle (quasi hermit), I don't have much personal exposure to the degrading condition of our country, but I'm not ignorant of what is happening. The country-wide response to a pandemic-that-wasn't, and the slavish adherence to the mandates that stripped people of their constitutional freedoms leaves me astonished and sickened. These are my countrymen? The hideous acceptance of the mutilation and mind-deadening of our children who cannot find respite anywhere - not their families, their schools, their churches, their peers - is beyond my comprehension. They have been thrown into the pit of hell and I cannot fathom how that has come to be. One despairs, truly one does.
Josh, I've lurked for awhile and have not commented until now. That means I'm your latest subscribed supporter. Why?
Because of this bit of writing you did in the morning.
Thank You.
When you have another quiet moment, please consider watching Jordan Peterson tell his version of the Book of Jonah. He is entertainingly frank and, well, brutally truthful about what each of us must do for the sake of those we love and for our own sakes. He describes the significance of The Lie that keeps Totalitarianism going; and the significance of the teller of Truth (even when racked with self-doubts).
https://mrpj.substack.com/p/peterson-pt-2
Or see the entire discussion at the Telegraph
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/j/jk-jo/jordan-peterson/
Blessings.
Thank you for the support. It's nice to know the things I write resonate:) I appreciate the Peterson suggestion, too.
We have seen this throughout history (see the book Live Not by Lies)...super unfair cruel central planner collectivist government oppresses massive amount of the populace who either:
1) drank the Collectivism Kool-aid (useful idiots)
2) or who put feeding their family now, ahead of not feeding them later
3) or can't handle being tortured by the gestapo, or IRS, or whatever latest tool the gov't uses
What is shown NOT to change people's minds? BEING RIGHT. One example of this phenomenon is known as the Semmelweis Effect.
Even Trump FORGOT "the art of the deal" during his debate with Biden in the 2020 election.
Lastly, in an Iowa interview: "..Tucker Carlson Details What He's Learned Studying The Bible", Tucker says something profound about how little control we have over our mission that we feel called to, "...though we have free will, we are not in charge of the arch of history at all. We are being acted upon alot, I mean A LOT. ...I didn't grow up with that understanding because I'm American (believing people are the sum total of their choices...), ...but there are unseen forces...and it's very important to approach politics with that in mind and approach politics with humility because we don't always know if a candidate is a tool of light or of darkness."
So with that said Josh, I think you are a tool of light. I hope you can reframe the effect of your efforts today, as you were able to do in your consumer advocacy around death. Sometimes it's the small victories and the individuals that mean the most. Mother Teresa served only the one in front of her ...and her effect was huge.