I keep asking myself, whether there is a singular narrative that gets to me more than the rest, or if witnessing and experiencing abnormality in an abnormal society, is what really strains my mind.
Thanks, Nicholas, for sharing your vulnerability, it shows your strength. The rare and difficult independence of the genuine individual is a most worthy achievement as we are born to obey Authority and conform to the Collective starting with the Family. To get free and then become responsible for it should be the first and last task we ask of ourselves and then others. Quotes I retreat to for consolation, repair and courage:
“Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional. Our only choice is a question of engagement. Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection.” Brene Brown
“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” Rudyard Kipling
“This is the highest wisdom that I own; freedom and life are earned by those alone who conquer them each day anew. As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore it if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“All the problems of the man who fears for his humanity come down to the same question: how to remain free?” Stefan Zweig
Just reread this writing ........ enjoyed it and one i can relate to. Personally I have always felt "different" , so these crazy times are not such a shock to me .......... though there is a feeling of "foreboding" now which i guess is attributable to the surprise attack which ushered in lockdowns , mass hysteria and mandates that I just was not prepared for . Who woulda thought !
Fortunately I have lived most of my life already, one which could be a movie. With a sequel or two . haha . I was hoping the end would be on a terrace having a cocktail while overlooking a peacefull sea ..... with loving family and maybe even a real friend or two nearby. But it seems destined that I will be pretty much alone, talking to the person that I have conversed the most with through all these wild and crazy , happy and sometimes lonely periods. Myself.
"There is a high price to pay for not conforming, assimilating, or acquiescing to clown world."
"How do you cope with the mental strain of living in an abnormal society?"
Pong replies: " well, i am grateful for the intellectual challenge I get from counting the myriad ways that everyone presents their unique opinion on why THEY are normal . Or, how they are "different" from others that are "not awake".
I also discover new things every day. Today I discovered how much more people enjoy my posts when they are brief.
the interview with S Kirsch is indeed a learning opportunity. one can see how annoying it is when he asks a five minute question, then interrupts sasha within seconds to go on with more of his questions/postulations. i did admire sasha's ability to keep a straight face and not shout " STF up, man, and let me talk "
I have been spending a great deal of my time offline. I still have no electricty at our bungalow per say we supplemented with a small solar panel and I enjoy going to Buddhist Wat Muang Mai to charge my laptop and work on things. I now turn the phone off at night whether I need to or not. I'm almost completely unplugged from social media except as a tool to keep up with those who are still on it. I think for many people this stuff was normalized at such a young age that they don't even see that it was constructed as a cage of sorts. Get along and conform and get some money rewards and then you'll be happy. What nonsense! Yesterday something unplanned happened and it was wonderful. My husband started drinking with our landlady and her family, then they pushed the booze on me. I gave up on doing what I planned to do (aka immigration) as my husband was in no shape for it. Then I started singing as some more friends came by we explained about the puppies loaded into a truck and five of the pups got adopted out! And then it turned into karaoke night and one of the friends lamented his struggles with his wife and newborn son and I talked to him about it and was translating his Buddhist necklace and then he gave me one of his Buddhas. We slept out front late at night until I was sober enough to drive back. It was NOT what I planned to do yesterday. yet there ws something so spontaneous and unscripted and human. There was neither a facemask or a smartphone in sight with the 10 or so of us. Trying to find tht human connection is so difficult. Singing seemed to work for me!
I'm sorry to hear of your ongoing plight without electricity, that must be very tough.
That's great news that you found a home for five of those pups - we will miss them being absent from the limelight at the end of your meme posts! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story of spontaneity and human connection - singing brings people together every time.
I go to open mic karaoke bars about once a week, what an eclectic mix of people. Sometimes it's like getting a free concert with incredible voices. People don't play on their phones either. Singing always cheers me up!
Well we still have four puppies left but that put it down to a manageable number. I still have pictures to share. Singing does the world good I feel like I lost my voice in so many ways. It was good to be reminded of it music has a resonance often better than words
Sadly, within a generation or so I fear this will be the case. But those of us fortunate enough to have communed regularly with Mother Nature before technocracy raised its all-consuming head, will always have bucolic memories to keep us warm - even in the fast-approaching dystopia where heating is rationed according to your carbon footprint and the word Mother has been expunged from the dictionary as transphobic
I've just got back from meditating in the local park, and I made time to see the birds, the bees, the squirrels, and the trees. That's a great poem, thanks for sharing, Michael. I wonder if future generations will be content with boughs and stars and skies in the metaverse, as opposed to the bog standard 'offline' versions...
Thanks, Nicholas, for sharing your vulnerability, it shows your strength. The rare and difficult independence of the genuine individual is a most worthy achievement as we are born to obey Authority and conform to the Collective starting with the Family. To get free and then become responsible for it should be the first and last task we ask of ourselves and then others. Quotes I retreat to for consolation, repair and courage:
“Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional. Our only choice is a question of engagement. Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection.” Brene Brown
“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” Rudyard Kipling
“This is the highest wisdom that I own; freedom and life are earned by those alone who conquer them each day anew. As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore it if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“All the problems of the man who fears for his humanity come down to the same question: how to remain free?” Stefan Zweig
Thanks Jack. That is a very thought provoking collection of quotes you've shared, I'll be saving those away for a rainy day, cheers.
A fine essay on the extraordinary psychological pressure facing the world.
Thank you, extraordinary psychological pressure is a fitting description.
Just reread this writing ........ enjoyed it and one i can relate to. Personally I have always felt "different" , so these crazy times are not such a shock to me .......... though there is a feeling of "foreboding" now which i guess is attributable to the surprise attack which ushered in lockdowns , mass hysteria and mandates that I just was not prepared for . Who woulda thought !
Fortunately I have lived most of my life already, one which could be a movie. With a sequel or two . haha . I was hoping the end would be on a terrace having a cocktail while overlooking a peacefull sea ..... with loving family and maybe even a real friend or two nearby. But it seems destined that I will be pretty much alone, talking to the person that I have conversed the most with through all these wild and crazy , happy and sometimes lonely periods. Myself.
"There is a high price to pay for not conforming, assimilating, or acquiescing to clown world."
Indeed .
"How do you cope with the mental strain of living in an abnormal society?"
Pong replies: " well, i am grateful for the intellectual challenge I get from counting the myriad ways that everyone presents their unique opinion on why THEY are normal . Or, how they are "different" from others that are "not awake".
I also discover new things every day. Today I discovered how much more people enjoy my posts when they are brief.
Very astute. I learned a great deal today from watching two interviews with Sasha Latypova. One is with Robert F. Kennedy Jr - https://www.bitchute.com/video/RhPra1RcuWte/
The other is with Steve Kirsch - https://open.substack.com/pub/sashalatypova/p/full-video-of-the-discussion-with?r=16xjwn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
the interview with S Kirsch is indeed a learning opportunity. one can see how annoying it is when he asks a five minute question, then interrupts sasha within seconds to go on with more of his questions/postulations. i did admire sasha's ability to keep a straight face and not shout " STF up, man, and let me talk "
Spot on! 😆
I have been spending a great deal of my time offline. I still have no electricty at our bungalow per say we supplemented with a small solar panel and I enjoy going to Buddhist Wat Muang Mai to charge my laptop and work on things. I now turn the phone off at night whether I need to or not. I'm almost completely unplugged from social media except as a tool to keep up with those who are still on it. I think for many people this stuff was normalized at such a young age that they don't even see that it was constructed as a cage of sorts. Get along and conform and get some money rewards and then you'll be happy. What nonsense! Yesterday something unplanned happened and it was wonderful. My husband started drinking with our landlady and her family, then they pushed the booze on me. I gave up on doing what I planned to do (aka immigration) as my husband was in no shape for it. Then I started singing as some more friends came by we explained about the puppies loaded into a truck and five of the pups got adopted out! And then it turned into karaoke night and one of the friends lamented his struggles with his wife and newborn son and I talked to him about it and was translating his Buddhist necklace and then he gave me one of his Buddhas. We slept out front late at night until I was sober enough to drive back. It was NOT what I planned to do yesterday. yet there ws something so spontaneous and unscripted and human. There was neither a facemask or a smartphone in sight with the 10 or so of us. Trying to find tht human connection is so difficult. Singing seemed to work for me!
I'm sorry to hear of your ongoing plight without electricity, that must be very tough.
That's great news that you found a home for five of those pups - we will miss them being absent from the limelight at the end of your meme posts! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story of spontaneity and human connection - singing brings people together every time.
I go to open mic karaoke bars about once a week, what an eclectic mix of people. Sometimes it's like getting a free concert with incredible voices. People don't play on their phones either. Singing always cheers me up!
Well we still have four puppies left but that put it down to a manageable number. I still have pictures to share. Singing does the world good I feel like I lost my voice in so many ways. It was good to be reminded of it music has a resonance often better than words
Sadly, within a generation or so I fear this will be the case. But those of us fortunate enough to have communed regularly with Mother Nature before technocracy raised its all-consuming head, will always have bucolic memories to keep us warm - even in the fast-approaching dystopia where heating is rationed according to your carbon footprint and the word Mother has been expunged from the dictionary as transphobic
I learned this delighful little ditty as a schoolboy many decades before the arrival of the smartphone, but it was never more relevant than now. . .
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
- W. H. Davies
I've just got back from meditating in the local park, and I made time to see the birds, the bees, the squirrels, and the trees. That's a great poem, thanks for sharing, Michael. I wonder if future generations will be content with boughs and stars and skies in the metaverse, as opposed to the bog standard 'offline' versions...