All This Talk of Privilege

Every time I turn on the TV for a dose of self-loathing, I come out feeling dirty; I’m grateful that each time I dive into the mainstream narrative, I come out more ravenously inclined to take up meditation and make more space in my life for personal quiet time. I step away hungry to hold my loved ones closer, and a deeper desire to be kind to strangers… you know, the things that have always mattered most for long-term benefits they provide.

My recent dive into the mainstream was spurred by curiosity after noticing a drastic change in the conversations happening around me. Everyone seemed to be singing the same lyrics to a song I might have missed after stepping away from it all to work on myself and cultivate the skill that’s saved my life in a million ways since childhood.

The change I’ve seen in how we all orient made me sad, and then angry because the strangers I used to love running into were becoming violently charged in every direction but kindness and personally touching. In the last six months, it’s felt nearly impossible to partake in uplifting and heartfelt conversations with even my closest companions due to the outlets consuming our shared time and attention. This reflection led me to a source they all seemed to be taking notes from. There is a common theme growing in the narrative, between sections of society it has no business leaking into and leeching off of, and I don’t like the long-term direction of the current.

News outlets, religious organizations, political affiliations, popular groups, and movements about as useful as the number two I take daily and can’t imagine turning into a lifestyle I revolve around. As much as they appear to be different on the surface, depending on what team you like best, they all seem to lead to the same conclusions. “Everyone outside of my preferred affiliations sucks” “If you don’t agree with our way of thinking you’re a this or a that…” “Haven’t you heard the professionals? Are you stupid? Where have you been? Let me educate you…”

These realizations brought me back to historical representations of the same things that happened in the past to a lesser degree in some senses, though each was a sign of a cultural breakdown. A symptom of an impending demise of some kind. I started studying the ways of propaganda and its effects on the human brain (using myself as a guinea pig)… This is what I found.

There is an intrinsic lack of gratitude leaking into our veins and the cancer it leads to has a mortality rate of 100%. It is capable of turning one’s mind to complete jelly leaving only a few standard, out-of-tune keys for the experiencer to punch at, there are very few deviations from the common cords each provides. In the end, all said and done, we the common folk, amount to a s*** Orchestra piping, plucking, and propagating utter nonsense. Anyone above the common theme might happily toss it away and whistle on their way to a better melody. But from what I’ve seen personally, the vast population is readily indulging the noise, embracing it even. The chaos is not only ingested by the crowd they are paying money, time, and attention to attend the awful performance. Symptoms of this universal and consuming illness are limitless and run as deep as the unchecked experiencer will allow.

It is guaranteed to inevitably make conversations flow less naturally, interactions become forced as it grows and spreads and the systems surrounding the infectious noise become polluted and incapable of functioning properly. What blows my mind is how these professionals, who are supposedly the cream of the crop, our best minds, (and only hope apparently?) Are or seem to be, completely incapable of comprehending or passing along Good sense to the general public.

It’s almost as if every outlet, regardless of prescribed affiliation or allegiance, is purposefully misdirecting traffic. If I was into a good conspiracy, I might imagine the piper is pieing the public on purpose to generate a scenario of ‘order out of chaos’ or the long-awaited ‘E Pluribus Unum’ we’ve been unwittingly buying into every time we use paper currency. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I might suggest it’s a bad case of the emperor’s new clothes. I digress.

Back to the point. Every time I dive into scum central, I come out needing to bleach my eyes and disinfect every part of my conscious mind. The first step to any 12 step program is to admit there is a problem that is in need of care, attention, and potentially a poor habit underneath the personal issues manifesting. One in need of starving until it is no longer necessary for my, or our, survival. In this case, the information I came up with while partaking in the mainstream of things was generally bad verging horrid. I think, as a whole, the swamp in need of draining begins with each of us, our contents are being polluted.

My next question was inevitable. At what point do the effects become irreversible? Personally, I don’t want to find out…

I noticed a lot of talk about superficial differences, past hurts none of us can inherently control on any side of the guilt and shame trains running toward a head-on collision. The irony to me is that the behaviors and historical events in question were first instituted by the same institutions and systems now saying that we collectively are bad for indulging in what they created and perpetuate via virtue signals. Now, after pushing, pulling, and forcing participation, these very same institutions are throw up virtuous bologna like the batman spotlight over Gotham. Only the city they are infecting is an entire world of humans, mostly just trying to get by and maintain their families and personal sanity in the face of the insane and inhuman standards being instituted and demanded by entities incapable of following their own legislation (based on their actions).

Above all else, I’ve noticed a ton of talk about privilege and mostly being propagated by outlets and individuals who are by proxy to who they serve, the most privileged bundle of grapes in all of history. Natural law is no fan of hypocrisy so I’m excited to see what awaits these mostly hidden perps and their agendas.

Coming from a large Irish American family of first-generation business owners, I grew up with very few physical amenities and yet, feel so blessed for the priceless experience and drive I gained from watching my parents turn nothing into something every day of my childhood. I know how privileged I am in spite of perceived shortages and lack of communal support because I grew up consuming books full of better information that didn’t allow me an inch to play the victim.

I can 100% attest that in the spectrum of time and placement on the map of history, we are all… unequivocally privileged compared to known generations and civilizations passed when it comes to physicality, although morally, and mentally the rapid decline suggests utter famine and lack of wisdom I never imagined we might encounter with the wealth of capabilities and tools at our fingertips. Where in history can you read of readily available running, hot, clean water? How about an abundance of spices and food that were so coveted in the past entire wars were started over them? Does anyone stop to take the time to realize that less than two centuries ago the black pepper we all have at every dinner table in America and other first world countries used to be considered a luxury only allowed to royalty?

How about the ability to drive vehicles and travel that settlers would have killed for while dying of dysentery and other awful diseases so our silly butts could have and toss thoughtless opinions around like poisonous candy… After a good mental and emotional and spiritual cleanse, I’ve come to the conclusion that even though the average citizen of first world countries lives arguably better than ancient time royalty and even more recent examples dating back 300 years, to high society populations who couldn’t boast indoor plumbing or a fridge with more than salted meat and preservable food items, and yet, we feel justified complaining as if we are living in desolation because we haven’t received the most recent iPhone model.

I thank GOD and my family for the sacrifices made so I could attend mission trips. Those experiences opened my eyes as a child and allowed me to see what true lack looks like. Yet, even in perceived lack, those individuals I was blessed to meet were more joyful and grateful for what they had than most people I’ve met stateside.

Overall, after my toxic little experiment, I’ve decided for my own sanity and preservation of all things I hold dear, I will not be dipping into the mainstream narratives any further. I hope someday, we the rabble can all agree that a little gratitude and coming together is necessary.

It is absurd and insane to imagine taking part in the hate feast being placed in front of all of us from different corners of the table is anything more than a distraction to keep, we the common folk, the herd, from realizing the true perpetrators are the systems and leadership that have lied, stolen, cheated, and whispered secrets to the top of our societies where they sit like greedy Yertle the turtles rubbing and patting each other on the back for playing the roles they’ve been given so well, we actually believe the lies they offer even though they are slowly instituting cancerous norms into our psyche’s like little cyanide gardens we are expected to thank them for. I for one am bowing out, and down to the only rule of law I will ever accept… GOD, His living reflection, and personal responsibility are the laws of my land.

Amen.