Heard yesterday Google is being brought into court on anti-trust violations? Surprising? ... Well, since I've been writing about politics it appears as if my daily page traffic has all but completely shutdown. Coincidence? I'd like to think not, but I suppose HOPE is not a plan ... I would support Google, as I've been overall happy with this Blogger platform, but suppression of FREE SPEECH is just not something I could ever get behind. Fix that Google and you may just wind up having a fighting chance in your upcoming court battle?
10/23/20 Had a long drive today and I found myself thinking as I drove along: What has changed in the last two decades, particularly with respect to the way we communicate with one another, have conversations and engage in the mutual exchange of ideas? Right off the bat, the concept of a "mutual exchange of ideas" seems to be almost non-existent these days. So why is that? I have to think this in large part due to the overwhelming amount of time people dedicate to maintaining a presence on social media platforms, where people tend to surround themselves with others who share their same viewpoints on key issues. Floating in like-minded bubbles of virtual existence has almost anesthetized people to the notion that there are in fact different viewpoints on a wide variety of issues, because in America --fortunately!--one size does not fit all. Believe it or not, our diversity in thought and idea --not just skin color-- is what makes America unique among nations. When the 'bubble-minded' people do happen to encounter a viewpoint that runs counter to their pre-conceived notions instead of expressing a healthy curiosity and willingness to potentially learn something new, they immediately regress into a knee-jerk reaction of outright attack, which is not in any way beneficial toward the end of fostering a healthy exchange of ideas and information. We should not fear a truth different from what we have always assumed, for therein lies our potential for growth and true greatness ....
"In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that I am his pupil." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Moreover, the amount of time our society spends looking face-down at a screen has grown exponentially, particularly over the course of this past decade, and being cooped up with ongoing lock-downs and shutdowns during this current pandemic has not exactly helped matters any. When your screen becomes your main source of input, news and information you can very easily lose sight of the reality of what is actually going in the REAL world around you. Quite frankly, not only is this sad state of affairs in the current age of media propaganda and narrative-driven 'truth' and information censoring: it's downright SCARY!
In this sort of modus operandi the social-media user can potentially lose control of their mind and independent thought process, being easily swept along in the prevailing current of spin which more often than not bears little resemblance to actual real-world truth. The solution to this? OWN YOUR MIND! Unplug, engage in the real-world and real-world conversations, with a healthy curiosity and willingness to entertain differing viewpoints towards the end of potentially learning something NEW --"Change your perspective; Change your LIFE!" Be skeptical of the information you are being fed on your social media platforms, heck even from mainstream media. Dare to seek truth and information from multiple sources, don't just sit back and settle for the 'truth' that happens to come your way. Only when you fully assume RESPONSIBILITY for your independent thought processes will you become a meaningful contributor to our real-world society at large.
It also occurs to me that a key founding principle of our great nation is the this very FREEDOM OF THOUGHT and a willingness to engage in a healthy and robust debate, where the best ideas will ultimately RISE to the top and thereby find their way into being. If your ideas have merit why ever would you limit the audience in which they would be heard and debated? Our nation was founded upon a profound diversity, most especially a diversity of thought-expression and the right to self-determination. Somewhere along the way, however, we've lost sight of this! And we need to, now more-so than ever, find our way back to these driving principles. For in the absence of FREEDOM OF THOUGHT/EXPRESSION we allow ourselves to become merely pawns in larger game where those holding the levers of power will continue to divide and control us. FREE YOUR MIND! That is the ultimate revolution and pathway to spiritual evolution.
10/25/20 The cover of the newest edition of "Time Life" magazine might just have a thread to pull on with respect who holds these levers of power, for how long and why. Very interesting ....
No comments:
Post a Comment