Much of what needs to be fixed can be fixed by people just withdrawing their consent. It's getting them to do that that is the most difficult thing. People have to reject things they know are damaging our earth, our health, our relationships, etc. But getting them to see those things and realize the damage they're doing... that's the battle. I have written ad nauseam about this over the last few years. Ultimately, it's up to each one of us to be the ones that set the example. It takes a lot of time. We didn't get to where we are now overnight. It's been a slow boil for our entire lives. It won't get fixed overnight either. The best advice we can give others that are wondering how we can "fix" so many of these things is: Just say NO! It's that simple. We can opt out of so much of this stuff. People have been duped into thinking they "have to" participate. The only reason to participate is if you care what others and "authorities" think about you. If you are like me, and most of us who read Word Herder's stuff, I doubt if you care what others think about you. So... be an individual! Say NO to the things you can. Set the example for others to show them it's possible. There's lots of things we have no control over... but we *can* control who we associate with, what things we are involved in, the food we eat, whether we stay tethered to our mobile devices, whether we keep wi-fi turned on 24/7 in our homes, whether we watch the corporate media non-stop, whether we watch ads for shots and pills all the time, I mean, the list goes on and on. We have the power... we just need to remember we have that power. NO may be a difficult word to say because sometimes it comes with repercussions. But in saying NO we hang on to something more important then going to jail or being thrown in a camp... we hold on to our dignity and our principles. Don't let "they, them, those" take those away from us. Learn to say NO. It's one of the most liberating things we can do. And man, can you imagine if a significant minority of people just started withdrawing their consent would do? We could change the world.
I had a landline and if I didn't answer it that meant I was out or too busy! Nobody could send me a message. If they had something urgent to talk about, they could come round and chat to me while I scrubbed a floor or made a dress. If I had all my curtains closed, that meant I was not to be disturbed because I was UP TO SOMETHING that I did not want to share with the entire world. We hardly ever took photos and we never had fancy things like video cameras. We went away on holiday and nobody could contact us. Bliss. We went to work and only a dire emergency would make an incoming call from family acceptable. We photocopied posters and flyers to hand out advertising our free festivals and gigs. Nobody had their noses buried in screens on the buses or trains. People chatted instead. We ran small businesses from home without mobile phones. We arranged to meet friends at a local venue and not on a Zoom call. We got up to loads of things that we didn't want everyone to know about and which were not recorded in diaries, or tracked and traced by GPS or bloody street cameras. Life was full of fun and high jinx. Activism was arranged via 'phone trees' in an exciting frantic flurry of calls or dashes down the street, knocking on doors. We sent each other LETTERS and CARDS instead of emojis and memes for our birthdays!
My key was rusted into my front door - yep! So I did not have to keep jumping up to let people in... I had a dog who knew everyone and would only kick off if a stranger came in.
A simpler, happier, more convivial lifestyle and I miss it terribly!
I remember the days without all the tech. In college I didn't have a TV. I didn't miss my addiction to it because I had a bunch of friends and even a boyfriend to hang out with. Lot's of fun things to do. Life was fun!
Thanks for mentioning my piece here, WH. And I agree with you, we need to change from the ground up. In COVID our rulers learned a lot. They will use those lessons to control us more effectively when they create the next "emergency".
On the other hand, COVID opened a lot of good people's eyes about the bad intentions of the people who rule us. Maybe we too can prepare for the next "emergency", prepare to defy the authorities and maybe turn things around.
I have a cell phone only because I have family overseas. Yes I am online quite a bit, in the morning reading emails, then doing research for someone, in the afternoon playing some games, mostly scrabble and word games, for my brain that is getting older LOL. And at night it doubles as a TV, watching documentaries about animals, plants, cooking and handcrafting programs. I wish we had a few nice terrasses to join with friends but we don't, and none of the restaurants is worth going to. I do miss the window shopping from Europe, used to love that, meeting people I knew and going for a coffee and a pastry. No such thing here in US.
Much of what needs to be fixed can be fixed by people just withdrawing their consent. It's getting them to do that that is the most difficult thing. People have to reject things they know are damaging our earth, our health, our relationships, etc. But getting them to see those things and realize the damage they're doing... that's the battle. I have written ad nauseam about this over the last few years. Ultimately, it's up to each one of us to be the ones that set the example. It takes a lot of time. We didn't get to where we are now overnight. It's been a slow boil for our entire lives. It won't get fixed overnight either. The best advice we can give others that are wondering how we can "fix" so many of these things is: Just say NO! It's that simple. We can opt out of so much of this stuff. People have been duped into thinking they "have to" participate. The only reason to participate is if you care what others and "authorities" think about you. If you are like me, and most of us who read Word Herder's stuff, I doubt if you care what others think about you. So... be an individual! Say NO to the things you can. Set the example for others to show them it's possible. There's lots of things we have no control over... but we *can* control who we associate with, what things we are involved in, the food we eat, whether we stay tethered to our mobile devices, whether we keep wi-fi turned on 24/7 in our homes, whether we watch the corporate media non-stop, whether we watch ads for shots and pills all the time, I mean, the list goes on and on. We have the power... we just need to remember we have that power. NO may be a difficult word to say because sometimes it comes with repercussions. But in saying NO we hang on to something more important then going to jail or being thrown in a camp... we hold on to our dignity and our principles. Don't let "they, them, those" take those away from us. Learn to say NO. It's one of the most liberating things we can do. And man, can you imagine if a significant minority of people just started withdrawing their consent would do? We could change the world.
You know what I miss about my youth? Privacy.
I had a landline and if I didn't answer it that meant I was out or too busy! Nobody could send me a message. If they had something urgent to talk about, they could come round and chat to me while I scrubbed a floor or made a dress. If I had all my curtains closed, that meant I was not to be disturbed because I was UP TO SOMETHING that I did not want to share with the entire world. We hardly ever took photos and we never had fancy things like video cameras. We went away on holiday and nobody could contact us. Bliss. We went to work and only a dire emergency would make an incoming call from family acceptable. We photocopied posters and flyers to hand out advertising our free festivals and gigs. Nobody had their noses buried in screens on the buses or trains. People chatted instead. We ran small businesses from home without mobile phones. We arranged to meet friends at a local venue and not on a Zoom call. We got up to loads of things that we didn't want everyone to know about and which were not recorded in diaries, or tracked and traced by GPS or bloody street cameras. Life was full of fun and high jinx. Activism was arranged via 'phone trees' in an exciting frantic flurry of calls or dashes down the street, knocking on doors. We sent each other LETTERS and CARDS instead of emojis and memes for our birthdays!
My key was rusted into my front door - yep! So I did not have to keep jumping up to let people in... I had a dog who knew everyone and would only kick off if a stranger came in.
A simpler, happier, more convivial lifestyle and I miss it terribly!
Bandit? I'm here now...
If we don't connect tonight, let's meet here tomorrow, if you can, at 10 am PST.
RIGHT HERE, okay?
I remember the days without all the tech. In college I didn't have a TV. I didn't miss my addiction to it because I had a bunch of friends and even a boyfriend to hang out with. Lot's of fun things to do. Life was fun!
Thanks for mentioning my piece here, WH. And I agree with you, we need to change from the ground up. In COVID our rulers learned a lot. They will use those lessons to control us more effectively when they create the next "emergency".
On the other hand, COVID opened a lot of good people's eyes about the bad intentions of the people who rule us. Maybe we too can prepare for the next "emergency", prepare to defy the authorities and maybe turn things around.
I have a cell phone only because I have family overseas. Yes I am online quite a bit, in the morning reading emails, then doing research for someone, in the afternoon playing some games, mostly scrabble and word games, for my brain that is getting older LOL. And at night it doubles as a TV, watching documentaries about animals, plants, cooking and handcrafting programs. I wish we had a few nice terrasses to join with friends but we don't, and none of the restaurants is worth going to. I do miss the window shopping from Europe, used to love that, meeting people I knew and going for a coffee and a pastry. No such thing here in US.
You have telepathy 🙏