We are in the middle of winter here in Michigan, and I counted six deer sleeping outside in the snowy woods behind my house today. While I dread the cold, there is something calming about winter that I notice every year. Something that helps me recognize and appreciate the miracle of death and rebirth in nature. On Wednesday, I thought that I might die during bilateral hernia repair. I had prepared myself for every possible outcome, but am happy to report that I’m still here. The hospital staff were excellent, and my nurse shared with me that she was unvaccinated and had Covid in December. Like me, she believes people should have the choice, and she quietly told me that if the health network had not approved vaccine exemptions, they wouldn’t have had enough staff to remain open. Anyway, my surgery went well, and hopefully I will be able to get back to my routine and workouts soon.
Looking back on the week, I find myself inspired by the death of certain things and the rebirth that is already under way. If you haven’t heard, Neil Young decided to take on Spotify; “Joe Rogan or my music! You choose!” he said in his own words that contradict the lyrics of his music. Do you remember the song Rockin’ in the Free World? Well, Neil Young just lost his battle rockin in a captive world, and in the process, proved that when you’re really woke, you can cancel yourself. It’s too bad because I was looking forward to meeting Neil and Daryl Hannah at some point, since they live next door to a friend of mine in Telluride. Judging by the commentary I’ve seen, I think he has disappointed many of his fans, like James Howard Kunstler for instance. While I didn’t grow up in the 60s, I could relate with Kunstler’s words:
If I remember correctly (cuz I was there) the youth movement of the 1960s was all about freedom to say pretty much anything, except yell “fire” in a crowded theater — based on the idea that ordinary people were equipped to sort out the truth. During the War in Vietnam, we hippies were especially averse to the official lying that emanated from the Department of Defense, the FBI, the CIA, and the White House under both Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. We founded “alternative” newspapers in defiance of the establishment’s propaganda. We applauded Daniel Ellsberg’s purloined Pentagon Papers, revealing the mendacity of the war effort. Altogether, this activity made it more difficult for the government to prosecute that war, and to defend the strategy behind it.
Today the Left is not only all-in on speech suppression, but also censorship of print and broadcasting, and is especially avid for the diverse punishments of cancellation — ruining careers, reputations, livelihoods, and families of anyone who opposes Woke right-think. Alternate views are not tolerated, labeled “unacceptable” (Mr. Young put it exactly that way), and flagged as “misinformation” (ditto Mr. Young). It’s gotten to the point where the word misinformation has acquired a distinct odor that signals bad faith in everyone who flogs it. These days, the charge of misinformation is deliberate misinformation.
I also regained a smidgen of faith in America’s academy because Hillsdale College Kirby Center, Washington D.C. Campus, recently created the Academy for Science and Freedom. Its mission is “To educate the American people about the free exchange of scientific ideas and the proper relationship between freedom and science in the pursuit of truth.” In The SARS2 Pandemic: Will Truth Prevail? Dr. Atlas speaks on the tragedy of the SARS2 pandemic and the need to restore trust in the country’s vital institutions. It’s an excellent presentation, and I hope it becomes contagious and spreads to other academic institutions. It will take courage, of course, since many are recipients of grants and bailouts that come from the totalitarians. Not many people are willing to bite the hand that feeds them, especially when their livelihood depends on it. Nonetheless, there are heroes who are willing to sacrifice everything for a cause, and we are seeing them rise up.
Lastly, a friend shared with me the words of a wise gentleman behind a paywall. His point was we are living in an era choke-full of financial gaming and thought control, where things aren’t as they appear. He talks about Bad Giants, where they are subdivided into two groups: (1) those who are actually in control right now and (2) a bunch of “useful idiots” (his words) otherwise known as the woke, climate justice, Great Reset, you-will-own-nothing-and-be-happy, Green New Deal, MMT, gender fluid, CRT true-believer elites. They aren’t “idiots” in the traditional sense because many have advanced college degrees and collect big salaries. They are unwise because they are allowing themselves to be used towards a nefarious agenda that will only hurt them in the end. It’s the Stockholm Syndrome, where victims develop positive feelings toward their abusers or captors.
What the woke believe is not all wrong, but their attitude about their beliefs is completely wrong. They believe that their beliefs are absolute, and therefore they have a right to suppress and silence any other beliefs that challenge or question their own. That is not about being awoke; it’s about being asleep, being deceived, and being used to piss people off, provoke them, and push them over the edge. Conflict is necessary for collapse in the United States, and deception is a key strategy in Chinese warfare. “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” ― The Art of War. The Bad Giants don’t really want zero emissions, 100% vaccination, to make black lives matter, or social justice for 72 genders. Their goal is to use the power of fiat and ambiguity to push people to their breaking point, “to divide normal, common, intermingled people into bitter enemy groups, and to destroy Western Civilization as we know it” (freegoldspeakeasy.com).
By constantly isolating people, shutting people down, keeping people apart, stopping real conversations, changing vaccine mandates, flipflopping on mask requirements, forcing injections into your body as a bribe to keep your job, and continuing to push mandatory vaccinations and vaccine passports even when other countries are backing off, the Bad Giants are trying to upset our equilibrium, destroy our unity, turn the vaccinated into mortal enemies of the unvaccinated. They are trying to provoke us and push us to the brink of war before it’s too late and their whole plot crumbles into pieces. They want us to fight back, NOW, so they have an excuse to exert more control and power over us NOW (i.e. turning parents into domestic terrorists and putting the unvaccinated into so-called concentration camps while taking away their children). Bothered by any of this? Just take a deep breath and know you’re being played, your emotions are being manipulated. Stay calm, and respond rather than react.
One of the first tenants I learned as a young martial artist was… “It’s better to avoid one single conflict than to win a thousand battles.” I take it with me everywhere I go, and use it with everyone I encounter. Honestly, it has served me well. Learning how not to fight is one of the greatest skills you can ever develop, especially in the art of war. Jesus Christ was the greatest teacher in the art of war; “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also.” (Matthew 5:38-40). Jesus isn’t talking about compromising your values, but controlling your reactions. He’s telling us not to be provoked outside of God’s love. If we can stand with others, even if it’s only through love, then we have a much better chance of surviving and thriving.
“Outstanding, sophisticated, and mesmerizing…a spiritual intrigue similar to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.” —ForeWord Reviews