I remember the aftershocks of Trump’s first election and my cognitive dissonance trying to understand what was happening. The pervading advice at the time was liberal America was isolated from the “true” citizens and we needed to “listen to them.”
I gave it a try, but my moral BS detector was louder than Fox News Entertainment. It is a time for moral leadership and to stand up for truth and reality. Stand your ground, set boundaries, seek the quiet voice of truth within. Trust your guts… the body never lies. Charlatans frequently do.
1) I woke up to the news headline: “What happens if Trump defies court orders?”, so the irony is very timely—real vs. distortion.
2) I recently read a utopian novel for a book discussion. You triggered my memory of the birds in the book.
In Aldous Huxley's novel Island, mynah birds are trained to repeat phrases like "Attention!" and "Here and Now!" to remind the inhabitants of Pala, a utopian society, to be mindful and present.
This article is the perfect “mynah bird” for my daily journey to stay grounded.
One little absurdity in the last couple of weeks of absurdities jumped out at me. This was when President Bukele said of Kilmar Abrego Garcia “How can I return him to the United States? Like if I smuggle him into the United States?” No Mr President you don’t need to “smuggle” him. You simply direct him here. Fly him in. Our SCOTUS has voted 9-0 to return him. That is the reality you need to observe not the alternative fact- illusion that this is smuggling or that he does not have a legal right to be here. You are choosing the “wrong” reality.
Thank you. This is something I always repeat to my work colleagues during trainings or to my friends: when you are in doubt, when you don't know what to think about a certain thing or situation- think about what your instinct tells you. Stop for a moment and ask yourself the questions: does it seem moral? Does it seem right? Does it seem fair?
If you have to find tons of justifications for something to be right/ moral then it probably isn't. It's just your brain trying to reframe reality. If you do it for too long you end up with a brain capable of reframing things in just a couple of seconds. It is profoundly wrong and disturbing 🥺
I just had an interesting debate with my partner about what "liberty", as a concept, is. It was an unfair situation because I have read a lot more on this subject than he did. Nevertheless, it surprised me he considered it a concept subject to each individual perception. Bottom line of our discussion is he had to agree that our "perception" of a certain thing does make it "real". It only makes it "our reality". And our reality might me different than others'. Thus we must always try to do a "reality check" whenever possible.
And that is the main issue these days.. people are unable to do those "reality checks" because they are confused by the tons of different contradictory messages they get from the news, from the people around them.. and that is the moment when they must trust their moral compass.
Point being: reality check is healty. Internal checks are healthy. Both should be used with moderation in my humble opinion. Freedom, human rights, human dignity etc. are not and should not be "relative" concepts. That is the truth.
Great post, Mike. The focus on submission and the destruction of personal perception to distort what may or may not be real in the hopes that people will surrender.
Thank you Mike! At the moment, it is all so real because the lies, justifications, excuses and actions are repetitive and intentional and are happening so quickly. Complacency and resignation are our downfall. My resilience and pushback will come from: my daily walk in a functioning neighborhood or in nature, imagining the restrictions my children and grandchildren will have that I never have had in my lifetime, and, riding on the train to Dachau, Germany in the 70’s and lastly, the exit out of the Holocaust Museum in DC warning visitors to NEVER FORGET!! 2+2=4.
Thank you Mike for this lucid, articulate and beautifully written essay. In my opinion, you have jumped to the heart of the dilemma we are in; if we get confused as to what is truly happening, then we won’t put a stop to it. It’s not just that we might believe the lies, but that we are inundated with information of which there’s little time to verify the truth. Paying attention won’t be enough; this situation requires unremitting vigilance which is fatiguing. Adrenaline and fatigue affect judgment. Bannon and the Project boys counted on this. That’s why to me your words here are very important, the idea of holding our ground…
You are a voice of knowledge and wisdom. Thank you for doing this work.
Brilliant. A warning, but Heartening. The path forward. Thank you bringing us clarity and wisdom. You are keeping us in the Fight.
Excellent article, Mike. Well said. And much needed.
I remember the aftershocks of Trump’s first election and my cognitive dissonance trying to understand what was happening. The pervading advice at the time was liberal America was isolated from the “true” citizens and we needed to “listen to them.”
I gave it a try, but my moral BS detector was louder than Fox News Entertainment. It is a time for moral leadership and to stand up for truth and reality. Stand your ground, set boundaries, seek the quiet voice of truth within. Trust your guts… the body never lies. Charlatans frequently do.
Excellent piece! Two thoughts:
1) I woke up to the news headline: “What happens if Trump defies court orders?”, so the irony is very timely—real vs. distortion.
2) I recently read a utopian novel for a book discussion. You triggered my memory of the birds in the book.
In Aldous Huxley's novel Island, mynah birds are trained to repeat phrases like "Attention!" and "Here and Now!" to remind the inhabitants of Pala, a utopian society, to be mindful and present.
This article is the perfect “mynah bird” for my daily journey to stay grounded.
One little absurdity in the last couple of weeks of absurdities jumped out at me. This was when President Bukele said of Kilmar Abrego Garcia “How can I return him to the United States? Like if I smuggle him into the United States?” No Mr President you don’t need to “smuggle” him. You simply direct him here. Fly him in. Our SCOTUS has voted 9-0 to return him. That is the reality you need to observe not the alternative fact- illusion that this is smuggling or that he does not have a legal right to be here. You are choosing the “wrong” reality.
Thank you. This is something I always repeat to my work colleagues during trainings or to my friends: when you are in doubt, when you don't know what to think about a certain thing or situation- think about what your instinct tells you. Stop for a moment and ask yourself the questions: does it seem moral? Does it seem right? Does it seem fair?
If you have to find tons of justifications for something to be right/ moral then it probably isn't. It's just your brain trying to reframe reality. If you do it for too long you end up with a brain capable of reframing things in just a couple of seconds. It is profoundly wrong and disturbing 🥺
I just had an interesting debate with my partner about what "liberty", as a concept, is. It was an unfair situation because I have read a lot more on this subject than he did. Nevertheless, it surprised me he considered it a concept subject to each individual perception. Bottom line of our discussion is he had to agree that our "perception" of a certain thing does make it "real". It only makes it "our reality". And our reality might me different than others'. Thus we must always try to do a "reality check" whenever possible.
And that is the main issue these days.. people are unable to do those "reality checks" because they are confused by the tons of different contradictory messages they get from the news, from the people around them.. and that is the moment when they must trust their moral compass.
Point being: reality check is healty. Internal checks are healthy. Both should be used with moderation in my humble opinion. Freedom, human rights, human dignity etc. are not and should not be "relative" concepts. That is the truth.
Great post, Mike. The focus on submission and the destruction of personal perception to distort what may or may not be real in the hopes that people will surrender.
Excellent. Thank you.
The last sentence: Words to live by, thank you!
Excellent piece - very thought-provoking. Shared to FB and BlueSky.
Thank you Mike! At the moment, it is all so real because the lies, justifications, excuses and actions are repetitive and intentional and are happening so quickly. Complacency and resignation are our downfall. My resilience and pushback will come from: my daily walk in a functioning neighborhood or in nature, imagining the restrictions my children and grandchildren will have that I never have had in my lifetime, and, riding on the train to Dachau, Germany in the 70’s and lastly, the exit out of the Holocaust Museum in DC warning visitors to NEVER FORGET!! 2+2=4.
Thank you Mike for this lucid, articulate and beautifully written essay. In my opinion, you have jumped to the heart of the dilemma we are in; if we get confused as to what is truly happening, then we won’t put a stop to it. It’s not just that we might believe the lies, but that we are inundated with information of which there’s little time to verify the truth. Paying attention won’t be enough; this situation requires unremitting vigilance which is fatiguing. Adrenaline and fatigue affect judgment. Bannon and the Project boys counted on this. That’s why to me your words here are very important, the idea of holding our ground…