Based on my past experiences of going down too many rabbit holes, I couldn't agree more. If you plan to dive in to a topic, leave a light on and don't stay too long. Curiosity without thinking you will find "the answers" is key to navigating without getting sucked into a black hole of useless drivel and confusion. It's another ring on the ladder, a rites of passage in a sense, to recognize that the rabbit holes are another part of the "mind control," just like politics, just like anything that "captures" your energy where you can't seem to pull yourself out or look away.
Agreed 100% - and here's another useful heuristic: "How does finding out about this conspiracy theory make me feel? Do I feel more hopeless and powerless than before? Do I feel like nobody would believe me if I told them, so therefore I feel isolated? Am I more likely to fight or build alternatives to TBTB or on the other hand, am I more likely to get depressed?"
If the conspiracy theory makes you feel weak and powerless, then that's a pretty good psyop, if you ask me.
For those who do do it, maybe an important key is to do it for a while, and then pass the baton on to someone else. Benefit the world by uncovering some crazy sh1t, benefit oneself by a real lesson in how the PtB cannot be trusted, and then move on before depression kicks in.
“To remember my heuristic: that if a mainstream source says something is true—especially anything that is even remotely political—it’s probably false”
You do easier if you change probably to always. Keep it simple!
If you make this change, your other idea becomes obsolete:
“I already know that the holes are bottomless and the rabbits within are psychopaths. I don’t need the details—especially since I will never be able to be fully sure that I can trust what I think I may have uncovered.”
Yeah, but I am not sure that is good either. For example, if the mainstream news reports that on Tuesday next, residents of the northern hemisphere will be able to see a comet, it does me little good to assume that they are definitely lying about that. That it is definitely not a comet, or that comets don’t exist, or that space isn’t real or whatever.
I am open to the possibility of deception. I always have my eye on everything. The heuristic is always there. But the idea that 100 of everything is always a psyop is itself, it seems to me, a kind of psyop. I use my judgment and intuition in all things.
Keep it simple is the number one rule for success. I have lived the Pareto principle for 50 years. I don't care if I sort out right things, I can correct it. But having no distractions saves a lot of time. Nevertheless, I understand your point. But my way is easier for avoiding distraction.
I enjoy going down the rabbit holes, but there is definitely a danger of going too far. One metric I use is to look at what the algorithm is feeding me - if my entire feed is awash with conspiracy shit I know I've lost the plot and I need to come up for air. Lol
I also do not believe in a great deal of the conspiracy things I watch or read, often times I just find them entertaining and fascinating theories. I have always stood by Robert Anton Wilson's motto of remaining radically agnostic when it comes to such things. Unless I have a significant amount of solid evidence, it is just a theory and I treat it as a form of entertainment. Lately it's starting to feel like everything is a psyop and I find that is both bad and good - we need to question everything, over time the truth will hopefully be revealed.
The older you get, the more bull you encounter and hopefully the wiser you become. All media and entertainment is a form of mind control as is ALL marketing of any kind. I don't know that if I was 25 today verses when I was 25 in 1975, I could stay somewhat impartial and sane.
When you ask yourself why would anyone want to control your thoughts and mind, you wonder what their true objective is. Who is behind this endless crusade to control us? For what reason? I can only surmise the end game is elimination of humanity and secondly to make a bundle of money.
Otherwise, why would someone need to control anyone? We have laws, rules and regulations for most of that stuff. Now that we are firmly encased in the digital age, manipulation and control have reached an entirely new level. The ultimate will be the use of CBDC's where you no longer have any control over your wealth (whatever it might be). At that point, game over. If they take everything away, you won't be happy and you won't be living. They will seek your death because at that point you truly are useless to them.
Do you know Jefferson’s quotes about Whigs and Tories? (In modern parlance, people who want more freedom vs. people who want more control.) The difference, he suggested, is grounded in the nature of people. Those who are firm in their resolve, independence, confidence, etc. (internal locus of control) are more likely to prefer freedom. Those who are insecure, “weakly and nerveless,” cowardly, and collectivist (external locus of control) are more likely to prefer control and oppression. They want a strong state to control others because they are afraid of those others.
Maybe Jefferson was right. Maybe, when it comes down to it, this is about them being insecure p*ssies. (Pardon my French, everyone.) Add in the arrogant narcissism of intelligence, plus the accumulation of some power, and you get Klaus Schwab.
Strip off his weird Bond villain Nehru jacket, take away his bodyguards, and throw him in a biker bar, and he’ll be p*sing himself inside five minutes. Same with Bill Gates.
I am not a biker, and I am certainly not going to say something to piss off a bunch of bikers. But I guarantee you that I do not begin from the same place of natural fear that the Schwabs and Gates of the world do.
Gates and Schwab are playing characters. They are not top of the food chain. I think Jefferson was right and people will accept their dependence on the global oligarchs for an easy life.
They are just changing the game, thus the dismantlement of the old economic system. They use politicians as a distraction and to keep people in order. Also, events like wars and pandemics as they can then usher in the 4th Industrial Revolution a little faster.
I know what you mean when you say don't go down into rabbit holes and get tangled up in detail. It can be addictive though!
My only thought on withdrawing from the game as you suggest, is how practical is that for most people? Being more self sufficient is kind of doable for a few of us, but most people aren't in a position to stand on their own two feet. We are caught up in a society where power and resources are centralised and if we become individuals who still use their technology we are going into the trap that has been set for us.
Where do you see the internet featuring in your Brave New World?
Oh goodness, please don't call it a Brave New World LOL!
Opt-out is certainly more difficult in cities. It gets easier in the burbs, and it's easiest in rural areas. Location does matter. But some degree of opt-out is still possible no matter where one is. We should do as much as we can with what we have.
That said, @shagbark/A.M. Hickman has pointed out that there are a lot of rural places and small towns in which land and houses are now so cheap that virtually anyone can afford them. These are usually dying towns, old industrial towns, or rural areas surrounding dying towns. But it's kind of a new frontier. If I were in a city with less money, I would strongly consider this route.
I am not an expert on internet matters. I think, though, that we would probably all benefit from running our own servers, switching to more secure modes of communication, getting off all the big platforms, and having an air-gapped computer and a faraday bag/box!
Yep, I agree with your suggestions. However the reality, here in Britain anyway in 2024, is that hardly anybody can do without the water, food, energy and heating that comes from the centre. They don't know how to be self sufficient and they don't want to be as they are comfortable with their 21st century life styles.
They certainly like using technology and can't imagine life without it. We are going to be monitored 24/7, along with all life on earth.
There may be a few on the fringes who live as you describe and they may be hunted down or used for amusement. We can only hope that nicer people take over as the current lot appear to be pretty ruthless judging by the fake pandemic, Ukraine and Gaza.
Let's play with this a little. Some tragic facts seem tragically axiomatic…
1. There will always be psychopaths and sociopaths who are attracted to, and assume, power.
2. There will always be normies (excuse the pejorative shorthand) who will go along.
3. There will always be people you cannot save. In fact, 99.99-whatever percent of the human species fall into that category.
Conclusion? Save yourself and your loved ones.
My sister lives in Edinburgh. She and her husband are, of course, entirely dependent. My brother lives in The Borders. He and his wife at least have a well and a little bit of ground, and there are farmers nearby.
I would focus on taking care of oneself and one's loved ones. That seems like the best you can do. Survive and rebuild.
That was sarcasm…sort of. But, yes. You know this; it takes energy to parse everything you come across and at some point it’s easier to go from not knowing to not caring. “Nothing matters very much, and very few things matter at all.”
I think I have been going in the not-caring direction in many ways. But as I described it in a convo with a friend this morning—even if we are retreating from a horde of zombies and heading for greener pastures, someone still has to watch our six on the retreat…
Exactly. Just because you no longer ‘believe in’ something or accept certain things as true, doesn’t mean those things or the entities that control them are no longer a threat. Situational awareness still applies.
I have been saying for quite some time that the freedom movement needs its own folk music tradition. Communism socialism/leftism certainly has had one. Abolition, unionism, and others have. The classic-liberal freedom movement needs one too.
Generally speaking, the development of such a tradition requires not just individual songs, but particular artists who focus on it. James Kole is a good one. And now I see that Alex is too!
I think to an extent we are all conspiracy theorists , a lack of known facts or information leads one to if not delve further for the knowledge , fill in the unknowns with speculation driven by the bias we have over the subject. So much in society today is "hidden" or propaganized by news outlets that we fear everything is out to get us as Woody once said "Just because it feels like they're out to get you , doesn't mean they're not". We are so jaded by media ,polarized by political rhetoric that we don't look to Ocean's razor as the solution to most questions. Guilty as charged, I've crawled so far down some holes that it's easier to keep digging or been too prideful to turn around.
I hear you. There is good reason to be suspicious and to want to see behind the curtain. It’s just that no matter what we see, we cannot be sure what’s true!
U speak my language brother, dumped all social media 3 yrs ago and joined Substack:) I need intellectual challenge not meaningless talking points. Great article 🙏🌎
I will never charge for my research and knowledge, all knowledge should be free flowing, having to pay for knowledge is a form of suppression. I do not knock writers who make their living doing this but for me, I will always be a part of freedom of the flow of knowledge🙏🌎 Blessings
Doesn't substack count as social media? It is just another platform for people to reveal themselves on and to react to stories. If it wasn't useful, it wouldn't be allowed. They probably like people to put themselves into groups and tell them what we think and what we might do.
They can adjust the rules of the game accordingly and bet on outcomes. Impact investing demands data and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals are cover for introducing “Impact tokens” using blockchain technology.
I think Substack has been, on balance, a net positive. Substack kept the torch lit on the covid scam. I just don't know where the info would have gotten out otherwise.
The internet creates liabilities, but it is also our greatest tool of resistance. We have to keep getting messages to each other any way we can. Even Facebook was okay for that, for a while. But now everyone saying anything important is throttled and it's JUST a honeypot for our oppressors to gather data.
It's complicated, but if we stop talking all together, we will lose. We have to find ways to get around them. But also to tell the truth, right int heir faces. The more people that do that, the closer we are to victory.
It doesn’t come close to those hack sites. Substack was started for writers and intellectuals who like to KNOW things. Facebook and Instagram are hive mind havens🤡🌎
Yes, I know what you are saying and certainly you can use more words on Substack than say, Twitter and it feels free.
I feel cautious though because the internet is controlled and monitored. Substack allows paid journalists (paid by the oligarchs), to write influential stuff. That means we can be led down the wrong path and/or divided into groups.
Some of the substacks seem totally fine, just a bunch of individually minded people sharing info, trying to figure out what’s going on and what we can do about it. But on other substacks, almost a cult type feeling develops so you are jumped on if you question the leader of that site or their particular view.
Based on my past experiences of going down too many rabbit holes, I couldn't agree more. If you plan to dive in to a topic, leave a light on and don't stay too long. Curiosity without thinking you will find "the answers" is key to navigating without getting sucked into a black hole of useless drivel and confusion. It's another ring on the ladder, a rites of passage in a sense, to recognize that the rabbit holes are another part of the "mind control," just like politics, just like anything that "captures" your energy where you can't seem to pull yourself out or look away.
Sharing!
Agreed 100% - and here's another useful heuristic: "How does finding out about this conspiracy theory make me feel? Do I feel more hopeless and powerless than before? Do I feel like nobody would believe me if I told them, so therefore I feel isolated? Am I more likely to fight or build alternatives to TBTB or on the other hand, am I more likely to get depressed?"
If the conspiracy theory makes you feel weak and powerless, then that's a pretty good psyop, if you ask me.
All well and rightly said.
For those who do do it, maybe an important key is to do it for a while, and then pass the baton on to someone else. Benefit the world by uncovering some crazy sh1t, benefit oneself by a real lesson in how the PtB cannot be trusted, and then move on before depression kicks in.
Simple answer:
Yes.
“To remember my heuristic: that if a mainstream source says something is true—especially anything that is even remotely political—it’s probably false”
You do easier if you change probably to always. Keep it simple!
If you make this change, your other idea becomes obsolete:
“I already know that the holes are bottomless and the rabbits within are psychopaths. I don’t need the details—especially since I will never be able to be fully sure that I can trust what I think I may have uncovered.”
Because the same rule applies — keep it simple …
Yeah, but I am not sure that is good either. For example, if the mainstream news reports that on Tuesday next, residents of the northern hemisphere will be able to see a comet, it does me little good to assume that they are definitely lying about that. That it is definitely not a comet, or that comets don’t exist, or that space isn’t real or whatever.
I am open to the possibility of deception. I always have my eye on everything. The heuristic is always there. But the idea that 100 of everything is always a psyop is itself, it seems to me, a kind of psyop. I use my judgment and intuition in all things.
Keep it simple is the number one rule for success. I have lived the Pareto principle for 50 years. I don't care if I sort out right things, I can correct it. But having no distractions saves a lot of time. Nevertheless, I understand your point. But my way is easier for avoiding distraction.
Yeah, avoiding distraction is good. That is a big part of my point here.
KISS
Keep It Simple Stupid
Delete stupid. Insert short.
I enjoy going down the rabbit holes, but there is definitely a danger of going too far. One metric I use is to look at what the algorithm is feeding me - if my entire feed is awash with conspiracy shit I know I've lost the plot and I need to come up for air. Lol
I also do not believe in a great deal of the conspiracy things I watch or read, often times I just find them entertaining and fascinating theories. I have always stood by Robert Anton Wilson's motto of remaining radically agnostic when it comes to such things. Unless I have a significant amount of solid evidence, it is just a theory and I treat it as a form of entertainment. Lately it's starting to feel like everything is a psyop and I find that is both bad and good - we need to question everything, over time the truth will hopefully be revealed.
Didn't Robert Anton Wilson have a card/strategy game called "Illuminati"?
I don't know, he may have, I only read his books, did not get into the merchandise 😉
I have a memory of playing it. I think I played as the aliens…
"portrays something that runs counter to natural law, decency, common sense, or the very fabric of reality"
A perfect description of the progressive ideology!
Yeah, they are all that for sure. And maybe more!
The older you get, the more bull you encounter and hopefully the wiser you become. All media and entertainment is a form of mind control as is ALL marketing of any kind. I don't know that if I was 25 today verses when I was 25 in 1975, I could stay somewhat impartial and sane.
When you ask yourself why would anyone want to control your thoughts and mind, you wonder what their true objective is. Who is behind this endless crusade to control us? For what reason? I can only surmise the end game is elimination of humanity and secondly to make a bundle of money.
Otherwise, why would someone need to control anyone? We have laws, rules and regulations for most of that stuff. Now that we are firmly encased in the digital age, manipulation and control have reached an entirely new level. The ultimate will be the use of CBDC's where you no longer have any control over your wealth (whatever it might be). At that point, game over. If they take everything away, you won't be happy and you won't be living. They will seek your death because at that point you truly are useless to them.
“ why would someone need to control anyone?”
—How about fear?
Do you know Jefferson’s quotes about Whigs and Tories? (In modern parlance, people who want more freedom vs. people who want more control.) The difference, he suggested, is grounded in the nature of people. Those who are firm in their resolve, independence, confidence, etc. (internal locus of control) are more likely to prefer freedom. Those who are insecure, “weakly and nerveless,” cowardly, and collectivist (external locus of control) are more likely to prefer control and oppression. They want a strong state to control others because they are afraid of those others.
Maybe Jefferson was right. Maybe, when it comes down to it, this is about them being insecure p*ssies. (Pardon my French, everyone.) Add in the arrogant narcissism of intelligence, plus the accumulation of some power, and you get Klaus Schwab.
Strip off his weird Bond villain Nehru jacket, take away his bodyguards, and throw him in a biker bar, and he’ll be p*sing himself inside five minutes. Same with Bill Gates.
I am not a biker, and I am certainly not going to say something to piss off a bunch of bikers. But I guarantee you that I do not begin from the same place of natural fear that the Schwabs and Gates of the world do.
Gates and Schwab are playing characters. They are not top of the food chain. I think Jefferson was right and people will accept their dependence on the global oligarchs for an easy life.
They are just changing the game, thus the dismantlement of the old economic system. They use politicians as a distraction and to keep people in order. Also, events like wars and pandemics as they can then usher in the 4th Industrial Revolution a little faster.
Do you despair of any solution, then?
I know what you mean when you say don't go down into rabbit holes and get tangled up in detail. It can be addictive though!
My only thought on withdrawing from the game as you suggest, is how practical is that for most people? Being more self sufficient is kind of doable for a few of us, but most people aren't in a position to stand on their own two feet. We are caught up in a society where power and resources are centralised and if we become individuals who still use their technology we are going into the trap that has been set for us.
Where do you see the internet featuring in your Brave New World?
Oh goodness, please don't call it a Brave New World LOL!
Opt-out is certainly more difficult in cities. It gets easier in the burbs, and it's easiest in rural areas. Location does matter. But some degree of opt-out is still possible no matter where one is. We should do as much as we can with what we have.
That said, @shagbark/A.M. Hickman has pointed out that there are a lot of rural places and small towns in which land and houses are now so cheap that virtually anyone can afford them. These are usually dying towns, old industrial towns, or rural areas surrounding dying towns. But it's kind of a new frontier. If I were in a city with less money, I would strongly consider this route.
I am not an expert on internet matters. I think, though, that we would probably all benefit from running our own servers, switching to more secure modes of communication, getting off all the big platforms, and having an air-gapped computer and a faraday bag/box!
Yep, I agree with your suggestions. However the reality, here in Britain anyway in 2024, is that hardly anybody can do without the water, food, energy and heating that comes from the centre. They don't know how to be self sufficient and they don't want to be as they are comfortable with their 21st century life styles.
They certainly like using technology and can't imagine life without it. We are going to be monitored 24/7, along with all life on earth.
There may be a few on the fringes who live as you describe and they may be hunted down or used for amusement. We can only hope that nicer people take over as the current lot appear to be pretty ruthless judging by the fake pandemic, Ukraine and Gaza.
Let's play with this a little. Some tragic facts seem tragically axiomatic…
1. There will always be psychopaths and sociopaths who are attracted to, and assume, power.
2. There will always be normies (excuse the pejorative shorthand) who will go along.
3. There will always be people you cannot save. In fact, 99.99-whatever percent of the human species fall into that category.
Conclusion? Save yourself and your loved ones.
My sister lives in Edinburgh. She and her husband are, of course, entirely dependent. My brother lives in The Borders. He and his wife at least have a well and a little bit of ground, and there are farmers nearby.
I would focus on taking care of oneself and one's loved ones. That seems like the best you can do. Survive and rebuild.
Certainly at least a few of them are!
💯
Keep talking like this and I’ll have to stop reading your stuff.
You mean because some of what I cover constitutes its own sort of rabbit hole?
That was sarcasm…sort of. But, yes. You know this; it takes energy to parse everything you come across and at some point it’s easier to go from not knowing to not caring. “Nothing matters very much, and very few things matter at all.”
I think I have been going in the not-caring direction in many ways. But as I described it in a convo with a friend this morning—even if we are retreating from a horde of zombies and heading for greener pastures, someone still has to watch our six on the retreat…
Exactly. Just because you no longer ‘believe in’ something or accept certain things as true, doesn’t mean those things or the entities that control them are no longer a threat. Situational awareness still applies.
💯
Adding more daily.
Alex Michaels is a friend of mine! I’m happy you shared his song! Don’t Let Them Take Your Mind is one of my favorites! 🎵♥️
I have been saying for quite some time that the freedom movement needs its own folk music tradition. Communism socialism/leftism certainly has had one. Abolition, unionism, and others have. The classic-liberal freedom movement needs one too.
Generally speaking, the development of such a tradition requires not just individual songs, but particular artists who focus on it. James Kole is a good one. And now I see that Alex is too!
9/11 was an inside job was an inside job.
Or maybe 9/11 was and inside job was an inside job was an inside job…
This was great. I write about the 180 different types of cognitive bias.
That’s a lot of types!
Totally Awesome!
Thanks :-)
I think to an extent we are all conspiracy theorists , a lack of known facts or information leads one to if not delve further for the knowledge , fill in the unknowns with speculation driven by the bias we have over the subject. So much in society today is "hidden" or propaganized by news outlets that we fear everything is out to get us as Woody once said "Just because it feels like they're out to get you , doesn't mean they're not". We are so jaded by media ,polarized by political rhetoric that we don't look to Ocean's razor as the solution to most questions. Guilty as charged, I've crawled so far down some holes that it's easier to keep digging or been too prideful to turn around.
I hear you. There is good reason to be suspicious and to want to see behind the curtain. It’s just that no matter what we see, we cannot be sure what’s true!
U speak my language brother, dumped all social media 3 yrs ago and joined Substack:) I need intellectual challenge not meaningless talking points. Great article 🙏🌎
Yeah man. I am on my way (slowly) to the same thing: Substack only!
It’s life changing🙏
I certainly have not missed Pinterest or LinkedIn 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
More to come soon.
I will never charge for my research and knowledge, all knowledge should be free flowing, having to pay for knowledge is a form of suppression. I do not knock writers who make their living doing this but for me, I will always be a part of freedom of the flow of knowledge🙏🌎 Blessings
Doesn't substack count as social media? It is just another platform for people to reveal themselves on and to react to stories. If it wasn't useful, it wouldn't be allowed. They probably like people to put themselves into groups and tell them what we think and what we might do.
They can adjust the rules of the game accordingly and bet on outcomes. Impact investing demands data and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals are cover for introducing “Impact tokens” using blockchain technology.
I think Substack has been, on balance, a net positive. Substack kept the torch lit on the covid scam. I just don't know where the info would have gotten out otherwise.
The internet creates liabilities, but it is also our greatest tool of resistance. We have to keep getting messages to each other any way we can. Even Facebook was okay for that, for a while. But now everyone saying anything important is throttled and it's JUST a honeypot for our oppressors to gather data.
It's complicated, but if we stop talking all together, we will lose. We have to find ways to get around them. But also to tell the truth, right int heir faces. The more people that do that, the closer we are to victory.
It doesn’t come close to those hack sites. Substack was started for writers and intellectuals who like to KNOW things. Facebook and Instagram are hive mind havens🤡🌎
Yes, I know what you are saying and certainly you can use more words on Substack than say, Twitter and it feels free.
I feel cautious though because the internet is controlled and monitored. Substack allows paid journalists (paid by the oligarchs), to write influential stuff. That means we can be led down the wrong path and/or divided into groups.
Some of the substacks seem totally fine, just a bunch of individually minded people sharing info, trying to figure out what’s going on and what we can do about it. But on other substacks, almost a cult type feeling develops so you are jumped on if you question the leader of that site or their particular view.