Jump on social media and you see the extreme deviciveness. Sit back and watch and you see two sides talking - both confident they are right.
Mask, no mask. Trump, Biden. Left, right. Liberal, conservative.
When the hell did we did we decide to abandon reasonable thought?
When did we decide that our lives were better when we were just shown on social media or the larger news media what our perspective should be?
When did we decide that “truth” was something that could only be seen from one side?
What happened to our complex minds? What happened to the ability to study and research on our own while having an open perspective that maybe, just maybe we may not be correct?
And for god’s sake what happened to positivity?
I’ve lived in fear. I know it well. It sucks. It robbed me of so many wonderful experiences I could have had in life but I CHOSE not to because I CHOSE to live in fear. Chose...not choose. Past tense.
Fear sucks. It clouds us. It’s a lie.
The other night at dinner one of my best friends reminded us that one of the most powerful things the devil does is convince us that he is not real.
Whether you want to see the devil as a person, an idea or an ideal he/it is real. And fear is his tool.
It’s fear that causes us to end relationships when they become difficult because it may be difficult to admit that, no matter how old we are, or how much experience in life we have we still need to to change and grow.
It’s fear that whispers in our ears “that’s just who I am” and keeps us from leaning into the discomfort of growth.
Fear keeps you from reading a book because you may not understand it.
Fear keeps you from getting in better shape because you may have to give up habits that are present because you are avoiding the emotional baggage you are carrying.
Fear keeps you from listening to others because they may influence you, and somehow you may not be not completely “right.”
Fear stops you from learning something new because you are too old.
Fear keeps you from re-inventing yourself.
Fear is every excuse that flows from your mouth.
Fear makes you anxious.
Fear causes you to be impulsive rather than calm.
Fear is blocking you from developing your 360 degree thinking.
Fear is stopping you from opening up in your relationship.
Fear is causing you to look at all those Insta-accounts because you can’t just be confident in your own growth.
Fear stops you from saying I love you.
Fear causes you to live a shadow life rather than just being real.
One of the good things that I see with our current society is people are more comfortable with being blunt.
The problem is, that like most great tools being blunt is being used the wrong way.
Instead of saying someone else is wrong, someone else is an idiot, someone else isn’t doing this or that - why not have courage and use blunt talk with ourselves?
It’s not someone else’s fault your life sucks - it’s yours.
It’s not not someone else’s fault the country is divided - it’s ours.
A few years ago I read a simple book that changed my life. It was all about personal accountability.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve read that book over the subsequent years.
I’ve also read many others that went deeper on this topic and have practiced and practiced the concept of personal accountability over and over.
Why?
Because I want to be powerful, not a puppet.
I refuse to let an idea, a person or an organization determine what my life is and who I am.
I refuse to let my past become my future.
I refuse to let any media - social or mass determine my thoughts.
I refuse to blindly follow.
I refuse to simply accept.
I refuse to let the negativity of the day dominate me.
I refuse to blame the world, a person or an organization for my life, my feelings or my current state.
I refuse to listen to the “all or nothing” thinking that is viral in our society.
I refuse to be a puppet.
I refuse to look at the world as two diametrically opposed forces or political power.
Fear won’t take me. Negativity won’t dominate me. I chose. Will you?
Can you sit and listen, love and respect someone who doesn’t agree with you or that you don’t agree with?
Can you accept your current weaknesses and work daily to improve them?
Can you see that life is more than just “left” or “right?”
Can you expand your mind and accept that regardless of how important your feel that you still have more to learn, more to develop, more to expand, more to grow, more to progress in?
Are you a puppet or are you powerful?
Can you think in 3D?
Are you developing your hindsight?
Are you developing your insight?
Are you growing your foresight?
Maybe if we stopped acting like a bunch of puppets and focused on developing personal power the world would be better.
Maybe if we worked on ourselves we wouldn’t be so divided.
Maybe if we recognized the devil of fear in our lives we would make some progress.
Maybe we could truly evolve as a people if we started with ourselves.
Evolve.
