1. Someone I am following closer…
Dr. Zach Bush, I believe, is one of the smartest, most well-spoken, and thought-provoking people ON THE PLANET. He’s one of the few triple board certified physicians in the country. I LOVE this guy! I’m watching and reading anything and everything he posts. It’s people like this who give me some glimmer of hope that we can pull out of the ridiculous mess we are in in this country. You can follow him on Facebook… @ZachBushMD, on Twitter… @DrZachBush, on Instagram… @zachbushmd, or on his website… www.zachbushmd.com. He recently posted a VERY POWERFUL two-part post on Instagram. Click here for part one. Click here for part two. Here is a copy of what he wrote…
“This is the media, an irresponsible media. It will make the criminal look like he’s the victim and make the victim look like he’s the criminal. If you aren’t careful, the media will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. This is a propaganda tactic that I would call psychological warfare.” —Malcolm X (pictured below)
Over the last several decades, we’ve continued to lose freedom of expression and perspective in the media.
We find ourselves believing things about people we have never met. We rush to damn one another. We are easily manipulated in our perception and belief of ‘otherness.’ It is not new.
The media worked hard never to portray Malcolm X with a smile. I do not appreciate how his stern portrayal had created bias and limited understanding of this man.
In talking with his daughter recently, I got a whole new perspective on the joy and love that he exuded and modeled for his children and community. His legacy that lives on through his children and their children is the quiet and profound victory that will continue to grow in this world.
Since his time, the media has consolidated and exploited new technology and deregulation of monopoly law, now acting with monopolistic impunity (and great profit) through global cable syndicates and the internet, the few channels reach billions of minds simultaneously through our cell phones to produce and reiterate an impenetrable narrative. With the same tools, censorship is not only easy, it is a systemic feature that is being publicly celebrated by a fear filled majority.
We have mimicked this behavior of governments and corporations with our own extreme creation of the Cancel Culture. Those are two words that should have never been put together, let alone championed. We have destroyed our culture as we have accepted the destruction of a free and uncensored press…
PART 2:
In case we forget, the 1st amendment of our constitution states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
These rights are being taken away.
We are complacent.
We have forgotten what freedom tastes and looks like.
We have forgotten why freedom is important.
Freedom is not convenient to practice, or easy to win…
But it can be taken away in an instant.
After you read this post, try spending some time away from your phone, computer, and television. Tune out the media for just a few moments, relax into silence, breathe deeply, and create healthy boundaries. Remind yourself that you are the vessel of light that came into being right now.
You are alive, you are on purpose, and you create your own reality. If that reality is full of fear, find a new source of perspective and rediscover your intuition.
If you find your freedoms disappearing, exercise your freedom of speech. Hold your media and your government accountable. Stop voting red and blue. Start building a community of curious and adventurous people that are willing to push the envelope of the common narrative.
Be willing to be uncomfortable in the pursuit of freedom.
Go run down a forest path, go run up that mountain peak. Nature will show you what nature looks like. She will show you what rebirth looks like. She will show you there is no death, there is no waste, there are no mistakes in the fabric of our reality.
We can let go of the fear. We can breathe deeper, and we can run farther…
2. Memorable picture I came across this week…
Two of my very best friends (Matt W. and Jeff S.) were at Lake Cumberland in Kentucky many years ago. After jumping off a 75-foot waterfall, they climbed to one of the highest points you could jump from, which is well over 100 feet high. One of those friends sent me a picture of them jumping. I realized that in that picture, it looks like you can see the water, but all you see is the rock face of that cliff. He then sent me a picture from further away, which really puts the massiveness of that cliff into perspective. He drew a little stick figure showing where they jumped from. Then, he drew an arrow highlighting a pontoon boat at the bottom left, which gives you a true appreciation for just how high that jump was. It was quite a feat… and what a memory! I was impressed with their bravery to even attempt such a jump. Oh… and they both fractured their sacrums (tailbone) upon impacting the water. Ouch! Here are those two pics he sent me…
3. Cartoon I saw this week that I loved (and made me think)…
Thanks John and Mike B. for telling me about this cartoon…
