Fighting Psyops, Victimization, and Depression
Why Disconnection Is A Long Forgotten, Necessary Skill
Darkness, Despair, and Doubt
[For later]:
The halls are quiet. The lights are off. There is no music playing. There is not a sound to be heard, but the chirping of the goldfinches outside the open windows. A cool breeze dances through the halls. No noise of the hustle & bustle of the day.
All is still.
Introduction
The ways in which we both approach and receive our environment determine every aspect about how we act, what we think, and the filters in which we view said environment. How we approach an event or environment is dictated entirely by the Lens in which we view them.
When was the last time you were outraged by an event or scenario, and jumped to rapid conclusions in your outrage, only to find out later that you did not have all of the information? Blinded by emotion.
This brings us to a topic that is consistently met with reticence:
The responsibility of how our world is digested falls squarely into our laps. No-one can tell us how to view what happens to us.
We immediately find ourselves on another topic that is often met with defensiveness. And that is:
So long as [it] is not disrupting or harming an other, the world does not care what you do, why you do [it], or when, or how, you do [it]. Whatever “it” is.
This concept is very, very important to our discussion over Disconnection later.
Every individual that is going about their lives is immersed within said own life; their own problems, their own desires, their own difficulties, their own successes, their own failures, and their own relationships. In what fantasy world would we need to occupy to think that those individuals have the time, nay the care, to be concerned with our lives? Nay, the justification? Those that believe the world “should” care about everyone else occupying the same celestial body in the same era and the same dimension is expressing a level of entitlement that is epic in scale. To hold the philosophy that the entirety of our world should be concerned with our individual lives is a level of narcism that is inexcusable.
While this may sound dark, brutal, or unfair to some… there is a silver lining to this revelation. In realizing that the world has no justification or reason to forfeit a care over what we are doing at this moment, we are given real freedom today. Freedom from the feeling of judgment. Freedom to begin disconnecting from the world around us. This disconnection, this separation of the Self from our environment, allows us to reflect to monumental effect. Our desires. Where we are now. How we are perceiving our world. By conceptualizing ourselves independent of our environments we open up the door to begin to work on rational and accurate assessment(s) of our our position in the world, and where we desire to be in the future. In doing so we then gain insight and awareness into our introspective capabilities like the emotional, spiritual, and philosophical underpinnings of our own biases.
Taking a similar approach proves effective for piercing the fears of clients that are new to the gym and fitness environment. By far the most common point of hesitation is due to a fear of judgment. It takes a very carefully worded explanation to get one who’s vulnerable and scared to not only understand, but accept, that no one worth caring about in such an environment is even slightly interested in spending the time or energy to judge another individual. We all have our ambitions and goals we are working toward. We all start something new from a position of ignorance and naïveté. As a novice we are unaware of what we are unaware of. There is no way around this reality of life.
The Disconnection Paradox
Disconnection is often brought up in conversation (or thought) as an innate ability, one that every individual should be capable of. But this is not an intrinsic ability for any individual. Disconnection requires exposure to the task itself first, then comes the learning, development, and practice in order to develop the skill required to be capable of performing — the ability to act. An individual’s not being great at it (let alone possessing the capability) is only natural, it’s a practice that they are not accustomed to. It will come, like all things, with time and with practice.
Disconnection is required so that we may fairly assess how we are looking at our condition at present. This is a powerful skill for many reasons: seeing the silver lining, accurately assessing our skill (or lackthereof), accurately assessing the perils afforded to our situation, being capable of seeing a path forward to a brighter future (aka “hope”), maintaining humility with those that assisted us in our journey, and many more.
Combat operators and soldiers get trained on how to disconnect, as their lives will be on the line if they do not. Soldiers have to look at a mission and the terrain from a purely objective matter. They have to see how the terrain lies ahead of them, the fortifications of an enemy stronghold, their defensive capabilities, their most likely responses to engagement, angles of approach for potential reinforcements, and egresses for routes of retreat and escape for both sides. If they let their emotions dictate how they go into an engagement they are more than likely to not make decisions that will tilt the scales in their favor. Emotions cloud judgement and cognition. In preparation the soldier must look at the objective, the assets and tools at his or her disposal for the established operation, and then execute on a strategy that places the most advantages in their favor. Letting any number of subjective lens’s get in the way of how they view their objective, how they prepare, and how they execute increases the likelihood of both failure and risking their future.
*Just because one is trained on how to disconnect in one objective manner, does not assume that they will know how to do so in another. Especially when dealing with an external objective like combat, work, etc., versus an internal objective like the introspection we are discussing.
Recalibration Requires Disconnection
In order to become more connected with our reality, we must first disconnect — just like the soldier seeking accurate assessment of his environment and situation. We must view ourselves, our beliefs, our desires, and our ambitions by separating from our familiar environment. This is in order to, when the disconnection is complete, identify what steps must be taken in order to place ourselves on a proper track that will enable our flourishing and get us to the objective(s) we seek.
Disconnection is required for recalibration and proper alignment. Just like 10 years ago when the coax cable of your TV was not properly aligned with the mating surface; the signal would come in all discombobulated. How did you fix the problem? You disconnected the coax, assessed the condition of the male and female adapters, then attempted mating them properly.
Thus, the paradox.
Disconnection, No Panacea
Disconnection is not a panacea, and can be taken too far. In our elation we can show to the world how disconnected from reality we can become through our fumbling of humility and loss of appreciation for those that propelled us along the way. In our despair we can also expose our disconnection by crushing our own souls with over criticism and abandoning reasonableness with our own expectations.
This last one is one that I am particularly guilty of. I hold myself to an abhorrently unrealistic standard that I do not press upon any other.
Lensing
Social media and the internet have caused tens of millions across the world to feel that every moment of the day should be carried out in a particular way. Every communication scrutinized. Every word poured-over. This includes myself. This invites a constant battle that is of greater potency and pressure that philosophers of old could not have fathomed.
We are all capable of falling victim to the pressures of hypercomparison, ways of thought, and the psychological, emotional, and spiritual traps that accompany them. Telecommunications innovation has given us breadth and depth of interaction that our species has never experienced, and accessibility that we have not had time to adjust to healthily. If there even is such a possibility. We now have exponential examples to compare our own lives and person against. Whereas, before these innovations, any comparison for introspective judgment was limited to what we were exposed to in our immediate proximity and what was read in books or newspapers.
Infinite Points of Comparison
This presents our psyche with a significant problem. These infinite points of comparison can influence the ways in which we view ourselves. Which can taint how we view, approach, and receive our world. This is the value of disconnection, and why I discussed it prior to this section. If we do not know how to disconnect, our Lens with which we view our internal and external worlds is completely at the whims of others.
Below is a clip from the documentary “Into The Light” that illuminates just what is possible when a population is incapable of disconnection.
The documentary can be found here.
The director, Mike Smith, can be followed on Twitter here.
Accountability Is The Power
By not accepting this accountability for disconnection and controlling our perceptions of ourselves and our world, to make sure that we are properly aligning with reality, we willingly fork over the scope of our Lens to those that deliver the message(s) that influence us. Sacrificing this power to a mob (or an organization) that does not value our person, know our desires, our pleasures, our pains, our struggles, or that we even exist. What good does this serve? Other than to willfully fork over our own tools to secure ourselves and provide ourselves with legitimate and lasting strength.
It is imperative for us as individuals to be secure in our own capabilities. In order to do so we must be able to disconnect ourselves from the situation and reflect logically, honestly, and fairly. So that we may build ourselves into a character worthy of our own confidence, and pride.
Rumination
Without an accurate and fair Lens of ourselves, we tend to judge the world inaccurately, and unfairly. This can lead to beliefs that the world is “out to get us” or that the universe is stacked against our will. Believing so can twist the mind to expect negative outcomes at every turn; to look for negative happenings in our lives to fit this narrative — confirmation bias. Reinforcing our belief, and increasing the impact on the next event. Tainting our minds to focus explicitly on the bad. Charging our reactions with emotion, increasing the likelihood for poor decision-making, ergo: a greater probability for a negative outcome.
Such rumination has been shown to produce toxic environments within the brain. The production of waste materials that make us more sensitive to these trains of thought in the future, making us even further more susceptible to this mind state.
While taking the opposite approach, looking for the positives (the “silver lining playbook”), by relation causes one to maintain a more positive brain environment and mental state. Providing a lift, or at the very least avoiding applying dead weight to the mind and the soul.
*Note: This is not a suggestion to be a blind optimist, or to idly worship, but to remain rational, honest, and fairly receptive to the positives and negatives of every scenario. Regardless of how daunting, dark, or exhilarating they may be.
The Lie Investment Problem
What follows next will undoubtedly be met with some anger and backlash. Such reactions only serve to confirm what I am about to say to be true. For these reactions are not deployed due to a response to lies, but in avoidance of the truth. Lies can simply be dismissed, ignored. Truth needs only time. Time to be confirmed for what it is — reality.
Lies require substantial energy to be deployed to get buy-in. Which can also be true of Truth, especially when Lies have been accepted as Truth by a populace. Lies then insist upon substantial investment to be maintained. Truth requires little more than identification and acceptance — what is true merely requires time to be realized. Lies, once deployed, are immediately “on the clock.” It is simply a matter of time before their true nature is uncovered, as the investment required for their upkeep and maintenance is ever increasing.
The Solow Model applies just as well to economics as it does to the nature of Truth — who knew?
Anger, lash-back, and resistance are manifestations of the energy investment requirements to try and maintain contortions of truth. What is this truth in question that our subjects of discussion so vehemently resist?
Worldview ≠ Identity
Our moods, how we perceive ourselves, and our world, are purely within our control. Making them our responsibility and making us accountable to our perceptions, our moods, and the actions based on these states of mind and perceptions.
The issue here, and why so much emotion gets stirred up with such claims, is that these claims challenge individuals that have grafted their worldviews onto their identity.
Manufactured Victimization
It must be understood that large portions of the population have been incentivized for decades to victimize themselves. American society (including the corporate and employment world), and especially American Education, has provided incentives for individuals to claim victimization of any number of afflictions. This ranges from Attention Deficit Disorder (in a chase to gain performance enhancing medications), to Anxiety or Depression, or this ludicrous Body Positivity Movement, or the Me Too movement, or claiming affiliation with groups that are suggested to be systemically marginalized based on Ethnicity or skin pigmentation. Mix this with the participation trophies that acted as the preamble to these developments, add in the infinite number of comparison points provided via social media as discussed previously, and you get an extremely weak, self-victimizing, virtue-signaling population that is aggressively feeding itself.
Add into this Devil’s Brew the consideration that the American Education System has been manufacturing children that are not capable of independent, original thought, nor critical-thinking skills, by mass demanding memorization as the primary skill required for “success.” Meaning that many of these individuals will lack the capabilities necessary to even ask valuable questions. Let alone being capable of grasping Disconnection.
What results is flywheel of weakness and rot that throws a tantrum at anyone who would dare suggest that they could be capable of improving their position, or to challenge what they have been told to be fact. How dare ye who challenge the doctrines passed down from those up-on-high.
Propose this reality to these individuals and prepare for bulging eyeballs, popping forehead veins, and globs of spit to be hurled in your general direction.
In Conclusion…
Think back to the scene I described at the very beginning — what you read first. How did the scene feel to you? Was it a sad, lonely space? Or was it a scene presenting a feeling of tranquility and peace?
The lens with which we view our world dictates everything about how we plan, how we react, and how we approach environments, situations, strangers, and those we love. How we view our world reveals our very character, capabilities and our values. We choose whether to be negative each and every morning, or positive. We choose whether to expect the worst in people, or be open to the best. And every choice of perception along the gradient presents its own pros and cons. Subsequently, this places the ways in which we perceive our world, and the events that impact us, well within our responsibility and capability. Thus giving us power over how we react to the dynamism of our reality, as well as the justifications that flavor those reactions.
Our worldview is not something that happens to us, but our expression of ourselves onto the world.
Pure Gold!! 👏👏👏