Turbo Cancer: Day 101 - September 20, 2022
People are Good
On this day, last year, my mom wrote:
Faye came over at 3:15. Heard all about her life. Colorado, happy at new church, music, ministry.
Was gifted a lovely Turkish bracelet from John’s customers.
People are good.
My mom was easy to talk to, because she was a good listener. She enjoyed hearing about the lives, thoughts, ideas and feelings of others. While she had her own firm set of beliefs, she understood that hers was not the only point of view.
The great myth of The United States has been that it was founded on the belief that all humans can coexist in a state of mutual respect and acceptance. We are told that America was created to be a magical place, where all cultures, traditions, ideas, and perspectives would be welcomed and respected.
Most Native Americans would disagree with that version of history. The founding of The United States required the eradication of their culture. We have never actually had a history of open cultural debate and acceptance.
America was built on a foundation of lies. The initial groundwork was fractured.
We are the land of propaganda. The goal of this country has always been to increase the wealth of the wealthy. The purpose of this nation has always been to give more power to the powerful.
The story of an altruistic government, working toward peace and equality, has always been fiction. The words: “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave” are a slogan. They are an advertisement. Our forefathers were experts at creating a brand.
They were politicians. They were saying what the people wanted to hear. Their goal was to amass votes. From its inception, the government of the United States was motivated by power.
Our forefathers were motivated by greed.
To a person like my mom, who had absolute belief in the strength of the foundation, the existence of any cracks were inconceivable. Because her brain believed the collapse to be impossible, she was unable to recognize its existence.
My mom believed in the idea of America. She chose to live in a way that provided her with the opportunity to interact with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. She enjoyed spending time with those who were different from her. She was interested in hearing the stories of people’s lives. She found it exciting to consider the thoughts and opinions of others. She sought out opportunities to respectfully discuss opposing opinions.
She was easy to talk to because she was fascinated by people. She tried to understand others’ perspectives. She tried to put herself in their shoes. She wanted to know what it was like to see the world through the eyes of another. My mom was motivated by love.
Unfortunately, my mom’s idea of America had not been promoted in a very long time. My mom’s patriotism was an artifact of her childhood. When she was growing up, American media were able to profit from messages of family, community and God.
Times had changed. Profit models had changed.
During the pandemic, we were all yanked from our lives, and thrust into a world of isolation and online communication. The lockdowns pushed us to join virtual communities, formed along political lines.
We were presented with two sides, and instructed to choose. Influencers told us what we should think about those who chose differently. As a society, we put more emphasis on our newly formed virtual tribes than we did on family history.
We found ourselves at the point where the lies became so heavy that the cracks in the foundation were beginning to widen. The infrastructure was fracturing. The empire was collapsing.
And we could all see it.
However, those in the position of power depend on the illusion of their strength and control in the minds of those over whom they wield it.
Through the use of algorithms, media companies kept us corralled in echo chambers of like-minded individuals. We became disconnected from the real-world people whom we loved.
Suddenly, in the land of the free, differing points of view were deemed oppositional.
Political opinions were criminalized.
Lines were drawn in the sand.
People took sides.
Families were torn apart.
Holiday invitations were rescinded.
Some of us became concerned about the extreme level of control.
Some of us didn’t seem to care.
Everything got so weird.
People like my mom are necessary. We need those who appreciate difference of opinion. We need those who enjoy hearing the stories of others. We need those with the ability to discuss opposing views, without passing judgment.
We need human connection.
We need to see the goodness in others.
We need to be motivated by love.
Closing churches while keeping Walmart open describes it beautifully.
Your beautiful mom in that beautiful hat 💕