Dear Reader:
I take no position on the question of whether the assassination attempt on Trump was real or staged. Something else draws my attention with respect to this event—and now so many others that cross our collective path.
Where before there was some kind of collective truth baseline that rooted us, there now no longer is. We don’t really seem to believe anything we see, or anything we are told, that emanates from the political world—and the media that covers it. Even if some of us believe it, it seems as though we are faking that belief, largely so that we can get through our day in one piece.
When I grew up, most of us really believed what we saw—and what we were told. We believed that political leadership generally had our best interests at heart. We believed it when Walter Cronkite shared the news of the day. Things were accepted as they appeared to be, and within that framework of perception, we were able to focus our attention on our daily concerns and ambitions.
But that is coming to an end. It is no longer only so-called ‘conspiracy theorists’ who doubt the stories we are told—its most everyone. The very idea that someone competent has their hands on the wheel—and is truly benevolently intended—has disintegrated before the realization that most political figures and media outlets are largely self-serving. They may sometimes share some element of truth with us, but even then, much of that which is essential is omitted. Even when they rattle on about ‘the perils of misinformation,’ we inherently know that they too are merchants of misinformation. Their diversionary cliches don’t fool us any longer. We know its all a game—one we no longer wish to play.
And yet, we don’t seem to be ready to replace these systems with ones that reflect the next paradigm of relatedness. The scaffolding that is needed to forge a system that is rooted in service to humanity—rather than power over it—is not in place. We see some movement with respect to alternative forms of media—Substack is a prime example—but not with respect to the political world. If anything, it is solidifying its approach by perfecting the arts of overstimulation and optics manipulation. Technology—and the algorithmic control of consciousness—have only made it easier for these systems to keep us bewildered, despite our burgeoning realizations about the simulation we have entered. And celebrity culture has so permeated the political ethos that it is near impossible to distinguish Washington from Hollywood.
Basically, everything is bullshit. So, where can we turn? What has to happen before we can forge the kind of systems that are genuinely rooted in human connectiveness and service to others?