“Good ideas NEVER require force.”
Be the Change.
There are many good ideas out there, truly remarkable ideas that folks definitely need to consider, that get ruined by implementation by force. Force reveals fear. And folks are not super confident in following fearful folks. And leading folks by using their fears can only last for so long. You will be a total mess, physically, mentally, and spiritually, if you are in an elevated state of fear all the time.
Sure, it’s a great idea to wear a mask if you’re sick. Sure, it’s a great idea to talk to a medical professional about medical treatment. Sure, it’s a great idea to eat healthier. Sure, it’s a great idea to not consume so much sugar. Sure, it’s a great idea to take care of yourself. BUT the moment folks start getting told to do something, their inner adolescent takes over and we get defiance. “How dare you?” “Who do you think you are?” “You don’t know my life!”
And a lot of us are emotionally still at that level of response. Other folks are so beaten down and subjugated by the system that they just instinctively follow the new rules without question. They are quick to follow the new rule, quick to help enforce the new rule on others, quick to call for the villainization of the “them”, quick to change to the new mandate in solidarity with the system, quick to make jokes about the last ordeal placed upon them. Never questioning. Systemically conditioned.
And we have a lot of both of these folks fighting with one another every day. Trying to force their lifestyles and identities and beliefs on each other. They are in the Thunderdome and only one can leave. And that is just sad. Because they are all just using the same means to arrive at worthless ends. Ends corrupted by the force they use on each other and themselves.
I think it’s a great idea to examine your life. Take a look at what really is making you tick. Some metacognitive reflection on what your actions are truly saying about who you are. Are you living a life that folks should freely emulate? Are you living a life that you need to force others to emulate? The means are the ends. And examining how you want to live your life, a person exerting external control over everyone in the effort to make a world of your clones or a person exerting internal control over yourself in the effort to make yourself better for the world. The choice, the change, the control is yours. What are you choosing?