Staying on topic, watch what you consent to. For example, when you see a commercial for a drug and they rattle off all the possible side effects, recognize you are consenting to risk every single one of them.
This new weight loss drug is a good example. You lose weight easily and suffer the side effects.
That's a deal with the devil so to speak.
All the apps on your phone - you consent.
So if you want to move in the other direction, consider whether you might control your eating on you own and take no risks.
We've been transformed into voyeurs or every level and the content we consume degrades us on every level.
Counter this by being creative yourself. I mean, many have others have sex for them. ha ha! I'm sorry but to me, it's like wtf? Depravity is modeled for all of us all the time... and we can't or don't look away. How can this take you somewhere good?
I mention, sometimes someone emails me or leaves a comment that is very insightful or prescient. I got a comment like this on xanga, my original blog. This would have been 2001.
The writer said, and I quote him, verbatim - "I feel sorry for all the women out there. By the time a man is 25 years old, he's been exposed to so much porn, you'll have to drive a truck up his ass to get him off..."
Is this good for people?
@elsa I've been saying this for years. I am so glad I'm not a young woman, dating in this day and age, it's frightening what girls are accepting as normal.
@plutolover They have the sex they see on media. They also want the sex they see on media.
Everyone is hijacked away from their real self, playing monkey see, monkey do, with no idea the operation took place.
@elsa yes, it's presented as aspirational - this is what they should want to do, despite their own feelings on the matter. As you said upthread, they consent to this, willingly.
I heard it put in this way: Dracula doesn't pull you in. He opens the door and issues an invitation, which you can accept.
Also, what I am getting out of this, is they can now pull back the curtain because our society is so degraded, we accept and consent to whatever. If you look around, this seems undeniable. I mean we may no like it but we do nothing about it.
The has the effect of degrading us further. It certainly doesn't elevate us, which is why I have quit bothering with this for the most part. I'm just doing internal work, trying to peel myself off the internet and limit time spent scrolling.
I'm also trying to be creative and think my own thoughts and make my own ties.
I don't want to be addicted to looking for the next chum in my flavor, to be tossed out. It's like that too. Like Celeb gossip? Here you go! Naked cartoons? Here's an endless supply.
New heath remedies? Yup! Right here.
Rabbit holes? Everywhere.
Get rich stuff? No problem.
Doom astrology? Of course.
I think this is obvious. The internet is like a cigarette in that smoking is used to stuff feelings. Bad feelings but also, when I smoked, if I was tired - cigarette. If I was hungry - cigarette. Happy? Cigarette. Just ate lunch? Cigarette. Break at work? Cigarette.
See what I mean?
@elsa Yes, I totally see what you mean. What advice would you give to people who want to make a living doing creative work? I see people with wonderful art to share, or things to teach, and they launch their business on social media, which then forces them to conform, and it becomes a trap. What's do you see as the optimal alternative to this path?
When I read this jaw-dropping article I immediately thought of the title of this thread. I've followed this author for years in awe of his research skills and insights. He's warned about CBDC, etc. for ages.
Here, in a few paragraphs, he reveals the astounding Ideology of "Longtermism," the utter madness seemingly embraced by billionaires and the PTB...
https://bantamjoe.com/2023/07/04/longtermism-the-disturbing-ideology-of-tech-billionaires/
A Glimmer of Hope today from Bantam Joe. (I won't post more as I don't want to "spam"...)
bump