I missed out on many indoctrinations. My grandma was a Jehovah’s Witness, and while that system has its own issues, it avoids many common mental traps. Politics, war, patriotism, birthdays, holidays, and even hell as a place of torture aren’t part of that system, resulting in a more relaxed view of life in my world. I think that almost complete lack of social mental constructs led me to a curiosity that most simply don’t have. “I wonder why they think that?” is my daily life. Most people don’t wonder they just assume, as they have been taught.

The most powerful indoctrination tool currently is the news. One station promotes extreme right-wing politics, and another promotes extreme left-wing politics. Honestly, there are about 10% of the population in each camp, while the other 80% of us are wondering what happened to the world. This issue with the news started with the fall of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987. The mainstream news is just divisive propaganda at this point. I recommend a short, written daily brief if you want to stay informed, like 1440 or AP news morning wire.

Start to question everything, including things you hold dear, because we live in the mental cages we build. We create our own prisons with our beliefs. We willingly limit our lives with our beliefs… But if we can build the prison we can also tear it down. The enemy isn’t “out there”; the enemy is what we create and sustain in our own minds. As the song goes, free your mind, the rest will follow.

In my world, fear means I don’t know the whole story. About 15 years ago a co-worker was all wound-up about a story on the news about a politician being abducted by Satanic worshipers. Sounded like lies to me (which it was, as came to light), but my coworker was just rippling waves of fear. Instead of jumping into opinion I looked up Satanism, and know what? They are just ill-tempered atheists who don’t worship anyone. I sent my co-worker the link. At first he was offended, but after he read it I could feel his fear subside. Curiosity, not assumption.

My latest experience with people and their assumptions (judgements) has to do with living near a registered sex offender. Having looked this one up years ago, I am aware all it takes to get on this list is public urination or skinny-dipping. In my youth, I went camping with friends and we all peed in the woods and swam naked in the lake. I have neighbors who honestly believe that list means something to their safety. Ever wondered why there is no violent crime list? I have. Stay curious, not judgmental. Every situation is different and assumptions only make life harder.

This is probably a good time to remind you of an article I posted a few years back called Stay Curious. It was removed from a writing site for “threatening public health”. That’s fun. Being arrested in a protest was on my bucket list, but being censored may be even better! Again, research everything, and never just believe what you’re told. More than that, be ready to adjust your beliefs in light of new information. Lots of new perspectives inbound! Welcome to the future of changing narratives.

If this info is helpful, you can follow my blog (lower right side of page) to have posts delivered directly to your inbox. You may also enjoy my books, Waking Up Indigo, Walking In Both Worlds, and What’s Next, available at Amazon, both in paperback and on Kindle. Love donations welcome and appreciated via PayPal (donate button). Please feel free to share and re-post these writings (in full, with links and credit, please)… we are all just walking each other home.