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From the mind of critic: “If we all sat through puppet shows when we were younger, whether we liked them or not, did we understand the concepts they portrayed? Did we just view it as a fun scene, with characters who had adventures, and taught us valuable life lessons complete with a quick summary at the end about how the whole story was one big moral metaphor? Or did we see these fun characters portraying a story, lessons and guidelines of as successful life for what it really was, somebody behind the scenes pulling the strings, making the charcaters do this and that, while portraying a story that says one thing, but is actually a giant distraction controlled by somebody who thinks we can’t see the strings they’re pulling, or their hand up the puppets backside? We could always make the argument that all of have strings that are pulled by somebody. That all of us are pulled in directions that we don’t want to go, by forces we can’t fully control. The fact that powerful people are having their strings pulled by even more powerful people, is played out in song and dance, performed to dictract us from what’s actually happening, which isn’t a new concept. The fact that the wool is being pulled over our eyes, and we aren’t doing anything about it when it’s this balatant and in our face, is a new concept. This is a conceot bred in since we were young, that by the time we are voting adults, we think that’s just the way things are. Once we realize that we’re taught from the beginning to not see the strings being pulled or the man behind the curtain, but the singing dancing clowns doing stupid things right in front of us, we’ll see see our elected officials including our current president will engage in ridculous and off the wall acts, only to distract us from seeing what they’re really up to. Puppet shows provide entertainment whe we’re younger, and politics when we’re older. As long as we never lose sight of the strings, we’ll see how to cut them and make sure they never attach thremselves again. We need to stop being each other’s puppets, and start being each other’s counterparts” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If projection is an effective way for politician’s to get their point across, then how come we agree with it only when it’s directed at somebody we don’t like? Is it because we don’t have an issue with negative messages directed at people we don’t like, and only bring up the concept of projection if it’s directed at somebody we do like? Or is it because we only stand up for language and free speech when we agree with it, and think it’s hate speech or devolving speech when we don’t? When there’s something we don’t like about ourselves, we’ll project onto others exactly what’s wrong with us, failing to admit our issues, and passing the blame unto somebody else. Since politicians and all their coniving talents are just an outcropping of the way we treat each other, it’s no wonder that when we do reach those positions of power, we can’t wait to degrade others. Fixing our politics, means fixing us. To fix us, we must look inward to see what our personal issues actually are, and what we can do to fix them. We might feel like putting off our issues onto others, because it makes them temporarily dissappear. The kicker, is they will return fiercer. We may push them away again, but they will keep coming back until we deal with them. Now that said, projection isn’t illegal and it shouldn’t be as it falls under free speech. If all speech isn’t protected than no speech is portected. What we must realize is that projection makes our problems exacerbate, but if they don’t project at all, we might not be able to show them how they’ve gone wrong. Our problems only get worse the more power and influence we gain. If we really want to end them, and not continously pass the blame until the end of time, we must never be afraid to talk openly and honestly to each other. We must realize that everybody has the right to disagree with us, and we have a right to disagree with them. That concept is called conversing. If we could have fruitful and non-judgmental conversations, not only would projection dissappear, but so would animosity. We must never be afraid to wave at somebody and say hello, it could start the conversation that saves the world” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If we aren’t able to see the writing on the wall, are we listening to what people say is right in front of us, instead of actually seeing what’s right in front of us? Are we afraid to trust our instincts, because much louder and seemingly knowledgable voices sound like they know what they’re talking about? Or have we never paid that close attention because no friends or family ever showed us how, and to start now would seem like such… a foreign concept, it would flip our world completely upside down while making our head explode? Exploring, explaining and understanding new concepts can be hard, especially if we’re a cynical adult with beliefs that have hardened from life experience. However, just because some things are hard and might be different than anything we’ve ever done, doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it. We might surprise ourselves with what we can comprehend and accomplish when we get out of our own way. There are many things, events and concepts that are useful to keep in our tool kit, items we can pull out and use when life presents us with a challenge. None of these concepts are more important than deciphering and translating the writing on the wall, so we can see how it can be applied in real time to our life, and a particular situation. We must pay attention to all messages, and realize they’re the first step. Realizing a good portion of them are bullshit with minute bits of truth mixed in, makes it easier to see how they apply is the second step. Once we see how they apply, we see how even the bullshit can play an important role by showing what’s trying to veer us away from the truth. In the land of alternative facts, that can be hard. Yet, if we can see the buildup towards something, we’ll know what’s coming, and will be able to stop it if we find out it’s detrimental. We must always pay attention to the writing on the wall no matter the author, it might reveal a truth we thought no lpnger existed. Ther clues are there, we simply must allow ourselves to see them 🙂

From the mind of critic: “Does the loud voice of the majority drown out the minority, only because it doesn’t realize it’s the minority? Does the soft voice of the minority get drowned out by the majority, only because it doesn’t realize it’s the the majority? Or does volume level of an argument depend on passion level? Many of us want to speak out on any number of issues these days, as everything is extremely raw, and more out in the open than it has been in a generation. Sometimes we don’t stand up and speak out because we know we’ll be drowned out, sometimes we just think that will happen. Sometimes we build up the courage and do speak out, only to be shouted down. We must remember more volume in an argument, doesn’t always mean more knowledge. Sometimes we have to yell and scream and stomp our feet, to overcome the fact that we don’t have any idea what we’re talking about. Sometimes we’re actually knowledgable about something, but are afraid to speak out, because we don’t have as much experience at it as those who are loud and obnoxious. They say the elite gate keepers and moneychangers who have ruled governments and economies for millenia, have to beware the silent majority. The fact is if that majority does stay silent, those at the top have nothing to fear, as their loud voices will continue to rule the day. However, if that silent majority ever decided to become the vocal majority, and stood up loud and proud on a cosistent basis, there’s nothing those gate keepers could do. Being loud or silent doesn’t always denote what’s right or wrong, but if we’re afraid to stand up, we won’t know what right and wrong is. Positive change isn’t made by speaking loudly, but by speaking consistently” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If we got to get out of this place if it’s the last thing we ever do, do we have another destination in mind when the words pass through our lips? Are we so upset and disheartened with our current situation, that our wanted destination is anywhere but here? Will this mentality drive us to places we didn’t think of, because we’re getting out of our own way by journeying into the unknown without preconceptions about where we’ll end up? Or because we’re so desperate to get away to anywhere but here, will we get pulled in directions we know will drag us down, but allow ourselves to be dragged there anyway, because we haven’t put any thought into where we’d like to end up? Whether it is a physical place, an emotional one, a poltical, philisophical, financial or spiritual place, we all need to change our direction from time to time. Getting to comfortable can make us stagnant, not to mention make us think we know everything. When really the only thing we’re experts on is the inside contents of our bubble. This is when we can’t simply talk about all the bad things we want to destroy, but all the good things we want to build up. If we don’t figure out our goals, hopes, dreams and direction we want to go, somebody will pull us in the direction that benefits them, while convienietly forgetting about us. This can make us feel like we’re being cared for because somebody is doing all the thinking for us, and we allow it because of their pronouncment of having our best interests at heart. This is when they screw us over. Now, they might do the opposite, and push us to a place that’s actually to our benefit. Kind of forcing us to get out of our own way. However, unless we put in the critical thought required to tell the difference, we’ll be guaranteed to be dragged down, while we build somebody else up. Whether we’re a resident or an elected office holder, those in illusory positions of power will always tell us what to do, no matter what place we’re at. We can’t borrow somebody else’s shovel to dig ourselves out of a rutted hole, we must use our own” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If we all pushed things to the very limit when we were teenagers just to see what we could get away with, do some of us never grow out of that phase? Do we have a right to push things as far as they’ll go under the law, so we can take advantage of every opportunity to better ourselves in ways not expressly spelled out in the law code as an illegal act? Is that the American way? Or do we have a moral obligation as human beings on this floating blue orb we call earth, to not take advantage, step on or push down others, just so we can have a little bit more than them even if something isn’t expressly illegal, but is conduct unbecoming of anybody who would consider themselves a good steward of our collective species? Is that the American way? It’s not unusual to test limits and what we can get away with when we were younger, and discovering what this world is all about. We were born without knowledge, and learn it from our parents and/or other outside stimuli. Problems appear when we’re older and should know better, but still provoke people by acting in certain ways only to get a response. This can surely cause us trouble if we’re a working class adult just trying to scrape out a living, amongst others who are in the same boat taking out our frustrations on each other, instead of the people on the top who actually deserve it because they’re causing it. This concept of pushing limits till they break causes much more havoc if we’re an adult CEO, or an elected office holder. We might feel like we’re above the law, while only the little people have to live by it because we created it,. What can make it even trickier, is we can push things to the limit in favor of progressive change, or in favor of regressive change. Which brings us back once again to intent. Do we have to lift others up to get ahead, or push them down? If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, it’s because the actions that follow push others down, instead of building them up which makes the stated intentions false. And when these stated intentions are false, a person or a President will attempt anything their imagination can think up. Their success depends on the amount of pushback they recieve” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “Are we a facist dictatorship, or a constutionally protected democratic republic? Do we racially profile all non-whites based on generationally inbedded ignorance, or do we base our judgements on the content of their character and whether they committed an actual crime? Do we think a gun rights protest consisting of white people is okay, but a gun rights protest consisting of black people is something to fear? Do we harrass, persecute, arrest, imprison and punish white people for crimes the same as black people? Are we a nation that shuns people for escaping poverty and violence to come here, because they are doing us harm? Do we believe these people are taking our jobs and benefits while not paying taxes, or that we are in such dire straits economically that we blame all the scary brown people for our plight? Do we blame the law abiding people who come here to work and make a better life for their family, or the employers that pay below a poverty wage with no benefits? Do we belive health care is a right or a privledge? Do we believe education is a right or a privledge? Do we believe terrorist acts are only committted by muslims, or by anybody including white christians who commit violent acts because of relgious and/or political ideology? Do we believe we’re fighting terrorism or feeding it? Do we believe the president has the ultimate authority and can’t be challenged, or that laws still apply to them because of the seperation of powers into the three branches of government? Do we believe there’s a difference between Trump saying a president can’t have conflicts of interest, and Nixon saying that when a president does something it isn’t illegal? Do we believe a president should profit off of the office they hold, and promote their friends businesses as well, giving them special favors to boost their bottom line? Do we believe liberty and justice for all is just part of a pledge we say, but dont really think about it’s real world applications, kind of like us going to church because it’s what we’ve always done whether we believe it or not? Or do we believe the power in the words, and the great country we can have when we finnaly live out our creed fully like we never have before in our history? These are questions we should be asking ourselves if we really believe in freedom? And if we don’t ask ourselves these things, we should ask ourselves if we actually believe in freedom?” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If fulfillment can be described as enjoying life’s simple pleasures, does technology take us away from that? Does the inherent impersonal nature of social media make us forget what’s actually in front of us, because all we see are the images on the screen in front of us? Does all the poltical vitriol, division and downright hatred both sides have for each other considering our current collective environment, make us forget about how happy a walk on the beach or enjoying a sunset can make us? Or does it actually work to strengthen our simple pleasures, because we need to take our minds off how bad things are, and how much worse they’re going to get before they get better? Even without taking our current political climate in to account, there are so many distractions and so many different entities pulling us in a multitude of directions. This can make it hard to cling to anything, and may cause our minds to start spinning out of control. This is when simple pelasures not only strengthen our daily rountines, but help us acheive our goals by freeing our minds from the propaganda fog, so we see what we truly want, and can think up ways to bring them into our lives. The difference between satisfaction and contentment, is like the difference between happiness and joy. One is fleeting, and the other is long lasting. One will stop our progress, the other will keep us moving forward. The trick is figuring out which is which. The way we do that, is by enjoying life’s simple pleasures. The way we do that, is by not letting any of the current bullshit get us down, but spur us to action. And who doesn’t want action?” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If we’re so divided as a nation that we think the other side is the epitome of evil, how come our struggles are basically the same? Does the whole concept of the other side and us vs. them keep us from ever uniting, because it completely fogs over the fact that it’s more than 2, 3 or infinite sides of the same coin, but all part of the same side of the same coin? Or does this seperation of us into tribes just represent a behavior as old as time itself, where we seek protection from those who look, speak, think and believe different, by being around those who are like us? Whether we’ve described what’s going on right now as the greatest thing since sliced bread, the worst thing since hitler or any of the other million opinions inbetween, we’re all in the same boat. The bigotry, prejudice and downright hatred we feel, is fed by the moneychangers at the top who are in the shadows, but always have the final say, and use our division as a means of control so they can do whatever their hearts desire. They know they’ll win if we continue fighting each other. We will lose if we stay ignorant to the brilliant scheme they’re pulling. Have we ever asked ourselves why we keep fighting the same fights over and over, that always get better before they gets worse, and then better and then worse again, without ever truly getting better? All of us are hurting right now. We all see major changes afoot and we’re scared. We might feel like we have no control, and simply have to be happy with the bread and circuses we’re handed, while things get worse and worse at the top. What we must remember is we’re only helpless if we allow ourselves to be. The hate, ignorance and fear we feel, is exactly what’s holding us back. Once we see why it’s holding us back, we’ll realize our rage has been mistargeted. To move forward and evolve, we must make sure that our enemies are actually the ones doing us harm” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If we’re suppossed to look forward and not backward, if we wanna change our neighborhood, community, town, city, county, state, country, world and planet for the better, how should we react if the powers that be are doing their damndest to turn back the clock? How are we suppossed to move forward from this point, if the old guard and the new recruits it controls, are moving us back? Should we riot in the streets? Should we hold rallies and protests with lots of signs and megaphones? Should we storm political offices in person and on the phone, to make sure our congressman and senators know we’re still here? Does it do any good if we all come out like we’ve done our part, before we go back to our same old lives? Do senators and congressman see it as just the cost of doing business, knowing they just have to wait it out, before going back to what they were going to do anyway? There has been quite an uproar lately over the direction of the country. Some of us would make the argument that it was the same under Obama, but anybody who sees without the help of rose colored glasses, would know this time is much different. We are seeing a bloodless coup taking over every department and every avenue of our american system, slowly turning us into an amercian version of the soviet union. Some of you might say I’m just some crazy liberal, who is overreacting about long held conservative beliefs. Well if taking away multiple departments of government, taking away mandatory testing for new drugs coming to market, taking away public education, squashing dissent and a free press, where the goals are to jail or kill anybody who disagrees, then yeah, i guess im a crazy liberal. We must stop being blinded by fighting eachother, and aim our attacks where they would do the most damage, the gatekeepers and the money people, who keep us fighting each other so we won’t fight them. We will never see what’s in front of us, if we keep glamorizing what’s behind us” 🙂