Well Being: Healthy Communities
We are all in the boat together.
I am back on Twitter. I didn’t grovel, ask or fill out a form - they just re-instated me. Thank you Elon Musk for shining a light into a dark closet. This is all good, and (amazingly) we went from 492,000 followers on Monday to around 720,000 followers today.
It is wonderful to connect with old friends on Twitter, and it is crazy to see people jumping on to follow me. Yes, it still can be a toxic swamp and some people seem to revel in their inner ugly because they can. Yes, there is an attention getting syndrome where some act out, bully, and tease for attention. Yes, the troll swarms are awful and lead to bizarre consensus driven opinions - for which there has been no like in history.
But other people on Twitter and different social media venues, the vast majority, are there to learn, to find community, get news and connect to people. Don’t forget so many other venues, such as GETTR, GAB, Truth Social - are all important to me still. Particularly, GETTR - where I have lots of friends and colleagues. And of course, here - as long as we have Substack- is my home base, where this community of subscribers who comment, share and really speak to each other - resides.
The one thing that we have learned from social media and the internet is that nothing is forever. That things can change overnight and we have to be ready to move rapidly when the censors, the shadow-banning, or the sale and shut-downs happen. We have to keep many channels and lines of communication open. That means having multiple email addresses, search engines and browsers available. It is a crazy world we all find ourselves in.
Which is why we must also remember to keep ourselves in the physical world. The world of the physical - whatever passion makes you happy is so important to stay grounded. Being a “doer,” even if you are in the “laptop class”, is critical to maintaining balance. Being in the physical world allows me to remember that I am just one person in the fight that literally millions of people are now involved in. That is - medical freedom, decentralization, personal sovereignty, right to privacy - basically fighting against the new world order. But in the end, I am just one person. A person who puts their socks on the same as you. Who does chores, feeds the dogs, and talks to strangers, friends and family in the physical. This connection is the reality of our world - we (I) must not forget that.
This brings me to today’s actual topic for the Substack.
Hope and Reconciliation
Those that know me well, know that although I am rare to anger, and generally I am very tolerant of people, I can take offense. This is particularly true when someone or an organization attacks me again and again. When I do, it is hard to me to be the better person and take the high road.
I have no interest in fighting with people or organizations. It literally is not in my nature. Yes, I have a lot of passion but I don’t like to fight. I certainly have no interest in hurting the medical freedom movement.
Some of you may remember the two (opposing) Substack articles that guest writers wrote regarding the constitutional convention topic. After the first Substack came out against a constitutional convention, one of the pro-constitutional convention organizations (it doesn’t matter who and I don’t hold it against them) released what they thought was my personal email to their volunteers with directions to write to me to convince me that a constitutional convention was good and that they should have an opportunity to also write a Substack also. Jill got flooded with hundreds of emails. Some of these emails were extremely hostile, even threatening. Frankly, it really upset me, because when Jill is threatened or is unhappy, I am unhappy. However, I took the high road and allowed a pro-constitutional convention article to be published with a different guest author. Then you, my readers, hashed it out in the comments. I just stayed out of it. I don’t know if we solved anything, but I do think that both sides were presented, people were allowed to make their own decisions and at some level, I do believe that both pro and anti constitutional convention points of view were allowed to peek under the hood of the other side and maybe find just a little bit of common ground. Because these two sides have a lot more in common than not. It is possible to find common ground, even with those on the “other side” - whatever that side may be. So long as we stay focused on the topic and do not resort to defamation and ad hominem attacks. Sometimes it happens all at once, and sometimes it takes baby steps to get there. I personally, am willing to speak with anyone who wishes to speak to me about their grievances and to try to find a way to move forward.
For me personally, I internalize the anger, the hurt - and try to do what is best, to make thing right. To talk. To find common ground.
This is a long, winding way to write that as Christmas, the holidays and 2023 are close, many of us are confronted by having to be around people who we may have grievances with. Sometimes this takes the form of petty jealousy, competition or just alpha to alpha chest beating gone sour. Sometimes it is about politics or more recently, COVID-19 policies and mandates. But maybe it is time to find a way to reconcile differences and find common ground.
Our time on this earth, in this form - is very short. We have to allow ourselves and others the ability to forgive. To allow for that opening. We don’t want to tear each other apart over and over again, we have to keep trying to forgive and to reach those who may be angry with us or we with them.
If we are hurting ourselves, our loved ones, our family or even our workers by holding on to grudges and grievances, maybe it is time to put them aside. Maybe it is time to talk to each other, rather than fighting or fighting by proxy. I know that over time - even recently, I have privately reached out to people, and have held out that olive branch.
I believe that love and community is the key to our individual and collective happiness. Having healthy relations is critical to our wellbeing. So, love your fellow man and woman and let’s make 2023 a year where we find common ground and build a better future for ourselves and our children.
“Lies My GOV’T Told Me”
Merry Christmas, courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing and CHD.
Yeah, I’m struggling with forgiving the family Covidians. They’ll do it again if I just let it go.
I knew eventually you would be on twitter. Congratulations.