In a world where misinformation disguises as truth, it is hard for me to know what to believe anymore. There are, however, a few things I know to be true.
A lot of people are in pain, suffering, frustrated, and afraid.
Many feel isolated or alone.
Information is overwhelmingly readily available and largely unchecked.
What we see, hear, and learn is largely influenced by another party with ulterior motives.
There are, however, still a few things in our control.
We can still act, react, and live according to our individual values.
We can think for ourselves rather than follow trends or what other people are doing.
Instead of spreading other people’s posts and ideas, we can create original content.
We can choose to ignore all forms of social media propaganda so that we can process information as we experience it ourselves.
We can prepare our best self for tomorrow by focusing on self-care and our own internal health.
We can trust that our daily work is the change we need – that mundane tasks such as caring for patients, helping neighbors, and checking up on loved ones make the world a much better place.
I was disappointed with Instagram yesterday. I woke up to a feed full of blacked out squares. There was not a single piece of original content. The entire world was silenced under the ruse that we are allowing other people who have something to say speak.
I saw nobody who had something to say.
Which makes me wonder – who spread this idea of muting people for a week “a thing”? Could it be possible that someone who ultimately did not want people to speak up created this trend under the pretence that more will be heard? Whose voices will we really hear? Why are people reposting the same few stories and posts? Have we all just become lemmings? Why is there an us and they? Are we not one human race?
So I did the only thing that was in my control.
I deleted Instagram. I decided to retreat to my own space here, where I am not serving anyone else’s agenda but my own. I suggest others do the same.
If you haven’t already, Headspace is offering their meditation app for FREE until the end of 2020 for all of LACounty, the unemployed, and other groups of people. The first month is free for the public at large.
I think we all need to return to our own head space, instead of be blinded by the media and social media. I was disappointed with the platform, but I recognize now that the disappointment lies mostly in me and my subscription to Instagram. This is where I live now.
I will not be muted or silenced or blacked out.
It is the media that I will choose to mute.
