Slow-Rolling Epiphany

A while ago, at the end of the post on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I left three ideas open for later musings:

This was written on my phone and shall be edited once I return to the trusty desktop, but I pose a few questions:

• What separates “stupidity” from “wisdom”?
• Is disengagement the best course of action?
• (And to quote one of the irritating songs by Faith No More – 1992s “RV”) “Would anybody tell me I was gettin’ stupider?”

It has been two months since my last post; during that time, life and the interference of life – whether it is my own astonishment at where things have been going domestically and internationally – tends to offer little peace in which to write. However, a sudden uptick in viewers has brought me back with a desire to tidy up a few loose ends.

What separates “stupidity” from “wisdom”?

This comment, upon more reflection and revisions of this post is left unanswered and unaddressed. Obviously, these distinct ends of the spectrum of consciousness and awareness are difficult to compare. After all, it would be akin to asking what separates wet from dry. To argue that there is a definite point of demarcation between the two should – and will – be reserved for those folks who have parchment-declared degrees in philosophy.

However, one does stand out:

Is disengagement the best course of action?

My last post on Facebook was around the beginning of November 2020 – there was no fanfare or denouncement of that social media platform; just one video of an hour of Cisco wait music (sorry – I can’t find the actual link… thankfully) and then… nothing. Eleven years of shenanigans, stories, transitions, and observations – just left to be deactivated a few months later.

It wasn’t a complete disengagement, however, but the desire to weigh in on public debates turned into a risk/benefit analysis where the benefit was nil and the risk of responding with vigorous profanity was greater than it should be.

In thinking about this post, and the recent uptick in views on this blog (I humbly thank those who have read and continue to share), one word kept coming back:

Disengagement.

There was a time shortly before I left Facebook where I enjoyed the political anonymity afforded by being difficult to pin define politically. I could read and consider the fringes within my circle of friends with ease and mull over where I thought such public rhetoric would lead us.

While it was interesting to understand the perspectives friends from whatever side or categorization held, what was truly unnerving is how unpopular the voice of moderation had become and how the attitude of “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” has become so prevalent. Yes, I have said much of this before, and I will probably end up saying it again, but it is quite astonishing that so very few have noticed so much disunity and division.

Divide et impera­, right? Divide and conquer.

The political middle ground has become a veritable “no-mans’-land” where the terrain is cratered by absolutes and the front lines have shifted so many times over quiet position reversals and stealthily issued contradictions… and everywhere, the stiffening remains of friendships stifled and the ashes of bridges burned in a digital supernova of disagreement.

Disengagement is also isolationism, in a way. I can admit that, but what compels me to write tonight is the fact that it becomes difficult to understand when one is right and when one might be wrong – and what follows afterwards.

Once again, a recycled quote has been on my mind a lot these last few days:

What we believe shapes who we are.
Belief can bring salvation or destruction.
But when you believe a lie for too long, the truth doesn’t set you free.
It tears you apart.
Sometimes belief isn’t about what we can see.
It’s about what we can’t.
Altered Carbon S1E8

Perhaps some folks can admit when they are wrong; and equally, it might be that some folks really cannot face the possibility that they are wrong. My thoughts from Dealy Plaza back in April still resonate:

This is the interesting dilemma: at what point does the potential damage of a catastrophic truth eclipse the bliss and deceptive stability of ignorance?

Again, ask yourself who benefits?

Who benefits from creating the need to self-censor? Yes, I am fully aware that On Redacted illustrates my own guilt in this; I never implied I was perfect.

Who benefits from creating the divide?

Who benefits from stifling voices? I cannot remember where I heard it, but there was something along these lines I read a long time ago: “If you want to find out who is truly in power and afraid to lose that control, look to see who cannot be criticized.”

Who benefits from fomenting fear into a rabid and disorganized mess?

We long for the return to times when things were less chaotic, but we must reconcile that we face layers upon layers of “new normal” to the point where stasis would be uncomfortably abnormal. It has been a year since the debacle that became our withdrawal from Afghanistan and 21 years since the “new normal” that the Global War on Terror ushered in… so… when do folks think we are going to get back to that level?

It ain’t gonna happen. Not only will we have to face that fact eventually, but we will have to remember how resilient we are in the face of adversity…

Regardless of who benefits beyond our immediate spheres of influence and circles of trust.

“Would anybody tell me I was gettin’ stupider?”

Gah… I hope so… because I really wouldn’t want to be viciously oblivious.

Thanks for reading, thanks for the continuing support, and thanks for the reminders that I need to keep writing…