Thursday, March 11, 2021

Controversy vs. Vision


Controversy vs. Vision

 

WARNING: The following blog post will probably hurt your feeling, offend you, or lead to some cyber bullying because the content will be a bit controversial.  I’m at a point in my life  - at one of those levels where I’m done shaking my head, gritting my teeth, and trying to hold my mouth shut as tight as I can.  I’m done. What am I being silent for? Afraid to lose friends? Afraid to be cancelled? Afraid to be bullied or attacked for having an opinion? Nah, it’s none of those things.  If you have had the opportunity to get to know me – if you’ve been reading my story, my blogs at any time over the past decade, then you know where I came from, you know who I am, and you sure as hell know I’m not afraid of what anyone could do to me .  Nah.  Truth - I’m afraid of what I can do …to you.

I love humanity.  I truly honestly do.  I’m an orphan and never really had a place I could call home.  I made a place for my kids for a while, but I never had anywhere to run. I can relate to NF – I built my own mansion in my mind – and my truth is written all over those walls. My art – my paintings, my pictures, my music, and my writing – those blank pages and canvases are my therapy sessions.  I love humanity, but very rarely ever felt it love me back. I am not apathetic or indifferent for anyone – even for those who’ve hurt and abused me.  I don’t trust them, don’t want them in my life, will protect and separate myself from them – but I care, and I’m affected emotionally.  The love of God dwells within me. But, I hold a sword and I know how to use it, and I’m not afraid to use it.

Hate is a passionate feeling. Love is a passionate feeling.  Indifference is a lack of either. Respect and Disrespect is a state of being. Society should pick up a dictionary every once in a while, because they are throwing around words in the wrong contexts – starting arguments, leading to offenses and dividing us. 

This pandemic has really affected me, and I’m sure many others, in a weird way.  I can’t speak for everyone else – only myself. Not only did I get really sick (I caught Covid early in April last year – and having fought breast cancer a few years before – I’m high risk) and for a minute – thought I might check out of this place, but due to disinformation, fear-mongering by our media and environment, and the whole world jumping through hoops shutting everything down, panic-buying, and political grand-standing, I honestly became paralyzed and didn’t know what to do. I didn’t trust any of them – either side – or any of the information pouring in – because the following week would prove the earlier thoughts wrong.  My life went on pause.  My job sent me into isolation to work from home – my son shipped off to the Navy – and the world starting spinning off kilter – there was a paradigm shift. I stopped …everything. I stopped meeting up with my friends (social-distancing), going out to eat, going to events, running 5-ks, cancelled my gym membership, going to the movies, concerts, stopped visiting the nursing homes and feeding the hungry at soup kitchens or passing our MREs to those on the streets. I stopped writing, painting, or playing music.  If it wasn’t for my work going through a lot of changes to accommodate all these restrictions and changes, and my boyfriend moving in with me, I don’t want to think how far down what rabbit hole of oppression and depression I would have wandered.

But, as with the seasons – and that WAS a season – I’m coming into a new one.  And I’m noticing things in the world that shock the hell out of me, and then when the idiocy is happening over and over and over and over again and again – I’m starting to stir.  This sleeping giant is waking. And there are a few things vibrating in the universe that is helping with that awakening, and it would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge them.

So here goes – WARNING – WARNING – WARNING - for those easily offended, unable to see things from different points of views, or you’re an activist of some kind, or a troll – go ahead and stop reading now.  The following will include social, political, musical and religious content and I’m sure something will offend you.  

Let me get some facts out there and out of the way – so those easily offended and put people in boxes to cancel, here’s your red pen:

I am not a Democrat or a Republican – I am an Independent.  I am an American. I am a social liberal and fiscal conservative – believe in small government and don’t believe you can legislate morality.  I care about the American people, not a political party.  I do believe in equality for religion, race, gender, and sexual orientation – but I don’t believe in bullshit rules that deny those rights in others of different religion, race, gender or sexual orientation. I’m in the center and I hate the division in our country.  I deal with issues – not wings.  Both wings are on the same bird.

I am educated.  I hold a Master’s Degree.  I am a published author, editor, and literary agent.  I have worked in the professional world for almost 30 years, owned my own business, and understand laws, economics, and hard work. NOTHING was given to me – I had to fight for every single bit of it. It’s not a result of heritage or white privilege. I was a poor white Jewish girl. Been on my own since 16, no parents, no welfare, received no scholarships and owe no student debt. My education and work was purchased in sacrifice, blood, sweat and many, many, many tears. I’m not rich, but I take care of myself and am not in debt.

I am a woman.  I am a Jew who accepts Jesus Christ as Messiah.  I am strong in my faith. I am not religious and cuss words will fly out of my mouth like a sailor.  I say what I want and know how I feel, and what I believe.  I don’t proselytize (that’s shove my faith down everyone else’s throats). I have studied many faiths – and have actually worked in the Christian Ministry for a period in my life.  However, I hold personal views that conflict with the mainstream religious community – because I care about the people – not the religion. I know what it feels like to be judged, hated, discriminated and disenfranchised. I know what it’s like to be persecuted for my sex, my faith and my skin color. I don’t appropriate any culture. I’m not racist, I have the most beautiful mixed grandbaby in the world – and I’d probably beat your ass if she were threatened.  I am extremely prejudiced.  I don’t like liars, thugs, thieves, or fake woke assholes.  I believe we have cultural issues plaguing our society as a whole – on all the color spectrums.

I care about women’s rights.  I care about equality. I care about freedom. I also care about personal responsibility and accountability. I respect rights. I respect life.  So, I’m just saying – don’t put me in a box because I promise I’ll surprise you.  I don’t follow the status quo of all these issues.  I take each one individual and make decisions and opinions based on personal understanding and experience.  I weigh facts.

Okay – that should be enough about me – so those new to the blog will at least have some idea where I come from when I’m expressing my opinions.      

Now to get to the heart of this blog post - Controversy vs. Vision.  I’m not sure mainstream society even understands the difference between the two – or even begins to understand the latter.  Then again – does mainstream society even know how to recognize which pieces they are on the chess board? I don’t think they do – and I don’t think they truly understand they’re even on the board, or that there’s a power game being played around them. If you call them a pawn, they take offense and shut down therefore allowing the opposition to come in and wipe them out as a sacrificial piece.  Lost you already? I’m sure I’ve lost some – but that’s okay. 

There are other pieces on this black and white checkered board, and one of them is a piece I often use to win most of the games I’ve played and that’s the Knight. Knights don’t move forward or backward, diagonal or in straight lines, they don’t act like the rest of the pieces.  Those with vision in our society are Knights. I’m seeing some Knights lately in different areas on this world. I’m seeing them in a psychologists that’s not afraid to speak up to talk about how dangerous many of the social decisions are affecting our world.  There are some political Knights outside of mainstream media “cancel culture” – going outside their platforms to speak truth.  There’s Knights speaking up against the social media, big tech, and entertainment industries interfering and inciting racial and political divides, most often losing their jobs, wrecking their careers, and being cyber bullied to the point of destruction.

I’ve come across a couple knights lately, one is a rap artist and the other is his girlfriend who is a videographer and artist herself. I don’t listen to rap music.  The only other rap artists I’ve liked is NF – because of his message on how he deals with the abuse in his life.  I related.  He touched my heart.  But, this new rapper, Tom MacDonald, and his girlfriend, Nova Rockafeller, have me nodding my head in agreement and stirring up embers of passion inside. They inspire me, not just their songs – which are works of art lyrically, musically and artistically, and I plan to do a series of blog posts breaking down their music at a later date, but their work ethic, their business choices and their FREEDOM is what has got my skin prickling with excitement.  They’re not bound by the restrictions of a record label, big tech, or social platforms.  They are completely independent – so they are free – they can do what they want and say what they say – and cancel culture can’t censor them.   Because they’re spitting TRUTH that is relevant today – it’s resonating with their listeners, and that makes them unstoppable.  They’re bold.  They’re flipping the finger off at everybody that tells them they can’t, or finds their truth offensive. They refuse to take no for an answer or apologize for taking a stand.  But what is most inspiring is that they hold true to their message regardless of public response and criticism.  Often their lives are threatened for their statements – yet they keep going.  There’s nothing to stop them – no label to control them, no sponsors to drop them, so social media platform to block them.   They’re not YouTube rappers, Click bait responders - they own their own masters, cameras, merchandise and brand.  They have no manager, publicist, or agent.  They do their own bookings, their own media, their own merchandise … and their own songs.  They write their own music, create their own videos - they are their own label, their own brand.  THAT is the greatest example of Entrepreneurship I’ve seen in a long time.  It wasn’t given to them – they have worked hard for it over the past 10 years to get where they have now arrived.

They’re doing something that even our former and current President and political leaders can’t do.  Not even the Queen of England is safe from these bishops - these “Cancelled”, “Fake-Woke”, “People So Stupid”, with “Clown World” mentality.  I feel like screaming, “Hey You!” like Nova and flipping my own finger at this over-sensitive, fear-mongering news stations,  Dr. Suess hatin’, Circumcising Mr. Potato Head, cancel Gina Carano, no Normal in Dove, race-batin’, Me-Too, everybody’s a victim, boys in girls’ sports – society that wants to control us – and every aspect in our lives.   As Shapiro pointed out, “Fact don’t have feelings.”  And Peterson said it well, “No one gets away with anything, ever, so take responsibility for your own life.”

Those are just a few knights I’ve come across lately, and they are all busy stirring up a lot of controversy, but not because they are controversial.  They’re controversial because they’re visionaries.  Their eyes are open and they’re free – this whole cancel culture has come hard after all of them, not because they are spouting hate speech, but because they speak what SOME people hate.  (That’s a play on one of MacDonald’s songs.) Ol’ MacDonald has a farm …full of H.O.G.s. Oink! Oink!

I’m intrigued.  I want to see where this couple goes, how far into the game they progress.  I want more.  I wish them the very best – I hope their swords are sharp.  I see their marketing, I understand the game they’re playing.  They’ve made some good bold moves lately – but the game isn’t over – there’s still some powerful players on the board. Don’t over-estimate over-looked Pawns, they can lead to a downfall.  Be strong. Be smart.  The message is clear and it’s a good one. Stay true.

It’s good to be back.  I’m moving into a new location this weekend, but you better believe I’m coming back in full-swing.  You’ll be seeing a lot more of me.

Till next time,

~T.L. Gray

 

Tom MacDonald links below:

https://www.hangovergang.com

https://www.instagram.com/hangovergang

https://spoti.fi/2BoWXIq

https://apple.com/2BoXzhjhttps://www.facebook.com/tomMacDonalOfficial

https://twitter.com/IAmTomMacDonald



Jordan Peterson links:

https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/



Ben Shapiro



https://www.dailywire.com