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
