My Manic Manifesto

This is the first entry in a new blog that I am calling the Manic Media Observer. I have had other blogs but I have never been able to coalesce my thoughts around a single idea before. Now I think I have.

The problems of this country are so deeply rooted that they have become the accepted norm. The leadership vacuum that has completely engulfed Washington has created an apathetic, anti-intellectual society that has no notion of the concept of self sacrifice that once made this country great. So now all we do is wallow in the pool of shit we have created for ourselves while conveniently pointing the finger at others so we can absolve ourselves of guilt and make it through another day. Its expeditious but its also willfully blind.

This lack of action and thought is constantly displayed in a daily barrage of media images that serve to reinforce the dysfunctional status quo. I have said and written many times that the most serious problem plaguing this country is a lack of self respect. I know that the way the media makes money is to give the people what they want. But what has become crystal clear is that what people want amounts to nothing more than further self degradation. Misery loves company.

Before going any further I want to define what I mean by media, especially since this definition has changed so drastically in recent years. Since everyone is now connected on a 24/7 basis, media now means anyone or any organization that broadcasts a message. So besides the major news organizations and entertainment networks, we have Facebook and Twitter feeds and many other social media outlets that are available at any time so people can feel connected to something larger than themselves.

But what is most distressing to me is that the sum total of these messages is cacophony. It has been drummed into our heads our whole lives that diversity is strength, and I agree with that statement. But it is equally true that unity is strength and division is weakness. By emphasizing the need for diversity we have forgotten the need for unity. What we have created are endless opportunities for divergence while marginalizing the need for unity. In an effort to satisfy everyone we end up satisfying no one.

This is what the media feed off of. As long as there is no unity then there will be a proliferation of diverging opinions and the media can spend day after day stirring the proverbial pot and feel no guilt for contributing nothing meaningful to the conversation. They just report the news in as sensationalistic and anti-intellectual a manner as possible then report their profits on a quarterly basis.

If you want to get some media attention these days then all you have to do is add something to the cacophony. Make some statement that is essentially divisive in nature and the media becomes a puppet you control. Eventually, however, the tables turn and the speaker becomes the puppet of the media, held accountable for every divisive statement he or she makes. Of course, the media doesn't hold itself accountable which makes it completely hypocritical. But you don't hear anyone talking about that at all.

That is why this blog will exist and flourish. The constant hypocrisy gives me an endless stream of instances to comment on. I would hope to stir some conversation of my own. But I want it to be constructive and I want it to be unified. I'm sure that some people will perceive my future posts as potshots taken for my own aggrandizement. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Did you ever ask yourself the question of what you are? I have and after years of searching I have found the answer. And it is the universal answer. We are spirit, we are essence and we are lucky to be an embodied speck of this essence, which is nothing more than the universal force of love that created the universe and keeps it alive. As long as our bodies have breath it is our responsibility to make the best use of this essence and develop our bodies and minds to the fullest. If we as a nation we ever aware of this fact we have forgotten it. So when I write something that seems critical of someone, it is not because I want to give my own ego a boost, it is because I feel the person is failing to live up to their responsibility to develop themselves fully and preach a message of unity and tolerance that is so desperately needed in this society.

If you are not doing that, and are instead preaching a message of divisiveness in order to aggrandize your ego, then you are living an unconscious life and are contributing nothing towards the greater good.

I am not perfect and I am not preaching. I am simply pointing out example after example of hypocrisy as it presents itself. When considered in its totality, this hypocrisy is a mass insanity that has overcome every one of us so that we have forgotten that there is a more reasonable path to take. The result of the exposure and elimination of this hypocrisy would be an America far too powerful to consider attacking and far too productive to be experiencing a downward trend in its standard of living.

This is my goal. This is my vision. I hope to find readers out there who share this vision and want to contribute to the conversation.