The Truth Will Set Us Free

I know how important it is to allow people to have their own experiences - to honor the journey that each one of us is on.  If people are afraid, I do my best to honor that that is how they feel without trying to change their minds. I have a difficult time standing back though when I feel we are being lied to - when the fear that people are feeling may be created by information that just isn't true.

From the beginning of this pandemic, I have been questioning the data that is being collected and presented to us as justification for our world being shut down.  I have also tried to focus on the positives that can come from this but right now it's tough to stay in that mindset.  I have long believed "The truth will set us free" - but if we are not being told the truth, then how will we ever be free?

Just in the last week, two people close to me have passed away - and both of those deaths were listed as "Death from COVID." But the truth is that neither of them died solely because of COVID so why are they being listed that way?  One person has had heart issues for years, the other was the father of one of my childhood friends who was already in hospice. The doctors had already told the family "there is nothing more we can do for him" yet his death was listed as COVID as well and included in the count of "people who have died from COVID" because he tested positive for it before he died.

I am not saying people aren't getting sick from COVID, I am not saying that it is all made up. What I AM saying is that numbers are being inflated. I don't know why they are being inflated but I think it's time we start asking more questions. Why does the government want the numbers to look higher than they actually are? What are they gaining by keeping the world locked down?

I believe we need to question what is really going on here. What is the real reason that we are being forced to shelter in place? One of my best friends made me a shirt that says "The truth will set you free, but first it's going to piss you off." I suspect we may not like the answers we find when we learn why the number of COVID cases are being inflated but should that stop us from seeking the truth?

Where I live, if you ask questions, you are told to shut up and listen to the experts. If you say you think this has gone too far, you are labeled "selfish" and accused of "not caring about people on the front lines of this."  I don't believe either of those are true. I DO care about the people on the front lines of this.  I also care about the people who haven't had an income since all of this started (like these two fabulous guys who happen to be musicians in my most favorite band). I care about the people who don't have enough money to keep food on the table or pay their utility bills or their rent. I care about the people who rely on AA and NA and other support organizations to stay sober. People flippantly say "well they can attend meetings on line" without understanding if they have access to a computer and internet, without understanding if that method is still providing them the support they need. I care about people who rely on things outside of their house to stay healthy, who will end up in worse shape physically, emotionally and mentally if they are forced to continue sheltering in place. I care about the small businesses who may not be able to re-open and the employees who worked for them who have no income.

I also care about the TRUTH and something is not adding up.

Someone used the analogy on our neighborhood email the other day that if you have a roof leak you call a roofer, if your car breaks down you take it to a mechanic - because we are supposed to rely on the people who are "experts in their field." I understood the point they were trying to make and yet I also believe that we don't just blindly go with the first roofer or mechanic we find in the phonebook.  We get multiple quotes, we read reviews, etc. Why do we do that? Because not everyone who is an "expert" is honest and trustworthy.  Right now, my sense is that all the "experts" who are presenting the data that is keeping us in a state of fear are not necessarily being honest and trustworthy.

I believe it's time to stop "hoping the experts figure it out" and begin to empower ourselves . . . I believe it's time for people to start listening to each other instead of shaming and blaming people who have a different view.  I believe it's up to us individually and collectively to find points we can agree on so that we can start working together. I believe it's time for us to say "Enough is enough" and demand that our "experts" tell us the truth. Otherwise, how will we ever be set free?

The Answers Must Come From Within

As I have mentioned before, I often wake with a song in my head that has a message. Today I woke to Free Ride by Edgar Winter.  It was one of my favorite songs in high school so I was happy to hear it.  It conjured up great memories of the freedom that my friends and I felt when were getting our drivers licenses and had the ability to go places without our parents present. I remembered driving in a friend's convertible, top down, volume up as high as the car's cassette player would allow. I couldn't help but smile.

As I lay there, I couldn't recall all the lyrics, aside from "come on and take a free ride" so I was interested to see what the message was.  When I pulled up the lyrics, I got goose bumps up and down my arms . . . especially the second verse, as it seems so timely for the place we are in as a world right now.  For those of you who don't know the song, I've pasted the lyrics below.

If it speaks to you, wonderful.  If it doesn't, that's alright too.  It's still one of my all time favorite songs - best listened to with the volume up.

Free Ride

Edgar Winter

The mountain is high
The valley is low
And you're confused on which way to go
So I've come here to give you a hand
And lead you into the promised land
So (ooh, ooh, ooh) come on and take a free ride

Come on and sit here by my side

Come on and take a free ride

All over the country
I'm seeing it the same
Nobody's winning at this kind of game
We gotta do better it's time to begin
You know all the answers must come from within
So (ooh, ooh, ooh) come on and take a free ride
(Free ride)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh) Come on and sit here by my side

Come on and take a free ride

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, free ride

Come on and take a free ride
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Come on and take a free ride
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Not Everything The Media Shares is True

Personally I don't believe that everything we are told is the truth and it concerns me to see information being shared in a way that frightens people rather than truly informing. Now more than ever, I think it is vital that we question what we are seeing in the media.

An easy example of this is the information on mainstream media about the corona virus.  Just scrolling through the headlines, my gut says that a lot of information that is being shared is intended to frighten people rather than truly inform them and my head begins to spin at the number of times I see conflicting information.  Where is the truth in all of this?

When all of this first began, my father and I had a few conversations about our concerns related to data.  It is always fun for me to find topics my dad and I agree on, since there is a whole lot we don't see eye to eye on (i.e. politics, religion, the importance of feelings, to name a few)  :-)  Fortunately, data is one place where my dad and I are on the same page because we share a belief around the importance of truth and facts. I'm including a picture of my dad here, in part because I realized recently that this picture of my dad, taken decades ago, was taken at the very beach that I live by now. Little did I know way back then that this is where I would end up living.

A big point of our agreement is around the data being collected and how that information has been shared. We discussed the fact that saying "someone died of the corona virus" who had many other health ailments they were already battling isn't an honest representation of the virus. Most of us know that if our immune system is weakened (by other diseases and ailments), we can be more susceptible to viruses and have a more difficult time fighting them off. My dad and I have been concerned that without including data on what else people were already battling, it seems like everyone is dying from the virus alone, which really skews the truth.

Another point of agreement was around the lack of comparative data i.e. how many people die every year from the regular flu. We found some data at one point and were shocked how high the numbers were for the "annual flu" and then strangely enough, we couldn't find that data again a few weeks later when we looked for it.  (Note to self, when you find a good source of data, write down the URL since some browsers only keep a weeks worth of history).

From a young age, we are trained to believe people who are in a position of authority so when information is shared by a doctor or a nurse or someone with lots of initials after their name, we assume that it must be the truth but if that was the case, then information coming from doctors and nurses would always be in alignment, wouldn't it?  I am finding many cases where one "expert" seems to contradict what another "expert" says and it can leave us feeling pretty darn confused. Who do we believe?

One of the thing that I think will help us is if we start relying on our own knowing, our own ability to discern the truth. When you read something, you can sit with it for a minute. Ask yourself "Does this feel in alignment with the truth? or Does this feel in alignment with my truth?" and see what comes to you. Or pay attention to how you feel while you are reading something. Do you feel frightened by what you read? or do you feel informed?  I personally find that when an article is written in a way that frightens people, there is often a hidden agenda.

The other thing I have found is there can be a mixture of good information and misinformation in one article. I'm learning that just because an article starts out with good information, doesn't mean the entire contents of the article can be trusted.

I'm suspicious whenever the article include finger pointing (it's his fault, it's their fault, etc) - anytime there is blaming or shaming included, my gut tells me to be careful about believing everything in the article because if our goal truly is to inform people, then it shouldn't be trying to sway people into polarity.

As I said, the current situation with the corona virus is just one example.  I think this can apply to just about anything we are seeing in mainstream media.  I have a feeling it is going to become even more of an issue, with misinformation being shared along side good information and information being shared to frighten us into submission.

It is going to be up to us to discern for ourselves what is the truth and the more we can "build that muscle" right now, the easier time we'll have in the coming months.

Imagine How it Could Be

I don't pay much attention to the information shared in the mainstream media, as I find that it's geared more towards winding people up and scaring them instead of educating them, but my eye does still catch headlines when I get on line to check email, etc.

One of the things I have noticed this past week is the number of headlines that are focused on "how bad this is going to be" (after we are finally freed from the shelter in place order) . . .  how we aren't going to be able to recover from this - how the longer this goes on, the more impossible it will be to restore what was, etc.  I know that scares a lot of people.

Yet I had another thought come to me the other morning which was . . . maybe we shouldn't be trying to "put things back the way they were before" . . . maybe this is our opportunity to do things differently, to do things in a way that brings us closer to what would serve all of us better.

Sheltering in place has certainly brought some challenges but has it also brought some good?  Are there things that are happening now that you would like to continue to see in the future?  Are there things you are experiencing now that are worth keeping?  (whether it is more quality time with family, more quiet time, less time spent driving to and from work, more people reaching out to help others etc).

What about on a global level?  Do you see any positives as a result of what we are going through?

Take it one step further, if you had the ability to create a whole new world, without having to keep to the parameters of what has been - what would you create?  What would our world look like? What would it feel like?

If you feel inspired, I invite you to spend a little time each day thinking about how you would like things to be in our world.  You can focus on your immediate surroundings or you can focus on a more global view of things or you can do both.

I think that if we spend a little time each day thinking about how we would like things to be, not only can it lift our spirits in the moment, it can also put the energy of those possibilities out into the world.  You may not believe that our thoughts/imagination can be that powerful - and that's ok if you don't - it can't do any harm to spend a little time imaging it and it's definitely a lot more fun than watching the news.  :-)