I did a social experiment over the past year.

[jnklheimer]

When this "new normal " stuff started, I unfortunately gave a lot of energy to it. I read a lot of forum posts, kept up on the news, and grew agitated and anxious about it. Every time I went to go to the store I expected to be confronted for not playing along, and I would run through scenarios in my mind about how I would react. I grew conditioned by social media videos that confrontation was inevitable. It was unpleasant and strange.

So I stopped all that. I just went back to studying interesting subjects I care about, and sure, I did keep up on "pandemic" related news and chatterings, but it wasn't a big focus of how I used my time. When I would go out for errands I wouldn't focus on the idea of conflict, and the occasional time an overzealous commoner accosted me about me not playing along with the health theatrics, I would just pretend they aren't there and continue on with my business.

I extended that to how I did my business, I would simply "be like water" and find my path and things would go well. I didn't go out of my way to follow the rules but I also didn't flaunt my disregard for them. If something was required of me to go ahead in my dealings, I would do it, but I wouldn't willingly invite more oversight into my day-to-day activities.

Last week I eased up on that good path and started giving more attention to the media. I even went out of my way to follow some unnecessary rules in how I run my business, I did the "right thing" by willingly notifying an authority about a bill that I could have just as well ignored and not suffered any consequence as they were totally unaware of it and had no way to find out. As a result of that, I invited an investigation into my records and basically brought myself an unnecessary inconvenience that is totally of my own doing.

Doing the "right thing" brought more annoyance and discomfort to my life. When I continue on choosing the path of least resistance but still headed towards my goal, all of my dreams come to fruition and I am happier, and healthier. I deal with other happy and healthy people and it feels really nice. Today I had to step into that lower world again to finish up that unfortunate loose thread I had created, and a masked guy began commenting to me about how much this "pandemic" is making things so much harder. For a moment, I actually felt bewilderment. Nothing is actually harder for anyone except by the conditions they continually create. I saw his point of view and immediately recognized it as self-inflicted victimhood by choice.

So I'm going back to the good mindset. I am going to continue accumulating wealth so I can have the space to live happily and healthily and I am going to distance myself from the attitude of the masses. The poorer I would be, the more dependent I would become on people whose outlook and attitudes aren't pleasant to me. I find myself not second-guessing my path much anymore, and my days are more serene, with moments of really nice joy and contentment.

 

[rei]

Nothing is actually harder for anyone except by the conditions they continually create.

I was feeling most of your post but you completely lost me there. Are you advocating the spiritual "just turn the other cheek and smile no matter how much you are abused" attitude?

 

[Green Dot]

I was feeling most of your post but you completely lost me there. Are you advocating the spiritual "just turn the other cheek and smile no matter how much you are abused" attitude?

I think he's implying to have a Machivellian attitude.

Law 38: Think as you like but behave like others

 

[jnklheimer]

I was feeling most of your post but you completely lost me there. Are you advocating the spiritual "just turn the other cheek and smile no matter how much you are abused" attitude?

no, why would you think that? lol

 

[jnklheimer]

I think he's implying to have a Machivellian attitude.

Law 38: Think as you like but behave like others

Maybe this, to an extent. Obviously I'm not lining up to get the experimental medicines but I'm not going out of my way to protest them when I'm surrounded by people who support it.

 

[rei]

no, why would you think that? lol

Because in reality many things are actually harder than before this pandemic insanity. You can only choose to not ruminate over it and get angry but simply surrender to the abuse. Or show your opinion in an attempt to stop it, the whole concept of protesting unfair treatment. If you don't say no you give implicit consent.

 

[jnklheimer]

Because in reality many things are actually harder than before this pandemic insanity. You can only choose to not ruminate over it and get angry but simply surrender to the abuse. Or show your opinion in an attempt to stop it, the whole concept of protesting unfair treatment. If you don't say no you give implicit consent.

What i'm saying is, I don't get abused if I don't focus on it. I said, that when an employee bothered me about not having a mask, I ignored them. I continued with my shopping and used the self checkout and went on my way. I think if I had started arguing with them I would have drawn a lot of attention and I wouldn't have been able to go home with my ice cream.

And please don't say I'm giving implicit consent. I don't need to say yes, or no, because I'm not even involved. My findings are that I am only treated unfairly if I willingly accept that I am to be treated that way. In my experience I don't even engage it and then I can live having mostly nothing to do with it.

My experience with the bill explains it all. By acknowledging that I owed them something, conditions materialized unto which I owed them something, and I had to deal with that.

This won't work for everybody, but I've found it is what works for me.

 

[rei]

Ignoring works until it doesn't, and police show up at your door taking you away for exposing the shop to disease. The only thing that prevents it coming to this is you speaking out.

But i get what you are saying, just staying in your own little corner and shifting the responsibility on others is easier. In this, and in not taking part in politics, protests etc.

 

[jnklheimer]

Ignoring works until it doesn't, and police show up at your door taking you away for exposing the shop to disease. The only thing that prevents it coming to this is you speaking out.

But i get what you are saying, just staying in your own little corner and shifting the responsibility on others is easier. In this, and in not taking part in politics, protests etc.

No, I don't think you do get it. I'm not responsible for you or anyone else. If you don't want to be locked down, or take an experimental medicine, don't. If you want to educate others to not put up with it, please do, that would be much appreciated. Maybe I can print a pamphlet and paste it on a lamp pole or something.

You come across like you think I owe you or anyone else my time and effort in trying to convince others not to make these choices which we both think are bad. If the shopkeep doesn't want to shut down his shop during the next lockdown and be put out of business, he should stay open. Everyone should stay open and go about their business normally, that would be the best thing. But most of them will comply. I owe these people nothing, I am master of only my domain, which is my mind and how I choose to think about things, what mindset I have.

There are adults, right now, in the town I live in, walking around with cloth masks on in the heat of summer even though mask mandates have been lifted for a month now.

I guess what I'm saying is that I don't see the point of being a man of the people, when there's people like them. I don't enjoy their company. I don't like their opinions. I don't really agree with what I ascertain is how they think about things. My main goal is to continue accumulating wealth so I can travel freely, have fun, and continue working at the things which help me feel fulfillment and a sense of joy. In a different time I would be focused on ensuring the health and survival of my people, but I am not amongst my people. I live in a multicultural post-modern state filled to the brim with people whose outlook doesn't match mine in many ways.

And it isn't all ignoring. It's more choosing not to engage. I'm not going out to battle with midwits, why would I? The more I focus on the idea of someone coming to my door to forcefully administer an experimental drug, the more likely it will happen. Even if it did happen, I think I could maneuver around it with a lie or an excuse. I actually began lying again recently, after being committed to only speaking the truth. I tell the truth to people I care about, but if some person I don't know is trying to demand something of me, and I do choose to answer, I don't have a problem lying to them. The truth is in my heart, tbh.

Perhaps this is a natural reaction to being demoralized at one point by seeing people I formerly liked and respected become shills for the pro-mandate narrative.

 

[Green Dot]

Maybe this, to an extent. Obviously I'm not lining up to get the experimental medicines but I'm not going out of my way to protest them when I'm surrounded by people who support it.

That's the best action plan. Fly under the radar, don't stand out in these type of controversial situations, and use deception to your advantage.

 

[jnklheimer]

That's the best action plan. Fly under the radar, don't stand out in these type of controversial situations, and use deception to your advantage.

I would rather it not be this way, but I am not going to martyr myself for a population who is so indoctrinated and who support the wrong things.

 

[neuroplasma]

Reminds me of this:

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

-Martin Niemöller

 

[jnklheimer]

Reminds me of this:

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

-Martin Niemöller

the difference is the majority of the population have already been "come for" and they willingly took it. There is a group, and within that group some have chosen to be abused, and some have chosen not to be abused. In my opinion, that's probably as far as it goes. The last thing "they" want us for the refusers to be seen as heroes.

You really hamfisted this attempt at analogy.

 

[rei]

I would rather it not be this way, but I am not going to martyr myself for a population who is so indoctrinated and who support the wrong things.

Who said anything about martyring yourself actively? What you are doing is martyring yourself passively by ignoring what has been coming for close to 2 years now. And it will only get worse if you and others like you continue as you have chosen to do.

When good people do nothing the bad people will win, since they certainly won't stop trying.

Only if you have had enough of this world and don't give a **** any longer, ready to go out, is your approach logical. And it does not seem like this is where you are, when you want to save money and travel. Only problem is that already now travel is pretty much forbidden in many places, and by the time you have the money only government approved people will be allowed to travel globally.

 

[jnklheimer]

Who said anything about martyring yourself actively? What you are doing is martyring yourself passively by ignoring what has been coming for close to 2 years now. And it will only get worse if you and others like you continue as you have chosen to do.

When good people do nothing the bad people will win, since they certainly won't stop trying.

If I ignore someone bothering me at the store, it doesn't mean I'm ignoring "what has been coming for close to 2 years". I've been up on this since december 2019. The whole point of my post was to explain I felt like expending too much energy on it has been pointless because I've found a way to have a good life even with all the annoying stuff happening. I don't think anyone will force me to do anything I don't want to do.

As far as doing "nothing", if you have some good ideas about what is worth doing, let me know.
Everyone who is taking the experimental drugs and willingly closing their businesses are doing it to themselves. It is all by consent, after all. Who am I to stand in the way of people's choices?

 

[rei]

I don't think anyone will force me to do anything I don't want to do.

Of course not, because by the time the vaccine is mandatory for buying and selling, you think you have completely voluntarily changed your opinion to wanting it.

When someone bothers you at the store you should tell them how what they are doing is wrong and give historical examples. When there is a protest you should go. When you have spare time you should write your representative.

You are right when you speculated maybe you have been demoralized, changed your ways from truth to opportunistic lies. And don't be surprised how many other things you will be led into that the previous you could never believe you could do.

 

[jnklheimer]

Of course not, because by the time the vaccine is mandatory for buying and selling, you think you have completely voluntarily changed your opinion to wanting it.

You've projected on me this whole time. It's slightly annoying. Please stop telling me what you think I am and actually read the words I wrote.

 

[rei]

No i'm telling you what conflicting things you are writing. But i won't any longer, i have done my part in speaking out, as i advocated, and now i will let it go. Also i don't advocate fighting windmills, just voicing your opinion on wrong things you see.

 

[Sefton10]

Schopenhauer

 

[animalcule]

"Every time I went to go to the store I expected to be confronted for not playing along, and I would run through scenarios in my mind about how I would react. I grew conditioned by social media videos that confrontation was inevitable. It was unpleasant and strange."

I also noticed that happening to me. I became more on edge, ready for the conflict, almost paranoid. Media is really doing a number on both sides.