I would like to thank everyone who had input vis a vis this post. I was feeling a bit frustrated. Not necessarily by those here who have supported my shoddy work since day one, but by those who don't seem to have a fire or a zeal to overcome the darkness that seems to be seeping into every corner of civilization. I hope no one was offended by what I was saying, as that was definitely not my goal. Anyway, thank you so much for reinvigorating me to continue to do my best to opine on whatever subject strikes me week to week. I'm so glad to know that you are all here. :)
I hear you man. It can get frustrating, and I resonate with your concerns. When Simulation Commander and I did our podcast, I remember him commenting on why he called his Stack "Screaming Into the Void", and it's because he really didn't expect people to respond or care.
When the heat isn't "on", and real life events aren't hitting home directly between the eyes (or the mouth, in the case of forced masking or the bloodstream in the case of the jab), the ferocity with which most "normal" people engage is dimmed. And that can be disheartening.
The reality is, most people who just want to live and let live, like you and me (and probably a large percentage of our readers), just aren't radical. We're not religious zealots for our freedom. On the flipside, "they" are. The Woke, the Hydra, the corporate industrial complex, are VERY much the radical true believers, and that's always been the problem for those who just want to live free. We want to BBQ in our back yards and have a good Halloween party. They want total domination over your lives. Their will and commitment to that is much greater and more consistent than ours is to liberty in the long run.
So I want to encourage you to keep it up, despite the doubts and frustrations. Every single little bit of truth in this void matters.
I’ve been pondering this post for a while today. I am a substack lurker. Lots of subscriptions but very few paid. I think of news and opinion as sort of the first drafts of history. The key story items of the day are often spread far and wide and there are so many commentaries (good and bad, short and long) that it’s really hard to navigate and find the time to even decide which are worthwhile. Not to mention actually read them, and then even engage with them. Substack has become very saturated with often really great info from many different perspectives and backgrounds. I think over time as more people move into writing in this medium the ability to engage is going to be diminished somewhat. That could be offset by more lurkers but hard to say. The lurkers here, I find, are a bit more interested in the depth behind the news, but few have the time for it. I find myself nowadays basically reading headlines and maybe the first few lines of a posted commentary to decide if it’s worth my time. If it’s very long, I unfortunately usually decide it isn’t worth the time. I think you should keep doing it for your own benefit (if it’s worth the time spent) and if few are engaging, I would not take it as an insult. We lurkers have only so many hours in the day.
You are one of my favourite pauses for thought. I always try and share your wisdom to others. You don't just rehash the frustrations we all feel and repeat. You actually offer much more than that and I for one appreciate it.
Great post, Rob. I understand your frustrations, but know that you have at least one reader who implements your advice. I now rely almost exclusively on cloth towels (not paper towels), I have started using neem oil in the garden, and I am saving the seeds from my pepper and tomato plants for next spring (hopefully these new plants will be more pest resistant).
Keep on writing. You are one of the few people on substack who focuses on things that we can all start doing *today*. This is very important.
I can't bring myself to write, yet again, about the glaring injustices. I have done that to death.
So I found a new way of communicating.
I am now writing two books, simultaneously. Delivering one chapter of each per week.
One is my life story. The other is a fictional story written from the point of view of a plastic celeb whose attitude is amusingly arrogant and appalling.
The feedback I am getting is much reduced so, it appears that my audience is baffled by the sudden change of style. The thing is, I am happier writing creatively than writing to report stuff we all know about but cannot affect. We know that the scamdemic is murder. We know that the wars are proxy and genocidal. Why should we be limited to constantly wailing about them?
I want to see more love, life, humour and sensuality. So I am providing it in my Substack in the hope that it will light a spark to inspire others to rekindle those aspects of humanity which are being dampened and crushed under the weight of this awful global totalitarianism which is greying and dulling our zest for life into oblivion.
Let's bring back the colour, the joy and the smiles!
I hear what you're saying!! I've actually been thinking the same thing. Here I am struggling to get by, and paying $85/month to have email and Substack and try to advertise myself somehow, to try to get some work...
I've noticed that posts I've done that seem to involve people DOING something after reading them do about HALF the readings of posts that are "outraged," or some other thing...
I think social media has trained MUCH of the youth, and maybe some of us elders as well, to expect ENTERTAINMENT or they have no interest. And they seem to want shocking things, funny things, or lewd things, or all three rolled into one, probably.
Most of the younger folks I come across, and a fair amount of older ones, seem to have very little understanding about economics, politics, how government works (or should work), history, science... They seem to only want to be told what to think and then on to a movie.
It's disheartening, that's for sure. And like you, I've been keeping at it because a) I'm hoping that something I say that matters might get across, or b) like me, people need to laugh and so I try to offer that as well, which I've been doing for decades anyway, and c) I enjoy reading other posts (I like your VERY MUCH!!) and hope that my posts can be uplifting or interesting or otherwise engaging, because I like writing them.
I dunno. If it comes down to heat or internet, I may have to choose heat. But I know I can keep in touch a little bit if I can get to the library... So if we decide to call it a day on SS, let's try to keep in touch via email, okay? I consider you a good friend. xo
I am feeling overwhelmed lately by all the emails coming into the inbox so I think I have to make a decision as to what to read and what to unsubscribe to. Your substack, Rob, will be one of the ones that I will continue to read. I'm just sorry I can't pay for a subscription right now. I enjoy your posts although I'm guilty of not saying so and I enjoy reading the comments from other readers. It helps to have a community of people who feel the same, more or less. And I'm always open to suggestions on how to make some positive changes. I agree that you can't rely solely on politicians to change this 2 1/2 year nightmare. I'm not a brave person but I'm trying my best to do some little things. I've attended rallies in the past when everything was locked down. My husband and I financially supported the Canadian Trucker Convoy, giving what we could. (We did it through Rebel News so we didn't have our account frozen like many other donors did). Now mandates have supposedly ended where I live but there are some places that require, or at least encourage, the wearing of useless masks. Recently, I've resisted wearing a mask to the medical clinic even after the receptionist supplied me with one. I admit that I did put it on when my doctor requested that I do so while she was examining me closely. When she was finished, I took it off again. I feel I have to walk a fine line between being a good little patient while expressing my objections. I don't want to start all over and try to find a doctor whose beliefs about the whole covid scam align with mine. I suspect my doctor may hold the same beliefs but she's afraid to go against the management of the clinic. I guess we all have to stop being afraid of being yelled at for not complying and just do what we feel is right. Otherwise, things could get worse. I hope that God gives me the courage to do what I should do. In the meantime, substacks like yours help. Thanks so much.
I think many are scared that there will be a knock at the door and a man in a white coat will load them into a white van and they will be taken to a place of no return; if the reader is so bold as to actually *like* or so blatantly brazen as to actually *comment* on a Substack.
So, yes, such scaredy cats will never stand up for their rights. They are not even * keyboard warriors*.
And, yes again, putting things down in writing clarifies the thoughts, and can better develop an idea.
And yes again again, the predators are determinedly relentless. Predators are like that.
Hey Rob. Do you enjoy writing? If yes, don’t stop. Even if you are the only one reading it and you still get enjoyment. If not, stop writing. You don’t have to carry the whole world yourself.
You can’t make someone do something, but you can provide encouragement, show examples, and manifest determination to all your readers who in turn are likely to convert their thoughts on your topic into conversation with non-readers and so on and so on. Pebble/ripples/pond thing.
I think about what you have written far more often than I read what you write. So apparently, you produce a lingering effect.
Also, as I am experiencing, some things take much longer than one would like. While I understand that patience is required, that is not always easy to remember and calmly accept.
FYI - Your piece has had me writing for the past hour or so. Clarifying my thinking so I can go and do my best laid plan. Thanks. Stay free.
No, not every post or comment will get attention, but not every great book becomes a best seller.
A comment on the topic of waiting for someone to fix the problem. This has been a part of the strategy of the center of power, as it is with the street corner dealer. The first hits are always free. Then when the buzz wears thin, a new thing is added, spiced up or magnified. And when the customer/addict dies, no worries, there is always another.
We have become the addicts of "there ought to be a law, the government should step in, we have to make life fair" ... ad nasuem.
Only when we admit to the addiction will we begin to seek the cure.
Keep it going my friend, all we can do is keep going. I myself have been guilty of questioning the value of typing away,but, like you, I find it a personal help. I sometime struggle to think how to get the world to wake up, but I dont think it will happen overnight, so I just take every opportunity to throw fireworks into conversation and see if they go off. It actually surprising the number of people (in the uk) actually agree with me. They just dont get the agendas. But all we can really do is live our lives as we want to live them, by example, and be the change we want to see in the world. I think that was Ghandi, certainly not my words. "Follow the recipe, then make it your own" i say that to my wife all the time.
Rob, I have winnowed my substack list lately, but yours is a keeper. I've been pondering this insane turn the world has taken for almost three years now. It has been great to know many folks have observed and felt similarly, but it's way past time to act. Like you said, if we all just took one tangible positive step for freedom and personalized it, it would be a great start. We can't all go from zero to prepper in 60 seconds, but we can do one thing here and there to take the power back.
I always read your posts. I may not always comment although the thoughts are there. I'm glad your not going anywhere. You give awesome advice and bring hope for the future. I for one thank you for being here 😊
I totally relate to this. I want to talk about topics other than the covid vaccines...yet those posts consistently get the most likes and engagement. At this point, I think it's just doom porn that people actually "enjoy" on some level.
When I've posted something about tyranny or WWIII...I don't get as much conversation or engagement. For example, I did a video parody of "History Repeating" called "Tyranny Repeating" and only got a few comments on it...hell, at least tell me my voice annoys you, that would be better than crickets -https://wholistic.substack.com/p/tyranny-repeating-history-repeating
I was hoping the post would stir up some interesting conversation but...not really.
I've had half a mind for a while now to post a Substack title starting with "WHO DO I NEED TO BLOW TO GET MORE ENGAGEMENT HERE?" but that might be a bit too crass. Haha.
Now, to be fair, I will say I personally don't have time to read or respond to all the great Substacks I am subscribed to...but to my defense I'm busy researching and writing my own.
But what gets me are some of the people I know personally...who, unlike me, have TONS of free time, and supposedly "get" that we have some major problems right now...but despite that so-called awareness, they are doing JACK about it in real life. Like, literally wasting time socializing with people and "hanging out" (and I'm not talking young people either) and doing nothing to fight the tyranny.
If anything, they are likely to send me some weirdly optimistic message about how everything will be fixed with a "red wave" this November. Seriously? How naïve are you? No genuine anti-establishment candidate gets very far in either party before being torn to shreds. Even if Republicans ran everything we'd still have major problems...what are people thinking? I could go on, but the short version is, I think we're going to have to go through literal hell first before things start to change towards the better if at all.
I would like to thank everyone who had input vis a vis this post. I was feeling a bit frustrated. Not necessarily by those here who have supported my shoddy work since day one, but by those who don't seem to have a fire or a zeal to overcome the darkness that seems to be seeping into every corner of civilization. I hope no one was offended by what I was saying, as that was definitely not my goal. Anyway, thank you so much for reinvigorating me to continue to do my best to opine on whatever subject strikes me week to week. I'm so glad to know that you are all here. :)
I hear you man. It can get frustrating, and I resonate with your concerns. When Simulation Commander and I did our podcast, I remember him commenting on why he called his Stack "Screaming Into the Void", and it's because he really didn't expect people to respond or care.
When the heat isn't "on", and real life events aren't hitting home directly between the eyes (or the mouth, in the case of forced masking or the bloodstream in the case of the jab), the ferocity with which most "normal" people engage is dimmed. And that can be disheartening.
The reality is, most people who just want to live and let live, like you and me (and probably a large percentage of our readers), just aren't radical. We're not religious zealots for our freedom. On the flipside, "they" are. The Woke, the Hydra, the corporate industrial complex, are VERY much the radical true believers, and that's always been the problem for those who just want to live free. We want to BBQ in our back yards and have a good Halloween party. They want total domination over your lives. Their will and commitment to that is much greater and more consistent than ours is to liberty in the long run.
So I want to encourage you to keep it up, despite the doubts and frustrations. Every single little bit of truth in this void matters.
I’ve been pondering this post for a while today. I am a substack lurker. Lots of subscriptions but very few paid. I think of news and opinion as sort of the first drafts of history. The key story items of the day are often spread far and wide and there are so many commentaries (good and bad, short and long) that it’s really hard to navigate and find the time to even decide which are worthwhile. Not to mention actually read them, and then even engage with them. Substack has become very saturated with often really great info from many different perspectives and backgrounds. I think over time as more people move into writing in this medium the ability to engage is going to be diminished somewhat. That could be offset by more lurkers but hard to say. The lurkers here, I find, are a bit more interested in the depth behind the news, but few have the time for it. I find myself nowadays basically reading headlines and maybe the first few lines of a posted commentary to decide if it’s worth my time. If it’s very long, I unfortunately usually decide it isn’t worth the time. I think you should keep doing it for your own benefit (if it’s worth the time spent) and if few are engaging, I would not take it as an insult. We lurkers have only so many hours in the day.
You are one of my favourite pauses for thought. I always try and share your wisdom to others. You don't just rehash the frustrations we all feel and repeat. You actually offer much more than that and I for one appreciate it.
Keep up the good work.
Great post, Rob. I understand your frustrations, but know that you have at least one reader who implements your advice. I now rely almost exclusively on cloth towels (not paper towels), I have started using neem oil in the garden, and I am saving the seeds from my pepper and tomato plants for next spring (hopefully these new plants will be more pest resistant).
Keep on writing. You are one of the few people on substack who focuses on things that we can all start doing *today*. This is very important.
I built my audience by writing in outrage.
Now I have gone beyond outrage to indifference.
I can't bring myself to write, yet again, about the glaring injustices. I have done that to death.
So I found a new way of communicating.
I am now writing two books, simultaneously. Delivering one chapter of each per week.
One is my life story. The other is a fictional story written from the point of view of a plastic celeb whose attitude is amusingly arrogant and appalling.
The feedback I am getting is much reduced so, it appears that my audience is baffled by the sudden change of style. The thing is, I am happier writing creatively than writing to report stuff we all know about but cannot affect. We know that the scamdemic is murder. We know that the wars are proxy and genocidal. Why should we be limited to constantly wailing about them?
I want to see more love, life, humour and sensuality. So I am providing it in my Substack in the hope that it will light a spark to inspire others to rekindle those aspects of humanity which are being dampened and crushed under the weight of this awful global totalitarianism which is greying and dulling our zest for life into oblivion.
Let's bring back the colour, the joy and the smiles!
I hear what you're saying!! I've actually been thinking the same thing. Here I am struggling to get by, and paying $85/month to have email and Substack and try to advertise myself somehow, to try to get some work...
I've noticed that posts I've done that seem to involve people DOING something after reading them do about HALF the readings of posts that are "outraged," or some other thing...
I think social media has trained MUCH of the youth, and maybe some of us elders as well, to expect ENTERTAINMENT or they have no interest. And they seem to want shocking things, funny things, or lewd things, or all three rolled into one, probably.
Most of the younger folks I come across, and a fair amount of older ones, seem to have very little understanding about economics, politics, how government works (or should work), history, science... They seem to only want to be told what to think and then on to a movie.
It's disheartening, that's for sure. And like you, I've been keeping at it because a) I'm hoping that something I say that matters might get across, or b) like me, people need to laugh and so I try to offer that as well, which I've been doing for decades anyway, and c) I enjoy reading other posts (I like your VERY MUCH!!) and hope that my posts can be uplifting or interesting or otherwise engaging, because I like writing them.
I dunno. If it comes down to heat or internet, I may have to choose heat. But I know I can keep in touch a little bit if I can get to the library... So if we decide to call it a day on SS, let's try to keep in touch via email, okay? I consider you a good friend. xo
I am feeling overwhelmed lately by all the emails coming into the inbox so I think I have to make a decision as to what to read and what to unsubscribe to. Your substack, Rob, will be one of the ones that I will continue to read. I'm just sorry I can't pay for a subscription right now. I enjoy your posts although I'm guilty of not saying so and I enjoy reading the comments from other readers. It helps to have a community of people who feel the same, more or less. And I'm always open to suggestions on how to make some positive changes. I agree that you can't rely solely on politicians to change this 2 1/2 year nightmare. I'm not a brave person but I'm trying my best to do some little things. I've attended rallies in the past when everything was locked down. My husband and I financially supported the Canadian Trucker Convoy, giving what we could. (We did it through Rebel News so we didn't have our account frozen like many other donors did). Now mandates have supposedly ended where I live but there are some places that require, or at least encourage, the wearing of useless masks. Recently, I've resisted wearing a mask to the medical clinic even after the receptionist supplied me with one. I admit that I did put it on when my doctor requested that I do so while she was examining me closely. When she was finished, I took it off again. I feel I have to walk a fine line between being a good little patient while expressing my objections. I don't want to start all over and try to find a doctor whose beliefs about the whole covid scam align with mine. I suspect my doctor may hold the same beliefs but she's afraid to go against the management of the clinic. I guess we all have to stop being afraid of being yelled at for not complying and just do what we feel is right. Otherwise, things could get worse. I hope that God gives me the courage to do what I should do. In the meantime, substacks like yours help. Thanks so much.
I think many are scared that there will be a knock at the door and a man in a white coat will load them into a white van and they will be taken to a place of no return; if the reader is so bold as to actually *like* or so blatantly brazen as to actually *comment* on a Substack.
So, yes, such scaredy cats will never stand up for their rights. They are not even * keyboard warriors*.
And, yes again, putting things down in writing clarifies the thoughts, and can better develop an idea.
And yes again again, the predators are determinedly relentless. Predators are like that.
Hey Rob. Do you enjoy writing? If yes, don’t stop. Even if you are the only one reading it and you still get enjoyment. If not, stop writing. You don’t have to carry the whole world yourself.
You can’t make someone do something, but you can provide encouragement, show examples, and manifest determination to all your readers who in turn are likely to convert their thoughts on your topic into conversation with non-readers and so on and so on. Pebble/ripples/pond thing.
I think about what you have written far more often than I read what you write. So apparently, you produce a lingering effect.
Also, as I am experiencing, some things take much longer than one would like. While I understand that patience is required, that is not always easy to remember and calmly accept.
FYI - Your piece has had me writing for the past hour or so. Clarifying my thinking so I can go and do my best laid plan. Thanks. Stay free.
Yes, continue your excellent writing.
No, not every post or comment will get attention, but not every great book becomes a best seller.
A comment on the topic of waiting for someone to fix the problem. This has been a part of the strategy of the center of power, as it is with the street corner dealer. The first hits are always free. Then when the buzz wears thin, a new thing is added, spiced up or magnified. And when the customer/addict dies, no worries, there is always another.
We have become the addicts of "there ought to be a law, the government should step in, we have to make life fair" ... ad nasuem.
Only when we admit to the addiction will we begin to seek the cure.
Looking forward to the next great piece.
Keep it going my friend, all we can do is keep going. I myself have been guilty of questioning the value of typing away,but, like you, I find it a personal help. I sometime struggle to think how to get the world to wake up, but I dont think it will happen overnight, so I just take every opportunity to throw fireworks into conversation and see if they go off. It actually surprising the number of people (in the uk) actually agree with me. They just dont get the agendas. But all we can really do is live our lives as we want to live them, by example, and be the change we want to see in the world. I think that was Ghandi, certainly not my words. "Follow the recipe, then make it your own" i say that to my wife all the time.
Rob, I have winnowed my substack list lately, but yours is a keeper. I've been pondering this insane turn the world has taken for almost three years now. It has been great to know many folks have observed and felt similarly, but it's way past time to act. Like you said, if we all just took one tangible positive step for freedom and personalized it, it would be a great start. We can't all go from zero to prepper in 60 seconds, but we can do one thing here and there to take the power back.
Don't get your hopes up!
Prepare for maximum carnage!
I always read your posts. I may not always comment although the thoughts are there. I'm glad your not going anywhere. You give awesome advice and bring hope for the future. I for one thank you for being here 😊
I totally relate to this. I want to talk about topics other than the covid vaccines...yet those posts consistently get the most likes and engagement. At this point, I think it's just doom porn that people actually "enjoy" on some level.
When I've posted something about tyranny or WWIII...I don't get as much conversation or engagement. For example, I did a video parody of "History Repeating" called "Tyranny Repeating" and only got a few comments on it...hell, at least tell me my voice annoys you, that would be better than crickets -https://wholistic.substack.com/p/tyranny-repeating-history-repeating
I was hoping the post would stir up some interesting conversation but...not really.
I've had half a mind for a while now to post a Substack title starting with "WHO DO I NEED TO BLOW TO GET MORE ENGAGEMENT HERE?" but that might be a bit too crass. Haha.
Now, to be fair, I will say I personally don't have time to read or respond to all the great Substacks I am subscribed to...but to my defense I'm busy researching and writing my own.
But what gets me are some of the people I know personally...who, unlike me, have TONS of free time, and supposedly "get" that we have some major problems right now...but despite that so-called awareness, they are doing JACK about it in real life. Like, literally wasting time socializing with people and "hanging out" (and I'm not talking young people either) and doing nothing to fight the tyranny.
If anything, they are likely to send me some weirdly optimistic message about how everything will be fixed with a "red wave" this November. Seriously? How naïve are you? No genuine anti-establishment candidate gets very far in either party before being torn to shreds. Even if Republicans ran everything we'd still have major problems...what are people thinking? I could go on, but the short version is, I think we're going to have to go through literal hell first before things start to change towards the better if at all.