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I’m not sure why, but I’ve had a song in my head for a couple of weeks. I didn’t realize what it meant until I started writing this week’s post. Has that ever happened to you? Some of my younger readers may not know of the band “Pink Floyd”, but anyone in their 40’s and older may have heard of them. Pink Floyd is my favorite rock music group of all time. I used to have their “The Wall” album quite literally memorized from beginning to end (and could sing it as well). Much of their music is strange and definitely cutting edge. Oh, come on Rob, please get to the point! Ok. Haha. There was a song on their album “The Division Bell” (released in 1994ish) called “High Hopes”. The song had a church bell ringing constantly in the background. They called this bell: The Division Bell. This is the bell I’ve heard in my mind for a couple of weeks.
Why is this bell ringing in my mind right now? I can hear it throughout the day. I wake up with it ringing. Heck, I’ve even dreamed of this insane ringing! I feel like I’m losing it! But… I’m not losing it. I know why it’s ringing. I know what this bell means. It means that it’s time for us to rise up as a people. As humans. As brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, masked, unmasked, “vaccinated”, un-vaccinated, sick, healthy, black, white, yellow, brown, red, old, and young and silence the division bell.
The greatest tool used by despots has always been division. And oh man! They’ve sure done a heck of a job over the last almost 3 years (Of course it started much earlier than that. I’d argue it’s *always* been going on throughout history). If division wasn’t so effective, it wouldn’t be used. We are brain screwed into believing that “America is more divided than at any time in history!” The corporate media, social media and government is constantly telling us we don’t agree on anything. That the “R’s” know best or the “D’s” know best. We’re told that one type of soap is better than another. We’re told that a certain “medicine” is better than another with almost exactly the same ingredients because it is “new and improved” and costs a lot more. We’re told that if we hold unique views on either side of a particular issue we’re wrong and must be silenced. I don’t need to provide too many more examples do I? All of us have a list of divisive subjects.
We’re almost forced into focusing on these divisive issues. We’re told if we don’t focus on the issue of the day, we don’t care about (fill in the blank). Quite frankly we actually might *not* care about (fill in the blank) because we have other issues that are more important to us. This doesn’t make us bad people. This doesn’t mean we “hate”. It means that we are individuals. Humans. It’s impossible for us to care about every single flipping issue that someone else feels is important at the time.
I’m not sure what the answer to healing this rift in society is. But what I do know for sure is that if we don’t start healing it *now* we will lose everything. And I mean *everything*, exactly like has been planned out for us by the billionaire elitist, power hungry control freaks. We must start coming together on the things that matter.
So, what do people agree on? Guess what? We agree on pretty much *everything* that matters! I promise that if I went out and interviewed 100 people from all walks of life and asked them what they really care about in life, almost every single one of them would say things like: Food. A decent job. A decent place to live. Happiness. Family. Friends. Freedom to do what I want. Personal health (and the ability to make their own health choices). The ability to travel. The ability to worship or not to worship. The ability to choose their own peer group. Finding love. Just to name a few.
The divisive issues like: Abortion. Transvestite “rights”. Homosexual “rights.” Masks. Vaccines. Cutting off all carbon dioxide from the planet. The ability for a 5-year-old to change their gender. Censorship, and all of the other divisive issues that are shoved down our throats on a daily basis would be at the very bottom of the list except in just a few cases. I promise that this is a fact!
So, what can we do about it? How can we stop the “perception of division”? Well, I’m going to be honest here: Sadly, I don’t know. What I do know from my own life experience is that changing the subject of the conversation works quite well. And, when it doesn’t, walking away does wonders to make someone think about their views (or not). Sometimes our silence is much more effective than any words we could say. We have to *stop* engaging in divisive conversations and start focusing on those we agree about. There’s no time like right now. We are at the edge of a cliff we will *never* be able to climb back up in our lifetime if we walk off of it.
When your family member starts screaming at you for not wearing a giant useless diaper over your face, take a deep breath and say something like, “did you see that article about that guy, Klaus Schwab, from the WEF saying we’re all going to eat bugs”? When your friend of many years tells you that a “vaccine” is the only way to stay healthy and you better get one, say something like, “I sure hope that I can afford my rent/mortgage payment next month.” When someone says you should support children getting their genitals chopped off because children know best, say something like, “did you see that more food processing plants have burned over the last couple of years than at any time in history?” When your neighbor says you should buy an electric car because your pickup truck is destroying the planet, say something like, “my grocery bill has gone up 40% in the last couple years, has yours?” There are loads of examples. This is called changing the narrative. Don’t argue about things you know will get you nowhere. Start feeling out the other person for things you will most likely agree with each other about. This begins a healing process. This is how we change minds and hearts. When we talk about things we agree about, we start forming a bond with that other person. That bond can and *will* open doors to speak about more divisive issues down the road. But right now, we can’t afford to keep arguing. We *must* start talking about what matters to humanity.
And when the other person is too divisive and caught up in their own ideology that they will not budge and you can’t get them to start talking about something else: Walk away. They aren’t worth your time. Our focus needs to stay on the things that truly matter. Not on petty arguments.
We have all lost friends and family members over the last almost 3 years, haven’t we? If we haven’t, we’ve been fortunate. I have good news! We might be able to get some of them back, but only if we stop allowing divisive subject matter to be at the forefront. Every single one of those we have lost in this battle still knows something isn’t right. They know in their gut that things are not the way they should be. Even most of them know that the “new normal” is not, well, normal! If we have an opportunity to speak with those we’ve lost, let’s keep it light. Purposely change the subject anytime something you know is going to cause division pops up. Begin rebuilding those relationships.
This isn’t going to be easy. In fact, it’s going to suck in so many ways but it *has* to be done. Our society and culture will not survive if we continue allowing our differences to be the only things we see in each other. Biting our tongues is one of the most difficult things we have to do. It requires incredible self-control, humbleness and love. But it can be done. It must be done. Let us look forward to the day when the division bell stops its incessant ringing. That ringing stops one peal at a time and we have the power to stop it by grabbing the hand holding the mallet with love and hope in our hearts and saying to them, “I’m here, and I agree with you about…”
Stop This Ringing!
Nope, you're WRONG.
Ha, ha, just playin'. ^_^ I think you're right about the idea that pretty much everyone agrees on certain things that are the critical things for life and a decent life at that. I've been talking about this too, for a couple of years, but not very very recently, so maybe I'll do a post around this idea. I do agree that what we choose to FOCUS on is a critical part of coming together. It always has been, no?
Good post, brother man. xo
I read you r piece three times thinking about how to constructively comment. Here goes.
Where to start…. how about, we agree and disagree? It is one thing to preach to the choir of curious minds who can rotate shapes and juggle two realities at the same time before settling on a preferred one, it is another to change the hearts and minds of those so entrenched they can’t even see the sky any longer.
This message of “let’s seek agreement, to end division” has been flown up the flagpole many times. I agree that there needs to be more conversations, more debates, more acceptance of differing perspective. But that perception cannot be a two-way mirror, but rather an open sash where the breeze can blow both ways. These days that is rarely the case.
Another problem lies in the reciprocation of the conversations. It is one thing to have a rational discussion with rational people, and whether consensus is reached or not, at least different views can be talked about. That’s all great, until the listening stops, the rationality stops, even the sophist consideration of an opposing viewpoint becomes imaginary. Then the division sets in and becomes more deeply entrenched.
The other problem is there are things, that are right and wrong. There is a reason for discernment and making choices. No amount of sophistry can make some of the more recent batshit crazy ideas seem even vaguely palatable.
I agree we need to take the high road and have conversations, especially with those we disagree with. I also know that appeasement, or changing the topic (ie narrative) is temporary at best and perceived as childlike.
The other glaring but disguised issue is the level of bureaucratic and “journalistic” corruption and collusion to spin up the citizenry into breaking themselves down (most likely to be more controllable). You mentioned, “Food. A decent job. A decent place to live. Happiness. Family. Friends. Freedom to do what I want. Personal health (and the ability to make their own health choices). The ability to travel. The ability to worship or not to worship. The ability to choose their own peer group. Finding love.” Every one of these have become issues of division, because, of government intervention, control and regulation. If we could agree on at least some of these issues, or at least live and let live, then we could fight the real enemy (government largesse).