Third Week

 

That's when we turned the corner. That, as far as I can assess, is the point at which we crossed that threshold. 

The point of no return.

A little over a year ago (can you believe it?), when we got to the end of week three of "two weeks to flatten the curve," and there was not an immediate and massive resistance to continuing on with that nonsense...that was truly the beginning of the end.

That's when it became clear that enough people were asleep...sheep ripe for the slaughter...for various reasons. Many were simply too busy trying to survive and live life to actually do the deep investigation and research required. After all, so many people were already starting to suffer from the economic impacts of the government's actions. Many didn't do that digging, even though they may have felt some uneasiness deep down...a niggling feeling that something was amiss. Others felt nothing and didn't care. They were on autopilot and ready to do whatever they were told without a hint of questioning. Others were riddled with fear, swallowing every lie, consuming every bit of fear-porn, ironically happy to withdraw from the messy responsibilities of freedom and into the warm, comforting cocoon of "safety" provided by obedience to an all-knowing, all-caring government.

Regardless, the vast majority of people simply went along with it all, for whatever reason, valid or otherwise.

And by the time some of them started to wake up, or started to realize the true cost of their choices...it was too late. For those of us who were suspicious from nearly the beginning, but went along with the first two or three weeks out of a sense of good citizenship and lack of solid data...we've been carrying that burden of enlightenment for a long time now. And it's exhausting.

Third week. 

That's the time I'll forever look back on as the end of the era of freedom. Sure, there were many, many variables. Many complex conditions, from several years of corrupted, fraudulent elections, to a gradual consolidation of power and influence into gov(priv) and gov(pub), to a general lulling of the populace by increasingly amoral entertainment and idol worship as a replacement for true learning and engagement. 

Those were the carrying forth of the coffin, and the collecting of the nails. At week three, however, is when they placed the lid atop the box, and started pounding in the nails with stealth and alacrity.

Now, the only sounds emanating from the coffin are the snores of the unconscious masses, interrupted only by the muffled cries of the discontented, whose eyes are open wide, and adjusted to the dark, but constrained from any action beyond some futile jostling that sometimes annoys the snoozers.

Hmm. That was dark. Well, happy Friday, folks.

______________________________________

P.S. For some of the best commentary on the world these days, I highly recommend JP Sears' video series. His use of satire is surely the only reason the corporate censors haven't completely squashed him yet. He speaks truth. Support him.