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In the last 100 years, our standard of living has vastly improved, but our quality of life hasn't. Life was supposed to be easier, but that promise has failed to materialize. In our guts, we know something is amiss. We know that we are being manipulated in some fashion but it's just out of reach, somewhere where we can't put our finger on it. Be honest, you know reality has some holes in it and that through those holes a clearer picture might present itself. We are uncertain. We know that whatever the Truth is, it is incomplete. In an age of information, you'd think we'd be even more certain of ourselves. But we are not. We are drowning in so much information that we can't decipher which part is true and real and which part is fictitious and meaningless.
The conspiracy theories are more real than we want them to be so we dismiss them as fringe thinking. It's too damaging to our foundational beliefs to accept them as real. That immediate and perhaps mostly unconscious dismissal is the reason why the wool is pulled so tightly over our eyes. We are so uncertain that if reality bit us on the face, we wouldn't recognize it. Our state of mind allows us to be easily manipulated, easily misled, and completely fooled.
There needs to be a collective conscious attempt at discovering the truth and a collective courage for accepting what is found, even if the so called reality we live in becomes blurry around the edges or collapses entirely. But who will begin the process, this necessary step in our exponentiating growth as a species? When will we seriously begin to take the currently unacceptable as indeed possible? When will we outgrow our fear and pave a road into the unknown?
Conspiracy theories are not a sign of mental illness. They may be a necessary step in our growth. It hints at a distrust of "reality" and begs questions about how reality is determined. Is it manufactured to deceive? Is that possible? Millions of people will not accept the reality that is handed to them by others. And they shouldn't. Instead, the best first step I can conjure is one where, after a deep breath, reality is allowed to come into consciousness unfiltered. No bias, no prejudice, no self-defeating judgment. In other words, learn the art of discernment. Then share it with everyone else.
^This. I wouldn't even try to add to it. Well said.
In the last 100 years, our standard of living has vastly improved, but our quality of life hasn't. Life was supposed to be easier, but that promise has failed to materialize. In our guts, we know something is amiss. We know that we are being manipulated in some fashion but it's just out of reach, somewhere where we can't put our finger on it. Be honest, you know reality has some holes in it and that through those holes a clearer picture might present itself. We are uncertain. We know that whatever the Truth is, it is incomplete. In an age of information, you'd think we'd be even more certain of ourselves. But we are not. We are drowning in so much information that we can't decipher which part is true and real and which part is fictitious and meaningless.
The conspiracy theories are more real than we want them to be so we dismiss them as fringe thinking. It's too damaging to our foundational beliefs to accept them as real. That immediate and perhaps mostly unconscious dismissal is the reason why the wool is pulled so tightly over our eyes. We are so uncertain that if reality bit us on the face, we wouldn't recognize it. Our state of mind allows us to be easily manipulated, easily misled, and completely fooled.
There needs to be a collective conscious attempt at discovering the truth and a collective courage for accepting what is found, even if the so called reality we live in becomes blurry around the edges or collapses entirely. But who will begin the process, this necessary step in our exponentiating growth as a species? When will we seriously begin to take the currently unacceptable as indeed possible? When will we outgrow our fear and pave a road into the unknown?
Conspiracy theories are not a sign of mental illness. They may be a necessary step in our growth. It hints at a distrust of "reality" and begs questions about how reality is determined. Is it manufactured to deceive? Is that possible? Millions of people will not accept the reality that is handed to them by others. And they shouldn't. Instead, the best first step I can conjure is one where, after a deep breath, reality is allowed to come into consciousness unfiltered. No bias, no prejudice, no self-defeating judgment. In other words, learn the art of discernment. Then share it with everyone else.
Yes this guy sounds like he's filled with paranoia and illogical thoughts... NOT!
Last year a news article stated that there's a whole new list of disorders coming out to be used by DRs. According to that list most anyone here will fit into a disorder.
I don't think anyone is out to get me, but I do believe that the 911 was orchestrated by our government using explosives and that people who believe otherwise are just MSM sheep.
This type of thinking is very limited. It makes a gratuitous and false assumption that everyone who does not agree with you must have drawn their conclusion from the MSM.
Back to the OP--I don't think it's any sort of illness, although these are the types of things that the truly mentally ill often latch onto. Often it is simply a distrust based on some reality (we can't and shouldn't blindly trust those in power) and acceptance of misinformation as fact without verification, just because the information is anti-government (which makes the equally-false assumption that if "the government" says it, it must be a lie.) No discernment is practiced.
IMO, a lot has to do with using the Internet as a primary source of information and the drop in actual reading.
Regardless of their political leaning, have you noticed certain individuals have a proclivity toward certain beliefs that distrust established organizations or individuals? They are distrustful but not paranoid to the point that they are schizophrenics. For example, you can almost predict the beliefs of certain individuals on this forum based on their opinions of other topics. They seem to share a certain pattern of thinking.
-accusing others of being communists or socialists
-distrust of government in general
-foreigners are a threat
-distrust people of races outside of their own
-people of faiths outside of their own
-distrust the medical system
-distrust the pharmaceutical industry
-distrust corporations
-patriotism means defying the government through illegal means if necessary due to distrust of government
-distrust the formal education system particularly colleges and universities
-distrust of "mainstream" media
What is your opinion, do you think this is new psychological personality disorder?
Isn't it called "Schizotypal Personality Disorder"???
In the last 100 years, our standard of living has vastly improved, but our quality of life hasn't. Life was supposed to be easier, but that promise has failed to materialize. In our guts, we know something is amiss. We know that we are being manipulated in some fashion but it's just out of reach, somewhere where we can't put our finger on it. Be honest, you know reality has some holes in it and that through those holes a clearer picture might present itself. We are uncertain. We know that whatever the Truth is, it is incomplete. In an age of information, you'd think we'd be even more certain of ourselves. But we are not. We are drowning in so much information that we can't decipher which part is true and real and which part is fictitious and meaningless.
The conspiracy theories are more real than we want them to be so we dismiss them as fringe thinking. It's too damaging to our foundational beliefs to accept them as real. That immediate and perhaps mostly unconscious dismissal is the reason why the wool is pulled so tightly over our eyes. We are so uncertain that if reality bit us on the face, we wouldn't recognize it. Our state of mind allows us to be easily manipulated, easily misled, and completely fooled.
There needs to be a collective conscious attempt at discovering the truth and a collective courage for accepting what is found, even if the so called reality we live in becomes blurry around the edges or collapses entirely. But who will begin the process, this necessary step in our exponentiating growth as a species? When will we seriously begin to take the currently unacceptable as indeed possible? When will we outgrow our fear and pave a road into the unknown?
Conspiracy theories are not a sign of mental illness. They may be a necessary step in our growth. It hints at a distrust of "reality" and begs questions about how reality is determined. Is it manufactured to deceive? Is that possible? Millions of people will not accept the reality that is handed to them by others. And they shouldn't. Instead, the best first step I can conjure is one where, after a deep breath, reality is allowed to come into consciousness unfiltered. No bias, no prejudice, no self-defeating judgment. In other words, learn the art of discernment. Then share it with everyone else.
Are you serious? I am old enough to remember my grandmother, who had to raise a family with NO running water, NO indoor plumbing, and NO electricity. Do you think you have a harder life than that? She in turn lost several siblings in a diptheria epidemic.
They were so poor, that for my aunt to be able to go to church one Christmas Eve, they had to make up a story about a pair of mittens dropping out of Santa's sleigh, so they could give them to her early. She didn't have a pair of mittens to wear in the Wisconsin winter! Gimme a break!
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