Time To Stop Being Jerked Around!

It's time to stop being jerked around! 

Subjecting ourselves to the daily "news" about the U.S.-Israel-Iran war has become the Big Jerk this past week. While we don't want to be oblivious to what's going on "out there," we have many times urged at the very least some modification in your daily news-information intake. Our logic here is simple. Most of it is ginned up verbiage - whether in print or in some auditory medium - intended to suck us in and keep us on tenterhooks. "Fake news" doesn't really capture the full reality. It's a manipulation of our thoughts and emotions that benefits some, and we're not one of the some.

This past week, the jerking around centered on the war. Ideally, those of us who have struggled to develop some discipline in our intake of the "news" have succeeded in not being jerked around. But if that's not you, then it's time to subject yourself to some sort of disciplined interaction with the avalanche of media trying to sink its hooks into you. 

Seriously. Don't you think so? Shouldn't you think so? If this past week doesn't serve as motivation to develop discipline here, what will?

Fact is, while the war headlines this past week were doused with an extra dose of gasoline designed to set you on fire, this won't be the end. Just think: We had the gasoline of the "end of a civilization," then the supposed cease fire, then the threat that the cease fire wouldn't hold, then the attempt to hold it together, then...where does all this end?

Well, there was a bit of settling down for sure. Markets shot to the moon to somehow affirm the joyous news of a cease fire. Then when things weren't so rosy, they drifted down, then...well you get the point. There was some settling down, And so the initial gasoline soaked conflagration burned itself out. Heck, that was close, wasn't it? Relief sets in.

But to what end did all of this unfurl? Has anything really been settled? Sure, some say this war will be wound down now. Then again, some say, no, there's more to come - and worse.

See what's going on here? It never ends.  

So when things settle down for a bit, take advantage of the respite and start the sometimes difficult process of separating your life from the drama intended to control and direct your thoughts and emotions. 

At least recognize that those perpetrating this gross act of manipulation derive a benefit because their job is to constantly come up with click bait so their employers will smile when they see the clicking stats come in on their daily reports. They do monitor this, you know. Since they have ways to monetize this - i.e., make money - the more the merrier. Do you want to be one of their merry band of fools?

Recognize too the more nefarious side to this. (Not that making money off of us through sheer manipulation isn't somewhat nefarious.) If you subject your thoughts and emotions to such manipulation, you will be constantly led around by the nose. Not only will a whole series of rabbit holes take up your precious time and attention, but you very well may be one of the right or left gang that politicians play with as they seek re-election. Or perhaps as an investor, your decision-making will be clouded by these shenanigans and you'll make buying or selling decisions at precisely the times that will suck money out of you and direct it to the institutional master market manipulators whose sole intent is to line their pockets at the expense of the retail investor - the little guy, a/k/a us regular folks.

And let's not forget perhaps the most nefarious possibility (probability?) that the amplification of news distracts us from matters that "they" don't want us to see, or perhaps that they want us to forget or neglect. Matters like: inflation (not that that one is easy to forget); the buying of congressmen. And this includes not only the Israeli lobbyists, but the corporate and Wall Street lobbyists, etc. who shower our representatives with campaign contributions and, well, so much more "invisible" stuff to do their bidding.

Heck, even the Epstein files that have never been released/revealed can serve as a distraction in a sense. Of course, what has not been revealed may very well contain damning information that would caste a bad light on various members of the Power League. But many of us have been corralled into believing that this Epstein guy was the evil genius who somehow lured the rich, powerful, and famous into unspeakable depravity. If we buy this story, we've been bamboozled into forgetting that these acts of depraved indulgence have come with power and privilege pretty much since Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and were kicked out of the Garden.

Okay, enough for now. Maybe you get the point of what has become a bit of a rant. And maybe you'll take a step back and extricate yourself from the spider's web that is constantly weaved to grab you and hold to to be feasted upon by the blood-suckers who live off of your flesh and bones and the fruits of your daily labor.

If you're not sure how extricate your mind and body from all this, maybe start by putting a lid on how many minutes you expose yourself to the daily news. After all, most of it really isn't all that important. Our local news mostly regurgitates national news plus local fare. The national you can get from the national broadcasts (if that's your preference). The local, while occasionally informing us of some fact or event that has some bearing on our personal lives, is mostly filler, along with the health "tips," "beware of" stuff, and occasional money-related nonsense. Never mind the celebrity/famous folks "news" that, frankly has zero bearing on our lives and holds no interest. We don't know these people, and for all we know, the stories are exaggerated, based on rumor, or outright lies.

Why in heaven's name would anyone want to squander the few precious moments we're given on this earth on this stuff?

Well, we're approaching the end of the line for this post. You've likely got things to do, as do I. But perhaps we'll circle back to this next time and dive deeper into creating separation between us and the vast ocean of time-wasting blather that inundates us these days. 

On second thought, we will circle back. Frankly, we'll all need to develop better focus on what's important in the coming days, weeks, months, and, yes, years, as the drama of our world continues to intensify and most likely spin out of control.

With that, there's still room to enjoy the weekend!