Hi everyone. Good to be here :)
I first heard about this site through Neil Strauss who suggested it on his blog quite some time ago. I did join but never really got into it. But I've seen it slowly grow in the last few years (or however long it's been active).
I've been doing the social media thing on/off ever since it's inception in the early 2000s. Back then I had a wordpress blog and then got myspace, Facebook and all that. I was traveling around, sharing my experiences and failures. Some responded with curiosity. Others with disdain, especially when I started sharing things about factory farming or how corrupt our financial systems are. Much to my surprise and disappointment, I have learned that most people do not like it when their choices and beliefs are questioned. Sad but true :(
All is well now. Well, kind of. We are here. Alive and free. I'm in a good place but there are big problems in the world. I may not have all the answers but I think I have some pretty good solutions in mind that could help a lot of people. But change requires us to change. That's one of the biggest problems we have: people want things to change yet are not willing to change themselves. I don't believe in sitting around complaining and just getting absorbed in the drama of it all (otherwise known as mainstream media and news).
What I do believe in is World Peace. That is my religion and philosophy. You may say I'm a dreamer and I'm not the only one as the song goes but really it's about what WE do in our every day life choices. What we eat. How we interact. Are we bringing peace to the table, to the conversation? To the thoughts we have that keep us up at night? If you can even bring 0.01% peace to whatever it is you do, we are winning. I don't care what your parents say about not being able to change anything. They are wrong!
(btw, this is an incredible book on the topic, you can get it here)
And by the way, I'm not one of those "it's all good man" (Saul Goodman) tree hugger hippy new age types who are all about peace and love and hippydippy doo-ra kumbaya songs and talking circles and reading books about law of attraction. All that stuff is great but only IF you practice what you preach. IN YOUR ACTIONS. Not just words but actions.
For example, you cannot be "spiritual" and NON-vegan, this is totally impossible because they are completely at odds with one another. The question is: if you are not spiritual (non-vegan), what are you?
But I get it. I've been there myself and it was bad! I was addicted to drugs and alcohol and animal products and mindless entertainment, porn, narcissism, depression, negativity, victim mindset, fixed ideas, santa claus, etc. It's hard to break out of that lifestyle and that mentality especially when all your friends and family are there to keep you down and out.
Most of us are born and raised in such environments. The first part of our life is about breaking free from the madness and discovering the world of abundance that lies outside the gates of Disneyland. Yes, it's real. The grass is definitely greener on the other side.
You need to find the knowledge and wisdom about what is the true nature of reality. Who are you? I mean really. The truth is out there. There's a burning desire in your heart to be free from all this. I know it's there. You know it's there. Find it. Go with it. Live FROM it.
(great movie on the topic, one of my favorites)
Kindness is not a grey area. It is black and white. You either practice it or you don't.
And sometimes the kindest thing you can ever do is to stand up for justice and truth, to people and practices which/who are not only harming themselves but who are taking advantage of and abusing and oppressing those that are not strong enough to defend themselves.
We must always stand up and say NO, THIS IS NOT OKAY, especially when another creature's well-being is on the line. If we don't, we are weak cowards and enabling the oppressors. I know it's hard. And it takes time to build the confidence and courage. Modern society fucks us into docility and blind worship of authority. Do you really want to live like that? As a prisoner of a system that doesn't really give a shit about you? I certainly don't.
Truth and morality are not subjective. We all know that molesting children is wrong. Or abusing animals. That's why hunting and fishing should be banned. No exceptions!
The only way to make the world a better place is to become better ourselves. And let that light shine!
Anyways, I'll be sharing my views on these topics and more as we get this party started (I know, I'm arriving a little late).
Peace,
Mark
PS. thanks to Jeff Berwick and Michael Hebo for giving me that extra push to get some posts going here and thoughts flowing. Find them and follow them! I'll add their links when I figure out how, haha.
https://steemit.com/@jeffberwick
https://steemit.com/@neilstrauss
https://steemit.com/@michaelhebo
Thanks for reading and say hello!