What would you do?

What would you do if everything you see around you points to the degradation and dissolution of principles you were taught? You believe the moral fiber of your life is being threatened and challenged. You believe the social system you’ve come to rely upon is being torn apart and there seems to be so little you can do.

What would you do if the media you rely upon repeatedly tells you exactly what you have come to believe? In-fact, the only news you see and hear tells you it’s worse, much worse, than you ever imagined. They espouse there are forces working every day to undermine the social order. They proclaim those forces are deeply embedded in the fabric of the government and constantly working to undermine and change history.

What would you do if the social media you follow is deluged by your online friends, those people you’ve never met all over the country, advocating the same rhetoric? A country wide collection of groupthinks. All forwarding more links to corroborating websites promoting unsubstantiated conspiracy theories and dark projections of your and the country’s future.

What would you do if the leaders whom you trust and adore, as if they were bigger than life, re-enforce everything you’ve seen, read, heard, and now completely believe? They tell you the fate of life and social order as you know it is at a dire tipping point. You are told, repeatedly, the fate of everything you believe in is at risk and it is up to you to rise up. They feed your fear and champion a calling for your action. Claiming it to be a calling only true believers can understand and follow.

What would you do if your religious leaders and teachers told you every time you entered the house of worship the moral fabric of the country is under attack? If you were told by your faith leader every moral fiber and the soul of your country and religion was under attack by the great Satan.

What would you do? Would you become flagrantly intolerant of anyone not believing like you? Would you become reclusive? Would you pick up arms and seek others like yourself? Would you become radicalized and become a jihadist, Antifa, or storm the Capital? Would you plot, with your brothers, an insurrection to defend your country and religion beliefs? What would you do? What will you allow yourself to become? This is us. This is where we are. This is where the world is to a greater or lesser degree. We see it play out across the world. No place is immune.

Or, would you pause for a few moments and ask yourself, challenge yourself, to look critically and dispassionately at everything you’ve seen or have been told? Would you question and seek alternatives? Would you just for a moment, consider maybe just maybe, you might not be completely correct, and other’s might be just as correct, and wrong, as you? Would you consider, just for a fleeting moment, another person’s perspective might have as much legitimacy as yours? Would you, could you, because you certainly should.   #NeverFeartheDream

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