"How to spot an idiot"
Kindness is intelligence
Online, I found a wonderful recording of Governor Pritzker's 2023 Commencement Address: Kindness is intelligence or How to Spot an Idiot.
I relish statements such as:
"The best way to spot an idiot, look for the person who is cruel. Let me explain. When we see someone who doesn't look like us, or sound like us, or act like us, or love like us, or live like us, the first thought that crosses almost everyone's brain is rooted in either fear or judgement or both."
About our fear of other groups, I've almost said this exact statement:
“We survived as a species by being suspicious of things that we aren't familiar with. In order to be kind, we have to shut down that animal instinct and force our brain to travel a different pathway."
Add to that— one of my favorite quotes by FDR:
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself."
As I wrote in my missive of 9-11 last fall,"I was in therapy at the time the towers fell. Of course, that was the subject of my session two days after 911. My therapist commented that everyone was agitated waiting for the next bomb to drop. I looked at her for a moment and said, 'That’s exactly how kids feel in abusive homes.'”
Many survivors have to get professional help to release that hyper-vigilance of being ready for the next catastrophe. For those still feeling the pulse of anxiety racing through your bloodstream, you can get help. You can rewire your thoughts and body memories to alter your resting state--and experience serenity.
This ready for warfare stance is part of our DNA. When humans were roaming about hunting and gathering for food, there was a real danger of a predator lurking behind the next bend.1 If we ignored the signs of a predator we were dead. So, our species learned to pay more attention to threats than the beauty.
That's what Gov Priztker is talking about. We have to transcend those primal instincts of fear.
And, you can do it. Even if you have the extra weight of dealing with the ramifications of childhood sexual abuse. You can do it.
I love this recording of Governor Pritzker's speech. I know idiots are the most cruel. Overall, I believe that sexual abuse is a crime of domination, and perps are the bottom feeders of our society. Idiots. The effects of their unevolved actions are emitted to their victims/survivors. We can release that toxic waste dumped on us, travel a different path and evolve to kindness and love.
A couple of people I've encountered in my day to day life have accused me of having "Toxic Positivity." I've had a few chuckles with my dear friends, who know my story about that.2 From what I can tell, the colloquial term "Toxic Positivity" is basically denial. And, I'm not in denial about evil in the world. I choose not to dwell there. I hope you don't either.
Although I found the wonderful video of Pritzker's speech online, please use caution in what you research and discover online. I realize the irony of that statement. Because you are reading this online! Oh the irony!
There is a wealth of wonderful information and knowledge to be found online. Being aware of the basics of "Critical Thinking3" and your own bias's can enable the internet to be a tool for your growth.
In the 90s, when the World Wide Web became available to the public at large, I was thrilled at the prospects of how readily available knowledge and information could be for everyone. For me, it was fulfilling one of the basics principles of our founders philosophy to have a "well educated society." In time, I've realized that the algorithms and money motivating users to "click" is prevalent. One has to be consciously engaged to do actual research and find the truth. 4
As you are reviewing the information found online, please be aware of your own "confirmation bias.5" I have a strong confirmation bias. I believe that people are good. I've always liked knowing that "good" is derived from the word god. In many ways when you say, "Good Bye," you are saying "God Bless you." I love that.
I also love the quote by CS Lewis, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”
Which begs the question, how can I believe that people are good when I've had such trauma inflicted upon me as an innocent child? I believe those who commit atrocities are broken. It defies biology, survival of the fittest, the propagation of our species, and a slew of spiritual laws. The people committing those crimes are broken. Can they be repaired, healed or made whole again? I don't know. I only know that the victims/survivors of those crimes can. Because I have.
We can heal from the evil damage inflicted upon us, we can transcend our primal fears, chose a different more civilized, evolved, and loving way to live.
To watch Governor Pritzker's 2023 Commencement Address I found online, click here:
Speaking of online, if you find anything online about Paperdolls or Paperdolls & Cowboy Boots that doesn't quite jive with the spirit of healing, love and forgiveness, probably invoke some healthy suspicion about it. And, as always, if you need to, you can ask me about it directly.6
By the way, I've had some nice chats with one of our subscribers, and she helped correct a review online that was laden with mis-information. Thank you for that. Again, please ask me if you have questions. I can definitely answer about my story, and try to direct you to other resources if it's something I don't know.
For survivors of abuse--that was a reality--and please get professional help to diminish the immobilizing effects of PTSD.
If you've read Paperdolls & Cowboy Boots, you understand
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking
For more on the slant of profit over truth, a fairly descent documentary about how the algorithms work is"Social Dilemna"
https://www.britannica.com/science/confirmation-bias
Paid subscribers.