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The Profit Motive Is Crippling Humanity: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

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Caitlin Johnstone
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It's literally impossible to be an aggressive critic of US foreign policy with a sizeable audience and not be accused of repeating Russian taking points. Literally every single high-profile person who does so gets accused of Kremlin loyalty, without a single, solitary exception.

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Those who tell you to "move to Russia" when you criticize the foreign policy of the western empire are the same people pushing for internet censorship and the silencing of unauthorised media and demanding retractions from any western outlet that forgets to parrot the official line.

"Move to Russia!" No, you move to Russia. You're the one trying to suppress dissent and criticism of the powerful. I'm the one who is living by western values as they were sold to me and demanding normal scrutiny of the most powerful empire of all time. You don't belong here.

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Hello we're the westerners, we're awesome because we live in free democracies with a free press where everyone is equal. Also, let's spend weeks crying over a dead monarch at the urging of the news media because her blood makes her better than normal people.

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One of the many consequences of learning about how fucked things are is a growing frustration over wanting things to change while they only get worse. In my experience, which you may of course take or leave, the answer to this dilemma is contained in the Serenity Prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." A more secular version might read, "Make peace with what you can't change in this moment, bravely make whatever changes can be made in this moment in your surroundings and in yourself, and learn to distinguish between the two."

You're only one human in a chaotic, confusing cacophony of eight billion, and there's very little you can do to single-handedly effect the massive changes our species needs no matter how clever you are. But that doesn't mean you can't do anything. You can do little things to help make this planet a slightly gentler place every day, you can work to spread awareness of what's true, and you can contribute in your own small way to the expansion of human consciousness (both in yourself and in the world).

Act to whatever reasonable extent you can act, then let go and relax into this beautiful existence. Make peace with what you cannot change in this moment, make what small changes you can, and learn to tell the two apart. The more you learn about our current plight the more necessary it becomes to learn how to do this.

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Caitlin Johnstone is a brave journalist, political junkie, relentless feminist, champion of the 99 percent. And a powerful counter-propaganda tactician. Rogue journalist, poet, illustrator, utopia prepper, and proudly 100 percent reader-funded through Patreon (more...)
 

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