You can’t postpone Jesus. /s

How do we keep the party of “family values” from co-opting “decent people” next?

Ok, I’m willing to follow along that line and say we’ll drop the word patriot as it may have been too corrupted to be aligned with its original meaning.

In lieu of that term, what shall we call people who love their country and criticize its faults while working for positive change so it can be a better place for all people to live, and how do we keep bad actors from co-opting whatever new term we want to apply to that?

Misusing a term does not necessarily make the underlying concept invalid. For instance, ICE is subjecting people to rendition in the name of “national security”.

National security, in reality, is a good thing if it is used justly and wisely to prevent loss of life and real threats against the people. When it is co-opted and misused to target minority groups, it becomes a verbal cloak to disguise injustice, but that doesn’t mean that the original need for protection has been invalidated.

Likewise, patriots who love their country enough to criticize it and change it towards becoming a decent and fair place for all people to live both exist and are an asset to the nation. When the word is co-opted by nationalists and jingoists, it is used as a cloak, but the role of the true patriot still remains vital.

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” - Thomas Jefferson

Oh…goodie.

Ghost Blog. Open source, flexible, loads of potential uses, works every time.

But responding to malice in kind is not always the right option. It is usually only the correct choice when the malicious person has no potential to change. Responding to a badly behaved teen with poor treatment only exacerbates the problem. On the other hand, responding to an oligarch with firm resistance would be the right choice.

The oligarch wants to be treated harshly because that is their core value by which they think the world operates, while the teen is often acting in a defensive posture to avoid harm to themselves and would respond to a more gentle hand.

Your observation is correct, but your conclusion is wrong. “Treat others as they want to be treated.” Different people have different needs.

I’ve totally lost track of what this post is about because I’m just looking at the 8000 mod removed comments by SlackShaolin.

How else are you supposed to buy cocaine? /s

We’re on the same page—I’m referring to metaphysical work as being intentional energy manipulation rather than just existing in the physical world, which, as you pointed out, we all do all the time. As you probably know, when someone has been intentionally manipulating their mental and physical energy, they sometimes get spontaneous effects a little bit later, so I was wondering if this event could be related to that.

It’s definitely a strange occurrence. In my opinion, I would be a little worried about the random onset of it. Definitely be careful in case another moment like this strikes when you could be put in danger. It may be worth seeing if you can develop any skills to pull yourself out of it as an emergency measure. Magick is as much about turning it off as it is about turning it on.

It sounds like something between a vision and a disassociation. Have you been doing anything that might have brought this on like drugs or metaphysical work? I’m glad you didn’t find it distressing, but it does sound a little like this could be a problem if it happens to you in the car or the grocery store.

I’m not doubting you, I’m just seeking to understand the experience more.

Was it like a daydream, or a physical transportation? Could you come out of it at will, or was it uncontrollable for you?

I’m a practicing occultist, and I have experienced some weird shit before, but this description stands out. Visions don’t always mean what they appear to on the surface. Your post history suggests that you’ve had similar moments like this before.

If it is uncontrollable, you may want to get checked out by a professional. The magician swims in the same waters that the madman drowns in, they say.

And how did you experience this memory/fantasy/dream/vision?

Upon further reflection, I might not be the best measure—I’m an occultist who is also currently writing a book. The word esoteric may only be common for my situation specifically, lol.

You think so? I feel like it is relatively common, but user experience may vary.

One of the nice things about being American is that we still have the right to call our own country feces, just like you have the right to disagree with me.

That said, I feel like we’ve both expressed ourselves here, so I’m just going to move on. Hope you have a good week, dude.

On that point we will simply have to disagree. It is much more dangerous legally for someone to visit America on a visa than it is to visit Mexico on one right now.

I don’t mean to project anything, I’m just trying to understand the undercurrent of hostility that I have felt from your replies, amigo.

I see now, you’re offended about my opinion of America being the shit in the shit sandwich.

Ok, I’m willing to flex a little on that. It is currently shitty for some travelers, specifically ones who are not white or wealthy, in ways that it has not been previously. Overall, it has some opportunities for residents that may be better than other countries.

Likewise, Mexico has some problems for poor residents that sometimes make them choose to seek a better life elsewhere. As a travel destination though, I stand by my opinion that it is a good place to visit.

Happy?

Fine, I’ll concede and move passed the murder rate.

We are talking about the risk to travelers. America currently has a government sponsored effort to detain people who are visiting here, sometimes even when they are here legally. Mexico is not doing that. The risk to travelers is pretty damn clear right now.

Edit: Just to be clear, I don’t think that the gang violence rate breaks down differently for the US—before this latest ICE takeover, I would have said it is safe for travelers here too.