Censorship, Consensus, and Sovereignty

I have never seen censorship so apparent as it is now.  Facebook and Youtube, once a place where people could share ideas relatively equally, now have chosen to decide what is and isn’t fit to print.  The problem of ‘fake news’ is real, and yet what we may reluctantly find to be true appears initially impossible or ridiculous. By preventing non-normalized viewpoints from being seen censorship skews perception and centralizes power.  Whether the intent behind censorship is to caretake or disempower, the effect remains.

In many, if not all respects, truth happens by consensus.  Our individual viewpoints come together to create a communal one.  We convince each other of things depending on the stories we tell.  We have more or less credibility in that negotiation depending on the evidence we call upon to illustrate support for our stories.  It is tremendously frustrating to firmly believe something is true and have others disagree—it can make us crazy, and even define craziness.  I often cling to reality; most of us do.  But that doesn’t mean we’re clinging to the same reality, or to the ‘right’ one.  It’s certainly not as rational a process as we like to believe.

I’d like to define sovereignty as the wholeness of an individual.  As sovereign beings we are part of the larger whole of humanity, the larger whole of consciousness, and the larger whole of Earth.  We are living systems, made up of living systems, and participating in living systems.  TRUTH is difficult if not impossible to discern in part because its perception depends on where we’re looking from, and what it is we’re focusing on. 

While consensus and sovereignty can often coexist without dramatic conflict, this is clearly a time of great tension.  It is also a time of great fear.  I worry over decisions that are driven by fear; both my own decisions and those of the collective.  I am afraid of a narrative prioritizing technology and pharmaceuticals over connection with our bodies and each other.  I am afraid that the trust I have in my immune system will be subjugated to a consensus at odds with my sovereignty, and that my objections will be censored out just as the information that supports my view is mocked and censored in the media.

Now I pause.  The state of fear—fight, flight, or freeze—so quickly takes over the ability to feel subtlety.  Within subtlety lies inner guidance:  Every body is part of the body of earth, and every consciousness is part of the larger consciousness.  The deep knowledge that comes from within cannot be censored.  This way of knowing takes time.  It requires patience.

I believe we can each contribute honorably to consensus reality by sensitizing to our inner guidance.  Holding our sovereignty in this way we become less amenable to narratives of fear that may otherwise exert control over our viewpoints and behavior.

If you want help or seek community for the process of tuning in, please join us for BraveSpace online or reach out personally.