THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 129 - SNAP OUT OF IT!

I’ve always had a problem with consensus reality, mostly because consensus reality has been shunted off to the old mass media & then parroted by the people. I like people’s actual views & unique ways of expressing themselves. I’ve been making & reading zines since I was 12 in 1988. I have always liked the potential of zines for really dialing in & expressing yourself. I like small newspapers & magazines for the same reason. I’m not interested in these things being puppets for the proxy wars of the larger culture/propaganda wars either or copies of other things in order to gain some market share. I’m interested in the views of reality by genuine people & their idiosyncratic brains. When everything is compartmentalized into left or right or pro or anti-Trump, it’s tedious. It’s beyond tedious, it’s not the right question. Or questions. These things should be a reminder that there are lots of ways of looking at the world & that this is a constant, even if people feel pressured to mouth the opinions of whoever is in charge or is leading whatever their particular version of “the resistance” is. At this point, breaking people out of lifelong propaganda tunnels is daunting especially when they are in denial that these things even exist. This was one of the big hopes of the psychedelic & consciousness expansion movements of the 60s & 70s. That people would snap out of it. The thing is, you can’t just snap out of it, it’s a daily practice. Consciousness requires constant vigilance, the brain is constantly trying to rely on various props.  I watch my kids desperately try to do the non thoughtful thing as often as possible, this is in a household that has emphasized the importance of consciousness constantly. Part of having brain damage from the stroke has been my use of patterns & habits in order to keep things in order. It would be easy to just allow these patterns into my thoughts about reality & other people, not just about chores, taking my pills & stuff like that. I know the comfort of allowing these things to prop up our brains. Luckily, Katie really helps me to keep it fresh & to reassess if these patterns are serving me or if I’m just serving them. 

x SEAN

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