Reading the news rationally

I don’t understand why people repeatedly go to one specific source for their news. It also infuriates me, when they then discredit any other source. “Oh, The BBC is just brainwashing you,” I hear from behind their copy of the Huffington Post. The truth is, every news corporation has some sort of agenda. As much as we like to see it as impartial, there is always some sort of political or societal slant on a particular article. What can you do about this? Who can we trust?

It’s silly and naive to think that we can put our trust in news organisations ran by corporate behemoths with the truth. Money makes the world go round, and if one opinion has more money or power hanging on it, then that is the one that will be published. Yes. The journalists job is to gather information, and present it in an unbiased and consumable form for the public. However, it is not our jobs to form your opinions.

Media giants like to think that they control our opinions, but that does not have to be the case. It IS the case however, when you allow your self to be sucked in to the trap of only trusting ONE news source. Editors opinions change, political agendas change and if your only reading one newspaper, then that is the only type of information you are consuming. Don’t be a Guardian reader, don’t be a Daily Mail reader. Be a rational person who forms his own opinions based on a variety of sources.

The thing is, people like to think there smart but remain stuck in their own opinions. True intellect has opinions, but allows them to be changed based of new information. If you stay stuck in your own opinions, you become comfortable and don’t learn anything. So please, put down that copy of The Guardian and go pick up a copy of The Daily Mail. Yes, I hate the Daily Fail too, but when you gather a range of information from different people, you can form your own opinion, rather than the editors.

–THE LONELY WEST–

Cruel enlightenment

I was 15 and it was the usual Friday night. A group of middle-class white kids hanging around the local park basking in the essence of the foggy night. Nobody had any worries or dreams, it was all about what was happening right now. We didn’t care about current affairs, school or even our future. The main agenda was just to blow our parents money on as many mind-altering substances as we possibly could. Simple days but fun times if I’m honest. Tonight was nothing special, it was actually pretty standard and ‘usual’ for us. Nothing out of the ordinary, just excessive cannabis consumption and the usual bland teenage stoner talk.

The night dragged on and the conversations grew tiresome. Every sentence muttered brought on anticipation, then plummeted into disappointment when you realized the other person was too stoned to realise what they were even talking about. I had the usual high. Body relaxed, heightened awareness and general slowness. However, after smoking our last joint something changed. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something was odd. It was like someone had came and changed the very essence of the atmosphere. It was then I realised my perception had twisted dramatically. I couldn’t speak and I couldn’t move, I just watched everybody. I watched and I began seeing the most fascinating but disturbing truths. They all talked and talked but I didn’t. I just observed.

I saw everyone for who they were. It was as if everyone was wearing this metaphorical mask, to hide their true selves. There insecurities, their doubts and their flaws. Even the drug dealer that was with us, the ‘gangster.’ I even saw his mask. Everyone had a façade of confidence or ‘front’ to hide what they truly are. I watched and saw every single lie these people told to prevent the barrier from being broken. I realise now, this is the ego, but back then this shit freaked me out. It felt as if I was seeing the world for how it truly is and I’ve not been the same since. This simple shift in perception has completely shaken and changed me from the core.

When I walk through the street everyone just looks like a robot. I feel like I’m the only person that knows what’s going on. Greed, control, jjudgementand corruption it just doesn’t make sense to me. People worship shallow celebrities who are idolised in the media. The only reason they are their is to make you work harder and contribute to the corporate mechanism, in the flimsy hope that one day you might end up like them.

People are fake and manipulative. They don’t listen. They wait for their turn to speak and do everything for their own mental gain. People are stupid and don’t have the faintest clue what’s going on. When you try to tell them their living a lie they resist. They tell you your being silly. Your crazy man, them drugs are fucking you up. Quite the contrary. There making me realise how fucked up the world is.

I can see through the bullshit now and it’s driving me insane. Contemplating reality and frequent psychedelic use has shown me the raw and unadulterated version of reality, and at times I wish I could go back. I’ve opened a door that can’t be shut and now living life is like watching a movie were you can see the set and all the cameras. I look at an advertisement and I don’t see a new potential product. All I see is consume, obey and conform. Live the lie and become the lie or you can’t survive.

The open door within my mind messed me up for a good few years until I started to learn to accept it. People who haven’t had this “awakening” or whatever you want to call it won’t understand. For people who have, they will know exactly what I mean. I’ve been to the darkest reaches of the human mind and it’s left me with new eyes to see the world with. These new eyes can consume you if you dwell on them. You think of how you can ever live in this world again, after seeing the true nature of it. Well… It’s hard but there’s nothing you can do about it, other than use it for your advantage. Keep the perception, but don’t live it’s seclude none societal lifestyle. Use these new eyes to see through societies lies and rise to the top, otherwise you’ll just end up another acid-burnout sat at home watching documentaries about the Illuminati.

Maybe all this means something to somebody… Or maybe years of drug use have fried my brain. Either way, I’ve grown accustomed to my version of reality, and to be perfectly honest with you… I like it.

–THE LONELY WEST–