The Road Ahead

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The Road Ahead
The Road Ahead
Knowledge II p. 174
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Knowledge II p. 174

Don't Stress, It Will Come to You

D S Reif
Jun 04, 2024

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Knowledge II p. 174
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detail from “Dabriel”, oil on canvas, 2014 dsr

Below is a reading from my book THE OTHER ROAD AHEAD followed by a comment inspired by the selection.👇

There is so much going on and I must keep up with circumstances and data and people and politics or I will be left behind. Events are moving very fast. The world is upside down and out of balance. I can't trust the Internet because it is full of deception. My head is about to backfire.

I have experienced all or any of the above anxiety for years. I have fretted that if I don't know what is happening in the world on a daily or hourly basis something will sneak up on me and I will miss out or be attacked by dark forces lurking behind every webpage, in my town, or somewhere in outer space.

This is not unreasonable paranoia but a cumulative assessment of opinions gleaned from all around me. The unmitigated assault on the individual waged by those forces that are fighting each other and using me for their battleground.1 It is only real if I give it credibility.

Fortunately I don't need to stress about being the first guy to know something to keep up and make proper decisions. Someone else has already done that. Whether important or trivial somewhere other people are way ahead of me; so what? They wrote the post, the script, or the lies for me to crave and by the end of the day something will change and they will drive my hunger elsewhere. Who cares?

For many people, knowledge has become a video game played out on the Internet in virtual reality accompanied by colorful graphics on You Tube or Rumble represented with shocking headlines that are designed to grab our attention. The panoply of assaults does not lead us to anywhere except the blind alley of despair. Some believe that points are awarded to us for our knowledge score and a plaque will be given out honoring us before the minions on Tik Tok, or some other Internet quagmire. Someone may be tracking your obedience but not your accumulated knowledge. That only comes from personal discretion.2

There are billions of people in the world and I cannot be the smartest person on the planet. However, with that admission there are folks who will take advantage of a simple act of humility and use it as proof that I need them. On the other hand I am not the dullest and likewise by saying that some may use it to prove I am a smart-ass. I have news for the High Priests of Media who pundit-ize me, "Ultimately we become aged and frail and whatever came before will be unimportant."

For the most part I quit watching the corporate media yet I know that there is a daily parade of pundits and talking heads that claim to be experts and through the magic of video production a flurry of graphics will surround the expert with evidence of superiority. The underlying text is “...I know more than you do." No you don't.

The June 1 selection is about humility and living life on the terms that are given to us by providence, fate, and fortune. What I absolutely must do is live my life in a manner that best serves my circumstances and the destiny of those surrounding me. Worrying about my status or lack of it will one day all be forgotten.


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The Road Ahead is a reader-supported publication. I will offer quality articles to free subscribers as well as other content that will be for upgraded paid subscriptions. Your paid subscriptions are essential. Reasonably priced at less than 23 cents per day you will get the full range of insights inspired by the book.

1

https://dsreif.substack.com/p/cognitive-warfare

2

https://dsreif.substack.com/p/programming-page-150

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