There is one thing that everyone has got in 2020 and it is not covid-19, it is an opinion. Everyone has one about this pandemic and how it has been handled. To say nobody is immune to COVID-19 is probably the understatement of the century.
What is clear is that most people’s opinions tend to fall into two groups, those who concur and those who do not. Yet while we might fall into collective groups, how we each arrive there is individualistic, but we are all where we are because of what we believe. And we believe what we believe because we choose to believe it. Right or wrong.
Quite often people will accept what they read in the media to be the truth and choose to believe it without question. But there are a growing number of people who are seeing that some things they are being told do not add up and choose to make further inquiry before accepting it as unconditional truth.
With the pharmaceutical owned media (including big tech and its social media and searching giants) mere puppets broadcasting one-sided information, it’s easy for them to present a compelling story about the serious dangers of covid-19 and how a vaccine is the only answer.
But for those who see that the dots don’t join up and seek their information elsewhere, their opinions are being formed using a more multifaceted evidence based approach, rather than propaganda that could be said to line the pockets of a few, while controlling the many.
The main driver for their line of inquiry is how uncomfortable the restrictions placed upon us are. When you are in your comfort zone, who cares what’s going on in the world and in Australia we have always had the “she’ll be right” attitude. But after months of extreme restrictions, almost everyone has been moved way out of their comfort zone now.
This is not such a bad thing. Change is constant. We cannot expect things to remain the same, but when it is sudden and intense, it forces you to adapt and it is the process of adapting that we have collectively had to endure. And you would think that this collective experience would be uniting, however it has in some ways been more divisive because of conflict in beliefs.
Contrasting opinions can be the spark that explodes like a bomb, so we must navigate these waters with great patience, empathy and compassion for our fellow humans, because history has shown us time and time again how ugly and destructive conflict can be. It ought to be an opportunity for us to come together in understanding instead.
If we look at a recent historical example of this, which is extremely relevant at this time, it may help to illuminate the substance of what we choose to believe, the process of deciding what to believe and the significance of our actions at this critical time. I am talking about the cultural revolution of China.
In 1966 Chinese students unified in their plight to fight for social justice. This was the start of what was thought to be the overthrowing of a patriarchal system of elites who suppressed the working class, women and minorities. It would start the Chinese Cultural Revolution that called for the oppressed to unite to overcome their oppression. A red arm band was a symbol of their solidarity and this collective tore down what they saw as outmoded ideas, customs, culture and habits. These were referred to as the “Four Olds”.
In the process, mass demonstrations were held that were marred by looting and destruction of sacred temples, classical art, literature and architecture, important historical records and monuments were destroyed, homes of the privileged damaged and even buried corpses exhumed and hung from a tree.
The aim was to conquer the elite suppressors to destroy every trace of their existence and superseding it with something new. The principals for this new culture were founded in Marxist ideology. Public figures seen to be oppressive were taken out, police disbanded and replaced by the red guard who became aggressive oppressors in their own right where thought crime was real, believing what they were doing was just and right.
It wasn’t long before minority groups such as the Christians, who initially supported the movement were targeted and condemned to death and when initial supporters saw this agenda was in contradiction to their values, the balance of power had already shifted too far and in just 10 years an estimated 20-30 million people were killed, making the Chinese cultural revolution one of the greatest tragedies in known history.
This purging of capitalist elements entrenched the communist ideology we know today as the Chinese Communist Party.
Their motivation sounds eerily familiar doesn’t it? If the calamity that was the Chinese Revolution can teach us something valuable today, it would be this. Tearing down the old rarely seems to result in much enduring good. What the Red Guard did well was unify and organise themselves, but very little long-term good would come of their actions.
If change is what the world needs, then it’s a balanced and measured approach that should be executed. One that looks at the greater purpose and gets the balance right, keeping humanity, morals and ethics in check at all times.
Many people see the restrictions placed upon us in response to the pandemic as draconian. They are angry their civil liberties have been eroded, their welfare destroyed, and their hand forced into submission. Some believe it was done because it was necessary and for the right reasons, while others believe more nefarious agendas are at play, which aim to control and dominate us. But almost everyone can agree that something must change, and it is our governments we look to for this.
As is the case in the US with its upcoming election, with the Queensland State election looming, Queenslanders have the means to exercise their right to choose who will lead them in the next term. But many have lost faith in the political process with the major parties ethics corroded by giving into powerful lobby groups, meaning deals are cut that ensure these corporate agendas are met, important laws changed without our knowledge let alone our consent, the CHOICE we are presented between the two major parties, is largely an illusion.
But here is where the people can unite to make a difference. The balance of power can lie with the independents who do tend to be the mouthpiece of the people, unlike the major parties who have increasingly become the mouthpiece of big business. And the agenda of big business seems to be coming to the forefront this year more than ever.
While storming parliament to drag our politicians out in violent retaliation, or tearing down our political or legal system and taking out our frustrations on the privileged, may seem satisfying to those who have suffered, the solution is much more subtle. If we take the time to listen to each other with open minds, being honest and candid and respectful to different viewpoints, we can find civilised, peaceful and a truly evolving humanity with love at its core.
Since the previous election, 2017, six political parties have been registered by Queensland's Electoral Commission:-
By taking a proactive stance to seek the truth and find the right candidate who represents your values, then placing your vote with them, you have a greater chance at true transparency in our democracy and a strong message to the major parties and their corporate mates that we the people do hold the power.
So like the red guard in the Chinese Cultural Revolution did, while always holding our ultimate purpose in mind, lets unite and organise ourselves and vote independent and tear down the illusion of choice the major parties are pretending to offer you.
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