Hablamos de «cambio climático», de reducir el «CO2» (La gran mayoría ni siquiera entiende la magnitud de fraude que existe en esa frase ) y de otros temas fashion del momento para creernos conscientes del mundo sustentable. Pero no nos hagamos tontos, aunque nos guste hablar de ser «green», nuestros hábitos nos muestran otra cara a la realidad:
México es el mayor consumidor de Coca-Cola en el mundo, con un promedio de 163 litros por personaal año de acuerdo a estudios de la Universidad Autónoma de México. Si pensamos que una lata de 355ml tiene 37 gramos de azúcar u -8 cucharadas- imagínate cuanta azúcar consumes al tomar una lata diaria al año … ¡nada más y nada menos que 3,700 aterradoras cucharadas ! Una vez intoxicado el cuerpo con montañas de azúcar que tiene efectos adictivos peores que la cocaína…pensemos ¿a dónde irán a parar los galones de plástico y latas después de haber injerido el veneno?
Estados Unidos es el mayor consumidor de comida chatarra en el mundo- siendo para el 36% de los Estadounidences adultos parte diaria de su dieta. No nos extraña que también sea uno de los países con mayor obesidad y peor salud a nivel mundial.
Una persona promedio pasa más de 7 horas enfrente de una pantalla, ya sea tablet, televisión, laptop o teléfono móvil, de acuerdo a una publicación de Forbes. Preciado tiempo perdido, que pudo haber sido aprovechado haciendo ejercicio, conectando con la familia, haciendo algo con las manos o paseando en la naturaleza.
El 5% de la población mundial es adicta al shopping – es decir, adictos a comprar cosas innecesarias, que terminan en la basura o arrumbados en un cajón olvidado la mayor parte de la vida útil de ese producto.
Podría seguir citando 40,000 estadísticas más, y las tendencias son las mismas: Cada vez hay más personas que abusan de todo lo que es nocivo para la salud. Cada vez hay más personas atrapadas en algún tipo de vicio- redes sociales, pensamientos negativos, dinero, atención, poder, depresión, miedo, consumismo chatarra, alcoholismo, hedonismo… la lista es interminable.
El tema de adicción a la chatarra es tan profundo como los hoyos negros- no nos damos cuenta cuando entramos al “ojo del huracán” y una vez dentro, no vemos la manera de salir.
Todas estas trágicas estadísticas y hechos se prestan para hacernos algunas preguntas.
Por ejemplo: ¿Porqué nos empeñamos a desarrollar adicciones destructivas para nuestra salud, poniendo en riesgo el bienestar propio, de nuestro entorno y nuestras familias? ¿Realmente somos culpables directos de la adicción al consumo chatarra, o hay alguien o algo detrás de este trágico capítulo en la humanidad?
Si observo al mundo, con los ojos bien abiertos, despierto a una realidad espeluznante:
Todos somos co-creadores de este mundo basura. Los pseudo artistas e influencers que promueven marcas basura tienen más dinero que los escritores o filósofos. Los carteles médicos que venden fármacos y tratamientos con tóxicos cuestionables sin demostrar suficientes pruebas clínicas- y las grandes multinacionales de comida chatarra- ganan más dinero que los pequeños negocios que buscan sostenerse con alimentos orgánicos o productos naturistas. Lo sabemos, pero a pesar de ello, seguimos apoyando a la industria chatarra e ignorando a la naturaleza y a la verdad.
Los políticos y empresarios corruptos son alabados mientras que los honestos y los que se atreven a hablar con la verdad son silenciados y hasta segregados de la “sociedad”.
Este es el mundo de locos, o el famoso “reino del revés”- el progreso es retroceso, lo bueno es malo y lo malo es bueno…
La verdad es lo que te dicen los políticos, la televisión, los tecnócratas y millonarios- y todo lo demás es “des-información”.
La salud son las vacunas y las medicinas- la no salud es aceptar la propiedad auto-curativa del cuerpo y los medios naturales.
Ciencia es censura, hermetismo y una narrativa única; la pseudo-ciencia es el cuestionarse todo y hacer pruebas rigurosas para probar o rechazar teorías y siempre mantener el debate abierto.
Las mujeres pueden declararse hombres y los hombres mujeres, si así lo “deciden”. La biología ya no es la verdad irrefutable de la definición básica del sexo.
Los virus se vuelven pandemias cuando los medios, el cartel médico y los políticos lo deciden. Y también se acaban una vez cerrado el negocio para pasar a la próxima calamidad.
Definitivamente, en este mundo del revés, reina la basura.
La humanidad es adicta a la chatarra.
Por eso es que cada vez estamos más enfermos, más sumisos, más perdidos y más alejados de nuestra naturaleza real.
Pero… no todo está perdido. Tengo esperanza que esto va a cambiar. Cada vez más vamos a ir despertando de este sueño (o más bien pesadilla) y vamos a empezar a ver lo que realmente es sublime e incalculablemente valioso en la vida: El amor, la naturaleza y todo lo que de ella proviene de forma pura y perfecta; la inteligencia infinita que mantiene nuestro entorno, la familia, las tradiciones de los pueblos, las pequeñas comunidades, el trabajo duro y la búsqueda incesante de la verdad.
https://www.paolaknecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/pexels-photo-3181030.jpeg12521880paolahttps://www.paolaknecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/logo.pngpaola2022-05-24 19:25:372022-05-24 19:25:37¿Somos Adictos a la Basura?
Cada quién tendremos una respuesta diferente, si es que alguna vez la podemos responder.
Hace algunos años, pensaba que cualquier lugar puede ser tu hogar. Que el mundo y su vasto espacio es nuestra casa; que el ser humano tiene la capacidad de moldearse a las nuevas circunstancias de su entorno, aunque al inicio cueste trabajo; es cuestión de determinación y voluntad. Ahora pienso diferente. Ahora pienso que al único lugar al que realmente puedes llamarle hogar, es a ese pedazo de tierra en el que viviste tu infancia.
Cuando llegué a Suiza, pensé que el adaptarme sería pan comido. Cuando pisas estas tierras por primera vez, te enamoras de los hermosos paisajes, de la limpieza, el glamour y el perfecto orden… del aire de tranquilidad que se respira. Pensé, ¿Quién no puede sentirse en casa en el paraíso? Y sí te adaptas por un tiempo. Pero después, me di cuenta que como dice el dicho “Podéis arrancar al hombre de su país, pero no podéis arrancar el país del corazón del hombre”…
Para mí, México es la madre patria,
con sus colores vivos;
sus olores exóticos y vulnerables,
bendecida por los rayos de sol.
Bendita mi patria
de cielo siempre azul,
con su magia y su música,
sus miserias y mi amor.
El que niega su patria
no se conoce a sí mismo;
no sabe que sus raíces son lo único real.
Cuando cierro los ojos,
veo su caos, sus tormentos y huracanes;
mis sueños rotos de adolecente,
y mis realidades de vida adulta.
A veces, hay que ver a la patria desde lejos, para darse cuenta que realmente uno nunca se fué. Es como llevar a tu madre a todas partes, aunque no la soportas la mayor parte del tiempo, tampoco puedes vivir sin ella.
Algunas personas me dicen que no sienten amor por su patria, o que no se sienten orgullosos de sus raíces. Que se sienten más identificados con su país adoptivo o incluso, otras culturas que nunca han experimentado. A esas personas les digo: Tienes una tarea, y esa tarea es mirarte fijamente al espejo y descubrir quién eres.
Una persona sin amor a su propia patria, en mi opinión, no ha terminado de amarse y conocerse así misma.
A veces, las vidas humanas van en círculos. Empiezas en un punto de partida; piensas que una vez que partas, nunca volverás; vuelas lejos… y de pronto, llegas a un límite… no es un límite físico, un pedazo de tierra o una valla metálica; es un soplo en el corazón, un zumbido tímido en el pecho; un desgane inexplicable al momento de levantarte cada mañana y no saber de dónde viene.
Heimweh?
Homesick?
Heimweh… interesante palabra. Traducida del alemán sería “Hogar-dolor” y Homesick en inglés “Enfermo-Hogar”
¿Se puede enfermar uno de dolor de patria?
En español, le llamamos nostalgia.
Cuando se vive lejos, hay que darse cuenta cuando una pequeña depresión de días se convierte en una señal clara de que llegaste al límite; que el círculo sigue la línea en circunferencia… y es momento del regreso.
¿Volver?
Sí, volver.
Justo a dónde empezaste, y cerrar el círculo.
Si vives fuera de tu país cuéntame, ¿Has sentido “Heimweh”?
I still feel the Hype of this promising rhetoric, that has been sold to us by our “society” in the last decades-express your uniqueness, be yourself! Do not let others define your own desires.
But, for some reason, it seems to me that the more we push this story, the less “authentic” we become. Just take a look at the social media- everybody wants to look the same. Everybody wants to go to the same holiday destinations; wear the same clothes; live the same experiences as the ones posted by others; believe the same ideologies like the famous people and the movie stars. We are social animals after all. We like to belong to a herd. You might think you are showing your uniqueness- but the merely show of showing off means you are not unique. You follow the trends of the rest.
So, what happened with being unique? What made this Promise fail so badly, specially on current times where “the greater will is the common will” and the will you should follow?
Who failed you? Your parents? Your friends? Your government? Yourself?
It turns out, being unique is not easy. It is one the biggest challenges in life. The “be yourself” commercial seems more doable on a TV screen than in real life. You have after all, many people around you, which have their own expectations about you. You have to show up to work, be obedient to your parents. Obey all the rules. You have to be a nice and quiet citizen. You want to be special? Belong to the rest. If you stand out like a solo nail, there will be a hammer waiting to push you down.
It turns out, it was never the plan that you develop your uniqueness. Just look at every institution governing our lives: Schools are designed to do standardized education, standardized testing and thus form standardized brains. The health institutions develop universal remedies for all, claiming is “equally effective to everybody”, and if you don´t follow, you are anti-science, anti-medicine. Politicians give promises on reaching equality, and prosperity for all (the lie of the Millenia). Religion pushes you in believing just a certain story about the origins of life. Science seems to go in the same direction, when supports certain theories and suppress, hide and crush alternative stories.
It is not the plan, that you develop your own mind, make your own research and reach to your own conclusions- if- they do not fit with the status quo. People controlling the status quo want you not to believe in your own uniqueness- that makes them lose power.
So, has it all been a lie? Nobody cares about your uniqueness? That’s right, nobody does, and it’s not their job either. You have given this job and power away to others.
So, how to regain your uniqueness and stop lying to yourself?
Speak the truth– Say really what you think and be honest about the state of things in your truth. Lies support the construction of status quos and fake realities.
Be courageous– Do not let others silence you. Do not be afraid to say what is really in your heart. Do what you really want to do. Do not fall into the “I did it because everybody else is doing it”, or “I’m afraid of being ridiculed”- If you are not ready to speak courageously, you are not ready to be unique.
Do not be afraid of being dangerous– People believe, especially in civilized, western societies lately- that being assertive and strong in character is being discriminatory, insulting or unpeaceful. Being assertive and demanding respect with a loud voice seems to be offensive and impertinent. But it is not. Our human survival depends on these traits. A dangerous person, is a person that demands self-respect and defends its sovereignty, its environment and the one of their loved ones. Be dangerous!
Do not apologize for your happiness– If you feel authentically happy, show it to the world! Smile, act energetically, spread good energy and kindness. Do not let the victims let you fall on their own trap; the spiral of negativity, conformism and misery. Listen to your inner knowledge- the good old forgotten common sense. You are not insensitive, selfish or negationist of the world misery. You are a miracle and as part of this wonderful universe, just like the stars, just like the mountains and the ocean, you have the right and the responsibility to shine in your own light.
Only then, you will feel the glimpses of true freedom- the freedom of acting in tune with your own, unique Self.
https://www.paolaknecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/pexels-photo-5707731.jpeg12541880paolahttps://www.paolaknecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/logo.pngpaola2021-11-30 20:51:242021-11-30 20:51:24Expressing Your Uniqueness… The Challenge Of The Century
Cada día se me dificulta más ver las noticias, tener pláticas decentes con la gente. Parece que el menú de la semana siempre es el mismo: Pandemia, guerras, política e ideologías varias, élites mundiales que se juntan en lugares de lujo para hablar sobre “mejorar el planeta”, cambio climático, crisis energética, crisis económicas, en fin. Pan con lo mismo. Hace tiempo que dejé de ver televisión para evitarme la indigestión.
En realidad, me preocupa, que tantos millones de personas confíen en los noticieros como “el ministerio de la verdad”- e ignoren la verdadera realidad: La que se presenta ante nuestros ojos, si nos quitamos las gafas del dogma y dejamos de participar en el teatro en donde nos tratan como marionetas. En mi mundo, yo sólo veo gente que, como yo, prefieren la paz. Gente de buen corazón, que quiere ayudar a los demás. Me cuesta mucho trabajo creer que en realidad seamos una especie que le guste estar en conflicto y en el miedo constante, y que necesitemos de “gobiernos paternales” para mantener el orden y la paz.
Algo en mí me hace pensar que nuestra situación en la actualidad no tiene que ver con que seamos conflictivos por naturaleza, ni que seamos los culpables absolutos de todas nuestras calamidades. Más bien creo que se trata de una crisis de identidad. Estamos perdiendo nuestra identidad real- la conexión más sagrada, que es el sentimiento de pertenencia con todo nuestro entorno; con los árboles que nos permiten respirar, con el sol que nos da energía para vivir, con la tierra que nos regala alimento y un hogar. Con el agua, ese misterioso líquido, el líquido de Dios- el verdadero elixir de vida.
Nos estamos perdiendo en un mundo paralelo construido de materiales sintéticos- castillos de arena, mundos falsos, ideologías tenebrosas. Estar pegados a unas pantallas para sentir que “pertenecemos” al mundo se ha vuelto nuestro día a día. ¿Cuándo fue la última vez que te atreviste a salir de tu casa sin tu móvil? ¿Todavía sabes encontrar direcciones sin la ayuda del GPS? ¿Marcar a un amigo sin buscar su número en el teléfono o usar el WhatsApp? ¿Hacer amigos “a la antigua” sin usar Facebook, Instagram o Twitter?
¿Cuántas horas al día nos la pasamos en frente de pantallas?
La tecnología puede ser muy útil en muchos sentidos, pero entre más pienso en ello, más siento que el uso indiscriminado que le estamos dando nos está aventando a un agujero negro, sin punto de retorno. Estamos cambiando nuestro estado psíquico, psicológico y fisiológico. Estamos regalando nuestra identidad a los dueños de la tecnología.
Sin la ayuda de nuestros aparatitos, nos sentimos más lentos, más impacientes, más ansiosos, más nerviosos. También creo que más tristes.
Yo crecí todavía en los últimos años gloriosos a finales de los 90’s, cuando tener una computadora era un lujo y ni se diga un celular. Todos mis amigos del alma, los conocí en la escuela o en la calle, sin móviles de por medio. Platicábamos por horas sobre nuestras vidas. Íbamos a fiestas y conocíamos a más amigos simplemente estableciendo contacto visual y sonriendo. Esa es la verdadera conexión humana- la mirada, la sonrisa.
Ahora, no podemos ver sonrisas- sin antes someterse a vacunas o mandatos del gobierno. No podemos ver miradas- todas están atrapadas en los móviles. Ahora, cuando salgo a caminar, simplemente veo sobras. Las sobras de lo que fuimos.
Pero no pierdo la esperanza. Sé que no nos pueden dejar tanto tiempo atrapados, sin nuestra humanidad. Confío en que nuestros espíritus están comenzando una revolución, para manifestarse como debe ser. Tengo la Fe absoluta que, aunque estemos perdidos en este momento, vamos a retomar nuestro camino. Vamos a volver a abrazarnos, a confiar los unos a los otros. Sueño en ese día que nos quitemos las máscaras falsas de raza, ideología, clases divisorias de todo tipo, y simplemente nos reconozcamos como lo que somos: Uno, al unísono, uno con el mundo y con todas sus maravillas. Expresiones únicas del todo. La chispa de lo único, de lo hermoso y de lo divino lo encontramos en nuestra forma humana en dos lugares: Nuestra sonrisa y nuestra mirada.
Quítate ya la mascarilla. Apaga tu teléfono. Mírame, Mirémonos.
I confess I used to have a romantic idea about my role of being a woman. When I was a young girl, I loved to play with dolls. I dressed them, fed them and made stories about their lives and whereabouts of their days. I took quite intuitively my role of mother and main caregiver of my “sons and daughters”. I must have been around five years old by then. At that time, I was not really conscious about the fact that me as a girl, a female, have a specific role in the society. I just remember copying what I saw around me: I learned that mothers carry their babies and take care of them; that they stay home and prepare the supper for the family; that a mother is someone that is always there, with a big smile and velvet dress; always willing and ready to attend the family.
I idealised about the perfect life of a wife from the 1950s: The young lady that marries a young handsome man, buy a nice house with a big garden, and have children. The woman stays home, runs the household and raise the children, while the man goes to work the whole day, only to come back at dinner time. When the kids grow old, the stay-at-home mom gets some free time to spend in charities, social work, or spending her afternoons having coffee and going shopping with other fellow housewives. When the kids finally leave home and build their own families and the father retires, then the couple have free time to travel, and enjoy their autumn adulthood.
Now I know that this romantic story was far from being the truth in most of the households at the time. One of the books that depicts a more “real face” of the lives of the housewives at the time is Betty Friedan “The Feminine Mystique”. She tells her own story: A housewife in the Post World War II era (end of the 50s, beginning of the 60s), in middle class America. In her book, she expresses the deep dissatisfaction that she, along many other women in a similar situation, really thought about their life fulfilment by just focusing on housework, marriage, sexual passivity and bearing children. As it turns out, most of those middle class, mainly white American women, felt dissatisfied in their role.
One of the most remarkable questions she addresses to the reader goes like this:“Each suburban wife struggles with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night- she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question– ‘Is this all?” – Betty Friedan
This book which was published in 1963, set the wheels to redefine the meaning of feminism. It created a revolution, where women started to fight back for the right to choose a different destiny; the right to get a degree, pursue a career, become part of the economic force, and also give her the power to choose over her own willingness to have children. This was the preamble of the huge feminist movements that took place in the 70s and 80s, where much of what was claimed at the time from women like Ms. Friedan, became a reality for millions of women in western civilizations worldwide.
As it turns out, the pink story that most of the girls like me grew up watching and idealising, was painting a world that did not matched the reality. No one on the social circles, school or even TV talked about the “housewife role dissatisfaction” that according to Friedan and attested by many others, has been permeating and affecting thousands of housewives worldwide.
What is what we should look after as a woman? What is what really makes us happy? Is it the freedom to choose? To have complete liberty about the decisions of what to do with our lives?
This is apparently, what the feminist movements are standing after.
However, as with everything in life, those questions do not have a simple answer. One might think that having reached a certain level of freedom, would ultimately lead to our complete happiness and self-realization.
Tucker Carlson, in his book “Ship of Fools”, talks about how the role of being a woman has been used as a tool for inciting political ideologies that do not really represent the best interest for the people. In a particular section where he discusses the effects of feminism in the way that American society is being pictured today, he citated a very interesting finding. The University of Chicago, has been collecting data since 1972 for a project called “The General Social Survey”. The survey’s purpose, according to their webpage is to “Study the growing complexity of American society. It is the only full-probability, personal interview survey designed to monitor changes in both social characteristics and attitudes currently being conducted in the United States” (gss.norc.org)
The researches of this survey, as Carlson indicates, found a surprising fact: Women have become dramatically less happy in the last forty years. The study indicates that in the early years of the study (in the 40s and early 50s) women reported greater happiness than men. However, overtime they’ve progressively became less content as the time passed by.
This sheds light around the complexity of defining female happiness over just the definition of the roles in society. As we have seen in the recent decades, thanks to the feminism movements, the advancement of the role of women in society has been extraordinary. In most of the industrialized countries, the gender disparity in education and work opportunities for men and women virtually disappeared. In the United States, women earn more college degrees than men since the 80s and the disparity is increasing. Single women in New York earn on average eight percent more than their male counterpart in a similar job. Women have more decision power about their bodies than never before. They can choose it all: To become mothers, to pursue meaningful careers, to marry or stay single, to become a single mother… female freedom seems to be skyrocketing at exponential rates.
With all this in mind, the key question is: Why aren’t we getting happier? If we now have plenty of freedom to choose what we want to do, earn more money and have more career perspectives than ever before, what is missing?
Women freedom has an expiration date?
As I’ve been writing these lines, I recalled a video I saw some years ago in Youtube. The video was made by an Argentinian lady named Paula Schargorodsky. The video starts by Paula attending the wedding of her last single friend. She was thirty-five at the time. Then, she explains how she followed in her early days as a young girl the conventional path: Went to school, studied and graduated from college, had boyfriends and found a job. Then she explains how this perceived freedom keeps getting narrowed as one grows old. She says: “In your twenties, you are free to do whatever you want… have boyfriends, lovers, one- night stands, work study… just like men. But female freedom has an expiration date. When you turn Thirty, a conservative wall falls. At every social gathering, you are confronted with one silent question: When will you settle down?”
This statement made by Paula really resonated with me. When I saw the video, I was just about to turn Thirty. I was doing very well economically: I had a good job, nice friends, and a stable boyfriend. I was having enough financial freedom to do whatever I wanted: Travel, party, get life new and varied experiences, etc. However, the topic about marriage and having kids was something that never left my mind. Having grown up in Mexico, I had a strong inclination to have a traditional life. The idea of getting married and start a family was the ideal target of my life. In front of the place I was living with my boyfriend at that time, there was a beautiful old villa that was converted into a kids day care. I remember walking by on my way to work and observing the little kids running around, having fun in the garden. I truly enjoyed watching them and imagining that in some years, I will bring my own kids there.
Not so long later that became a reality. But the point is that I intrinsically felt within the need to be a mother. It didn’t matter how well I was doing in my career. I had the right partner, and the natural next step for me was to get married and start with the prospect of having children. The conservative wall that Paula refers to is quite real, in my experience. When you are in your twenties, you think that you still have the whole life ahead of you, so you focus in trying to enjoy and get out of life as much as you can. I think this is how it should be in general. In your twenties you are full of energy; you are at in a crucial time of your life where you can go in any direction. I don’t mean that you cannot change completely your life at a later stage; but it is true that what you do in your twenties it will have a big repercussion in your later adult life and how it will unfold.
As a woman, it seems to me that we are always in that fine line, between wanting to gain our freedom, and our natural tendency of the need to be nurtured and protected by a strong men, Prince Charming and build a nurturing, protective environment. It is a scientific fact that is true in the animal kingdom, and reveals what we women already know by instinct. Women tend to feel more attracted to men that appear strong, assertive and who are doing financially better than them. Just as the male Mallards have bright and beautiful colors in their plumage, like those bright green and blue colors displayed in their head and necks. Bright plumage shows a female that this particular male is healthy and reproductive[1]. In that way, the majority of heterosexual women prefer strong men over perceived weaker ones. Wether that’s really true to everybody I cannot say and this bring my curiosity to investigate further. But nature is wise and we should listen to it. It is certainly true for me. Is it true for you?
And the question to answer still remains: What make us really happy?
It is to have an amazing career, a great partner, children, a beautiful house…freedom, independence, money…everything at once?
In our journey to redefine our role in society, have we lost our sight to what really define us as women?
What do you think? What makes you really happy?
I would love to hear about your thoughts, as I will develop this topic further in follow up blogposts 🙂
https://www.paolaknecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/pexels-photo-4474029.jpeg12531880paolahttps://www.paolaknecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/logo.pngpaola2021-10-08 15:51:002021-10-08 15:51:00Women And Career: Can We Have It All?
The other day I was listening to one of the recent speeches of the newly appointed President Joe Biden. He was doing a speech in an event in Tulsa commemorating the 100th anniversary of the “massacre” that happened in the city where 300 African Americans were killed. One of the highlights of his speech was the following statement: “The most lethal threat to the US are the white supremacists”.
Wow. Very strong accusation to be made by a privileged, ultrarich white man. Although I do not live in America, I like to keep an eye on American politics because I think that wherever that country is heading, the rest of the world follows. So, I became more curious about what is going on there. Did he say that because of Donald Trump? Whom we know, the democratic party and the mainstream media have been trashing as much as they could… or is there more behind? Is Biden just interested in trashing Trump, or is he attacking as well the 75% of white population living in America? (worldpopulation review)
Inevitably, other ideology came to my mind: Black Lives Matter, which it became an emblem of the current administration. So, for now on, only black lives matter, but white lives not? Or, more correctly said, persons of color matter more now? Isn´t that also racist and a threat to a true peaceful democratic society?
Unfortunately, this was just the top of the iceberg. It turns out, this racial intolerance talk is just one small part of a bigger agenda. There seems to be a series of strange ideas penetrating the West ideologies of freedom, reason and true liberalism. A parasitic phenomenon of “Political correctness” is repressing people from their freedom of expression and their right to have other opinions that do not go along with the “Main narrative”.
Dr. Gad Saad, in his book “The Parasitic Mind” identified a series of ideologies that have been spreading in universities in Canada and the US; all of those seem to be reinforcing eachother now to become the “new truth”. I will discuss a few of them here.
Radical feminism
The feminist movement has been around for decades and there is no doubt that protesting for more equal rights have improved the life of many women worldwide. However, recently, what started as a movement to ask for equal rights between men and women, became actually a weapon of victimhood which increases the repression towards men.
Nowadays, men must be extremely careful not to be “Too toxic in their masculinity” because that may represent a threat of sexual harassment. It turns out, there is an “Ambivalent Sexism Inventory” (ASI) a test a man has to take before getting in contact with a woman, in order to scale his “degree of sexism”.
An aggressive sexism behavior would be an obvious direct harassment or sexist comments like “men are smarter than women” or the sort. But there is also a scale that measures a “benevolent sexism” and those behaviors could include something like: Men idolizing women, proclaim their lives are incomplete without them, or saying that a woman needs protection from a man, or he can be sexist if he says a woman is needed to form a complete and healthy family!
So, be careful if you are a man and you tell your girlfriend: “I can´t live without you” because this may be classified as benevolent sexism!
By the way, all the songs, poems, movies and pieces of literature ever written about Love between men and women might have to be subject to a change, to avoid any benevolent sexist claim.
Candace Owens, the famous conservative activist and author of “Blackout”, also made an interesting observation about this absurd feminism phenomena. She argued that behind all the fuzz and scandal of the #MeToo movement actually the real agenda is designed to protect privileged liberal women. From her book:
-Movements like #MeToo provide little more than political advocacy for their wealthy liberal sponsors. Actress Jane Fonda acknowledged the inherent privilege of the movement in an episode of All In with Chris Hayes back in October 2017. Speculating as to why #MeToo had suddenly gained so much momentum, she remarked that it was “too bad that it’s probably because so many of the women that were assaulted by Harvey Weinstein are famous and white and everybody knows them. This has been going on a long time to black women and other women of color and doesn’t get out quite the same.”-
Perhaps, that’s why “Black Lives Matter” also came in a similar timing, so that the so called “Black Community” also recognizes a double victimhood story? Although Black Lives Matter started with the story of a white police man killing a black man, caught by someone who recorded the precise moment of the murder… there you go. Double threat: a white man, killing a person of color, and if you would be a woman, you should be extremely terrified because you have a double risk: being black and being a woman!
Culture of Victimhood
I have been hearing a lot about a term called “Hate Speech”. I was not sure what it exactly meant. I just have seen the phrase coming often for example, as accusations against former President Donald Trump after him saying something provoking or not politically correct.
In Universities, according to Dr. Gad Saad, a hate speech is associated with any form of micro-aggression (what the F* is a micro-aggression?) apparently, anything that hurts your feelings. Yep, plain and simple. If your feelings were hurt because of someone’s harsh comments, like “you look fat”, or “This is a girl’s game” or whatever. For curiosity, I went to an official webpage to see if some information is displayed there or, it is just a hype, a new trend of social mannerism. Surprisingly, I found the below “definition” in the webpage of the European Council, under the section “Freedom of Expression” (coe.int) :
“Hate speech has no particular definition in international human rights; it is a term used to describe broad discourse that is extremely negative and constitutes a threat to social peace. According to the Committee of Ministers, hate speech covers all forms of expressions that spread, incite, promote or justify racial hatred, xenophobia, anti-Semitism or other forms of hatred based on intolerance. Along with the development of new forms of media, online hate speech has been brought about. Hate speech in the online space requires further reflection and action on the regulation and new ways for combating it”.
Hmmm interesting. Isn’t the phrase “White Supremacist is the biggest threat to America” said by President Joe Biden also a form of hate speech? It is directly attacking a person of white color. Or the term “toxic masculinity”, isn´t that also part of hate speech? It is directly accusing that some elements of the “Masculine” character are toxic. For some mysterious reasons, those are not part of Hate Speech according to the media. It seems like only what Donald Trump or his supporters say is considered Hate Speech.
Donald Trump must be a true evil, isn´t he?
And that takes me to the topic of….
Political correctness
Talking about the “evil” Trump, I just jumped into an interesting article from The Guardian, which was written back in 2016. The article assures that the term “Political Correctness” was actually invented by Donald Trump and his right supporters, because he needed a “Phantom Enemy” as an “excuse to keep breaking rules regarding what public figures can or cannot do and say” (The guardian.com).
Okay, wait, let me get this straight. So, there are things that a politician should not do and say. Trump dared to say, according to the article, that the greatest problems facing Americans were “special interest, the arrogant media, and the political insiders. They don´t want me to talk about the crime that is happening in our country…they want me to just go along with the same policies that have caused much needless suffering…”. There you go. He condemned the media and the political establishment for putting their vested interest before the people. This is considered unacceptable to be said in public, and who attacks those claims as unacceptable is the same ghost of “Political Correctness” that the same Trump and his supporters invented? Well, honestly, I’m not surprised.
Everything that is wrong in America since 2016 (even before then…) is Donald Trump to blame, so the democrats say. Our world would be by know a peaceful place filled by abundance, light and love, if it wouldn´t be that this evil interrupted the world peace and endless prosperity path and ruined everything.
Apparently, being politically correct is not just affecting the arena of politics, but also the arena of science. If you are a scientist in the 21st century and you have to testify in front of the supreme court of a government that humans are sexually reproductive species, which are composed of males and females and that there are biological and cognitive differences between them, you could end up being censored or at the worst, they can take away your credentials. That happened to Lawrence Summers, president emeritus from Harvard University, who dared to give a speech that suggested that innate differences in sex may explain why there are fewer women in science than men. It really didn´t matter whether the claims were rigorously backed up with scientific evidence. The sole reason that he dared to mention differences between men and women is blasphemous, sexist and criminal. (Ny Times).
Gender Equality
I’m honestly not sure what gender equality means anymore. In the good old times of common sense and scientific reason, we had just two genders: Male and Female, so just she/her, he/him. And gender equality meant to reach equal rights for men and women.
Now this is outrageous and discriminating. You are not including the gender-neutral human beings, that have the right to self-identify themselves with something else than being a “man”, or a “woman” (are there other living entities included? I don´t know). Nowadays, if you want to make sure you are being inclusive to everybody, you have to use neutral pronouns.
I came across a list of 78 pronouns you can use, according to a new American law. Some of those are:
So now if you want to write an email to someone you don´t know, maybe is wise to ask them which pronoun they feel identified with, otherwise you will hurt his/her/hirs/eir/em/x/z/y feelings. Don´t ask me when to use which pronouns. I have no clue. Maybe you can freely choose? Maybe if I suggest you one or two, I’m being already a criminal discriminator?
If you want to go to the safe side, just identify yourself with your pronouns, to encourage the other person/being to share theirs. Do not force them, because it may hurt the feelings of the being… and be careful, because according to the Washington post, you can get sued if you use the wrong pronoun.
To make my point clear: I have nothing against LBGT or any person’s gender and/or sexual preferences. But going to the extreme of denying the truth of basic human biology seems to me a bit too extreme.
In a Nutshell:
The rhetoric of postmodernism which claims that there are no objective truths but just relative ones according to the narratives of the moment, denying universal truths sustained in pure science to add social constructivist ideas, and the partially banning of free speech because is considered harmful, aggressive or “immoral”, is a threat and a direct attack to the real elements of a free a modern society which should be based in freedom of speech, scientific discoveries based on the scientific method, work ethics and hierarchies of competence based on true qualificators.
There are more of those parasitic ideas going around. Another one I did not discuss much here is the “Critical Race Theory” which apparently is part of the academic agenda of all American public schools. It basically argues that the term “Race” is a social construct and this has caused profound patterns of discrimination throughout history. I think it’s important to understand our history and the consequences of racism, but, isn’t it an act of racism by itself to have a class about “Racism theory”? What about simply deleting this term and act as if (which, I guess is the goal) all humans beings are fundamentally equal, regardless of any physical differences? – This topic is worth of a deeper discussion in a later post.
I don´t know about you, but all these ideas seem to be very bizarre and not really helping to solve the real problem we have as humanity. The real problem is that we keep digging in the holes of division, instead of acting in unity. Those ideas which are sustained in the political realms, claim that you have by yourself no expertise on who you are, and they know better. That’s why you are being policed in anything you do, say or even, think. Direct confrontation, arguments and heated discussions, which were once natural and healthy elements of living in a free speech “society” are now attacked under the premise that “it’s hurtful”.
As Dr. Saad says rightfully: “A system that is built in a false understanding of human nature is doomed to fail”.
Humanity is competitive, hierarchical, creative and bounded to the universal truths of all living species of this planet. This is a truth that cannot be denied and if we do, we will suffer the consequences sooner or later.
https://www.paolaknecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/pexels-photo-1464220.jpeg13001840paolahttps://www.paolaknecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/logo.pngpaola2021-07-12 15:03:552021-07-12 15:03:55Parasitic Ideas that are Killing our Common Sense
“Es difícil encontrar la felicidad en uno mismo, pero es imposible encontrarla en cualquier otro lugar”- Arthur Schopenhauer
Este año está por terminar. Como es costumbre ya, me gusta reflexionar sobre lo que este año trajo a nuestras vidas, cuáles son las lecciones que nos deja para seguir creciendo.
Está más que claro que no fue un año común para la humanidad.
Cosas que nos parecían totalmente normal en nuestra forma de vivir en sociedad de pronto se vuelven una fuente de miedo e incertidumbre; como si surgiera de la nada un peligro invisible que se propaga entre más queramos convivir, entre más nos aferremos a volver a la normalidad que conocemos.
Pero mi propósito no es hablar sobre esta nueva normalidad; tema que ya conversaré en un post futuro. Hoy quisiera reflexionar y compartir con ustedes algo que me ha ayudado a alcanzar una profunda paz y a mantenerme positiva y firme a pesar de los pronósticos (muy a menudo desalentadores) que nos venden en las noticias. Se trata de re-encontrarse con uno mismo y conectar de nuevo con el sentido de la vida.
Cuando vivimos sometidos a un estrés perpetuo, y ante situaciones de incertidumbre durante un tiempo prolongado, algunos de nosotros tendemos a sentir de pronto un vacío existencial.
Ese vacío se siente como un estado de tedio- es una sensación que oscila entre aburrimiento y estrés. Al no ver con claridad qué es lo que va pasar en el futuro inmediato, nos podemos sentir un poco paralizados- sin ganas de hacer grandes planes, y de buscar nuestra motivación con la certeza, o al menos la esperanza, de que las cosas sucederán tal y como lo esperamos.
En este tipo de situaciones, es cuando más necesitamos reconectarnos con nuestro interior; cuestionar de nuevo esas preguntas difíciles, que a no todos nos gusta pensar a consciencia: ¿Cuál es el motor que nos mantiene con vida?; ¿Qué es lo que nos hace levantarnos cada mañana?, Si no podemos controlar nuestro destino o las situaciones que nos suceden, entonces, ¿Cuál es el sentido de la vida?
Enfrentarnos con estas preguntas no es nada fácil; como tampoco lo es tratar de responderlas. A veces, quisiéramos encontrar una respuesta abstracta universal que lo justifique todo. Tal vez es mas fácil darle esa responsabilidad de responder y dar sentido a nuestras vidas a fuerzas externas que parecen menos vulnerables que nosotros.
Yo soy de la creencia que la existencia humana no tiene un sentido colectivo que sea la absoluta verdad para todos. Creo que cada uno de nosotros tenemos un fin único, una misión que cumplir, que no puede ser reemplazada por nadie más. Las circunstancias únicas de nuestras vidas nos hacen aptos para responder ante la vida como solamente uno mismo puede hacerlo; nadie más puede vivir la vida de alguien más, ni una persona puede nunca reemplazar a nadie más. Eso nos hace seres únicos e irrepetibles.
¿En dónde empezar entonces a buscar, o re-encontrar ese sentido?, ¿Es algo que puedo definir como individuo o viene de otra parte?
Coincido con Victor Frankl,padre de la logoterapia, tercera escuela Vienesa de la Psicoterapia, quien propone que el sentido de la vida no es algo que se inventa por uno mismo, si no que uno mismo lo descubre. Según la logoterapia, hay tres maneras de descubrirlo:
1) Realizando una acción
2) Aceptando los dones de la existencia, como el amor
3) A través de dignificar el sufrimiento
En cuanto a la primera propuesta, las acciones concretas y cotidianas pueden llegar a completar el sentido de nuestra existencia cuando asumimos la responsabilidad y la consciencia de que los frutos de aquellas acciones van a definir quiénes somos y cuál es la huella que dejamos en el mundo. Como diría Frankl “Un hombre que se vuelve consciente de su responsabilidad ante quien lo guarda con todo su corazón, o ante una obra por terminar, nunca será capaz de tirar su vida por la borda”.
Como segunda modalidad, aceptar los dones de la existencia significa tener la capacidad de admirar la belleza del mundo y dejarse llevar por los sentimientos más sublimes que nos ofrece esta vida; siendo el amor el más poderoso de ellos. El amor es la vía única para poder llegar a conocernos profundamente y conocer a los demás.
La tercera modalidad, sucede cuando hay que enfrentarse a situaciones devastadoras, irrevocables y cuando no tenemos ningún poder de cambiar las circunstancias, como una enfermedad grave o la muerte de un ser querido. En estas situaciones la vida aún ofrece una manera de poder ejercer un valor personal supremo: Aceptar el sufrimiento, darle un sentido. No se trata de dejarse llevar por el sufrimiento o rendirse ante él; más bien se trata de ofrecer una respuesta que dignifique la existencia; es una actitud; una manera de responder ante la vida.
Un famoso dicho popular describe bastante bien esta última modalidad: “si la vida te da limones, haz una limonada”
Al final de cuentas, la libertad interior de elegir que hacer ante cualquier circunstancia, es algo que nadie te puede arrebatar, y precisamente esa libertad interior es la que confiere a la vida intención y sentido.
Nosotros somos los arquitectos de nuestro destino.
Deseo que el próximo año, aproveches el potencial de oportunidades que se te presenten para seguir adelante con tu proyecto único de vida. Son precisamente esas cosas que consideramos cotidianas: Los amores, los proyectos, obligaciones, amistades, nostalgias y sueños, los que completan el sentido de nuestras vidas.
“Lo que un hombre necesita no es vivir sin tensión, si no esforzarse y luchar por una meta que merezca la pena”- Victor Frankl
¡Feliz Año Nuevo!
https://www.paolaknecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/pexels-photo-1122868.jpeg1300867paolahttps://www.paolaknecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/logo.pngpaola2020-12-30 10:54:172020-12-30 10:54:17Reflexiones de Año Nuevo: En Busca del Sentido
