It may sound strange—coming from a guy who’s been dubbed a “political activist”—for me to advocate aloofness. After all, I’ve been preaching the need for much greater civic engagement for years, as I believe that is the most tactical solution to restoring our Constitutional Republic.
So what the hell am I talking about, what’s this interesting power of being aloof?
Let’s start with a simple definition:
Being aloof means being emotionally reserved or indifferent. You may have picked up on this undertone in yesterday’s report, when after listing all the sensational headlines designed to grab our attention, I said “frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
Those who have been with me for any length of time, know I’ve taken this stance on any number of “breaking” stories. Most often, such stories are just the next BIG THING meant to yank our minds in the preferred direction of the global puppet masters, getting us emotionally involved in stories that we have literally no control over.
This is precisely how psychological warfare works. It takes our eyes off the ball.
Today, Kurt Schlitcher was out with a pertinent piece over at Townhall, titled Stop Caring. It opens with the following observation:
“It’s become clear that America has a problem with caring. Americans care far too much. They need to care less about things that our pinko ruling class deems important. They need to actively not care.
Why limit our caring? Because caring gives your enemies leverage over you.”
Emphasis added.
When we get caught up in the things they want us to get caught up about, it effectively gives the enemy control over your mind and emotions. This is where the secret power of being aloof, of remaining emotionally reserved and indifferent to the hot and heavy narratives that are vying for our attention, becomes so powerful.
For example, consider the front page of the Drudge Report this morning:
Such salacious headlines, including the cleavage, are designed for one thing only: distraction. This is masterfully made propaganda. But does any of it really matter?
One could argue that the political persecution of a former president and top presidential contender is a gross perversion and abuse of our judicial system—which it is—but in reality, this is small fries compared to the many other issues that nobody is seeing in the headlines. Nevertheless, stories like these keep people enthralled, thus effectively providing cover for all the rest of the global shenanigans.
But I’m getting a little ahead of myself… let’s back up a step.
Who am I to say such things?
How can an “activist” be advocating for aloofness? To properly answer this question, I’d like to parse the semantics, and do so by sharing a story.
First, when I hear the word “activist” I still cringe. My entire life, I’ve associated that word with radical progressive commie hacks. Thus, it is only begrudgingly that I’ve allowed this label to be held up anywhere near me. I can remember, quite distinctly, the very first time anyone suggested that I was an activist.
It was January 6th, 2021—you know, that day—when I was protesting the certification of a rigged election in Olympia with my father-in-law. We had arrived early to scope the place out, and as the crowd gathered, it was clear that we were not alone in our rational concerns, our respect for the constitution, or our love for our country.
It was exhilarating.
By and by, loudspeakers were set up and organizers (i.e. activists) starting speaking. I couldn’t help but think I could have done a better job of firing up the crowd, but that wasn’t why I was there. I listened, and that’s when I heard those fateful words:
“Congratulations, everyone here today is officially an activist.”
Me, an activist? The hell you say!
January 6th ultimately proved to be much more exciting in other parts of the country, namely in the nation’s Capitol. On the long drive home, my father-in-law and I talked about the situation, the state of the nation, what was happening in DC, and how none of it was really going to solve the problem.
Was our nation lost for good? Was it too little too late?
What in the hell were We The People supposed to do?!
Regardless, those words—“everyone here today is an activist”—were stuck in my craw. My mind was racing for answers, but there seemed to be nothing tangible that could be done. The people were too scattered and apathetic. Too few people seemed to even realize what was happening, and even fewer seemed to care.
We were hopelessly outnumbered and massively outmatched.
BUT FAILURE WAS NOT AN OPTION!
There is a saying in my family: “You’ve gotta do something, even if it’s wrong!”
The quip conveys the fact that sometimes there is no clear path, and in those moments when you’re not sure what to do or which direction to go, you’ve just gotta keep moving. Try something. Try anything. Just do something. Life is a path of action!
That’s how I was feeling after J6, but it still took awhile, and a few more pivotal events in my personal life, before I was ready to embrace the concept of activism—and not be weary of the label. This was all happening in the middle of the covid craziness, and my mind was still in a wildly different place.
Just to give you a clue (don’t laugh):
And just for fun (go ahead, laugh):
Looking back on this time, I’m sure for all of us, it seems like another lifetime ago.
For me, 2021 was a year of finishing up the homestead, coaching football, teaching workshops on mindset, and fighting back against the covid insanity at the local level. When I got fired as coach for telling the kids they didn’t have to wear a mask, at the encouragement of the community, I cut my hair and ran for school board.
That story is told here: TR 537 - The Twisting of Fate On a Personal Journey
All of this pulled me more directly into politics, and prompted the original Good Morning Goldendale podcast, which launched that fall (Nov. ‘21):
“Hometown Views On Headline News — Discussing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the age of political insanity, presenting intelligent counter-narrative perspectives, and exploring the personal impact of the global agenda.”
At that point, I’d realized the reason people weren’t standing up to fight for their rights, was because most people were still totally clueless to the entire sham-demic. Most people didn’t realize that the whole world was getting woefully fleeced, let alone that our own government was in on it all. I was desperately trying to wake people up.
Fast-forward to February 2022, and I was making a mad dash across the country with the People’s Convoy, preaching freedom from the back of flatbeds, and doing my best to fan the flames of liberty every chance I had. There was no denying that I had become very active in the local liberty movement.
Almost without realizing it, I’d become… an activist.
But let’s zoom out.
It goes without saying that a lot has transpired in the two years since, not the least of which was launching the Torch Report, conducting thousands of hours of research, reading dozens of books, writing over 500 reports, authoring Hackable Animals, speaking at events, starting a radio show, getting recognized as a “top grassroots activist” by the FreedomWorks Foundation, and more recently, having the honor of being elected as a delegate to the state and national conventions.
As it turned out, my activism was having an impact, however humble. I’m living proof that anyone can make an impact, even an ignorant peasant.
I am grateful for the experience.
But solutions still seem elusive.
The enemy continues to gain ground faster than we are. People are still divided, and many are totally tuned out. Most still remain utterly clueless and heavily distracted—and yet, quite ironically, it is here that we can aptly apply the concept of aloofness.
I’m sure it seems counter-intuitive; what am I really saying?
Follow me here…
The secret to mastering mindset, passed down by the sages through the ages, and distilled by your favorite fuzzy peasant during a former phase of life, is this:
Elevate awareness.
Evaluate patterns.
Elucidate intentions.
Note that these words were scribbled on the board long before I’d had any inclination of being an activist. Honestly, it never ceases to amaze me how much prior life experience comes to bear on the current situation. For what it’s worth, I chalk up my mental and emotional resilience to the many years of meditation that served to develop these principles in my mind.
Let’s break it down:
Elevating awareness is perhaps the most profound practice that any of us could work to cultivate. It’s a broad reaching concept, and I’ve taught a lot of classes on it. Politically speaking, it means being aware of both external circumstance, and our inner reaction to these circumstances, simultaneously.
Here, aloofness allows us to observe without becoming emotionally engaged. That’s important, because becoming emotionally engaged shuts down critical thinking.
Evaluating patterns, again when externally and internally applied, is what allows us to identify different trajectories and properly prioritize our offensive and defensive efforts. When applied here, aloofness allows us to remain indifferent and uninvolved in the trajectories that waste our time and effort on frivolous, fruitless objectives.
We must keep our eyes on the ball.
Elucidating intentions—and I love that word by the way, to elucidate—means clarifying intentions and explaining what’s going on, both within ourselves and in the world around us, in simplest terms. It’s easier said than done, but ultimately, when combined with the two prior precepts, this is where our discernment comes into focus. What are these shysters up to now? What am I up to now?
Here too, we can apply the concept of aloofness. Rather than fearmongering, mud-slinging, or puking our projections out onto people, we can choose to remain aloof with regard to assumptions, engage in direct interaction, and actively clarify our intentions, as well as the intentions of others—but only through direct interaction.
We cannot effectively engage in the battle for hearts and minds unless we elevate awareness, evaluate patterns, and elucidate intentions. We cannot win this war for freedom and the future of humanity, unless we win the battle for hearts and minds.
To be clear, being aloof does not mean being apathetic.
It means being intentionally active and engaged in the ways that matter most.
It means forgoing the daily distractions, resisting emotional reactions, keeping our eyes on the ball, and taking appropriate actions. If we can internalize the concept in this way, I believe we can each use it as a super power to channel our limited time and energy into getting our country back on track.
RESIST WE MUST!
TR 581 - The Interesting Power of Being Aloof, and Why You Should Use It