Most days it’s easy to be pessimistic about our society, and our country and indeed in the future of humanity itself. We live in an Orwellian world that was all but unthinkable just a few years ago. Since COVID hit in March 2020 we have seen an unprecedented trampling of basic civil liberties, unthinkable medical tyranny and have born witness to the unbridled power of big pharma.
During roughly this same time frame we have seen big tech actively work to deplatform, silence and eliminate any and all political dissent, to squash any idea they view as dangerous or counter to the left’s narrative, and to actively turn social media into little more than propaganda outlets for the Democratic Party.
The pandemic and big tech overreach happened against the backdrop of a total collapse in the trust of journalism and legacy media outlets. This isn’t a new development, its confidence in journalism had been eroding for decades, but the era of Trump saw journalism stoop to new and unthinkable lows as every single basic tenet of journalistic ethics was discarded in favor of a new highly partisan and weaponized media hellbent on destroying Trump and annihilating the political movement that he started.
Against this backdrop it’s not only easy to understand why so many in our movement would be pessimistic, it’s hard to imagine how any American – seeing what has unfolded over the last couple of years – couldn’t be pessimistic. I often joke with my colleague – and friend – Brent Hamachek that he and his American dissident lens of viewing the world can make any bad situation seem even worse.
I don’t disagree with Brent at all, nor do I disagree with his American dissident world view, indeed I think Brent is absolutely spot on – things are bad and likely to get worse before they get better.
That having been said, I am grateful, grateful for all of it.
Early this morning, I was on some property that we bought here on top of the mountain we live on. We recently had it cleared and are planting large vegetable gardens, fruit trees and installing honeybee hives. On this quiet morning – where the sun was shining for the first time in almost a week – I looked around filled with gratitude and yes even optimism about the future.
Twenty years ago, as a resident of DC living in a one-bedroom apartment, this life would have been incomprehensible to me. However, as I grew older and our world becoming increasingly hostile to me and the things I believe in, this life became necessary – and thank God it did.
The pandemic has taught Americans, far too many of whom had gotten fat and lazy in the era of UberEats and Amazon, to become more self-reliant. The first large garden we planted in the spring of 2020 we called our “Victory Garden” in a throwback to the World War 2 era where our grandparents – and their generation – were encouraged to do their part in the effort to defeat global fascism by growing their own food. That initial Victory Garden is what gave birth to this new piece of land and our small farm.
A few years ago, I couldn’t have gone a couple of days without going to the grocery store – today our house has supplies that could last months – if not years. We have incorporated solar, begun raising chickens and composting.
It’s not just COVID shortages that made me more self-reliant, the medical tyranny and unbridled power of big pharma has encouraged me to take more control over my health – make smarter, better-informed decisions and to investigate and rely on more natural remedies. None of this was likely to happen but for COVID. So thank you COVID.
Just as COVID has encouraged – indeed demanded – a new era of self-reliance in my life, big tech overreach and the collapse of legacy media has presented new opportunities and indeed new optimism about the future of both tech and media.
Big tech overreach led to the creation of new platforms – platforms like GETTR and Rumble and UNIFYD and Telegram – that protect and promote free speech. Every single day that these platforms grow the power of big tech is diminished. And that’s a good thing – so thank you big tech.
And finally, the utter collapse of trust in legacy media has created green space for dozens and dozens of new (and in the case of Human Events – reborn!) media outlets. Outlets that are committed to real journalism and to giving Americans the truth – not just partisan spin. Every single day these outlets grow in size and influence and that comes directly at the expense of the morally bankrupt legacy media. The collapse of the legacy media is a good thing – so thank you CNN, MSNBC, NY Times, Washington Post and every other media outlet who decided to weaponize journalism.
So yes, things are bad and likely to get worse, but at the same time we should be grateful – very grateful. Before every spring there is a winter. I dream of spring.
