November 18, 2022
It was palpable in Texas, Tennessee, Maryland, DC, and Maine.
(There was less violence and more happy people in the states I visited in MEXICO: Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas; which may have to do with how visitors are treated - very well. Possibly because I was more than alarmed by what was occurring in the US Border Cities, and therefore more cautious in Mexico. However, I think the more relevant factors include: (i) Society. Latino culture values self-reliance and personal achievement. It is a hard working, family & community oriented way of life: eusocial. (ii) Geography & reliance on tourism. (iii) Telecommunications. I used a different phone, on a different network (that part is related to Threat Actors).)
HATE & EXTREMISM is a system that is ultimately FEAR based, and expressed with ANGER. The people involved, either propagate it, or can't get out (those who have been victimized, but also proliferate what they live). They may not be a "victim/participant", if they were born into it, and simply know no other way. The system is of Power & Control. It utilizes destructive fascist methodologies (far-right, authoritarian, ultranationalist, ideology). Whether they be lunatic politics, fringe religion, extreme cult, non-state actors, traffickers, militia, hate groups. They may even be professional memberships and/or groups that fail to be socially acceptable; or maybe they "pass", but are outside normative.
Recruiters seek out anti-social as well as at-risk and vulnerable populations, to target. That, is the anti-thesis of what good, eusocial individuals do, as it is behaviorally and psychologically predatory, through offering to "help", or solicitation, then enslaving and indoctrination of others. Even though clinically, it looks the same; each incident, each story, feels shocking, without desensitization, each and every time, to me.
If you're among the 75% of Americans who have "normal" brains (without having a diagnosis of a DSM personality disorder in Cluster B, C, D), you have empathy, and you can make a difference.
In Zen, a philosophical practice of meditation, kindness, development, oneness; the world changes, when we change. We gain potentiality through the practice of neutrality, by letting go. Jocko Willink talks about our nation's Defense Leadership version of this, which is shifting perception, by taking a step back for a better view.
We influence people, without doing anything, simply by being who we are. We inspire people, when we're true to ourselves, honest with them, and when we see them clearly. Additionally when we're aware, perceptive, and kind. We can make a difference, by our example, and our actions.
The value of "perfect practice" cannot be underrated. Exceptional educators, teach about "right study". MD's that teach meditation, share how "accurate visualization," creates the formation of neurological pathways involved in performance and functioning. Behavior Therapists, teach the "right sequence and order", for beneficial kinesthetic orientation, and social rapport. Athletic Coaches, teach the "right movements", which have tremendous positive downstream effects, in preventing injury, supporting the athlete, and winning the game.
Change-work, always starts with you. It extends to your family and immediate circle. Your community. It also affects us all, and if you see something, say something.
-Nicole Wright, CHT, NLPP
If you need help, contact 2-1-1 for community refuge, or your local Trauma Recovery Center. Specialized resources include DHS, FBI.
https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/fbi-dhs-domestic-terrorism-strategic-report.pdf
