Right – Wrong – Productive – True?

For a while now I have had this burdening sensation that I need to unplug. I need to focus less on things, but then I combat myself on the idea of intentionally being less-educated. That seems weird, doesn’t it? I have tried to pull back a little, but then to what end…, it all boils up in your social and email feed anyway. There is one phrase that gets said over and over and it sits foul with me.

You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history – do you?

“self-righteous connection”

I watch other content creators stay on point in their messaging and I am jealous. Yes. I am jealous that they are so focused on their messaging and success that they pull it off. However, I have also seen other successful creators veer off the business-only-information-super-highway and pull it off with dexterity. I have really enjoyed Shay Rowbottom on her LinkedIn feed describing her own battle with the issues of today.

Part of what gets to me is the division and lack of tolerance for a different idea. People have become so indignant and callous toward one another when in truth, we are more similar than different. I can remember being out with friends prior to the 2020 Election. I was asked that silly question over Donald Trump and the belief my friend had about the Russian Collusion – Steele Dossier thing. He said we had to get that racist-communist out of the Office and “You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history – do you?” When I asked about the Chinese and Russian Business deals with the Biden family, I was laughed at. When I asked about Kamala accusing Joe of sexual assault in the primary – I was laughed at and asked if I was racist.

The Pandemic fired up into a crazy political mess. Where again, people are making firm decisions with no wiggle room and asking each other… “You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history – do you?” The administration issues a mandate and states instantly run to sue. The competing messages are full of hyperbole on both sides. If you were vaccinated and believed the early hype, you have every right to feel betrayed… but more than that is happening. People are doubling down on the Vaccine ideology. Pride makes us do weird things. Even though the product is not producing promised results and the narrative continues to go off the rails, people are pushing for more vaccinations and asking the unvaccinated, “You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history – do you?”

Personally, I have fear for both camps in this scenario. If the hyperbole from either side is remotely correct, there will be a lot of sick people, destroyed pathways to revenue, and separated families.

If you followed any of the Antifa / Black Lives Matter content, again from any position, you have a narrative that has zero patience for wiggle room. Add the Critical Race Theory content to this fire and you have people arguing that “You want to change history”. We actually have school districts and colleges separating races in classrooms and saying this is a positive thing. How is this happening on our watch? “You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history – do you?”

If you have escaped the shenanigans of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, good for you. From a big picture perspective, we had police step back by government order, chaos in the streets, resulting in predictable disaster. The evidence, trial proceedings and I fear the results after trial are horrendous on all accounts. Lives have been permanently ended, and altered by what almost seems “design”. The prosecutor in the case is so bad, some speculate the system may have to retry the kid. How do you feel about the case? “You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history – do you?”

If you would have told me:

• World Leaders and rich folks ship underage girls to an island for sex
• A United States Vice President would personally enter formal business agreements with foriegn energy companies
• The casting couch was not only real, but widely acknowledged and recognized by many, many people while the main perepetrator was highly endorsed by knowing peers and industry
• Law-makers would invest in a product, then mandate it for wholesale use while exempting themselves
• A presidential candidate could leverage the FBI/CIA to slander a competitor, then spend years and millions of tax dollars to perpetuate the fabricated story
• We were energy independent
• There is an unfixable supply chain breakage
• Shoplifting was unprosecutable

: I may not have believed you, right away.

I was slow to acknowledge some of these and perhaps that put me on the “wrong side of history”. I look at the sheer amount of distractions getting thrown our way and from a vulnerable position… I will admit, I find it overwhelming at times. So then I ask myself “What is the purpose?”. Why does it seem that mayhem and chaos are the flavors of this decade? Why are our leaders seemingly acting to dismember things on purpose? Almost a better question… how long will we as a people group permit them to divide with “you don’t want to be on the wrong side of history – do you?”, come together and oust these poor leaders.

How do you do it?

How do you focus on the wins of your day? How do you keep your mind clear and productive? How do you unplug from the distractions? For me, it’s the magic of the Moutain Bike. I turn off the electronics, unplug, and go ride. I have also seen many of my connections online referring to their faith more… and this interests me greatly. Maybe all of this distraction leads to revival?

Truth is, as an entrepreneur, I need to be thinking about the next deal, the next client, the next project. Distraction is costly. So as an entrepreneur, do you purposely unplug and risk being less educated? Reading the headlines doesn’t cut it.

I saw a young lady online “if you simply turn off your phone, shut the computer, and go outside… it is surprisingly normal outside”. This is so true. I just did a fun ride for 50-miles up the west coast from Oceanside. I would speculate that over 1,000 people were involved. All types – race, fitness level, political leanings, etc. – and the event was amazing. Can I encourage you (and I am speaking to myself here too) to turn it all off, go outside and see how normal life can be?

Finally… stop asking people if they want to be on the right side of history… ;)