Monday, March 25th, 2024
It occurs to me that my substack serves as a diary of sorts. It provides a dated history of my thoughts since early 2022. But, I don’t like diaries. I never have. I already know my own thoughts. What reason could I have for wanting to write them down? For me, writing is an interactive affair.
I’m sharing this with you, because “know thyself” is powerful medicine.
Especially for writers. When a writer pauses in their writing, there is a reason, and it’s the writer’s job to identify the cause, problem, hiccup, or other preventing agent behind the stall. Then, us writers must determine how best to overcome the challenge.
For some, the trouble is literal writer’s block. The inability to write down one’s thoughts or, in some cases, to even come up with thoughts to begin with.
This is not the case for me.
I am swimming in content.
My notes app on my phone is filled with fully formed ideas, fleshed out in solid rough draft form, ready to be shared. My facebook page has many lonely, unread posts, largely because I’ve been shadowbanned since late 2020 — if not earlier. And, for all that Elon Musk is trying to convert X into a useful platform for public discourse and a free exchange of ideas — my content there also dies the slow death of the unread.
All of which is a problem. If I were a diary writer, I wouldn’t care. But, I’m not. I’m here to engage. That’s the goal. So, what to do?
This, I have come to realize, is why I have neglected my Substack for most of March. I’m not the type to shout at the television, argue back at the radio while driving, shred newspaper articles I disagree with, beat dead horses, or bang my head against the wall. I communicate when there’s someone who wants me to do so. It’s a 2-way street.
I have three goals for my Substack:
(1) Inspire people who feel hopeless, by being a unique voice in the storm.
(2) Enable people to have fresh conversations on divisive, wedge issues.
(3) Remind people they’re not alone in their off-narrative thoughts.
For twenty years, I have personally witnessed the self-silencing of the bulging middle of the bell curve of American (Western) society. Their rational centrist views are largely missing from public conversations, while the screaming 2% at either end of the spectrum dominate the headlines. The result is that the vast majority of citizens have become convinced their balanced views are in the minority and that everyone else has a strong, radicalized opinion. Fear of being the minority opinion on a hot topic leads to self-silencing, because the vast majority of citizens are not inherently combative or aggressive. They keep their mouths shut, fearing the harsh attack of a belligerent few who become increasingly emboldened by the silence of the majority, as always happens with bullies. This, I am trying to shift.
Dobby says, “Don’t be like that! You are a free elf, just like me!”
So, back to my problem. My goals are dependent upon my content being read. I literally cannot do this alone, because my goal isn’t personal. It’s interactive. Therefore, I need your help.
When I was nineteen years old, I discovered ballroom dancing. I fell madly in love with dancing, learned extremely quickly, was hired as a teacher trainee, and went on to teach for five years full time. What I didn’t do was manage the business, hire new staff, clean the space, pay the bills, answer the phone, or do the advertising.
Other people did those jobs. It was a team effort. And it worked!
Which brings us to my request of you. I could spend 3 hours a day trolling through social media platforms, trying to find people authentically interested in my diverse content, posting comments and inviting them to read my Substack. I’ve done it. For three hours, I will gain 3-5 free subscribers. On a good day.
But, that’s not sustainable.
My substack articles sometimes take as little as 30 minutes to write, but the average is 2-3 hours and some take upwards of 8 hours. I’m not joking or exaggerating. Especially the ones with lots of links that typically represent 10% of the online resources I’ve read while researching the topic at hand.
I just can’t write and promote at the same time. I have chickens to feed. A dog to walk. A garden to grow. A family to feed. You know the drill…a life to live! And without an expanding reach? Without engaged readers? Without people who benefit from my work? Well, what’s the point?
Of course, maybe my content isn’t good enough to recommend. That’s possible.
What I do know is that I rarely write in a way that is inflammatory. Attention grabbing titles and emotional hooks in the first paragraph of an article are all the rage now and historically — but, to be honest, they’re something I try to avoid doing. Why? Because it’s impossible to think freely when we are hooked emotionally.
I’m commited to offering content that is primarily:
Informative - without radicalizing
Intriguing - without spiking adrenaline
Inspirational - without feeding the inner beast
I’m not alone in being a “calm voice in the storm,” but I am in a severe minority. When we look at popular posts, we typically find the following components: angst and fury, fear and worry, warnings about looming threats, anger and dismay, and so on. Humans are motivated by these emotions, but they are rarely moved to careful consideration and independent thought by such feelings. These feelings trigger group think and tribalism — which I (and many writers using these tactics) are actually actively working against.
Ah, the irony…but, I’m not here to criticize anyone. Who can argue with success, right?
What I WANT is to BE SUCCESSFUL without having to manipulate people’s emotions. I want to PROVE that many humans alive today are drawn to, interested in, committed to, and seek out logical, objective, rational and calm conversations about complicated issues.
So — back to you.
I don’t have the time to promote my own writing. I simply don’t. However, I’m willing to continue to write, research, and offer perspectives that may cut through the gloom, illuminate the room, draw back the curtain, and invite people into the type of conversations that align with a more peaceful, democratic, and liberated world.
If people want me to, and that means, my readers share my work forward.
I believe, for us to achieve the better future so many of us desire, we must be standing on firm ground. Logical, rational, skeptical, careful, respectful, honorable ground.
Emotions are great. They inform us of many truths.
Emotions are great when we hear a slick argument that we “feel in our gut” is deeply wrong. But then, we have to think our way through the morass of slick, manipulative, reptile brain triggering, and unworthy arguments that seek to prove their validity through loudness, threats, blackmail and the suggestion that “might makes right.” Breaking through that oppressive narrative is what I’m trying to do.
If you value my approach and my goals and my attempt to provide a level of objectivity and primary source research that is rarely found in the world, then please help me. Spread the word. Take the time to share my content. Intentionally grow my audience, expand my reach, and tell people why you value my work. I am happy to grow slowly, but I need to be growing in order to justify the time and energy I put into my Substack.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Warmly, March
We’re sleepwalking into a post-1984 tyrannical, transhuman Brave New World Technocracy and neither party of our vaunted “ elected representatives” appear to give a rat’s ass. Ergo,” We The People” are not represented. The cloak of corruption, cowardice, cravenness, cluelessness.. whatever the reason/s is complicity.
Never could I have imagined mobs of psychopaths marching for Hamas, carrying placards with” Kill The Jews”, praising Hitler not only tolerated, but now the norm.BLM, Antifa, global tumult and the argument in DC is limitless abortion on demand, including post delivery vs the complete prohibition of any way out of an unplanned, unwanted and often unknown pregnancy . The insane sniping about sexuality, both sides completely ignoring reality. One side sees the Constitution as disposal, seeking to replace it with the Communist Manifesto, the other sees it as the fundamentalist New Testament of Christianity. Neither seems able to abide by what it guarantees. Neither side ever asks what “ We The People” care about.
Zero pragmatism. The only “ compromises” made are behind closed doors at 2am on Fridays. Compromising “ We The People”. I’m fucking sick of it. All of it.
I watch Javier Milei and so wish for one of his ilk, but he’s unique.Very hip, colorful, outside the box, but brilliant and fearless… and yes , warm.
If Trump opts for Tulsi, he’d likely win. She’s sane, brave and honest. And calm. I don’t want a captured ideologue, don’t want to be evangelized, radicalized, coerced or intimidated. We are being spiritually crushed. Fit into one of two boxes or else! I don’t fit into a “ box”. I’m curious, free spirited, openminded, creative, responsible and know right from wrong. Now we have right/left and wrong in every way. Godless or Theocratic, or both.
Wow! We’re floating on the same plane. I had just finished posting the EXACT sentiment to a different SubStack, only to be attacked left and right, no pun intended.