The other night I snapped, I raised my voice, and stood up for my friends. I was angry to hear how they were being treated by a bully. One friend was so disturbed that he wanted to call the police. Then, despite them admitting the abuse, they started sticking up for the psycho, because every so often, the psycho was kind to them. The bully in question showed signs of psychopath narcissism, abusing his power and wealth most of the time, followed by an occasional moment of reward. The psychopathic narcissistic behavior being: he flags you all with his million dollar account followed by an occasional upvote, which financially appears valuable, but in the grand scheme of things, means nothing.
One of saddest things about Stockholm Syndrome, is the victims refuse the help of others who are trying to free them from the abuse. Instead, they sink into denial, and worse, defend their oppressor and the claim that the abuse is warranted. They become addicted to smaller and smaller moments of fleeting kindness from the bully and excuse his overwhelming addiction to mental or physical violence
One of the saddest things of Cognitive Dissonance is that the victim does not know he or she is living in two incompatible worlds at once. Usually the victim has gone through a traumatic change in their normal life and and still cling to the old world.
After World War II and the Allies opened the gates of the concentration camps, many of the prisoners did not want to leave. They had been conditioned to accept their oppression, that they knew not how to embrace freedom. The cognitive dissonance paralyzed their release When the slaves were freed after the Civil War, many of them remained on the plantations because it was the only life they knew. So lived in cognitive dissonance, as so called free people, yet still enslaved by prejudice. The September 11 Inside Job is one modern example of the population continuing to follow psychopaths in government, due to the conditioned Syndrome via the media which left a generation living between reality and a false narrative. The cognitive dissonance being played upon by the abusers of power. Now, even though there is a revolutionary opportunity with the block chain to break free from chains of the status quo, many of us continue to fall back into those old patterns of self abuse.
It was not until the 1970s that the medical term, Stockholm Syndrome was introduced into the zeitgeist of understanding and mental health. But the illness has been with us for ages. And now, even though the blockchain offers humanity an opportunity for unbind ourselves from old patterns of abuse, we have shown a tendency to fallback into shackles. We do not do so because we are weak, but because we are still letting go of the shackles that bind us.
Whether there is a good person inside of the bully, I do not know, but from the consistent reports, from not only my friends but others all over this platform, the person in question, he who shall not be named, has currently lost touch with his humanity and is a psychopath narcissist. The bully's behavior would not be tolerated elsewhere, yet because of an occasional "upvote", we allow his abuse. I personally never want his upvote. I never want to see his comments. And I am way more hesitant to tell my non-steemit friends to join. Not until he is gone, his behavior is addressed by the community and governance at large, or I am at least allowed a function that blocks him from ever encountering me and my friends again. I will not invite them into an abusive experience. I believe in forgiveness, but unless psychos look deep, they will continue to take advantage of other's compassion.
I exploded into such a tirade of defense on behalf of my friends. And yet to them, I seemed to be attacking them. I said the community was showing signs of stockholm syndrome. In hindsight I also see cognitive dissonance. I ranted on about my opinion. They became defensive, and our communication broke down. This sort of thing has happened before. We have all seen a loving and beautiful friend fall back into an abusive relationship. We ask, "Why do you go back to her or him?" And all too often our friend, says that their oppressor means well. Heartbroken and helpless we are because we are unable to save our beloveds from the abusive situation. But much like a drug or gambling addiction, it is a sickness that requires careful treatment. Much like a cold, the flu, or an injury, it is a human condition that requires healing and sanctuary. And if we are not careful, we can fall back into old habits that cause us injury, sickness, addiction, or any weakness such as Stockholm syndrome. My weakness is rage, and the other night I fell back into an old pattern as I was enraged at my inability to enlighten my friends to their situation, which to my perspective, was the beginnings of being conditioned to embrace Stockholm syndrome.
These friends are new. But all friends feel familiar and old. They may not even call me friend, but I have learned so much from them. I have gained so much more in knowledge than any paycheck, even thought one of them has even done that much for me. But most importantly, they have empowered my happiness. They have made me smile, made me feel good about yesterdays, and given me hope for tomorrow. I have had friends like this before, in college and highshcool as well as Chicago and in Improv. These are people I connect with and believe in and that in itself is the greatest gift, to believe in something and someone. They are legion, unstoppable, with limitless potential for creativity and innovation which only carries them closer to their inevitable success. Austin, Wisconsin, California, Gulf Coast, and South America are the places these friends rest their heads at night, but all of us at least call @Steemit our second home. There are others. But it was these few that I attacked with rage, because I felt so helpless about a struggle they are bound to continue experiencing. At least for now.
I do not need money to be happy. I have known this all my life. This offends some and makes others uncomfortable to hear. I have accepted money from friends and family. I have walked away from bitcoins. I have have had my own room aboard a ship that toured the Mediterranean, I have slept on the beaches of Lake Michigan. As the the homies on the beat would say, to go legit is to not got game. I ain't got game and i'll never be legit. I do not need money to be happy. And neither do you. Neither do my friends. They are building beautiful things that will greatly reward them financially, but to focus on that dollar will only drain them of their power. Same goes for me and you and what we each do. So why do I bring up money? Because we treat this reward like some carrot that must always be dangling in front of us to keep us moving. Know you not your are no donkey? Know you not the stallion inside? Yet we as a nation of creative, coders, bloggers, and entrepreneurs are continuing to fall back into the shackles of shilling something that is already selling itself.
It is ok to celebrate this gift of blockchain technology. It is ok to learn new things. Coding, trading, and marketing are interesting and valuable expertise. But have you noticed, they are the topics which pay the most. How different is that from the old world we seek to escape? How different is that from all the ads bombarding friends still on facebook? How different is that from Burstnation with it's walls of corruption and dictator marketing. Many of you need not hear this. Many of you need not be upset if you do. But many many many more of you need not chase that upvote carrot to truly realize the potential value inside of you. Some of you are NOT marketers, NOT coders, and NOT traders. You too deserve the same rewards that you see these constant steemit updates receivning, but we put too much perceived value in the number amount. That is the power we have. To let it go, and go with the flow. Be thankful for the things you love and share them. Be the expert in your field and show it. This you and I can do to let go, to be free. Because the steem that fuels this and future platforms is there to reward us.
The bad news is not the bots. Not the guilds. Not the technology. The bad news is, just as there are psychopaths in the old world that pray on the compassion of others, so too psychopathic behavior can infect people behind bots, guilds, and technologies. And the more that psychopathic behavior and egos go unchecked, and they become powerful with their head encased behind an avatar and fake name, the more they can condition our compassion to the point of Stockholm Syndrome.
I have the potential to be a psycho. I have the potential to have Stockholm Syndrome and cognitive dissonance. I have the potential to fall back on old habits. I also have the potential to be free. So do you. I snapped at my buddies and they called me out for being triggered. I was defensive at first, but a few breaths later, I realized that they did so not to hurt me, but because they saw me falling back into a weakness. I have experienced the rewards of working through therapy. It is not easy but something that can help even healthy people stay balanced. However, I fell because I am failing to see steemit, or any worthwhile blockchain as strictly an investment to get rich. I fail to see the rich as simply a quality of respect. I am already rich and so are you. Now, what are we going to do with our infinite wealth together. What are we gonna do with the potential to rise above our stumblings from days past?
I am so very impressed with Steemit's potential. I am impressed with Musicoin, which has a functioning platform that specifically shares music on the blockchain. I hope the two can work together. I am so very impressed with what @dantheman is building and continues to build for blockchains. Have you read his Constitution lately? I am so very impressed by the interactions I have had with @ned and his team's continued vision for steemit. An improv friend of mine finally got on steemit, was having some issues, but received a message personally signed by Ned. I am so very impressed by @steemtrail and it's evolving mission to enrich the community with curation. I am a huge fan of @sirlunchthehost, @richardkrill, @naganoo, @seablue, @fyrstikken, @inertia, @instructor2121, and so many more in the Steemspeak support community. Recently they were approached by brilliant Burstcoin developers who were encountering their own Psychopath Narcissist who was abusing power and stealing funds. The @Steemspeak crew offered their help and welcomed them to our world as a safe haven of opportunity. There is endless potential here. And yet we have a few abusive elements, which stirs up a cognitive dissonance clouding our decisiveness, thus we fall back into a stockholm syndrome response, and allow the bully to continue.
I will not mention the bully's name, because I will not to give power to his existence, not just here on steemit, but in the universe. I fear him not because money means so little to me in the grand scheme of things. I fear him not because he hides behind avatars and fake names. Face to face, who knows, we might get along. But I doubt it, so why bother? I used to have several fake twitter accounts, but I stepped into steemit to celebrate me. I am Jacob. You are you. And that bully does not exist to me. We are the light. He is not even the dark. He does not exist. And his abusive vapors should be removed from steemit, the same way that the criminal must be removed from burst, the same way that cancer must be allowed to die, so as to save the healthy body. You may know already who I am talking about and are free to discuss it in the comments. I however claim my sovereignty from him, and any other abusive narcisistic psychopath.
We are not here for his money. We are not here for money alone to begin with. We are here because through doing, connecting, communicating, coming together, innovating, trading, investing, building, sharing, creating, appreciating, we can and will achieve our inevitable potential and success. We are stepping into a new day. The rewards will take care of themselves.
My life is improvised. I continue to train myself and others with this intangible art that can not be corrupted by any technology, yet empowers us all in many ways. I look forward to sharing more of it's gifts with you. I have a goal to share free improv workshops and shows with you at this year's @Steemfest and beyond. Much like a blockchain, it turns nothing into something with everything in between. I have used improv to create this post and it's message. I was going to just post some wikipedia info. Instead I have taken my time to write, reflect, and rewrite this. I will continue to edit, but this is just how I feel, when I see friends with potential for greatness hindered on their hero's journey.
I am not perfect. I am no one. I am no body. I am no thing. But I am here. I am human. I am free to be or not be. I am @JacobTS and I am from The Reckoning. Blessings and respect to the living & the real.
Stockholm Syndrome on Wikipedia
Cognitive Dissonance
Psychopathy
What did you forget?
You are it.
