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A post of a ranting nature...

sonny_1080

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I apologize in advance for this off-topic post. There’s no other place I trust to go with this.

During these crazy times of shutdowns, looting, political craziness, etc. I haven't paid a lot of attention to much of anything outside of growing my business.

That said, after reading a little about the political weaponization of CV19 on this forum and pondering systemic racism... I’ve found myself feeling like a puppet.

I mean... reading Unscripted opened my eyes to indentured servitude. But everything going on today has me fighting this habit of getting caught up in conspiracy theories while trying not to get in a political argument since everyone in the world wants to force their beliefs on each other.

What does a 28 year old white man trying to build a business do at a time like this?

I have my beliefs. I like to think of myself as open-minded. But damn, there’s oceans of bullshit out there. I don’t have time to research a well-thought out stance on any of it.

Besides, how do we know who is right and who is wrong? Does any of it really matter? Will any of it really make a difference? Or are we all just along for this ride of history repeating itself over and over again?
 
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Kevin88660

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I apologize in advance for this off-topic post. There’s no other place I trust to go with this.

During these crazy times of shutdowns, looting, political craziness, etc. I haven't paid a lot of attention to much of anything outside of growing my business.

That said, after reading a little about the political weaponization of CV19 on this forum and pondering systemic racism... I’ve found myself feeling like a puppet.

I mean... reading Unscripted opened my eyes to indentured servitude. But everything going on today has me fighting this habit of getting caught up in conspiracy theories while trying not to get in a political argument since everyone in the world wants to force their beliefs on each other.

What does a 28 year old white man trying to build a business do at a time like this?

I have my beliefs. I like to think of myself as open-minded. But damn, there’s oceans of bullshit out there. I don’t have time to research a well-thought out stance on any of it.

Besides, how do we know who is right and who is wrong? Does any of it really matter? Will any of it really make a difference? Or are we all just along for this ride of history repeating itself over and over again?
I think the root causes of social unrest are policies that deviates from principles of good economics and administration.

Police need to feel safe when working. Gun owners need to feel their rights not infringed. Social Economic stratification persists when food is cheap and quality education is expensive. This feeds crimes.

Dismantling police department is just a knee jerk reaction. You have to go back and solve the problem one by one.
 

sonny_1080

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I think the root causes of social unrest are policies that deviates from principles of good economics and administration.

Police need to feel safe when working. Gun owners need to feel their rights not infringed. Social Economic stratification persists when food is cheap and quality education is expensive. This feeds crimes.

Dismantling police department is just a knee jerk reaction. You have to go back and solve the problem one by one.

All due respect, although I appreciate your feedback, I did not start this thread so people can give their political opinions.

I started this thread to pose the question of what does a man do in a time like this?

Everyone can throw up whatever opinion they have. Regardless, it will be a limited belief usually sparking a combative conversation of forcing opinions on each other.

The point is... does it matter?

I know this raises more opinions... but those are the opinions I'm interested in. Does picking a side and making sure other people know where we stand matter? I'm starting to believe that educating people is futile, and we as a whole - doomed. The only thing for me to do is protect mines, mind my own business, resign from the debate and build something that adds value to the community.

At the same time, I feel this sense of obligation to explain my views to those who have differing opinions.
 
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I think we lead by example. In my business, we are focused on growth. No time for other stuff.

In my personal life, am focused on my health and spending time with family.

In teaching/coaching, trying to push personal responsibility. Quit being sheep and make your own way / own opinions / own experiences.

Eliminate media in your life and things are a lot calmer.
 

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All due respect, although I appreciate your feedback, I did not start this thread so people can give their political opinions.

I started this thread to pose the question of what does a man do in a time like this?

Everyone can throw up whatever opinion they have. Regardless, it will be a limited belief usually sparking a combative conversation of forcing opinions on each other.

The point is... does it matter?

I know this raises more opinions... but those are the opinions I'm interested in. Does picking a side and making sure other people know where we stand matter? I'm starting to believe that educating people is futile, and we as a whole - doomed. The only thing for me to do is protect mines, mind my own business, resign from the debate and build something that adds value to the community.

At the same time, I feel this sense of obligation to explain my views to those who have differing opinions.
For small players like us discussing politics it is like a hobby. It is not going to pay our bills or help in our business so I agree here.

There are other politics that could matter, like trade war. Not just limited to import and export business only. For those of us who live in small countries (not in U.S., China or India), a sudden pull of foreign investment could affect the local market ecosystem really in a bad way.
 

sonny_1080

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I think we lead by example. In my business, we are focused on growth. No time for other stuff.

In my personal life, am focused on my health and spending time with family.

In teaching/coaching, trying to push personal responsibility. Quit being sheep and make your own way / own opinions / own experiences.

Eliminate media in your life and things are a lot calmer.
Thank you for this.
 
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ZCP

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Thank you for this.
Sonny, thank you! I don't think we bring questions like this up enough. You can get 12 people to help you get 'washboard abs', but no one spends time training their mindset!

Back to the world, no one knows what the hell is going on right now because we have no true source of 'real news' anymore.

Just like any chaotic situation .... distill it down to the important and focus there.

If we were in a building fire, if we start thinking about all the flames / heat / will that fall / who is in that room / what could explode / what is going to happen to me .......... we'll lock up.

Focus on the important, where is everyone? ok they are here. where is the exit? there it is. Let's go.

Find your outcome. Build a plan. Work the plan.
 

sonny_1080

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I think we lead by example. In my business, we are focused on growth. No time for other stuff.

In my personal life, am focused on my health and spending time with family.

In teaching/coaching, trying to push personal responsibility. Quit being sheep and make your own way / own opinions / own experiences.

Eliminate media in your life and things are a lot calmer.

Edit: Disregard this post. The one you just made makes it unnecessary.

I don't know why, but I feel this sense of duty or obligation to speak up about certain beliefs that I have. Do you have that?

Growing up, my parents taught me so much ignorant bullshit that I completely disagree with today. Now that I'm planning to start a family in the next couple years, I find myself pondering, "what am I gonna teach my kids?" Or what am I gonna say I did when my grandchildren ask me what I was doing during this time?

Then again, does what I believe really matter? Thats like asking if my vote in the elections really matters, right? And my answer to that has changed probably three times in my life.
 

sonny_1080

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You can disregard that last post. You're last one makes it unnecessary.
 
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Why do we need to know what you believe?

Ask a different question, what actions will I take to improve the situation?

Lot of talking in the world right now. Little action.
 

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It's still necessary. It is what you were thinking.

The tact I took with my two (now teenage) boys ........
- let them in on the 'why' that i made decisions or did certain actions
- let them see me realize i was wrong sometimes and to fix it
- if you screw up, fix it
- it's ok to have a different opinion. just let it be yours and not parroted from someone else
- look into facts and make informed decisions
- bring them in on difficult decisions and let them see you struggle making them
- if a decision needs to be made, get all the info you can and 'take action'. then live / deal / fix the result
 

Andreas Thiel

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"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" is my bible in that respect.

I think it shows how far people have come in the self development department.
Few people reach the "Seek first to understand, then to be understood" stage.

Once you have defined your own Mission Statement, all you can do is live in accordance with it.

I think that strong "leave people alone with your political views" sentiment is not healthy.
The Jordan Peterson story shows how many conflicting messages people are bombarded with these days, and many people are grateful for reasonable guidance and properly laid out reasoning behind certain world views.
 
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Kevin88660

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Edit: Disregard this post. The one you just made makes it unnecessary.

I don't know why, but I feel this sense of duty or obligation to speak up about certain beliefs that I have. Do you have that?

Growing up, my parents taught me so much ignorant bullshit that I completely disagree with today. Now that I'm planning to start a family in the next couple years, I find myself pondering, "what am I gonna teach my kids?" Or what am I gonna say I did when my grandchildren ask me what I was doing during this time?

Then again, does what I believe really matter? Thats like asking if my vote in the elections really matters, right? And my answer to that has changed probably three times in my life.
If it helps you feel better you can speak up. Ya it is probably not going to matter much in the real world.

As long as it does not distract you time and energy to do the things that is most important to you personally. Again saying that is easier than doing it if you are rather emotionally engaged in the topic.

If I am in your situation I would tell my kids: “Daddy is no politician and he has to put food on the table. He cannot solve a national issue that takes probably more than a generation to fix.”
 

sonny_1080

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Why do we need to know what you believe?

Ask a different question, what actions will I take to improve the situation?

Lot of talking in the world right now. Little action.
It's still necessary. It is what you were thinking.

The tact I took with my two (now teenage) boys ........
- let them in on the 'why' that i made decisions or did certain actions
- let them see me realize i was wrong sometimes and to fix it
- if you screw up, fix it
- it's ok to have a different opinion. just let it be yours and not parroted from someone else
- look into facts and make informed decisions
- bring them in on difficult decisions and let them see you struggle making them
- if a decision needs to be made, get all the info you can and 'take action'. then live / deal / fix the result
Thank you and thank you again. You're words have brought me immense relief.

I was PM'ing @Andy Black who said in classic Andy Black style "show don't tell" and "I want to produce more than I consume."

Words to live by.

Thank you very much gentlemen.

As for anyone else who stumbles across this thread... I would like to conclude that what I think, my beliefs, and my opinions, don't really matter so I shan't waste time (my most precious asset) trying to make them heard over the roars of the crowd.

What matters is what I do.

Just like any chaotic situation .... distill it down to the important and focus there.

If we were in a building fire, if we start thinking about all the flames / heat / will that fall / who is in that room / what could explode / what is going to happen to me .......... we'll lock up.

Focus on the important, where is everyone? ok they are here. where is the exit? there it is. Let's go.

Find your outcome. Build a plan. Work the plan.

What is important? My job is to help people. My job is to produce value. My job is to protect and support my family.

Why do we need to know what you believe?

Ask a different question, what actions will I take to improve the situation?

Lot of talking in the world right now. Little action.
What actions am I taking?

I'm gonna print out a Fastlane Daily sheet from the inside. I can count on that to get me centered. I'm gonna close out the window to the forum. I'm gonna eat some breakfast. I'm gonna continue working on a website for my latest client. Then go from there.

I'm glad I came to the forum with these questions.

Thanks again guys.
 

Andy Black

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“Help one person at a time, and always a start with the person closest to you.” (Mother Theresa)

Another one:

“Charity starts at home.”

The people closest to me are my kids, wife, and mum. Then there’s my wife’s family, and our friends.


Some lines from my dad:

What's the point complaining?

“If you’ve nothing nice to say then say nothing.” (Not always advisable when you’re in a relationship because sometimes you’ve got to speak up, but I still bear this in mind.)


Finally:

“Be the change you want to see.”

“Show, don’t tell.”

“People listen to experts, they follow leaders.”

“Tell me what you’ve done and I’ll tell you who you are.”


If I’m going to do something then I prefer to keep my lips sealed and let my actions speak.

I’m aware I throw out a lot of quotes. I consider them micro-scripts and maybe one will resonate with you. (Worth checking out the book “Micro-Scripts” too.)
 
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None of it matters, live your own life and focus on the only important thing. (YOU) Your happiness, Relationships with people, whether it be the community, a lover, family and friends.

If you believe the earth is flat, there will be people that support you.

If you believe Christianity is the answer, you will find people that support that.

On the flip side if you believe Islam is the answer, people will also support that idea. (Hey I'm just stating examples, easy on the ban button there)

Ignore all of it, I say live in that little bubble of yours, and spend your time wisely, nuturing the only things in life that matter *TO YOU* death is always lurking around the corner. Enjoy life while you can. You can go down the rabbit hole for eternity seeking the truth. Aliens are fake or real, Trump is or isn't a racist, why bother? Waste of time.
 

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I struggle with this, too. It's hard to strike a balance between keeping up with important current events in the world while not getting lost in the political bullshit.

The most important thing to understand is that nobody gives a shit about your opinion and you won't change a thing in the world. You are mostly powerless.

This is a really hard fact to swallow, especially for us in the productive, tax-paying minority.

In my opinion, the only solution is to either become a hardcore stoic and ignore it all, like some people already suggested, or to make so much money, that you can escape everything thats bothering you.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI3DlIrvoHg
 
Last edited:

sonny_1080

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I struggle with this, too. It's hard to strike a balance between keeping up with important current events in the world while not getting lost in the political bullshit.

The most important thing to understand is that nobody gives a shit about your opinion and you won't change a thing in the world. You are mostly powerless.

This is a really hard fact to swallow, especially for us in the productive, tax-paying minority.
I agree to a considerable extent with the powerless thing as it relates to the world as a whole.

It’s interesting to read that in a forum that seems to be built on things like control and willpower.
 
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I agree to a considerable extent with the powerless thing as it relates to the world as a whole.

It’s interesting to read that in a forum that seems to be built on things like control and willpower.
Well, I'd certainly be interested in controlling the government. But that will take a considerable amount of money. So it's a stretch goal.

Money solves problems. More money solves more problems.
 

sonny_1080

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Well, I'd certainly be interested in controlling the government. But that would take a considerable amount of money.

Money solves problems. More money solves more problems.
I like your style.
 

Andy Black

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It’s interesting to read that in a forum that seems to be built on things like control and willpower.
It's not incongruent.

Focus on what we can most control: what we choose to focus on, how we choose to react, and the actions we choose to take.

If everyone did a better job looking after themselves then I'm sure the world would be in a better place.

We choose to control our own destiny. Not everyone does.


I suggest listening to this Mind Your Business show with @Vigilante and @Kung Fu Steve:
 
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"Sales cures all."
 

Andy Black

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I apologize in advance for this off-topic post. There’s no other place I trust to go with this.

During these crazy times of shutdowns, looting, political craziness, etc. I haven't paid a lot of attention to much of anything outside of growing my business.

That said, after reading a little about the political weaponization of CV19 on this forum and pondering systemic racism... I’ve found myself feeling like a puppet.

I mean... reading Unscripted opened my eyes to indentured servitude. But everything going on today has me fighting this habit of getting caught up in conspiracy theories while trying not to get in a political argument since everyone in the world wants to force their beliefs on each other.

What does a 28 year old white man trying to build a business do at a time like this?

I have my beliefs. I like to think of myself as open-minded. But damn, there’s oceans of bullshit out there. I don’t have time to research a well-thought out stance on any of it.

Besides, how do we know who is right and who is wrong? Does any of it really matter? Will any of it really make a difference? Or are we all just along for this ride of history repeating itself over and over again?
Keep your head down and work. Just work hard. Ignore most of what you are hearing. The older you get, the more you will realize that most of the noise you're hearing is just a smokescreen to keep people confused and compliant. You will also find that both sides of most of the questions have a lot of the same basic goals. The show of conflict between the two sides is just that -- a show for public consumption & to keep people stirred up. A lot of these combatants get together on the sly and compare notes.

If you are interested in the wherefores of events and studying human behavior -- follow the money. See who is making alliances. It's like the current civil unrest here in the USA that is being supported by International corporations. So, what is this really about? What do these two groups have in common? Have you thought about the concept of Globalism? Is it really about localized racial issues or doing global business and providing cheap labor for those businesses?

Let us know how your thinking is changing...
 
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sonny_1080

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Keep your head down and work. Just work hard. Ignore most of what you are hearing. The older you get, the more you will realize that most of the noise you're hearing is just a smokescreen to keep people confused and compliant. You will also find that both sides of most of the questions have a lot of the same basic goals. The show of conflict between the two sides is just that -- a show for public consumption & to keep people stirred up. A lot of these combatants get together on the sly and compare notes.

If you are interested in the wherefores of events and studying human behavior -- follow the money. See who is making alliances. It's like the current civil unrest here in the USA that is being supported by International corporations. So, what is this really about? What do these two groups have in common? Have you thought about the concept of Globalism? Is it really about localized racial issues or doing global business and providing cheap labor for those businesses?

Let us know how your thinking is changing...
Between this thread and a couple conversations with some friends, I've accepted that humanity hasn't changed much from other historical civilizations. I remember reading this book called Collapse for an environmental science class that delves deeper into that.

I think it's best for me to resign from the fight, mind my own business, work on changing myself instead of changing the world, and impact people through my actions.
 

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Between this thread and a couple conversations with some friends, I've accepted that humanity hasn't changed much from other historical civilizations. I remember reading this book called Collapse for an environmental science class that delves deeper into that.

I think it's best for me to resign from the fight, mind my own business, work on changing myself instead of changing the world, and impact people through my actions.
Jared Diamond is a good scholar. I read many of his master pieces.
 

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