The Censor Ship

For more than half my life, I have been aware of that we are being watched, monitored, listened too. Big Brother is real and that, he/it/they, have been around longer than Orwell's famous "1984" novel that was published in 1949. The big brothers were alive and well during both world wars, and they were called spies. Throughout history there having always been narcs, spies, informers. We called them "tell-tale tits" when I was at school. According to the rhyme, their tongues would split and along would come a puppy dog and eat up it. Creepy really, but a warning, none the less, of the perils of gossip and the further punishment of spying on, and ratting out your friends. Of course, Judas Iscariot has to be one of the most infamous spies in the Bible for ratting out Jesus, and we all know how that ended for him, and also Jesus.

Once upon a time, government agencies would tap phone calls (by listening in on unsuspecting peoples talk),  and open and read personal mail. Secret agents would surreptitiously follow and watch people (stalk them). In the 21st century, due to advancing technology, human beings have made Big Brothers' job so much easier. You can pick up a person's phone and if there is no security lock on it, which often there isn't, in five minutes you have scrolled through emails, texts, photos and learnt way more than what is considered appropriate. When people tell you that their life is on their phone, they are not kidding. We put too much trust in a tiny gadget that follows us wherever we go, mapping our locations, recording conversations, documenting daily life; constantly whining for our attention by means of pings, personalised sound effects and disturbing vibrations within our pocket or purse. Like a favourite pet or toy, we let these purring devices sleep beside us at night.

Every day we are censored and observed by "bots"; not by real people anymore. Our personality, thoughts and actions are curated or groomed by these invisible bots through the internet, television, newspapers, movies, etc.. Hackers and scammers, the 21st century thieves and hustlers of the internet, are now multiplying and outwitting the toughest security measures. Don't even worry about regularly updating your passwords anymore, that won't stop even the simplest of hackers. Right now there will be some deep programme hidden on your device that is watching you read my blog. I am not joking.

These are scary times to be a human being.

However, what has become scarier in recent days, and especially during and after the covid  "pandemic" is the way in which we now censor and restrict one another.  Throughout the pandemic, there was a clear division between the "vaxxed" and the "unvaxxed". I jokingly likened the attitudes and treatment of unvaxxed people as being not dissimilar to being called, "the great unwashed." They were a minority, they were and still are, denigrated for making a personal choice, as we censored and restricted them from our lives.

I tried not to..

There were some people, on either side of the debate that became quite aggressive towards each other, and long-time friendships, marriages and family ties were severed in the skirmish. At times it became difficult to remain friends with all people as the conversations wore on, the points of view became more pointed, and swords were drawn on either side. A lot of these exchanges played out over social media and private messages before finally spilling into real life like volatile petrol. I have never seen such strong divisions in such a short time, and all because of a vaccine and people contesting the validity of the threat that covid posed to individuals and society at large . I hope I never see such animosity again, but I fear may hopes my all be in vain, as future relationships may still crumble under the weight of opposing opinions.

We now live in a culture of reactivity, not responsiveness. Out of our fear, or hurt or anger, we no longer take a deep breathe before we respond to our environment, people or the circumstances that present themselves to us each day. A mere difference of opinion can now become a declaration of war. 

A red flag now waves at many bulls, with these bulls most often being our nearest or dearest.

We find this verse in the book of Hebrews, warning us that we should "Try to live in peace with everyone. Guard against turning back from God's grace. Let no one become like a bitter plant that grows up and causes many troubles with it's poison."

The jagged rips in the fabric of our friendships and relationships have become big holes, impossible to mend in some cases. We have dropped many stitches in the rich poncho of life and in our communities where life was once well lived; as we futilely scramble to mend the holes in our tattered networks.

But consider for a moment that perhaps the most important person that we need to censor is ourselves. Do we need to restrict our own speech and actions each day? Should we block out the angers and fears that so easily upset us? Take larger breathes before opening our mouths, and stop "unfriending" one another over the slightest slight. 

I suggest in our daily walk through life, that we take needle and thread, and not scissors into future discourses that may become fractious, and try hard to heal, help and lead each other to a safe place in these troubling times.

God bless, and in the new year, do your best to think, speak and act on things that be true, of good report, lovely, pure, worthy of praise, and of any virtue to others. 

Be safe xx