Francis Berger
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Pre-2020 and Post-2020 Thinking and Discernment

8/10/2022

5 Comments

 
I sifted through this blog the other day and noticed a marked difference between the posts I wrote before 2020 and the posts I wrote after 2020. Sure, many themes and interests exist on both sides of the 2020 demarcation line, but other themes and topics have virtually disappeared.

For example, before 2020, I sometimes wrote about politics. I rarely, if ever, write about politics now. Before 2020, I occasionally waded into "woke" issues. After 2020, I have barely touched them.

Prior to 2020, I was extremely prone to extend people the benefit of the doubt, reserve judgment, and hold out a sliver of hope for some appendage of the System. In the two-plus years since 2020, I only trust those who have earned it, I judge almost immediately, and I have rid myself of all hope for the System. 

On the surface, my thoughts and attitude are far darker and more cynical than they were two-and-a-half years ago. However, when I stop and consider everything that has transpired in those thirty or so months and envision what lies ahead, I often wonder if my thoughts are dark and cynical enough. 

That said, I must confess that I am not in a dark and cynical place. On the contrary, I have never felt more bathed in light; and I feel an inexplicable sunniness about mortal life in this world despite everything. This buoyancy boils down to what I would call "an increased sense of freedom". 


For the first time in my life, I find myself at the liberty of not having to care or worry about things like politics, woke issues, or the general and glaring destruction of society. This "carefree" attitude does not stem from apathy or indifference but rather from the increasingly urgent understanding that there are far more important and pressing matters to care about.

Superficially, my experience of life post-2020 has been wholly paradoxical. The deeper the world burrows into unfreedom, the freer I feel; but it all begins to make sense as soon as I remember what I am freeing myself from, what I am freeing myself for, and what I am eagerly striving to be free with.  
5 Comments
David Earle link
8/10/2022 21:53:11

I wholeheartedly agree!

Personally, I've never gotten the impression that you were being cynical or "doom-and-gloom" (as somebody suggested in another comment thread). You regularly remind us of why we should have a hopeful and positive attitude towards this mortal world and our lives, despite (or in spite of) our current circumstances.

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Michelle
8/11/2022 04:59:59

Amen, brother.

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Rui Artur
8/11/2022 12:32:37

The deeper the world burrows into unfreedom, the freer I feel

- I feel this too. It's hard to explain, something hardly graspable. Well put.

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bruce charlton
8/11/2022 14:32:06

As you said before - "things came to a point" in 2020 - and what you describe for the past two years is Life After The Point!

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Lady Mermaid link
8/12/2022 03:16:04

Things started coming to a point for me after the 2020 Presidential election. Prior to 2020, I was a believer in the system. Sure, there were problems. However, I honestly trusted that Trump could fix most of the issues. Typing that today makes me laugh out loud.

Yet, I'm not angry or bitter. I feel an odd sense of peace in the midst of the chaos. The truth really will set you free even if it angers you at first. Even if Trump truly desired to fix things, it would have been impossible w/ the system that we have. Perhaps that was the real spiritual purpose of Trump and Brexit. They helped clarify things in an undeniable manner.

I really notice my indifference to American politics this year. I still keep up w/ current events. However, I no longer have the enthusiasm that I did prior to 2020. Again, this is not due to cynicism. I feel strangely detached if that makes sense. I'm not saying politics is completely worthless. I do feel that movements like Trump and Brexit did buy us time to repent. I haven't even ruled out voting for midterms in Nov. However, I no longer expect the system to be fixed. Oddly, this makes me feel at peace. Something beautiful can arise from the ashes if we align our hearts w/ God.

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