Somebody asked me the other day why I think the way I do. When I asked them what they mean, they replied that I always seem suspicious, particularly about news in the msm and anything to do with the government. I could only reply that it takes years of practice and it's not really something I even have to think about anymore...it just sort of happens.
We talked a bit about how someone gets to that point, but generally, I explained that I was actually perfectly happy thinking the way I do, and that it really wasn't that bad a thing for me, personally. They were concerned that I must get overwhelmed or depressed about everything a lot, but I explained that increasingly, for me anyway, it's just the way the world is/has always been. I had to concede however, that it can get bad for some and perhaps some people just choose to turn their backs on it all completely and return to the "normal" life they had before (although, I've never understood this and would think it would be pretty impossible).
It occurred to me that although I don't necessarily think I 'think' any different than anyone else, there are some steps I take, not on a conscious level admittedly, before forming opinions on things, especially msm stories and politics-wise.
*The most important thing you can ever do, whether or not you're into conspiracy: EVALUATE YOUR SOURCES! It never ceases to amaze me how many people just take everything they read or hear as gospel sometimes, particularly if it comes from an institution like the BBC, for example. I have realised I'm usually always "looking for the money" when evaluating such material. For example, who would gain from me thinking a certain way about this issue.
Invariably, you end up with a much more interesting story than the "piece" your were watching or reading about when you look at it from this angle. People used to tell me that money makes the world go round, and I never really got that until quite recently. Everything can, if you take the trouble to evaluate it reasonably, be traced back to the money element. Need a motive? Probably has something to do with money. Not always...but usually.
*I'm not the first and I certainly won't be the last. This is sometimes comforting, in an odd "I'm not the only one" way. Before I ever started thinking about things like alternative history and cover-ups, I read quite extensively and was aware of the influence that popular culture has over most of us. It wasn't until I actually became interested in conspiracy, that I started to realise that there are actually themes and recurrances running through most literature and even Hollywood sometimes. It's almost as if voices from the past are sending out warnings or confirmations that things have really always been the same. Some of my favourite books or films invariably have some political or humanistic message that I was completely oblivious to the first time around.
*Don't sweat the small stuff. In fact, don't "sweat" any of it. There is little you can achieve by panicking or shouting about things. Get angry by all means, but eventually you'll come to realise you can actually achieve a lot more when you're not in a state of anger or frustration. Let that be your catalyst, if you like, but learn from it and move on.
*The "Fear Factory". This is quite important. It soon became apparent to me that human beings are really very simple in their thinking for the most part. This can make us very easy to manipulate or control sometimes. Fear is extremely effective in controlling people's actions. Whenever I start to feeling 'the fear', my alarm bells automatically get activated. Return to point 1. Someone, somewhere has produced this piece of literature, artwork, film - whatever, and it could be that this fear I'm feeling is by design. For what purpose would someone want me to be fearful about this? Who would benefit from inciting that fear? As mentioned above, you'll usually find yourself right back at the money angle, but sometimes there may be different motives behind it.
That's my conspiracy-think in a nutshell, anyway. I'm not saying it solves all my problems, far from it. But it does help me consider life from a very different stand-point than most other people I know. I don't know where it came from or if I even have actually just always thought like this, but there it is. Certainly, it has helped me avoid some of the pit-falls we all come across and has actually been quite invaluable in terms of gauging people and personalities.
For example, you'd be pretty amazed at just how many people you know who work entirely from a place of manipulation. If you really sit and analyse their behaviour and motives, I mean. You might say it's just another human trait, but I know plenty of people who don't do it at all. I pretty much avoid those that do. Even if they are doing it on some sub-conscious level, it's still not a good thing for me and gets my back up no end. Many of these people will be relatives too, unfortunately. They may not be aware that they are doing it and maybe they are just responding to their own "conditioning" and can't really be blamed for that. What have you got to lose by pointing it out to them, though?
Anyway...next time someone asks me why I think the way I do, I can drop the pointers above before them and they can make of it what they will. Maybe it might at least make them think about why they think they way do too.
This is just a general "introduction" to conspiracy-think, if you like. Feel free to add anything you think might be of benefit and as ever, thanks for reading!
