Hey my friend @barge, I hope you are doing well lately.
Thank you kindly for sharing your perspective on this matter, and doing so in a non accusatory/non aggressive manner.
It seems, from my perspective, as deeply as I can comprehend the aspects of all of this, that there could be unwitting persons involved who may not have motives to hurt or be abusive to others.
There could be aspects of coercion or bullying with some, and it is difficult to know all of the layers which exist behind closed doors.
In my younger years I always felt immediate rage and anger towards any and all persons involved with something which may be construed as abusive to others, but as I've gained some wisdom in life, I feel a deep empathy and sympathy for those who may act out aggressively.
Much of my insight with this has been through my own struggles with anger and aggression, as someone who was abused and bullied as a child, and have been able to see, through life experience how these experiences perpetuate a manifestation of the very behaviors which caused the damage in the first place.
It becomes even more clear when some who act out aggressively are also some of the kindest and loving people much of the time. In some ways it might seem as perplexing to some, but it is a gift as I see it, to be able to experience and recognize trauma for what it is. This might be a contestable statement to some, but trauma for me, has given me the greatest insight and wisdom in life to share with others, and with this insight and wisdom comes a choice. The choice to give love to others and deal with traumatic memories in my own ways, or the choice to allow the Demons ALL in the mind to take over, or realize PAIN is born of past trauma, renewed through repeat experiences, and NOT allow the Suffering to be kept alive by FEAR of the Repeat...
I suppose it all comes down to choice. - a CHOICE of which to avail oneself!
I respect your decisions and support them fully.
My action is inaction. I will vote certain witness for now, leaving mostly empty slots and will vote witnesses that I think are not involved with abusive voting patterns, wittingly or unwittingly so. That doesn't mean certain witnesses might not get my vote again in the future if things change.
Much love to you my friend.
Hey brother thanks for sharing your perspective on this and pulling up some fungi quotes :D
It's certainly interesting to consider that bullying in general (ie the act of abusing another) is an acting out of abuse that the bully may have suffered in the past. I defo subscribe to this and consider that actions (including thoughts and spoken/written words) that trigger pain and suffering in others are a form of projection outwards of the pain/suffering that is inside (and has not been attended to in a healthy manner that might heal the wound).
Control(-ling others) seems to fit in here too - sometimes it appears as a justification for the bullying. Thus the temptation to police and bring about 'order' as a way of obtaining control (power?). When force is used which could otherwise also appear as bullying, this may be justified through appeal to consensus of the 'greater good'.
Adept 'players' of the 'game' may of course resort to sophisticated yet disingenuous arguments which justify the use of force (bullying); these adepts appear to be conscious of playing a role and tend to get less caught up emotional storms. Less adept 'players' tend to identify greatly with the role and thus also to get caught up in emotional exchanges.
Behind the role is Being, and there is found LovingKindness....totally agree bro, it's a fine awareness to maintain: that there IS Being behind Action and that any given action is but an expression of the moment (action is not 'Being'). In a different role and place, this LovingKindness likely shines through like a MOFO :)
I too have lived a life under the shadow of anger/rage and unconsciously acting out my suffering by inflicting chunks of it on others. I'm grateful to have started to wake up from the nightmare that that was the only possible way of living; that I had to control in order to get!
I've been listening to Viktor Frankl's experiences through WWII death camps - the enormous suffering at so many different levels, yet, in the end and in the beginning and through it all - he sez - the meaning to life is nothing other than Love! Pretty fucking incredible and, as I'm sure we agree, so fucking true :D
🙏🤗