CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE
By Judith Ashton
Just when I thought the state of the world couldn’t get any worse, the government booklet Be Emergency Ready landed in my post box. Having predicted this in my article of 5th June, I was not entirely surprised. Similar booklets have been delivered across Europe in recent months, so it was only a matter of time before Ireland caught up with our neighbours and joined their heightened anxiety about what might happen next.
So what might the government know about future events that we are already being warned about? Consider the story of the frog in hot water: dropped into boiling water, it jumps out at once; placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it stays and gradually adjusts to the rising temperature without reacting and dies.
I wonder whether each new crisis is slowly conditioning us to become less responsive. As a child, I remember the government telling us that, in the event of a nuclear attack, we should shelter under the stairs, close the windows, and we would be safe. Insanity!
When Covid arrived everyone danced in tune to the Government’s piper, like a frightened herd of sheep, all terrified of killing their granny. Everyone stockpiled toilet paper, people snitched on neighbours who gathered in their gardens; we were told not to venture further than 2 kms, forced to wear masks and could only socialise and dine out if we rolled up our sleeves for an untested “vaccine”. Did all that really happen?
Some whistleblowers claim the pandemic was pre-planned, that the vaccines and masks promoted as “safe and effective” didn’t work, and mandates designed to instil fear and control were pre-prepared. Could it possibly be true?
Of course, planning ahead is sensible. We should always have some basic supplies and look out for our neighbours. But how likely is it that we will face a real emergency? The risk is high. Everything is connected: what happens in the Middle East affects us all. If the Blonde Bombshell across the pond gets the hairstyle ruffled, we may all be doomed!
Our divided, embattled, precarious world is becoming increasingly unpredictable, with few signs of stability ahead. Climate change is here, space battles are coming, AI has arrived in all its terrifying glory, wars fuel economies, and millions of hungry, thirsty people are being displaced—a trend that will continue. Water supplies are dwindling, food security is uncertain, fertility rates are falling, mental health problems are soaring, and cancer rates are rising; and the government sticks a bilingual leaflet through my door and expects me to feel reassured? Come on! It creates fear and increases a sense of frozen anxiety.
So, what positive or empowering information could the “Office of Emergency Planning” tell us? (Idea for booklet 2 entitled “Seeds and Water Butts.” Just maybe?)
How about the UK World War 2 strategy, “Dig for Britain” where every private garden became food producing patches? How about we stop flushing the loo with drinking water? How about commandeering the massive empty glasshouses on the Dublin Road and growing food? How about teaching young people to cultivate an allotment rather than constantly focussing on their mental health? Digging, gardening, and growing crops can be excellent therapy!
Our social infrastructure has become increasingly automated and technology driven. People managed for decades without constant connectivity; which ironically fosters loneliness rather than connection. Where has social media actually taken us as a species? We have become more selfish, numb, and disconnected. Is this all part of slowly conditioning us into amnesia, depression, and inaction so Musk, Zuckerberg and their robot armies can take over?
Where has the spirit gone where people become pro-active and not simply passive swallowers of increasingly hot water?
What truly matters to us human beings? Shouldn’t we live from the heart rather than through fear; caring for one another and recognising that our similarities outweigh our differences? We are all going to die. What matters is how we live now and connect to each other. We must choose love and sharing over fear and scarcity.
The French philosopher Voltaire said, “Everyone should dig their own garden.” We can understand this literally or symbolically: perhaps we should cultivate self-knowledge, look within for essential truths about the human spirit, and reflect on our brief journey through life. What truly matters is how much we have loved, not how much fear we have embodied.
Are we living our lives consciously or simply being slowly boiled!? How do you want to spend your days on Earth? “Be Emergency Ready” to love unconditionally!
