[Think Black] Ask Yourself: Am I Programming Myself Or Are “They” Programming Me?

This is a busy time of year with all the games in the different areas of competition.  Is your game football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, redistricting, State of the Union, Russia vs. Ukraine, political primaries, inflation vs. low unemployment, etc.?  I’m sure there is something or someone that I left out but what a list.  

Every one of these has a devoted following and a channel and network with their own superstar performers and commentators complete with play-by-play analysts and the obligatory analytics referenced throughout each event.  Amazingly all these pursuits have advertisers willing to pay up because we are watching.  

Finally, the gambling portal is being opened for the last bit of income that can be wrung out of you through these activities. My question is, how did we get here to the point that everything is reduced to a sports analogy and with the importance of a game?  We are constantly bombarded with discussion and analysis using the same terms, descriptions, analogies, comparison frames to the point that you could hear a broadcast of any of the above and not be sure what the competition really is.  Are all the areas of competition and endeavor really of equal value in our lives and the world?

With the overwhelming flow of information, spouted by supposed and self-proclaimed experts,  where do we have room to think?  How and when do we decide for ourselves what is a priority?  Have really surrendered our ability to think to the cell phone in our hands that tracks our every thought.  Is our lived experience being replaced by the “metaverse”?  

Seems we are living someone else’s life all the time as they post on Twitter, Tik-Tok, and Facebook and we follow with bated breath.  We all know that these are snippets and not really representative of what we know to be a reality, yet we suspend our common sense.  We continue to go down the “rabbit hole” sucked in by technology programming algorithms that continue to feed you information with an ever-increasing level of sensationalism.  

Sometimes you have to ask, am I programming myself or are “they” programming me.  Have we surrendered our duty to think for ourselves because we’re too busy to be bothered?   Are we subconsciously trying to avoid responsibility for not only our actions but for those of our community?  Are we all just going along for the ride and letting someone else take the wheel?  Really?

We just had a State of the Union speech by President Biden while we have the greatest land war breaking out in Europe since World War II.  The morning after every word is being dissected for whether it boosted his popularity, was the color of his tie appropriate, was the pace of his speech rushed, did he sufficiently detail each major point, were enough issues included, will his speech affect midterm elections.  

Hey, is there any concern about the actual issues that need to be addressed?  I would challenge you to review the speech, look for your issue of greatest concern and see how that might be addressed through some of the things the president said.  After you do this, look at your selected issue to see how it reflects the greatest needs of your family, community, city, state, and country.  

Are you programming yourself to only see things in the frame of what affects you personally?  Have you lost your ability to see the world at large because you can only see ten (10) inches in front of your face to your phone?  (Might be a little closer for some, I have long arms.)  Maybe we can disconnect from scripted thought and venture back into ourselves, rediscovering humanity.  

On the portal https://casinoudenrofus.info/ you can be convinced that the online casino can be safe, spending time at your leisure playing, and you definitely can not worry about your personal data.

The examples of citizens of Ukraine may inform us.  How many of us would fight for our way of life and face overwhelming odds for future generations?  We have seen that in heroes of the past, is it resident in the ‘me generations’ of today?  If you see examples of that kind of communal sacrifice and willingness to fight for the greater good, let me know.  Call it out! 

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Attorney Larry D. Hall served as Secretary of the NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs under Gov. Roy Cooper from 2017 through January 2021. In the NC House of Representatives as the member from NC’s 29th House district (Durham), Hall served from 2006 through 2017. Secretary Hall earned a B.S. with Honors in Political Science and Business from Johnson C. Smith University and a J.D. from the School of Law at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Upon undergrad graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the US Marine Corps. A decorated officer, Secretary Hall served 16 years in the Marines and Marine Corps Reserves and served in the support of the Operations in the Middle East in Lebanon and Iran. He is currently the Deputy Industrial Commissioner at the NC Department of Insurance.