Playing Freedom

Listen to an audio reading of this article:

I spent a couple decades involved in Christian ministry and there were a few things that those of us who were active in the church noticed. There was a running joke that some people who go to church are SMO’s — Sunday Morning Only.

They showed up every week, dressed nice, greeted people, enjoyed the service and went home. That is probably 80% of the church. There was another expression for people like this who put on a church face every week — they were “playing church.” The other 20% ran every program, showed up at every event and were in the worship team, youth groups and every Bible Study.

Similarly, there are some in the Freedom Movement who are “playing freedom.” They show up at the big rallies, watch the speakers, buy a couple T-shirts and go home. Then wonder why they have a feeling of hopelessness like nothing is happening. Meanwhile, the people who are involved feel hopeful and energised by the prospect of actively fighting for our freedom.

There is another category of those in the church who are always “playing church.” They have to be the centre of attention all the time. This is called spiritual narcissism. Often, a spiritual narcissist appears like the holiest of saints, and that’s primarily because they spend a great deal of energy and effort promoting a squeaky clean aura of dedication and devotion. They often believe their own self-absorbed act.

Spiritual narcissists often graduate from the local church and go into national ministry with big websites, social media platforms and large followings. It is often very difficult to tell a narcissist from an actual sincere believer, though over time, their true colours come out, especially under pressure from perceived threats of those who start to see through their facade and call them out. Usually, they become involved in some scandal and self-destruct.

Social media has created a vast plethora of opportunities to play the fame game, and many influencers, who otherwise would be unemployed or underemployed, have made significant fortunes promoting themselves. Women are especially vulnerable to vanity when millions of people watch their monetised videos and put them up on pedestals.

Over the last three years, numerous leaders in the Freedom Movement have come and gone. Some of them self-sabotaged because they just could not handle all the attention.

Ego and fame are dangerous drugs, intoxicating magic spells that jack up people’s endorphins and give them a false euphoria that they become addicted to. “Opioids directly impact the brain’s reward system,” said Dr. Tara Emrani, psychologist at NYU Langone Health. “They release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure seeking — similar to what happens when someone receives a Facebook “like or comments.”

“Facebook likes and comments activate similar parts of the brain as opioids, where each like or positive comment activates the reward system and the brain releases dopamine,” Dr. Emrani told Fox News via email. She noted similar sensations occur when someone eats food they enjoy, have sex or use other substances, including cocaine.

“So, arguably, the feelings/experiences of the brain as a result of Facebook likes or comments is similar to those resulting from cocaine, albeit less intense,” Dr. Emrani added. “In addition, opioids have other significant negative effects on the brain, including shrinkage of grey matter and loss of memory.”

It is human nature to want to be liked, but it is better to be respected. You may have fewer Facebook friends, and not as many likes on your posts, but you can hold your head up and sleep better at night.

According to Dr. Peter Furda, who has been a “sherpa” to leaders for two decades, there are two kinds of masks that leaders wear. One, is the imposter, who pretends to be a serious member of the team but really is just there for their own self-gratification. The other is the impersonator, who is really, impersonating him or herself by projecting an aura of perfection. They believe they have to have it all together and they are always right.

Dr. Furda concludes with some wise words: “And the most effective leaders are those who rather than try and project perfection, who instead try and perfect the craft. They create an organisation of people who are prepared to say they don't know. Who are prepared to ask for help. Who are prepared to learn and grow over time. And, of course, they are the organisations that ultimately outperform all others.”

Though it may sound obvious, it needs to be repeated often, that we are in a war, a profoundly de-stabilising and elusive war where the enemy hides behind mainstream media and political puppets. They have successfully created a narrative, a colourful story that the general population have believed. Our friends, family and co-workers have unknowingly become victims to the war machine..

There is just too much at stake to be playing freedom.

---

My work is entirely reader-supported. If you enjoyed this article please consider sharing it with like-minded people. Upgrade your subscription to “paid” if you appreciate what I’m doing, or buy me a coffee at Paypal.me/freepolitik.

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Rumble or YouTube. If you want to read more you can buy my book, How to Defeat the New World Order. The best way to keep up to date with what we’re doing is subscribe to the mailing list at VictoryCanada.today which will get you an email notification for our social activism, and on Substack, whenever I write another article. 

All works are co-authored with my partner MB Bose. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement.

---