Free Man In Colorado: Unplugged

I took the last step to being a free man in Colorado Wednesday – cutting the cable. That’s right! I am now totally internet dependent. (More free?) No more broadcast, or cable, TV talking heads for me. The blather and nonsense is gone. Poof. I have removed from my life all that propaganda, as well as all the advertising .  It (the news, goods and services) is now totally up to me; and Google & Youtube.

Old Media

is obsolete. Seriously. It’s dying, and its practitioners have become desperate. Their influence is waning, and their livelihoods and self esteem threatened. Relying on them for ideas and information is like eating junk food and thinking you’re healthy.

Values

In a therapy session, once, we were talking about values. I said my most important ones were:

• Freedom
• Independent thinking
• Honesty

My therapist would almost always close each session with, “It’s up to you”. Meaning  whatever I did was my decision. She would present me with options that I might not have come up with on my own. By cutting out the old media, I’ve removed a barrier to all three.

But before I could

there were other necessary things that had to happen – responsibilities, if you will, that had to be taken care of. There was divorce from partners, of any kind, to include a wife, parents, and business associates. Also, that my children were grown, adult, and capable. In addition, there are economic concerns, or “money in the bank”. (see Solo Living.)

I had checked those off, but still, there was a nagging, troublesome thing that I couldn’t put my finger on. That thing caused me great harm, as it turned out. It was the zeitgeist of modernity. Or, the dependence on “experts” for information and knowledge. Also known as the elite class. The “thought leaders”. Their delivery method was via broadcasting (radio, TV, & cable); and print (newspapers, magazines, academic journals, & books). As well as, when I was younger, the university lecture and classroom.

All of those entities told me what was what.

With the cutting of the final cord – I am now free. To think for myself and be as honest and true as I can. Ha! I had no sense of how liberating cutting that final tether would feel. What it did was eliminate the clock, or time itself.

When.

Time was the enemy that cutting the cord killed. Not only am I now the sole decider of who and what I listen to; but I also decide when. And that is huge. Which is not to say that I pay no mind to its passage. I’m aware of the sun rising and setting. And also that I must keep up with the paper work. Or, when bills are due – the “payment due date”. Paying them “on time” contributes to my freedom and independence. So there is that.

Who

I pay attention to is now totally up to me. That took me a while (years) to sort through, evaluate, and figure out, but now, I’ve a list. They are all similar to me! In that they are smart, independent, honest, original thinkers. I have a team! They are, in no particular order:

• Teal Swan. A Millennial, delivers the “hard truth“. Available on Youtube.

  

• Kati Morton. A Millennial, married w/o children (ironically), is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, who is much softer, kinder (sweet even) than Teal. Kati has several channels on youtube and is like comfort food.
• Scott Adams. A boomer, is a famous cartoonist with a daily periscope on Twitter & Youtube. Scott delivers an interactive monologue about current affairs.
• Robert Wright. A boomer, is a philosopher/writer/intellectual with several outlets on Youtube and Twitter. Bob interviews a wide-range of very smart people on his podcast. He also has a weekly, free, email-delivered newsletter.
• Matt Taiibi. A GenXer, is an independent journalist who has a weekly podcast with Katie Halper on YouTube. Which is fun.
• Krystal Ball. A Millennial, has a sidekick, Saagar Enjeti, and they cover politics for The Hill on a Youtube presentation called Rising. they consider themselves Progressives.

  

• Joe Rogan. Of course. A GenXer, Rogan is a stand-up comic who has 3-hour, Youtube podcasts with smart, interesting, personalities. The subject matter is wide-ranging.
• Billy Schear. A Millennial, has a podcast that engages interviewees with all things social and cultural. This Christmas he interviewed me regarding my latest book, Election 2016.
• Great Debate. This here blog wherein I analyze and process all things concerning the human condition.

What and Where

is Youtube (mostly). Which also carries live events of importance. All the other stuff, too (broadcast & cable TV), if you just have to have it. As well as music. Live concerts are my favorites. On demand whenever I feel like it!

Why

because I love freedom, independent thinking, and honesty.

On Isolation.

These are challenging times for we humans. Nothing like this has ever happened before – seven billion people all under the same danger threat of a deadly virus.

But, my life has changed little. I’ve been withdrawing into myself, and “social distancing” for several years. I like it. In fact, my therapist’s last words to me were, “I hope you’re well and connecting with other folks.”

Ironically,

I am, more so now than before this crisis. Because of the internet, the isolation and “stay home” orders – old friends have been reaching out to me and re-connecting. Via Facebook, FaceTime, direct messaging, email, and phone. All wireless.

Friday is FaceTime Happy Hour with my bff, Strubs. We drink whiskey and beer and chat.

As dangerous and threatening as these days are – it’s also the best time ever to be alive!