Since this past April I’ve been working on post production for a documentary I shot in Peru. Sorting through a wealth of material (four months of filming) with locations at the seaside, the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Jungle. Photos, videos, audio recordings, letters, books, legal documents, research papers, websites, government publications…
I was busy moving files around on my laptop; sorting, deleting, archiving… when I found an unpublished blog post from August 2014. I don’t remember the circumstances of why I wrote the piece or why it was never published, but when I read it tonight, I recognized my voice in each word. At that time, I imagine I got distracted with preparation for some project and set aside this opinion piece in lieu of packing, researching or fundraising… but today, June 22 2016, I feel compelled to publish this 2 year old plea to humanity.
Unedited, as I found it – From August 2014
It’s no secret I’m an opinionated, anarchistic, activist. But lately, I’ve noticed that many of my friends and family have also taken up the gauntlet. Sure we all love to whine about how Facebook is controlling our lives, eating up our time and bombarding us with calculated and targeted advertising, but what we don’t fully appreciate is the way it’s given us a voice.
I hate game requests more than the next guy but I’ll excuse the intrusion in hopes I can influence just one more friend that we need to start making drastic changes or our planet is doomed. I ignore the ads which clearly have nothing to do with my needs and likes (Facebook must be confused if it thinks I’m interested in buying stuff, cause I’m not) but will spend hours scouring the feeds looking for ammunition for my own battle of reason or an opening to place a carefully constructed phrase in hopes that others will be moved to question, act or consider other possibilities.
Yes, Facebook is a corporately controlled monster that can be dangerous in the wrong hands but which also has immense reach and scope and the power to influence and educate. Over the past few weeks I’ve seen a definite shift in perspectives given the situation in the Middle East and recent escalation of conflict between Arabs and Israelis.
Christians, Jews, Muslims and all other believers (or non) have drawn lines in the virtual sand and are defending their positions. What’s interesting to me is that racial and cultural background seems to have little bearing on which side of the fence people eventually sit on. The Jewish Nations both inside and outside the State of Israel have condemned attacks against the Palestinians while Muslims in other regions have pledged support for Israel claiming Hamas to be the ultimate evil.
It’s hard to understand the inconsistencies but one can only surmise it’s got something to do with the misrepresentation of information and the long history of propaganda and lies dished out by both parties. For me personally, it’s a challenge to find the truth. No one is immune to bias. We all have it and we’ve all had it used against us. We’re only human after all.
No matter what your views or policies are, I urge you to speak up and speak out. Take control of the power at your fingertips and offer your opinion on that post. Share a link that moves or inspires you. Pissed off? Tell people why. It’s through constant reflection and questioning that we discover our own truths.
I’d love to hear what revs your engine…
share in the comments and don’t get so upset if everyone doesn’t see it your way. I challenge everyone to share their views on Global warming. How does it affect you? What needs to be done? Is it our responsibility or that of government and big business…?
Thoughts?
Is this still relevant today? What’s the same? What’s different?
The Big Picture, The Fine Print 
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