Category: History

Our Government Would Never Lie to Us, Right?

I thought this an appropriate post with all that is going on in government and politics these days. Tighten up your BS filter people!

Back in the 60’s I totally believed the war in Vietnam was essential to preserving the “free world”.  The free world, of course, were all the democratic nations.  The communists were coming to get us and take away our hard-earned freedom.  Of course I pretty much believed everything the government told me back then. 

I was high school age the first time I became aware of national propaganda. I was working on getting my Ham Radio license.  I built a Knight Kit Star Roamer shortwave receiver and installed a long-line dipole antenna on the roof.  Between studying the FCC rules and practicing Morse code, I enjoyed tuning in shortwave radio stations from around the world.  I listened to most of the English-speaking stations around the world, but stations concerned with the war were the most interesting at the time.  I regularly listened to two stations for war news, Voice of America and Radio Havana.

Listening to these two stations quickly dissolved my naivety that all news was reported accurately.  Voice of America claimed the US was winning the war with major enemy casualties and very few of ours while Radio Havana reported exactly the opposite.  Asking my Dad about this resulted in an interesting explanation of why and how propaganda works.  I never took the news at face value again.  Even news sources doing their best to report the news accurately are at the mercy of the government press releases for a lot of information.  So governments are spinning the news.

Breaking free from government propaganda is challenging, but many people have done so through a mix of critical thinking, exposure to alternative perspectives, and historical awareness. Here are some of the key ways people have learned to recognize and resist propaganda:

Understanding How Propaganda Works

People who study history and psychology recognize patterns of propaganda used in the past, like fear-mongering, scapegoating, appeals to nationalism, and repetition.  Recognizing these logical fallacies (straw man arguments, false dilemmas, personal attacks) helps people see when they’re being manipulated.  Advanced college degrees are not needed to understand the basic concepts.  These are not difficult concepts to learn and train yourself to spot.

Exposure to Diverse Information Sources

Those who escape propaganda often start by seeking out alternative viewpoints like reading news from international sources, listening to dissident voices, or accessing independent media.  The hard part is finding news sources without a political bias. When in doubt, ask ChatGPT.

The Internet has helped, but in authoritarian countries, people have to use VPNs, encrypted messaging, and dark web resources to bypass government censorship.

Personal Experience vs. Official Narratives

Many people start questioning propaganda when their real-life experiences don’t match what they’ve been told. Soviet citizens in the 1980s were told they lived in a utopia, but they saw breadlines, corruption, and shortages firsthand.  The availability of satellite TV increased their awareness of the rest of the world.  Teenagers and young adults tore down the Berlin wall, not Ronald Reagan who took credit for it!  Iraq War veterans came home and spoke out when they realized the reasons for the war were exaggerated or false.

Firsthand contact with “enemies” often changes perspectives. Soldiers, travelers, or refugees often realize that the people they were taught to fear are just like them.

Studying History and Past Lies

Seeing how governments have lied before helps people recognize when it’s happening again.  Here’s some good examples:

Gulf of Tonkin Incident (Vietnam War) – The U.S. falsely claimed an attack to justify war.

Weapons of Mass Destruction (Iraq War) – No WMDs were found, despite claims.

Soviet Lies about Chernobyl – The USSR downplayed the nuclear disaster for days.

Stopping NATO Aggression (Ukraine War) – Putin masking efforts to expand the Russian empire.

Climate change denial (oil companies) – Deniers claim this change is naturally occurring and has happened many times in the past. This is overwhelmingly false. Past climate shifts took thousands to millions of years while today’s warming is happening in decades, making it much harder for ecosystems and human societies to adapt.

Once people see how easily the truth gets manipulated, they question present-day narratives more critically.

Conversations and Underground Movements

Dissent spreads through private discussions, underground literature, and social media.  In authoritarian regimes, people share banned books, listen to foreign radio stations (like Radio Free Europe in the Cold War), and circulate illegal self-published texts.  Today, leaked information (e.g., Wikileaks, whistleblowers) plays a big role in breaking official narratives.

Asking: “Who Benefits?”

Many people break free by simply asking “Who profits from this?”  For example:

War – Military contractors, politicians seeking power, resource-hungry corporations.

Fear – Justifies government control, new laws, or tax increases.

Division – Prevents people from uniting against their real oppressors.

Breaking Free is Hard but Possible

Governments use harsh penalties to keep people from questioning the narrative. Whistle-blowers get jailed, journalists disappear, and dissenters are silenced.  Yet, people still resist, from Soviet defectors to Chinese dissidents to American war protesters. Still, you don’t need to break the law to have a meaningful impact.

I was drafted for Vietnam.  Fortunately, the war ended before I was due to go to Nam, but too many others were not so lucky.  At that time, most of us in the military realized the war was a government sham.  The government spent way too much time trying to cover it up and needless lives were lost.  That is the worst consequence of propaganda. This is the filter I process everything through now.

By educating ourselves and questioning narratives, we can hold leaders accountable and demand a more honest government.  Fact check everything and study important issues in depth.  Making decisions based on news media “sound bites” is never good. Beware of misleading statistics.  The government will never be any better than the people they govern.  Let us hold them to a higher standard!

A Message from Every Good Person to Every Government on Earth

“All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” Robert Fulghum

Attention world governments!  I have an especially important message from all the good people of Earth.  WE DON’T WANT YOU TO WAGE ANY WAR ON ANYONE FOR ANY REASON!  We are all incredibly surprised you do not know this, so the purpose of this message is to let you know beyond all doubt.

You know all your wars are motivated by your own fears.  We have no such fears.  We here in the NATO countries wish no harm on our friends in Russia, China, North Korea, or anywhere else.  Likewise, we here in Russia and North Korea never asked our government to waste our dwindling resources to fight off NATO countries.  We are all the same, just regular folks trying to get by.  Wars are not started by the people, but by governments fighting their own battles!

We know there’s still a lot of us that are under the influence of our government’s powerful propaganda campaigns.  Most propaganda aims at putting the fears of the government on the people – “We must protect ourselves from Communist takeover.” or “We must protect ourselves from Western imperialism.”  We, the good people, are smart enough to recognize this propaganda as a diversion tactic to keep us from seeing the real goal of most of our governments, which is, national expansion to benefit the elite few who fear losing power!  There are more of us that realize this all the time, so these tactics will not work for much longer. We have learned to recognize propaganda through critical thinking, exposure to different perspectives, and historical awareness.

We have had tens of thousands of years of learning to live together.  Yes, civilizations have had to fight it out all this time, but there is a point at which we figure out a better way to solve ALL problems.  In fact, we’ve learned how to fix all the basic types of problems in kindergarten.  You government guys didn’t flunk kindergarten, did you?  Let us review the most common problems governments want to fight over and compare each one to a kindergarten equivalent.

1. Geopolitical conflicts and territorial disputes that persist between nations – Two children arguing over who gets to play in the corner with the best toys, with each claiming “I was here first!” or “This is MY spot!”

2. Ideological and religious differences leading to extremism and conflict – Children disagreeing over the “right way” to build a block tower or draw a cat, with each insisting their method is the only correct one.

3. Economic inequality within and between nations, creating instability – One child has many toys from home while another has none, creating tension during playtime when the child with many toys refuses to share.

4. Competition for limited resources, including water, land, and energy – Three children fighting over the one red crayon or the single class iPad during free time.

5. Nationalism and identity-based conflicts that resist compromise – Groups forming based on arbitrary distinctions like “blue table kids” versus “green table kids,” with each group developing loyalty and excluding others.

6. Historical grievances and unresolved injustices that fuel ongoing tensions – “I’m not sharing with Sam because yesterday he took my juice box and didn’t say sorry.”

7. Militarization and arms races, including nuclear proliferation concerns – Children building increasingly elaborate “defensive” pillow forts, eventually taking all the cushions, and leaving nothing for others.

8. Failed states and regions with weak governance that become conflict zones – Chaos erupting when the teacher briefly leaves the room and the assigned “class monitor” can’t maintain order.

9. Terrorism and non-state armed groups operating across borders – A child disrupting others’ games or destroying their artwork because they weren’t included.

10. Climate change impacts that can trigger resource conflicts and migration crises – Disputes arising when outdoor recess is canceled due to rain, forcing everyone to share limited indoor space and toys.

I won’t insult your intelligence by explaining the fixes for each of these as I know you learned them from your parents and teachers many years ago.  And I realize these simple solutions get lost in the complexity of adult life.  But, as our leaders, you need to function more like the teachers than the children!  If you kids don’t sit down and shut up there will be no snack time today!

World leaders, if you still don’t get it, you need to read more history and learn from it this time.  The longest lasting empires; Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and the China dynasties; all ended in conflict due to not solving basic kindergarten problems.  The world now produces more than enough food, clothing, shelter, and medicine for everyone.  So, what is all the fighting about?  Expansionism and imperialism are just counties acting like bullies on the playground.  The rest of the class sees what you’re doing and really wants you to “grow up” and face your insecurities!  How many times did the teacher say, “We all just need to learn to share”?

So, you might be reading all this and thinking, “Yes, I have studied history and know all this to be true.  But I am only a mid-level congressman (or member of parliament, MdB, councillor, etc.) what can I do?”  That’s an easy one.  Grow a pair and stand up for what you believe!

Hello Friends!

The blog serves as a personal journal, sharing insights from the author’s life experiences in finance, health, nature, exercise, history, science, and philosophy. It emphasizes the importance of mindset changes for financial management, maintaining health proactively, appreciating nature, regular exercise, learning from history, and understanding philosophical concepts for personal growth and improved living.
Stand by for some good posts coming up in the new year!

Welcome to my blog. I expect this will be more like a personal journal, but I also want to give some insights I’ve gleaned from my travel experiences and studies. Personally, I’ve taken way too many years to learn some simple things that make life and the world a lot better. I hope to share what I’ve learned to younger people (and maybe some of my fellow old farts) so they will not have to do as much catch up as I have.

I will focus on some basic areas that make the most improvements to a good life:

Financial – Struggling through life, pay check to pay check, is not a good plan. It does not have to be that way. Learning to manage your personal finances more like a business is a much better way. Our economy is designed to promote commercialism and this is the trap. Improving personal finances is as simple as controlling expenses and saving for the future. The main hurtle to this is the change in mindset that is required. For example, what are you thinking about the day before payday – “I’ll have the money to go out to eat”, “I can buy that new dress or sports coat I’ve wanted”, or “This paycheck will give me enough down payment for a new car loan”. Or are your thoughts more like – “I get to pay down that credit card a little more”, “I’ll have a little bit to add to retirement savings”, or “I’ll have a little bit to add to saving for a down payment on an investment property”. A change in your mindset is the way out of the commercialism trap.

Health – A lot of folks, my younger self included, think their doctor is all they need to stay healthy. Go through life until you feel bad, then go to the doctor and they fix you. That’s actually a downward spiral. Look around at the older folks you know. How many of them are sitting around watching TV with too many aches and pains to get out much any more? Truth is, our main stream doctors are only trained to “fix” people. They are not trained to keep you healthy, much less improve your health. I’ve finally learned there is a whole other type of doctor out there that is totally focused on improving health, strength, and endurance. They are the sports medicine doctors. I know, if you’re like me, you can’t afford your own personal sports doctor. But fortunately, these guys write books, have web sites, and podcasts. These guys share their knowledge for all of us to benefit from. I’ll be sharing the best of these I’ve found in future blogs.

Nature – Want to feel like you’re rich even if you’re broke? Go outside and learn the different trees and birds. Breath the air. Go for a snorkel and learn about the fish. Plant some new plants in your yard. Go for a walk in your local park. It’s all free or cheap and does wonders for the attitude.

Exercise – Strength training and cardio are not an option. Find some activities you enjoy doing to keep you going. Move it or lose it! It’s well known we lose muscle mass and blood flow as we age. Work those muscles and get the blood flowing to the brain. That, good sleep, and diet are the keys to better quality of life at any age. Don’t neglect flexibility and balance, as these are the first to go as you get older. “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Don’t let that happen. Yoga does it for me, but there’s plenty of other ways.

History – The German philosopher George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel famously said, “What experience and history teach is this—that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it.” Politicians depend on this fact, but we don’t have. Learning human history will demystify and filter the fire hose of news we get everyday.

If you want to be less frustrated by the silly actions of society and governments, start reading more history. I acquired an interest in history when I started traveling around the Caribbean. At first glance, the islands appeared to be “third world” to me. I saw a lot of old run down buildings and folks living below standards I am use to. Upon closer look I realized that was not the case at all. These islands are “old world”, their post Columbian societies being formed a couple hundred years before that of the states. That change in perspective sparked my curiosity about how civilization began and changed shape through time. I started studying the explorations of the European’s discover of the “New World”, but then backed up and got interested in man’s first emergence on the planet. You will find some great recommendations in my reading list that will explain a lot about what is going on in your world today.

Science – I am very interested in many facets of biology and physics. While not much of a scientist (my math skills being way out of date!), I just like to try to understand more about the world and the universe. I’m presently learning more about AI. Did you know that AI development has helped us learn more about how our own brains work? There is just so much to learn and so much more yet to be discovered.

Philosophy – Learning some basic philosophical theories is a good way to learn more about yourself, the folks in your life, and society. I lean towards stoicism for personal and business decisions and Zen Buddhism for life perspective.

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On Jack London

Should be required reading as part of any good education. But not in the grade, middle, or even high school level, but in college or trade school. While the young readers will certainly enjoy his creative stories, they do not yet possess the wisdom and life experience to fully appreciate the nuances.
London understands human nature, deeply. And animal nature, deeply. And all other nature from dirt to sky, deeply.
In his writing, London paints a picture of the thought processes of characters, both animal and human, as the story evolves. These are the exact same internal dialogues we all have as humans and is probably true for the animals.
He puts the reader inside the mind of humans and animals with vastly different perspectives on life. A better understanding of how other beings think can only expand the readers’ own perspectives and improve their living philosophies. The attentive reader is exposed to the minds of aboriginal peoples of the south pacific and the Baltic Sea northern lands, the captains and crew of schooners, the gold prospectors who came to the north countries, slaves and freedmen, the colonial businessmen, the privileged, and the adventurer. He takes you inside the mind of the dog, the wolf, and the whale to explore the animals’ view on life.
Yes, London’s writing is dated, most stories occurring in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. But people have not changed much. And those were times of great change – the industrial revolution and the height of colonialism. Much like today with political unrest, the Internet, AI, and such. Lots of parallels to learn from, I think.

I’ve read everything Jack London has written that I could get my hands on. His perspective on life has opened my eyes wider to better enjoy our natural world. This includes a better understanding of the people I meet that love the land, oceans, and animal life that is all around us. I now believe there is a common bond between us all that a lot of folks never learn to appreciate. Most of us will never go on an exploration where death is highly probable. Stories of those who did make us grateful for the accessible wilderness areas we have today.

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