There are things in the world that are far too complex for us to figure out on our own. But you might be surprised those examples account for a very small number of things we personally have to deal with.

Polls show trust in the media at an all-time low with less than 20 percent of citizens trusting television or print media. Yet, reporters and academics continue to destroy the core principles that sustain journalism and ultimately the role of a free press in our society.

The fear mongering catalogued by Dodsworth in her own country found echoes all over the world. Dan Andrews, premier of the Australian state of Victoria, raised the fear bar to new heights in a July 2020 address: “No family. No friends. No holding hands. No goodbyes…”

Through trial, error, and ongoing soul-searching, Tessa Lena came to the following important conclusion: the foundational emotion that helps us stand up to abuse — and not shrink in the face of threats — is self-love of the real kind.

The promotion of fear has been the prime propaganda tactic of the Deep State. Fear to immobilize the population to do as the propagandists tell us. It’s all about control. The root of all fears is the fear of death, thus the power to assassinate dissidents, wage war, and kill through “medicine” are all employed by the power elites.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. Civic engagement is a real, crucial feature to trying to wrest control from these handful of corporations that control not only our communications landscape, but increasingly our entire civic sphere.