Resetting the Mind

I'm going to quote an old friend of mine, from a thought she posted yesterday morning on Facebook:

"I have never found myself so lost, professionally and personally, and have no idea what to do, or where to go. How did i ever get here? How do i get out? And how do i sort out this whole happiness/satisfaction thing? And courage...I could use some of that, too."

This thought, whether divine placement, or just an example of the general haze of millennial confusion, which many of my peers have and which I just happened to notice and resonate with, happens to be a fine example of my current state as well.

Many feelings have arisen this past week alone, feelings of bafflement and even hopelessness. In light of the impending US Presidential election, I watch the news, peruse the Facebook feed, various news websites, and even the coverage of the Olympics. I've come to the conclusion that so much of what we see is obviously put in front of us on purpose, usually by someone with a large wallet. There is no free speech anymore. What you see is not the official news. It's news that has been skewed to get money or votes from the general population.

I watched a short clip of "Adam Ruins Nutrition" not too long ago, and while this may or may not also be propaganda, it certainly seems to create a compelling anti-establishment view of how even our breakfast cereals aren't as nutritious as we hear them to be.

I first knew there was something wrong when viewing various television commercials in High School or college. Being brought into the world of Marketing through the major of Graphic Design, I began to see how companies can make the most horrific product, Mickey-D's Chicken Nuggets, for example... into works of art through tonal lighting, proper photography or film composition, and careful wording... when in reality, ... they say (heh)... Chicken Nuggets aren't even made from true healthy chickens, but instead are made from mutant flesh creatures, genetic monstrosities created in a lab, with the flavor of chicken added in for taste... some without heads, etc.

I'm very affected by this, emotionally, if not spiritually. I'm haunted by horror movies at the very fact that people's minds come UP with the ideas presented in the films or TV shows. The sociopath tendencies of the two major candidates running right now... just freaks me out. I can't watch a movie anymore based in reality. I've turned to High-Fantasy (minus Game of Thrones), Science Fiction, and old-style horror instead, namely the weird creature horror fiction from the mind of H.P. Lovecraft, but also the mysterious and compelling "Stranger Things" series from Netflix.

It may sound like a giant cliche, but I debate turning it all off. No Facebook feeds, no news with subliminal messaging. Just silence. The glorious silence of the mind at play.

I'm a painter who doesn't paint. Perhaps if I block the onslaught of corrupt media, I'll be better able to contact my inner voice again. The voice of my creative child, the one starving to death in the bowels of my mind, with old broken toys and empty oil tubes.

There are truly beautiful things in this world. Things the news never covers. Things I probably never have heard of. I need to get out of my routine, get outside and purposefully seek these things out. Perhaps unlike my friend and my current state, I'll find a sense of happiness and satisfaction, whether in my art making, my work, new friends, or even food and nutrition.

Happiness and satisfaction are only found through God, I believe. And God is not fake chicken, xenophobia, super-delegates, or high-fructose corn syrup. God is in determination, personal strength, fresh air, and puppies. God is in creation, not destruction or walls. God is in truth, beauty, freedom, and above all things... love.