How long have you been dancing as fast as you can, trying to keep up with the beat? Aren’t you exhausted? It’s easy to say, “Stop dancing!” But here's a life hack for you: tune out the noise...
Those who want you to "walk like an Egyptian" keep ratcheting up the racket. Think about it: if you're busy hoofing it all over the place trying not to trip over yourself, it's less likely to occur to you to just stop. Hopefully, we're more self-aware (or at least clumsily self-conscious) than that.
"The blond waitresses take their trays
They spin around and they cross the floor;
They've got the moves, you drop your drink
Then they bring you more..."
Look around us. Coverage of the current election season isn’t about thoughtful deliberation on informed issues. The “experts” attract attention by focusing on sound bites and media events. The polls are presented as “breaking news” keeping score of public opinion. Doesn't watching the news feel more like watching ESPN lately?
Then there's weather reporting framed as catastrophic events, even when they’re not. If you’ve had friends and family contact you because an alarming weather report for your area left them concerned for your safety, you know what I’m saying. The hype is baked in.
Media analysts are telling us, it’s "the new normal.” Of course they are! It’s their industry and it's in their best interests to frame it that way. Everything is designed to keep us coming back, to make us a more and more mindless consumers. Not educators. Not people. They see us as customers...sources of revenue. But all of this only works if we allow ourselves to be defined this way. Are you a willing participant?
"Slide your feet up the street, bend your back
Shift your arm then you pull it back.
Life is hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac..."
Stop the noise. Refuse to react. Recognize the focus on feelings over facts, drama over data, and consciously diffuse the efforts to reinforce your response to it. It’s not easy. We know it’s not. The echo chamber keeps reverberating familiar tropes that reinforce our responses, giving us the illusion that we’re taking action. But Is anything really happening if it’s all taking place in our heads?
Be aware of what’s best for you. Their efforts only work if you keep dancing, continuing to give them your time and attention and money and even your vote. Stop the racket, Slow down and let reality settle in. What's important to you in the silence? What do you experience without the manipulation? Feel the relief. You’re back in control.
Does it take work? Is it hard at first? Yes, but it’s a different kind of tired when you reinvest your energy in yourself.
And when you’re in touch with your authentic self, what is it you truly want to achieve; not what anyone else says you should do, but what you yourself believe in and want to accomplish?
You have the wherewithal to choose how you want to impact the world around you. How does it make sense for you to intentionally move forward? And what do you need to stay centered so you don't fall back into the dance?
"All the Japanese with their yen,
The party boys call the Kremlin.
And the Chinese know
They walk the line like Egyptians..."
They see your potential to achieve their goals, not yours. Why would you agree to sacrifice your worth for that?
The truth is, when you’re mindlessly giving it away, you don’t even have to provide your consent for them to use you. Defy labels of parties and brands and memberships. Refuse to sign up for subscriptions and automatic renewals. It can all come back to bite you...
Finally, as if all this isn't enough, who is behind these commercial entities? How transparent are their motives and actions? How often do the names and faces behind the brands change? And how much do they care about you and your well-being?
Slow down. Pay attention. Be deliberate. These are your best tools to thwart all the forces out there who only see you as a means to their ends.
And when you do decide you want to support a candidate or a company, make them earn it. Nothing worthwhile is easy. You shouldn’t be, either.
"All the school kids so sick of books,
They like the punk and the metal band.
When the buzzer rings, they're walking like an Egyptian.
All the kids in the marketplace say, 'Walk like an Egyptian...'"
Authenticity isn’t automatic; you have to work it.
So pay attention and do the work, confident in the knowledge that
You know the tune!
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