Ep. 49 | Freedom or Fear Porn? How ‘Truth Seekers’ Became the New Cult
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Speaker: Oh my god, welcome back. This is the last episode of 2024 and holy shitballs are we saying goodbye to 2024 with a bloody bang with this episode because I am stoked to bring this to you. I'm going to be talking all about how Is it freedom or is it fear porn? This is not a dull topic. Trust me. This is going to be a doozy.
I have some real juicy questions to also ask you that are going to be so thought provoking. And I actually want to discuss has. How does truth seeking become a new cult? Because essentially that's what it feels like. Now, obviously I'm going to bring so much nuance to this topic.
This comes from lived experience. bloody experience and we're just going to dive right in. First of all, hope you've had an awesome Christmas break. I don't have a lot of time for chitchat right now. I just want to get into this episode, but yeah, I have eaten my way through my fridge. Let me just say that I've eaten so much fricking food over the last few [00:01:00] days.
I'm dying to get back into the gym and into a healthier lifestyle, but I've loved every second. Zero regrets. Is that the Is that the tattoo that guy got in that movie? Regrets? Is that how you spelled it? Zero regrets, guys. I love food. All right. We're going to be talking about the fake awakening pandemic because Half the people that honestly call themselves awake, I believe, are just parroting different talking points But in a shinier package and it's gonna make sense as I go through this.
Again, this comes from lived experience. I am analyzing myself massively in this video Well, I was in the creation of this episode. So I just want to get straight into it. I know this episode is going to ruffle feathers. Okay. I'm aware of that, but let's be real. That's probably why you're here listening in the first place.
Like this is a controversial podcast. This is the whole point of it. Let's dive in. So we're going to be digging into the illusion essentially of awakening and why so many people who [00:02:00] genuinely think that they're awake or that have broken free from the system are actually still trapped in it. Just in, as I said before, it's like a shinier, I would say more rebellious cage, which does appeal to someone who has that outlaw archetype within them, which most people tuning in do.
So I understand this is me, like the whole anti system rhetoric has pulled me in very strongly because I frothed that. I do, and I know you do too, if you're a listener of this podcast, but yeah, stick with me. I want to be really upfront about where I stand with this because I have actually lived on both sides of the fence of this topic, right?
So I was raised in a very religious cult. Where, you know, from birth until around my mid twenties where questioning wasn't just discouraged. It was actually forbidden. You weren't allowed to question what we were taught. And then I became a cop in Western Australia in my [00:03:00] mid twenties, actually was about 26 when I joined the police force and working inside that system, I would say it taught me exactly what happens when people do blindly.
Follow authority, like literally just blindly follow without ever questioning, ever stopping to ask why. So I've seen what happens when you don't question, when you just trust rules, when you just trust hierarchy. When you just trust the systems. I've seen that firsthand. I've lived that firsthand and I've seen what can happen when you don't lead yourself.
When you just allow others to lead you instead of leading yourself, right? So I have seen firsthand within myself lived experience or as a police officer like on the front lines as a cop Working in that environment. I know what happens and I understand why you can then swing too far to the other side Which is what I did.
Swing too far where it's like your whole whole identity is It's questioning, right? But [00:04:00] suddenly you're just as controlled as the people that you claim to have broken away from. And this will make sense in a second, but that definitely was my whole identity, including this year, by the way, this is why I'm doing this episode.
It's been a massive wake up call for myself. So this is. It's honestly, sorry, I'm getting messages. I'm distracted by my phone. I need to turn that off. Don't message me right now, friends. So, but honestly, this is what this whole episode is really about. This is personal, bloody personal, my friend. This is coming from lived fucking experience.
I'm not pirating from someone else. That's not me. I don't parrot from other people and just call it a day and slap a title on it. And there's my episode, right? My episodes come from live experience or asking people who have had the lived experience or just raising questions. 'cause I'm a curious bastard.
That's what it comes down to. This is my own hard lessons. This episode comes from my own pride. The own shit that I've had to confront within myself. It's bloody embarrassing, but it's [00:05:00] also powerful because again, it's, it's palpable. It's come from within me. And I know this will resonate for you hard. And that's what this episode is really about.
It's what happens when truth seeking, honestly, turns into fear porn. That should be the title. This is when the so called, like, awake crowd starts looking a hell of a lot like the very systems that they say that they're actually fighting.
Because let's be honest, rejecting the mainstream narratives or whatever, media, everything, doesn't automatically make you free. It's an illusion. We think we're free just because we're questioning. It doesn't make you sovereign. Did you know that? Just raising a question about the system at large does not make you sovereign.
You can still be, and I can still be, tethered to these very systems. Raising a question is just the beginning. Sometimes it actually makes you dependent on a new set of leaders. A new set of rules, a new kind of dogma when we just are [00:06:00] so intertwined with this like truth seeker label, this anti system label, it's just a whole new dogma.
And I do tread a fine line here and I want to make that very clear, uh, right from the very beginning. I question everything. I mean, you would know that if you're an avid listener, I question everything probably to the point where I also contradict myself constantly. And honestly, I'm okay with that because.
None of us actually know what the hell is going on. Not really. Right? None of us actually know what is this world? Why are we here? How did we get here? I mean, sure, we came through our mother's womb or however you came into this world, right? Yeah, we know that. But like, how did humans first get here? What is outside of this universe?
Is there a God? Is there not a God? We all have theories. We all have ideas. We actually have no fucking clue what is actually going on here. Who built this reality or any of this, right? Who built [00:07:00] it? And if anyone tells you that they have got it all figured out, that they've cracked the motherfucking code, run!
Because that's not freedom. I'm telling you it's another cult. When they, and I'm not talking about being certain in yourself, Being certain in, you know, your moral compass or being certain in your values in life. I'm saying if you have full certainty on this is everything, this is how the world came to be, this is why we're here.
I have the answers for all of humanity. I'm here to save you, that type of thing. Honestly, I think it's another cult. I genuinely do. This is my own personal view. I think it's another cult. I would run from that individual. Because we don't all have the answers. At the same time though, and this is what I mean by having a fine line, I also know that questioning is necessary.
It seriously is. I've seen what happens when people don't ask questions, when they just blindly trust systems and institutions and they let themselves be led by everyone but themselves. And that scares me, honestly, more than [00:08:00] over questioning ever could. I would rather over question than not question, personally.
That's just me personally. So this isn't about like telling you to stop questioning. Holy shit. That's the whole premise of this podcast, but it is about making sure that your questions are leading you somewhere real. They're not just dragging into another loop of fear, into another loop of dependence, right?
Because I'm seeing that a lot. So to set the scene, here's what you can expect in this episode. First, we're going to actually break down the illusion of awakening. I do want to go through this because again, it's something I've lived through. How so many people think they've broken free from the system when honestly they've really just swapped sides as I did.
Then we're going to dig into the identity traps and tribalism, if we'll call it, and how the need to belong can actually turn questioning into just another form of groupthink. And this is, uh, Driving factor with this [00:09:00] podcast. I don't want this podcast to become one big fat motherfucking echo chamber and just another version of groupthink.
This is why I always say, please question me. Like, I'm not saying I have the answers for you on everything in life. I'm not saying that I'm some guru and I'm here to save the world and look at me. I'm strong. I question the system. Who gives a damn if nothing, like nothing productive comes from that. I raise questions, but that includes questioning me.
We're also going to look into the addiction to fear and chaos, because it is an addiction. To me, it's just the same as sugar, a sugar addiction. How even the so called like truth seekers are still operating from survival mode. And I'm going to bring a trauma lens into it. I'm not a trauma, like, I don't froth just talking about trauma all day, every day.
If you haven't looked at my Holly wild Instagram account, I have the two separate Instagram accounts. This is a side note. I've got the Holly wild Instagram account, which I'll be, you know, using more for services. And I've [00:10:00] got the controversial as fuck Instagram account, which is just for the podcast, right?
If you haven't looked at my Holly wild Instagram account recently, definitely go and check that out. It's Holly H O double O I E wild with a double D. Cause someone else had already took Holly wild. So double D on Holly wild and check it out because I'm going a lot more into this where I think people now are over identifying with trauma.
It's like the new badge to get sympathy. And I don't like that because it's also kind of watering down what trauma actually is. So I do, I am going to bring a lens though of trauma where people are trauma bonding to fear. A lot of truth seekers actually trauma bonded to fear. So we're going to talk about what freedom actually does look like in my opinion, because it's not just rejecting the system.
It's about like releasing the patterns that are still alive inside us that keep needing something to fight against. That was my thing. I just was like, I think I was. [00:11:00] Addicted to fear in some degree, not fully. Probably more addicted to chaos and addicted to the need to fight against something. And yeah, I've got some real juicy ass questions for you my friend, uh, during it but also at the end.
So I'm not here, as I said, to hand you answers or I'm not here to tell you what to think. So if you are here looking for a guru, you are in the wrong place. I'm not a guru. I'm going to help you. To strengthen your critical thinking and I'm actually here to just invite you to ask better questions.
Questions that don't lead you deeper into fear, but actually they're gonna help to pull you out of it if you ever feel yourself kind of leaning into that fear based thinking. So if you're ready for it, let's motherfucking go. I'm so excited for this. I actually feel like I need to pee. I'm that excited that I feel like I need to pee, but I'm not going to.
Cause I want to keep that excitement alive. But I am just going to have a sip of water. Cause yeah, we're going to have some real juicy [00:12:00] chat. So let's start off by being brutally, brutally honest, just because you have stopped trusting the government, the mainstream media does not mean you're free. A lot of people who walk away from these systems, they don't actually leave it.
As I said before, they simply just swap sides. They stop. trusting, let's say politicians, corporations, the institutions, right? And instead they put all their faith now in conspiracy theorists, in influence, and in a lot of so called truth seekers. You're seeing that a lot online now. And I want to be really crystal fucking clear here.
I am a conspiracy theorist, right? So I actually think that you're not questioning the official narratives and asking the hard questions if you're not a conspiracy theorist, right? You're not even in the game of life. It used to be seen as like an insult to be called a conspiracy theorist. I used to [00:13:00] hate being called a conspiracy theorist because to me it was just like so condescending and people would fling it my way.
I'm talking years ago. People would fling it my way as a way of, of, of, of, of, You know, mocking me. And now it's like I wear it as a badge of honor. I am absolutely a conspiracy theorist. So I just want to set that scene. I'm not mocking you if you are also a conspiracy theorist, right? I actually think that you're likely not a critical thinker if you're not a conspiracy theorist, but I'm Here's the problem that comes with that because agreeing with one Conspiracy theory doesn't mean that you now have to agree with every single one that you hear I'm seeing that a lot or just because someone has exposed one truth doesn't mean that you now need to blindly Trust everything else that comes out of that individual's mouth.
I'm also seeing that online a lot where there's like Almost like conspiracy theorist gurus who entire identity is built around being a conspiracy theorist. [00:14:00] And the problem is they've created massive echo chambers where, yeah, a lot of the conspiracies that they've looked at and that they've gone through, I agree with, but that doesn't mean I'm now going to agree with everything that comes out of that individual's mouth because you're now just pedestalling that person is like a cult leader.
And I do think this is where people get stuck, right? Because they leave behind. Like one form of just blind trust, and they just adopt another. They go from following politicians to now just following influencers. They start treating every single theory that they hear like gospel, because it just fits a narrative that they've already bought into.
That's dangerous ground. Right. It's really dangerous. Suddenly they're not questioning anymore. They're just nodding along. They're just buying into a whole new set of fears. And I'm going to give you some examples of things that I've actually noticed. So one would be leaving mainstream news, but it's obsessively consuming [00:15:00] fear based content about like the collapse, like the collapse of the world, collapse of all the systems and institutions or the elites.
Right. I've spoken about elites before. It's like, you've gone from, okay. Yeah. Let's poohoo mainstream media. Let's poohoo mainstream news. Sure. Right. I agree. I don't watch the news. Like who watches the news these days, right? We've gotten rid of that fear based content, but now it's just like, now we're consuming fear based content 7, maybe on social media or on YouTube.
That's all about the collapse of the world and the elites and the cabal and all of that. It's, you've swapped one side for another. Another would be like trading politicians for influencers who could like position themselves as the ultimate truth tellers. But they're, they're still, it's, it's still selling fear.
It's still selling dependency or products that are based in fear. Another one that you see a [00:16:00] lot is Is labeling yourself as awake while needing constant validation from external voices like to validate your beliefs so that you feel certain in your beliefs. You're awake, right? I'm sure you've, you've slapped awake, not woke.
I've used that hashtag heaps of times awake, not woke, right? Cause we don't want to be seen as the woke agenda, but we're awake, but we need constant validation from people outside of ourselves for our beliefs. It's like, are we really awake? We're awake. It seems like we're still asleep to me. Another one is people who make consuming and discussing conspiracies, right?
Maybe it's doomsday prepping, elite agendas, all of those things as their entire identity. These are the ones who, they literally wake up in the morning, they'll scroll through, let's say, Telegram, X, YouTube. They'll dive into all the different YouTube rabbit holes. They'll spend all day consuming. [00:17:00] And sharing all of that, like fear driven content.
Like it's a full time motherfucking job. I know these people personally, I have been this person. They never paused to actually ground themselves in real life. They're not even living in this reality anymore. It's like, they're not even really living in the human 3d reality, right?I actually would say these are the type of individuals who you cannot hold a regular conversation with them.
They're constantly restless. They're in high levels of cortisol. Constant levels of this cortisol just flushing through their system. They can't sit still. They only want to discuss what they're in the know about. Like, this is huge. I have, I've seen this in myself, right? And I, I don't like it. It's where you feel special because you're in the know about something.
Like you're in the inner circle of some new cool cult. I'm in the know about the elites. Are you? You've never met them. Who are they? Who bloody knows? I'm in the know about this conspiracy theory. Sure, [00:18:00] we have theories. Sure, we don't buy into the mainstream narrative of what's being sold about it. Sure.
Are you actually in the know, Holly? Like, do you get so much pride and so much identity from being in the know, like you're in some inner circle of a club? I'm I really had to check this in myself. It's embarrassing. It's actually embarrassing, but I feel like a lot of people will resonate with this. We literally are just swapping sides.
So I want to talk about how fear is seriously just a currency. These days, chaos is like the new economy and got to get too good. So I want to call it for what it really is. Fear sells just like sex sells. And the alternative media, in my opinion, it's just my opinion, I don't actually think that they are above cashing in on fear as a currency.
Fear is the new economy. If your so called truth seeker heroes online are selling you chaos, if [00:19:00] they're selling you crisis after crisis, but never solutions. Honestly, congratufuckalations, you've just swapped CNN for conspiracies. You've just swapped CNN for the conspiracy rabbit holes on TikTok. You've just swapped CNN for conspiracies on X or Telegram or whatever it might be.
Fear is addictive. It's actually designed to keep us hooked because chaos makes you feel productive. Think about this in yourself. How productive do you feel in the chaos? Even when it's not actually productive, it keep it. Think of this. It's so easy to just keep scrolling, to keep panicking, keep consuming.
That is easy. It feels like you're actually staying informed, doesn't it? But if your entire feed is just crisis after crisis, after crisis, there's no answers, no tools, no next steps. Like [00:20:00] honestly, I don't believe we're actually learning. I don't actually think we're really staying informed. We're just being sold to.
We're not free. We're not awake. We've just swapped bloody sides. And let's be honestly real, just because it's not coming from the mainstream media doesn't mean it's not manipulation. This was huge for me. If the messaging from even alternative news, alternative influences, if it's always urgent messaging, it's always miserable stuff, it always leaves you feeling like you need to stay locked into your home or, you know, scared of everyone out there and scared of all of the systems in the institutions.
Honestly, it's not, it's not information to me. It's just entertainment for the paranoid. It's fear porn with way better branding way better branding, but it's still fear porn There's a [00:21:00] difference between staying aware and actually staying scared and I want you to think of this for a second when we're when we're actually informed and we're aware of maybe shitty stuff that's going on or corruption control all of that It actually moves us forward to make better choices in life.
It moves us forward to make better decisions. It moves us forward to take fucking accountability for ourselves in life. The other keeps us frozen, just keeps us scared. It's in a perpetual state of fear. We're staying informed, we think, but we're just doomsday scrolling. We're just scrolling. We're just consuming.
We're not making better life choices. We're not, we're not actually living outside of the system. We are still tethered to the exact same system. As I said before, it's just like different branding, but we're still in chains. We're not actually free. So the question I want to ask you is this, as I [00:22:00] sip on my water, I'm getting so fired up about this.
Are you actually following people who are teaching you how to think, or are they just teaching you what to fear? Think of it with this podcast. Am I encouraging critical thought? Am I encouraging you to question things for yourself, including me? Or am I just teaching you what to fear? I would hope it would be the first.
I definitely have a strong intent on leaning to the first and not to the second, no matter what the topic is. Because honestly, otherwise, we haven't actually left the cult of wokeism. We just joined a new one. It's called telegram. It's called X. I have nothing against these platforms, by the way, they just tend to lean more this way.
Cause as I said before, fear based thinking is so addictive. It's up there with sugar. God, I've got a sugar addiction over Christmas. I know this intimately, but fear based thinking gives us something to hold [00:23:00] onto something to like brace against something to keep us distracted from ourselves. This is my whole point of this.
It's a distraction from going within because let's be honest with ourselves. When we're constantly feeding off chaos all the time, constantly feeding off conspiracies, we're not freeing ourselves. We're just swapping the chains and replacing them with a whole nother set of chains. It's a whole new cult.
A lot of people actually think that they're busting out of the matrix, right? We're aware. It's like, we're so awake. We're aware of the matrix. We're aware of what this system is. We've busted out of it, but we're actually just building another one. We're really just building another matrix for ourselves.
Instead of trusting the politician, which absolutely I don't think we should be trusting politicians, now we're just trusting influencers. Instead of trusting government propaganda, awesome, do not trust government propaganda, but now we're just swallowing every single [00:24:00] theory that comes without asking any hard questions, right?
It's from our truth seeker influencers out there. We're not actually asking the hard questions of them. And honestly, I think this is where it gets really uncomfortable. This is the kind of thinking that is trauma bonding. This is what I alluded to in the beginning. It's rooted in survival. It's actually rooted in a fear of abandonment.
It's rooted in needing something bigger than yourself to feel safe. It's the same and hear me out. I know this so well. It's the same psychology that cults use. Control through fear. The only difference is now it's actually happening in chat groups online. and live streams instead of churches. I'm going to say that again.
The only difference is it's happening in chat groups in live streams. Maybe it's on YouTube. Maybe it's on, I don't know, TikTok instead of it being in [00:25:00] churches. It's exact same psychology though, that cults use, that religious cults use and non religious cults use. And I would fucking know. I've lived this one, right?
I've lived this. I know this so intimately. Real freedom to me means being able to look at whatever narrative is being presented in front of it, sit with it and decide what's actually true for you. It's not just following the loudest voice in the room because they validated our fear, right? Just because our fear is being validated and they're, they're a loud voice.
Cause this is the thing that I'm finding is when someone is super loud online, that can be viewed as strength. And I don't necessarily think that's strength. I'll get into that in a second actually, but just because someone is loud expressing their fear based tactics and propaganda, like let's say a truth seeker online [00:26:00] personality, right?
They're validating your fear. They're the loudest voice in the room or on social media. If you're following that, but not the system, that doesn't mean you're awake. We're still in chains. We've just swapped sides. And a question I would actually ask is, is your awakening actually yours? Or have you just borrowed it from someone that's louder than you?
Because you do see that a lot. I'm finding that as individuals, we often will have an awakening in life. There'll be something that will trigger us to awaken from the very systems that we're tethered to. From the financial systems, from government, from the medical systems, the education systems, all of them.
I won't go into all of them, but something often will happen in our life that catapults an awakening. An awakening of [00:27:00] what the crap is this life, and why am I giving all of my faith, and my trust, and my sovereignty, and my freedom, and my attention. to these very systems that are designed to keep me in chains.
And often what happens is when we have an awakening, which I definitely had a big one at age 33, when we have this awakening, like it's visceral, it is lived experience, right? We know intimately because we've lived it. We've gone through the pain of that awakening awakenings are not fun. They are brutal. I know you would've had one if you're listening to the this podcast, you would've had an awakening in your life.
If not, you're having it right now and that's why you've discovered this podcast. They are brutal and you can tell when someone has actually had a full blown awakening that has brought them to their knees, that has humbled them beyond comprehension. And that felt like they were going to break, but somehow [00:28:00] they got through it.
There is a difference between that individual and someone who thinks they're awake and they're just parroting whatever they see online.
Is the awakening actually yours or is it just borrowed from someone louder than you? I'm seeing that so much online. So I hear just some questions so far. I've got them written down here in front of me. Are you questioning what you consume even when it aligns with your views? So here, do we pause? Do we check the sources or are we just nodding along because it fits our beliefs?
It already fits what we believe. It reinforces our biases. Are we actively searching for holes in the stories that we're hearing or only in the ones that we're disagreeing with? I have to check that in myself a lot. Another question. Do you feel uneasy when you stop consuming fear driven content? I am seeing this in individuals.
What actually comes up when you step away? [00:29:00] Because often people start to feel anxious. They start to feel guilt. Does silence feel uncomfortable because it means that you're out of the loop? Silence is very uncomfortable for a lot of human beings. Or when you stop consuming fear driven content, do you actually feel free? I noticed that in myself, if I'm not consuming really fear based content, no matter if it's anti system or pro system, I feel so free when I'm away from all of that crap.
Whereas some people, when they stop consuming it, they actually feel like they're out of the loop and it's disarming for them. Because again, they're tethered to these fear based narratives.
Another question I would ask is, are you addicted to the adrenaline of outrage? And be honest with yourself. Do you feel a buzz when something triggers you? Or are you mistaking that adrenaline rush for clarity or for truth?
There's no denying that as humans, we crave [00:30:00] certainty. We crave that tribal belonging. It's in our goddamn DNA, right? And these psychological drives, they often keep us locked in cycles of dependency. You That's why we always, humans are dependent on the system to a degree, or we've awakened and we've started changing that for ourselves and it takes time, right?
I'm going to get into that in a second, but the algorithms are designed. They continually feed us the content that reinforces our emotions, that reinforces our biases that we already hold, which actually further isolates people into echo chambers. That's what I'm. So strongly not wanting with this podcast.
I am not wanting to create a cult. I am not wanting to create an echo chamber where everybody just agrees with every single word I say. It's why the second episode every week is called comment chaos, because I want people to have critical thought where they [00:31:00] question things that I say, where they bring a different perspective to the one that I raised that week.
And I read them out loud. Just because someone disagrees with something I say, I don't think that they are a hater. I don't think that they are against me. I welcome it with open arms because being raised in a religious cult, I have seen firsthand and lived firsthand what happens when you don't allow room for that.
It's so dangerous. I'm not wanting to create an echo chamber because even outside of main stream, even outside of the system, as we call it, that need for that external validation can often for most people feel safer than genuinely going in, then genuinely having that self inquiry within. It's so fucking hard to face ourselves.
It's not easy. Most don't. It's why instead [00:32:00] of going within, after having an awakening. A lot actually just replace the system with a whole new label. It's a new cult. They don't want to face themselves. Most people genuinely in this world do not want to face themselves. They will do everything possible to not have to go within, including replacing the system with a whole new cult of doomsday scrolling, of being addicted to conspiracy theories, of being addicted to the us versus them narrative that I'm really trying to get away from as much as possible.
It gets so uncomfortable to go within, but honestly, real freedom doesn't come with this whole big cheer squad cheering you on. God, I wish it did. Real freedom doesn't need that constant reinforcement. It's messy. Real freedom is quiet. Normally it's often really lonely. And this is actually bringing up emotions for me as I'm thinking about it.
Living a truly [00:33:00] freeing existence can be a very lonely path. That's why I use the term, I think on my website, I've even got an outlier. Yeah. You can feel like an outlier in society. And I don't want to build a whole new identity around that of like, I don't need people that really, especially as a woman can push you into hyper independence and into your masculine real fucking fast.
And that's not where I'm wanting to go, but it can feel like you're an outlier when you don't need that constant reinforcement. When you're not tethered as much, we're still tethered guys. We're still tethered, but as much. To the system or the us versus them narrative. It can be a very messy, quiet, lonely stage in life as you navigate that.
But honestly,if you're still looking for someone to tell you what to think, you're not really free. You're just following a whole different script. It's the same, it's the same [00:34:00] thing at the end of the day.
And as I said before, like with the tribalism,As humans, we are hard wired for belonging. I mentioned this with tribalism. That need doesn't automatically just disappear just because we've rejected mainstream narratives. Like, that doesn't just go away instantly. Instead, what happens is it often leads to adopting, like, new labels. This is where you see the labels, as I've mentioned.
Truth Seeker. Anti System Warrior. I use a lot of these. In hashtags, in episodes and stuff. Freedom fighter is another one. What happens is though, because we have this deep need to belong, but we're rejecting mainstream, we still have that desire for community and for purpose, and that's where these labels come in.
But the problem is these identities, they actually mirror the same rules and restrictions as the ones that we just tried to leave. We're in a new echo chamber. That's hard. It's a hard pill to swallow. Trust me. I [00:35:00] realized it. I was in a whole new echo chamber. It's a new echo chamber, but it still thrives on conformity. Still punishes dissent. You see it online. You see a lot with like the red pill community and God, if anyone raised one critical thought, one critical question, they just get hammered.
It doesn't matter what side you're on. Again, this is why I hate sides. They, each side punishes dissent, but rewards conformity. it's exactly the same as a religious cult at the end of the day. Exactly the same as my upbringing. People feel validated for having their views reinforced.
But they become hostile to challenges or to contradictions. This was me in the church
you feel so validated when everyone agrees with you. You feel so validated when you're surrounded by people that only think the same as you. And listen, I get it. I love being around people who have similar worldviews to me. I, I love it. You feel like, Oh, they're my humans. I can have good conversations with them.
There was good banter. We understand [00:36:00] each other. I'm not suggesting that we have to surround ourselves with people that disagree with everything in life with us or have relationships with individuals who have complete different worldviews and complete different values. No, obviously we want to be in community with people who we get.
They're our soul humans, but we've got to check this in ourselves. Well, we aren't just having our views validated all the time and then becoming hostile to people who think differently. I'll give you an example of this.
Oh my gosh, if just quick side note, if on YouTube, you're watching this and things look different all of a sudden, or I'm not sitting in the exact same position. I just had a crazy hour and a half of tech malfunction. So we're back. Hopefully in editing, I'm able to put this all together as one episode, or I'm probably going to cry, but back to what we're saying.
So I want to give some examples to highlight what I meant there. And one of them is new age spirituality circles. That actually shame critical thinking as low vibrational. You'll hear this where it's like, if you're questioning something, you're just being low vibrational. It's utterly ridiculous.
That that's even something that is discussed. Another one that is quite common actually is health like alternative health communities that reject big pharma, which I do right. I'm in this, but worship natural remedies without evidence. I can definitely fall into this where just because something is natural and alternative and doesn't come under the big pharma label, I will be more prone to trust that instantly without any evidence [00:01:00] to back it up. I definitely fall in this camp. And you likely will too, or know someone that does. but this could be a big thing as well, where it's like, you just completely reject big pharma. But completely trust, alternative without any evidence. Whereas I think they can go hand in hand.
I think there is definitely room for mainstream medical, like big pharma for sure. I don't love it, but there is room for medicine. Like we need medicine. Another one would be political movements that claim to actually stand for freedom, but cancel anyone who challenges their views. Big on social media.
Huge. So here's how I would put that you didn't actually leave the system. You just joined a different church with a different God. It's like the same pews, the same rules, the same fee-based propaganda. It's just
A different church, different God, but you didn't leave the system.
So I've got some reflection prompts for you with this and that is, are you willing to question the people and movements that you aligned with? Are you actually willing to do that? Are [00:02:00] you actually building a life outside the system or just reacting to it? Because honestly I'll be the first to have Mia.
I was just reacting to it. I was a thousand percent just reacting, just being reactive to anything that I saw. Any fee-based propaganda. Whether it was part of the system or anti-system didn't matter. I was just reacting to it. I wasn't actually building a life outside of the system. I was still tethered. To these very institutions and authorities and the system at large, because for instance, Was I actively building wealth that was outside of the. You know, fit currency, the corrupted fee fee at currency?
No. I am now, but I wasn't. So if everything went to shit, well, yeah, I'm going to be tethered to governmental money. If that went down, like I need to be building something outside of that. And this is one talking about. That's just one simple thing with like Bitcoin, but. Are you actually building something outside of the system?
Because tribalism doesn't [00:03:00] actually thrive on logic.
It thrives on emotional reinforcement. This is why echo chambers are so big. They create those feedback loops where beliefs are amplified and opposition is demonized. Again, you see this on social media so much like on YouTube and Tik TOK and Instagram. That's how superiority complexes are built. That's where you get the. Uh, like cultural leaders or gurus out there.
And real genuine freedom.
Like the type of freedom that people that tune into this podcast would be interested in like actual, true freedom. It actually takes us stepping outside of these dynamics. And tolerating discomfort because it's so uncomfortable to be different. To actually not buy into any of that bullshit anymore, which I'm not there yet.
Don't get me wrong. I still absolutely can be. Hook line and sinker taken for a ride by the us versus them narrative. It definitely takes stepping outside [00:04:00] of our comfort zone, tolerating discomfort, questioning whether we're building a life that actually stands alone. We're just finding a new team to belong to. And I think I had been finding a new team to belong to in buying into the us versus them narrative. 'cause real freedom, like true actual freedom, which is one of my top values in life.
Freedom. True freedom. Doesn't need validation. It doesn't need group think. Doesn't need enemies to make us feel like we're actually worth our weight in salt. Like we have worth because we have enemies. We don't need all that to feel secure. Yes. It's messy. Yes, it's hella uncomfortable. And yes, it's often lonely, but it's yours.
That freedom is actually yours. You built it brick by brick. It wasn't handed to you for your compliance. You built it. It's different.
So, this is what is leading me into wanting to talk about what is actually true freedom. What [00:05:00] does it actually mean to be free? Because if you're still panicking every time the world feels unstable, you're not actually free. You're still being controlled. It's just in a different way. It's just wrapped up in different wrapping paper, basically. The body's fight or flight response is actually wired for survival, but chronic stress keeps people locked in that reaction mode. When people are constantly operating from fear, whether that's from like governmental control, economic collapse. Censorship, whatever it is, whatever is bringing up that fear.
They actually stay stuck in those cycles of hyper-vigilance and that's survival. That's not true. Freedom. It's like when women are constantly stuck in hyper independence, that's not freedom. You're not free. That's it's like strength, but it's an illusion. It's all an illusion you're hyper vigilant. You're hyper independent.
I know this. This was me. This was me. Very much so, and don't get me wrong. There is a difference between being wise and being driven by fear. So I want to give examples of [00:06:00] this being wise, looks like getting your money out of banks and into Bitcoin.
Right. That's wise because you're actually building sovereignty.
You're not relying on government systems to survive. To me. That's smart. That's not reactive. That's wisdom. That's using wisdom. But you're not doomsday prepping. Right. You're being wise with your finances, whereas fear-based hoarding that might be stockpiling, an obscene amount of weapons or prepping for a collapse.
Like it's about to happen tomorrow. You know, the types that. You know, I just constantly prepping for food supplies, like, I mean, over the top where it's their full-time job every single day to just hoard. Crazy amounts of food into like bunkers underground, because you know, if God forbid something happened tomorrow, obviously they looked after it.
Now look, there can be wisdom in that too. Don't get me wrong. But I'm talking about where it's just like there's high levels of cortisol and fear flooding through their bodies. You know, that is just panic, dressed up as preparedness. Like they might be telling themselves unprepared, but really they're in panic [00:07:00] mode constantly.
And there's a difference. Fear-based narratives. They've thrived because they keep people addicted to chaos. They give a false sense of control. You feel like you're in control, but you're not, it's false. It feels like you're actually doing something, but really, it just keeps us spinning in the same loops of that stress and that dependence. 'cause real freedom is not reactive. It's responsive.
Yes, but it's not reactive. So the ability to be able to pause, assess. From a place of like absolute clarity, not from panic.
You're not sovereign if your entire identity revolves around prepping for doomsdayYou're just as tied to the system as the people you think that you broken away from, you're just bracing for its collapse. So instead of living without the system, you're bracing for the collapse of the system, how is that really any different. When fear is actually running the show.
It doesn't matter if you're stockpiling supplies or building bunkers, you're still reacting. You're still letting the [00:08:00] system dictate your next move. So you're reactive again,
True freedom is being able to pivot without having like a full meltdown without having a full freak out. Yes, it's having options, but not obsessions. I think that there is a lot of obsessiveness within the. Truth seeking anti-system. Brigade. No, it's not about ignoring risks, but it's not about also living in a perpetual state of like bracing for disaster all the time. Because if the world let's say the world was to end tomorrow. You've still spent every day of your life living in fear.
You weren't actually free. You weren't free just because you were prepared for the end of the world. You still lived in fear every single day. You were busy. Being prepared to survive instead of actually just living your life. They're really can be a fine line. Him.
And look, the world is already broken. The collapses that we're bracing for, we're already living in it. We're living in it. The world is broken. So instead of [00:09:00] waiting for something terrible to happen and waiting for, you know, the big collapse to happen, start building something outside of it, use your precious time and energy and resources to actually build outside of it. Rather than living in reactive mode all the time.
The system isn't about to fail.
It's already failed. When living in the failure of the system, the cracks are showing like, Uh, 2020 really bought those cracks on big time. They're showing everywhere, broken economics. Corrupt governments rigged financial systems. So if you're still waiting for that rule, big collapsed to start to kickstart your freedom.
You're already behind. The cracks are there. We're already living in that broken system.
And I do just want to talk about anger for a second. Cause I do think that. Yes, anger can really bring about change
but you don't want to stay in that? Yes. Anger can be bloody powerful. It can crack things wide open, right? Can crack your mind, your heart, your soul, your eyes wide open. It forces you to look at like what's broken. [00:10:00] Forces you to really start to pay attention. But living in that state of anger long-term is just completely non-sustainable.
And if you're still living off that anger,
Years down the track, months down the track, even you're not free again, you're just addicted to the fight. There can be a real fight in people. Who are. That. Outlaw rebel archetype, which I see myself, we can have that roof fight. like, I guess it's wanting to feel significant. and it can be spurred on by fighting against things that we think aren't right. But freedom doesn't live in that constant rage. It's not healthy. It's not about staying mad at the system, the government or the people who don't get it.
That's a big one week. Eh, this is where you see a lot of the, and I don't like it. The sheep. Everyone's just a shape. You know how, when you hear people say that online, Listen. I've probably said it myself before. It's just like, oh, people don't get it. You're all just shape your oldest asleep.
Like it's so dismissive and arrogant. But what do you actually do once the anger fades? That's the pivotal [00:11:00] point I used to screaming about what's wrong or are you actually building something better? Maybe it's not just about screaming, the loudest, what are we actually doing about it?
It's easy to burn everything down. At that that's the easy part, building something new. That's where the real work begins. And that's where you have to take four. Accountability and full responsibility for yourself. And it's not sexy. It's not easy work. It's not dramatic work. It's the slow, steady, invisible every day. Routines every day, looking in yourself. Taking that accountability for everything that you're responsible for in life, it's not sexy and dramatic work.
And this is why most people don't want to part of it because they're addicted to the fight. They're addicted to the chase. They're addicted to the significance that they get from fighting. What's broken. Instead of channeling it into building something that is. Better than what they're fighting against.
So some more questions for you.
Do you feel calm without that external [00:12:00] stimulation or just the silence make you really anxious? There's a lot of work here for a lot of people. This, again, lived experience with this. Another one. Are you genuinely preparing for independence or you just feeding the fear?
Because when we talk about that real freedom again, it's about building something new. Rather than just building a new kind of prison, real freedom. Isn't about just rejecting the system. It's about breaking free from the patterns that are inside of us that keep needing something to fight against. Again, if you have that rebel. That inner rebel that like outlaw archetype within you, you probably feel like you need something to continually fight against. And look, don't get me wrong.
There's nothing wrong with pointing out cracks in things like my God. I'm the first person to do that. Like, yes, absolutely. I can see cracks in the education system, cracks in the medical system, cracks in every system out there. I can see them clearly and I will raise questions about them and I'll bring awareness. To those things that I [00:13:00] see and encourage others to do the same.
Right? So I'm not saying it's not about pointing things out that aren't working, but it's about channeling that energy into building something better, rather than just talking in loops over and over and over.
Another point I want to make is that to me, freedom, isn't feminine. It's ruthless. And just hear me out on this.
There'll be different points of view on it, but. Freedom to me. Isn't soft. It's not about like, although this sounds amazing. It's not about soaking in bottle bubble baths and calling it empowerment. It's ruthless. It's not coddling ourselves on Sundays. We'd like self care Sundays, even though I do have that thing about Sundays, I love to take care of myself, but. Honestly, as I said, it's fucking ruthless.
It's cutting ties. It's making really challenging gut wrenching decisions that are so damn hard in life. That other people wouldn't have the ability or the courage to be able to make that to me is where true freedom lies. It's in the hard [00:14:00] decisions that we have to make in life. It's in that accountability that self-responsibility. Real freedom.
Doesn't care if you're goddamn tired. It's not soft. It's not feminine. It's not about manifesting. Abundance well, sipping on your herbal tea and saying you're free. It's about doing that uncomfortable work. It's about letting go of the safety nets. Like. This has been big for me this month, letting go on the safety net, seeing no. To what no longer aligns with your values in life. Having the guts to walk away from situations or people that just, uh, dead beyond dead. Without looking back. Without running straight into the next comfort zone. Like to me, real freedom.
We're cries so much grit, so much tenacity. It's walking straight into that uncertainty in life, in business in whatever it is without panicking.
It's not this feminine flow self care staff, even though that's awesome. Don't get me wrong. I love all that too. I love a good face mask and a bubble bath. [00:15:00] Love it. But honestly, real freedom. As I said, it is. Ruthless and it's trusting yourself to handle what comes no matter what comes. It's not waiting for someone else to tell you that it's safe to go.
It's it's going anyway.
And let's be completely brutally honest for a second. Most people don't actually want freedom. 'cause freedom means responsibility. It means there's no one else to blame when it gets hard. And this is what I mean when I see so many that are saying they're awake and they're anti-system, but they're actually just addicted to the high stress and high cortisol of. The constant dooms day. The scrolling, the constant ask versus them narrative. I genuinely say a lot of people that to me, don't actually want freedom. They say they're free, but they don't actually want real freedom because what it takes, they, they're not prepared. To do [00:16:00] that. They're not prepared to take true responsibility.
They're not prepared to be the one that has the sole blame laying at their feet when shit hits the fan. And when things get real hard. Most people don't want freedom. They want to remain tethered to a system. They just want the illusion of freedom. And I think that's what it is when it's the us versus them, whether it's left versus right in politics. Whether it's pro this versus anti this. In whatever topic, whether it's work versus awake, whether it's shaped versus awake, whether it's, whatever, all of those things. I actually think most people that buy into that, which was me. Genuinely just want the illusion of freedom and they love. The fight they're addicted to fighting against something, but they don't want to take full responsibility and accountability to channel that into creating something better because that. Is a hard path to take.
It's not glamorous. It's not sexy. It's not full of followers of [00:17:00] people who just agree with you. And share all your stuff. 24 7. Because you have reinforced their internal biases.
It's painful. It's hard. It takes really Trinny looking at yourself. Are you truly free or are you waiting for something outside of yourself to give you permission?
And just a few more questions. I want to ask you just as I finished this up. Do you feel grounded in your decisions? Or do you need someone else to validate them? Are you living from clarity and calm? Or you constantly bracing for chaos. A lot of people who say they're in the woke club or the awake club. They're constantly just bracing for chaos.
There's nothing about them that has that. Like, Centered. Calm.
Like that alluring. I find it a really sexy quality, especially in men when it's like, they've just got that calm. It's like, I've got this, no matter what, I'll find a way. I've got this. They're not bracing for the chaos 24 7, where they just reactive to [00:18:00] everyone and everything around them. It's like, no, I've got this.
Cause I've got myself.
What would freedom feel like if you weren't waiting for the world to change first? What would it look like for you? When I asked myself this a big one was financial freedom. So that for instance, In the next pandemic. When the next amount of coercion comes around, for instance,
Would I be in a position where if I said no to wanting to get the next vaccine and it meant. No income. Let's say I was in a job, right. Or I worked for someone else. I don't, but let's say I did. Would I be able to financially back myself and leave that job if push came to shove, right? These are the things I think of. What would it look like if you weren't waiting for the world to change first, are you free? Or just free enough to scream louder than before. You just that little bit more free, but you're not fully free. If the government collapsed tomorrow, would you survive or would you just keep scrolling for updates?
A big question. Is your [00:19:00] freedom, just another identity that you're clinging to. So you don't have to face yourself. Because honestly, to me, freedom, isn't something you wait for. Again, this is one of my top values. You, you don't wait for freedom. It's something that you fucking build in the day in and day out.
And if you're not building it. If you're still waiting for the collapse of the world to save you for still waiting for the collapse of financial systems, but collapse of all the systems you don't agree with to save you. You're not actually free.
It's an illusion. And I think a lot of us are still caught in illusions. And listen, I think I said this at the beginning. I don't think that any of us. I truly know what's going on in this world and truly have broken out of the matrix completely. Like I don't. I think it's going to be a massive, big shock on the day that all of us die and realize what this was or who was behind it all, or what's out there.
I think it'll be a massive shock.
So, I don't think anyone escaped fully from the matrix, no matter how much someone says that they have. But what I want to encourage is [00:20:00] one critical thought to not buying into the us versus them. And three. Don't just change sides. I've done this many times. I did this when I left religion and then I kind of just went down the path of.
Being anti-religion and I'm not now.
I think there's beauty in religion. I'm non-religious but I think there is beauty, especially in a lot of Eastern religions. I did this with the system. You know, I still will use the hashtags. Don't get me wrong because it draws in my, you know, the people that I know would love this podcast or my services or whatever, but. You know, building a whole identity around being anti-system I think really?
Is that true? Freedom? No. Um, I'm just on. I'm on a different team. So I really want to encourage you as we're finishing out this 2024 year. What a wild ride 2024 has been seriously. And as we're coming to a close of 20, 24, I just seriously want to encourage you to just evaluate for yourself and evaluate [00:21:00] am I actually free?
If there was a pandemic tomorrow. Could I financially back myself to not have to be tethered to. Government money. Job money, whatever it might be. Am I building and creating something outside of regular currency. Like, Bitcoin's why I'm a big advocate of Bitcoin. I'm not suggesting that I'm some big Bitcoin guru.
I'm not, but I do believe very strongly in, in being able to have finances secured outside of something that is corrupted. Like. Regular fricking. dollar. Insane.
Whatever the system, whatever the institution, whatever the authority, whatever it is, are you truly free? Or if you just swapped teams, that's my question. Are you truly free or are you just shouting louder now? Are you truly free or. Are you now instead of giving all your attention and devotion and your energy currency in your attention currency, to the system, or, you know, just giving it to. [00:22:00] Truth tellers, conspiracy theorists, and. Whatever is out there. During a blank. I need food. Because honestly, I think that when we're really honest with ourself, true freedom is none of that. It's, it's opting out of all of it and it seeing through all of it. And listen, I'm not pretending that I've arrived. This is something I have to check in myself continually. Continually.
This is also why I am introducing spinal energetics as a modality and services next year, because it's one thing that really forces you to go within, like forces you to go within interface, parts of yourself. You don't even know what you're facing your body just knows what to do. You don't need to know. What has caused, you know, the store detention in your body, your body already knows what to freaking do.
And if you want more information on that, go to my Holly wild Instagram account. There's more information there and check out my website as well. It's always linked in the show notes, but. That's why I'm introducing this because there's no point just questioning a [00:23:00] system and then doing nothing about it. We have to go within if we want true freedom that is within, it's not being the loudest. Screamer on social media.
I'm thinking that we're tough because we've slept. Uh, anti-system hashtag on our posts and yes, I'm calling myself out there. And I'm going to leave it there. I need to go and eat. I love your guts as always and listen, happy new year. Next time we were speaking will be 2025. Wow. I'm so pumped for next year.
I love you. And we'll chat soon. Love you. Bye.
THE SHOW
