That Bushnell has been declared mentally “sick” for prioritizing the lives of thousands over his own reveals the pathological state of our social conscience.
Beautifully argued and you did it with passion. I say this as a good thing--Passion.
If I may, I will place Aaron Bushnell's act of civil disobedience in the same light as The Passion of Jesus Christ, who according to the NT narrative gave himself willingly unto death, even though it seemed he had no choice in the matter. (It is one of those paradoxes.). Christianity is based on Jesus of Nazareth sacrificing himself for the sake of humanity. I am by no means a Christian, but like all persons with literary education and training, I have read the Bible. This is my understanding. I am open to correction.
That being said, I would think Christians in particular could view Bushnell's decision as one of passion. The word passion has an original meaning of suffering, to endure. This is not an act of a mentally ill person, but one of a highly aware and developed conscience. It seems to me, given what I know, that Bushnell performed a great act of Christian charity.
Your article is incredibly inspiring! The creative title and invaluable knowledge make this part my indisputable favorite in your entire series. The madness is not only to be human in a sick society but also not admitting that we are already extensively involved in this societal sickness. Due to "Dementophobia," or our excessive or irrational Fear of madness or insanity, and to avoid being stigmatized and labeled by mental illness, we try to cope with "overconformity," which can trigger severe mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, and rather than treat our phobia of an internal mental and emotional state, we turn to be undoubtedly mentally sick by following the insane crowd. Throughout history, we have been trained, manipulated, and brainwashed to conform to specific social, religious, and cultural norms just because of our Fear of discrimination, rejection, or ostracization. And due to our lack of faith, spirituality, and poor connection to God within our souls, we obstruct ourselves with more and more fears: Fear of success, Fear of failure, Fear of change, Fear of nuclear war, Fear of the end of the world, and Fear of evil spirits; it is an endless list of Fears and insecurities which can entirely end with one word "No" as Aaron said no to be tormented by corrupt evil leadership and dark powers. His heroic military mission was to provoke his peers and to inform us that there is nothing we can fear, even death itself, and instead of making fear our creative and mental blocks, we must fight for our freedom. Fear is a powerful weapon in our enemy's hands that can plague us, paralyze us, and steal our dreams, lives, and peace. We must learn to conquer our fears, free the captives and ourselves from the chains that bind us, and pursue our goals with courage, determination, and resilience. None of us is immune to these invasions. But by bravely confronting our fears, stepping fearlessly into our soul liberation, dismantling harmful forces, overthrowing enemy strategies, blocking out the negativity, and embracing a life of faith, hope, and love, we can easily gain our freedom. Even in the midst of difficulties and suffering, we must remember the King's words: "not wallow in the valley of despair" and not give up on our dreams.
I truly appreciate your unique talent, which made this phenomenal series our inner guide to being free spirits in one of humanity's darkest times.
Great article on an important issue (one I have also been writing about since 0ct 7). It may be important to distinguish between two types of non responders (to genocide and war crimes). One are the genocide supporters, who can be further identified by the strands of misinformation possessing them, or as outright psychos with racist, white supremacist or anti Muslim bent. The other lot are worth talking about, these being those who do not respond in order to avoid giving the Middle East issue any attention. Where attention goes, energy flows etc. I have several close friends, and can vouch for their integrity, kindness and compassion. They choose not to engage, as they see the whole shitstorm as itself part of the war on humanity. Personally, I have certainly noticed my own energies, mood, faith in humanity etc being deeply challenged by Middle East news, mainstream coverage, and perhaps most of all by peeks behind enemy lines. Have a glance at Bari Weiss’s substack, for instance. On the other hand, The multifaith protests at Columbia University campus are a great example of positive protest with ethical foundations and clear goals, and therefore not susceptible to infiltration by warlike energies…
I have a lot of respect for Aaron Bushnell, and am happy to see his action being defended for the noble thing it was.
I wouldn't do it, nor would I encourage anyone else to, but I think so many of us feel a sense of helplessness watching this ongoing genocide.
A system that supports this does NOT deserve our support, and I will do all I can to withdraw my support from Israel and the war mongers and profiteers that want us to think that genocide is acceptable.
Beautifully argued and you did it with passion. I say this as a good thing--Passion.
If I may, I will place Aaron Bushnell's act of civil disobedience in the same light as The Passion of Jesus Christ, who according to the NT narrative gave himself willingly unto death, even though it seemed he had no choice in the matter. (It is one of those paradoxes.). Christianity is based on Jesus of Nazareth sacrificing himself for the sake of humanity. I am by no means a Christian, but like all persons with literary education and training, I have read the Bible. This is my understanding. I am open to correction.
That being said, I would think Christians in particular could view Bushnell's decision as one of passion. The word passion has an original meaning of suffering, to endure. This is not an act of a mentally ill person, but one of a highly aware and developed conscience. It seems to me, given what I know, that Bushnell performed a great act of Christian charity.
“To be untroubled when one should be troubled can be a sign of sickness.”. That's pure gold. Thanks again Dr. Nall.
Your article is incredibly inspiring! The creative title and invaluable knowledge make this part my indisputable favorite in your entire series. The madness is not only to be human in a sick society but also not admitting that we are already extensively involved in this societal sickness. Due to "Dementophobia," or our excessive or irrational Fear of madness or insanity, and to avoid being stigmatized and labeled by mental illness, we try to cope with "overconformity," which can trigger severe mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, and rather than treat our phobia of an internal mental and emotional state, we turn to be undoubtedly mentally sick by following the insane crowd. Throughout history, we have been trained, manipulated, and brainwashed to conform to specific social, religious, and cultural norms just because of our Fear of discrimination, rejection, or ostracization. And due to our lack of faith, spirituality, and poor connection to God within our souls, we obstruct ourselves with more and more fears: Fear of success, Fear of failure, Fear of change, Fear of nuclear war, Fear of the end of the world, and Fear of evil spirits; it is an endless list of Fears and insecurities which can entirely end with one word "No" as Aaron said no to be tormented by corrupt evil leadership and dark powers. His heroic military mission was to provoke his peers and to inform us that there is nothing we can fear, even death itself, and instead of making fear our creative and mental blocks, we must fight for our freedom. Fear is a powerful weapon in our enemy's hands that can plague us, paralyze us, and steal our dreams, lives, and peace. We must learn to conquer our fears, free the captives and ourselves from the chains that bind us, and pursue our goals with courage, determination, and resilience. None of us is immune to these invasions. But by bravely confronting our fears, stepping fearlessly into our soul liberation, dismantling harmful forces, overthrowing enemy strategies, blocking out the negativity, and embracing a life of faith, hope, and love, we can easily gain our freedom. Even in the midst of difficulties and suffering, we must remember the King's words: "not wallow in the valley of despair" and not give up on our dreams.
I truly appreciate your unique talent, which made this phenomenal series our inner guide to being free spirits in one of humanity's darkest times.
Aaron died for all of us, so let us live good lives for him.
Great article on an important issue (one I have also been writing about since 0ct 7). It may be important to distinguish between two types of non responders (to genocide and war crimes). One are the genocide supporters, who can be further identified by the strands of misinformation possessing them, or as outright psychos with racist, white supremacist or anti Muslim bent. The other lot are worth talking about, these being those who do not respond in order to avoid giving the Middle East issue any attention. Where attention goes, energy flows etc. I have several close friends, and can vouch for their integrity, kindness and compassion. They choose not to engage, as they see the whole shitstorm as itself part of the war on humanity. Personally, I have certainly noticed my own energies, mood, faith in humanity etc being deeply challenged by Middle East news, mainstream coverage, and perhaps most of all by peeks behind enemy lines. Have a glance at Bari Weiss’s substack, for instance. On the other hand, The multifaith protests at Columbia University campus are a great example of positive protest with ethical foundations and clear goals, and therefore not susceptible to infiltration by warlike energies…
I have a lot of respect for Aaron Bushnell, and am happy to see his action being defended for the noble thing it was.
I wouldn't do it, nor would I encourage anyone else to, but I think so many of us feel a sense of helplessness watching this ongoing genocide.
A system that supports this does NOT deserve our support, and I will do all I can to withdraw my support from Israel and the war mongers and profiteers that want us to think that genocide is acceptable.
For persons feeling great anguish and moral outrage, Might there be a slippery slope between modeling Aaron Bushnell’s action and suicide terrorism?