JOURNALING with JOSH

  I think we are encouraged to see each other as enemies. When in reality, the only enemy is silence. Silence can't be argued against. Silence is not peace. Silence feels like safety, but what it actually is is stagnation. Bad ideas expressed can be opposed, Bad ideas are opportunities to break people out of mental loops. We assume that people will naturally guide themselves to the truth, to kindness, to but clearly that's not the case. Bad ideas need to be constantly and persistently opposed, because there is no way to know what others are thinking unless they express it. Every attempt at communication is an invitation for conflict, and through conflict both parties grow. Even if you don't change their mind, they may present a point of view that you are now compelled to effectively counter. You are now more confident in your position, and while they may not show it, you might have planted a seed that shakes their faith in theirs. And the only way to shake their faith is to...

  If frustration over Trump’s victory is directed at ordinary Americans rather than at Democratic leadership, then the system is working exactly as intended by those in power. The capital class thrives when blame is dispersed among the people, ensuring that real accountability is never placed where it belongs. Consider who benefited most from record-breaking political donations aimed at defeating Trump. The Democratic establishment raised vast sums, yet its incentive structure has never been singularly focused on defeating him. Instead, it remains committed to preserving the status quo—blocking meaningful, systemic changes that could challenge the very conditions that allow Trumpism to persist. This is not a failure of leadership alone; it is the design of the political system itself. Rather than confronting the forces that enable authoritarianism, mainstream opposition is often directed at those who have been swept into far-right ideologies, leaving the real architects of inequali...

  Is the capital class feeling threatened? Or is it feeling emboldened? There are only two options we are convinced are politically viable. Neither of them serve the people first, capital second. Democrats are the reverse. Capital first, the people second. That's what makes them appear to be the good guys. Strengthening unions was a fantastic move by the Biden administration, Giving the working class the tools and teeth necessary to demand better from Capital is an excellent method to strengthen the working class that undoubtedly would have shown promise in the future. He then made an unforgivable decision to militarily and financially back a genocidal regime in Israel, Which soured many against his greatest accomplishments. Why? Why was Israel's ethnic supremacy of greater concern to the Democratic establishment than the future leadership of America? It's a question that will haunt me and many others for a very long time. Republicans serve capital at its most base level. E...

 Anytime a "leftist" critiques America, right wingers bring on the outrage and justify violence. As if they don't have any critiques of America, as if they're the only ones capable of critiquing America justly.

  Human feelings make up everything on the planet. We are all at the mercy of them entirely. It's an intricate balance and fight we struggle with. They're what is sterilizing the planet and also the feedback that makes life feel alive. All power that individuals have is based on "feelings" wealth exists as a concept and not a fundamental truth. There is no god, there is no outside influence other than physics, there is only us. There is beauty and horror in that. But the greatest lie we tell ourselves is that this ability is unique to us, as a species. There is an obvious conscious decision when we see a predator choose companionship with what could be prey or chooses to consume said prey. There are physical rules that we are learning how to measure and how to bend to our will, and then there are the rules we make up, and every day we are collectively as a species making choices. The only thing worthy of hatred and contempt is abuse of power. To which we, collectively...

 Israel lies because it is a force of evil in the world. Good can't lie, because humans will immediately dismiss an entire message if it even smells like a lie. Israel lies about its intent for murdering civilians, for murdering journalists, for murdering aid workers. Israel lies about its intent for retrieving hostages. It wields these hostages as a tool to justify genocide. Who have likely been killed by Israel's own bombs. I'm not saying Hamas is good, because they aren't. But Israel is evil. at its core. Nobody is buying the bullshit anymore.