I feel a sense of obligation to spread the message of liberty, but is it working?

[Bullieblack]

Hey guys, please bare with me on this.

I know I don't have many posts but I have been involved in our revolution for about a year and 3 or 4 months.. more. I can't tell you when I first noticed RP except that when I was introduced I could never look back. Dr. Paul is my hero and it's not because of who he is but of what he stands for in more than just rhetoric.

I have read these and the other dailypaul websits for just as long as I have known about RP but am rarely active in the posts, mostly a lurker. I'm emphasizing this because although, tired and demoralised at times, I will always feel like I am carrying a burden with Dr. Paul and the rest of all you and I need some positive reinforcement.


I am saddened because I feel like I am not breaking through to those closest to me and have very rare breakthroughs with close family. Everyone I know already knows I love politics and am very vocal about it. If someone brings up politics I am there inquiring as to why they believe what they believe and constantly raise questions. I do this because most people just repeat what is on the news.

Lately, all I have been hearing is... "oh I know my politics, I have been watching it everyday". It's very difficult to engage people who are so brainwashed that they get defensive if you mention something like "I don't think either of the major parties deserve any support". I mean.. I dont go out of my way not to specifically mention Ron but try to stay on policies and subject matter. As a result I am constantly antagonized.

I know I am not alone in feeling this way. My mom still does not buy into everything that is going on because my stepdad thinks he is mr politics and falls asleep nightly to fox news. I keep getting responses like "I'd waste my vote if I dont pick one of the 2 candidates", etc.... I explain other parties and positions but to no avail... and that real change will not occur this election maybe not next. that principle is more important then picking a winning side for the sake of it.

I'm not exactly sure after never posting why I came on to unload. To me, it sometimes feels lonely out there. It's a constant battle you continue to involve yourself because of an obligation felt for your friends and loved ones but they are rolling their eyes in return. It's not my technique thats causing this but there sense of reality and what is real to them. To them whatever the TV says must be tru because if not "someone would report it". Thing is, when someone does, LIKE US, we are put aside because we aren't the media.

I'm being melodramatic but im feeling it after a couple beers and a couple encounters tonight. My good buddies mom, whom I've known my whole life asked my girlfriend (shes with me 100%), her son and his girlfriend, if "this is what they had to put up with around me". She said I was trying to unconvince her to vote for mccain and that it wasn't going to happen. I explained that it was bigger than that and that Republicans needed to be Republicans and not just wear a label.

I explained that there were candidates out there who had our values and the record to back them up but were marginalized. I explained our core principles and that of RP but without naming him, and asked her why the media would marginalize such a man and asked her if she thought I was nuts. She told me "no" and I told her.. "if you believe what the media says about who I'm talking about, then Im completely effing crazy, a radical, a fringe lunatic, fanatic, and extremist". The media has said this about him and his supporters". She began to understand me more then.. that I was speaking out of a sense of responsibility not with some sort of personal agenda and we ended on a very positive note.

The encounter made me realize just what we are up against and what a fight we are in. It can be overwhelming at times so I just needed to vent to all you like minded red pill takers. I wish I could go back to sleep but I cannot. As such, I bare the burden with all of you to spread this message.

I've had a couple tonight so I'm done.

Peace and Love guys,
Long live liberty.

Emilio from Miami Florida

[nayjevin]

try not to let it get you down... you'll win some, you'll lose some. it's that one person you convert, who then goes on to convert several others, that will make you see it's all worth it. (i sound like a hubbardite there, but you get my drift). keep at it!

[Truth Warrior]

A free society is created one by one. ;) Hang in there. :)

[constituent]

just keep plugging away....

you will benefit from avoiding discussions about presidential and/or partisan politics though.....

the whole red team v. blue team thing gets people all worked up in the wrong ways, and sadly, like any sports team or w/ever, people become emotionally invested in the success of their "team."

if you're looking to open people's minds, it's best to avoid subjects that they've been trained to have a knee-jerk reaction to whenever a suitable alternative for conversation is available.


and sometimes silence is your best weapon, particularly when everyone already knows how you feel.

[liberteebell]

I feel your pain :( It can be so discouraging! Hang in there!

Sometimes it takes time; sometimes lots of time to convince someone but if you're giving them tidbits of info and making them rethink their positions, you're succeeding.

A very effective tactic I've used is to ask open ended questions for someone to ponder, and leave it at that.

Ask someone who loves the Iraq war to define winning, and watch them get their panties in a huge wad and shout you down ala hannity. You're not going to get an instant convert but you may put a chink in their armor.

Frustrating and depressing, yes. But think of it this way: we didn't get to this place overnight, it's gonna take some time to change minds. As encouragement, I think of one of my favorite quotes:


A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. ~Lao-Tzu

[Truth Warrior]

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. ~Lao-Tzu

"A journey of a thousand light years must begin with a single pretty quick step, in the opposite direction. :D" ~ TW

[liberteebell]

"A journey of a thousand light years must begin with a single pretty quick step, in the opposite direction. :D" ~ TW

Very well done!

But you're still a smart a$$! :p;):p

[Truth Warrior]

Very well done!

But you're still a smart a$$! :p;):p Guilty! :D

[ronpaulhawaii]

Thanks to your's (and everyone's) efforts, we are making headway. Its like a rollercoaster, enjoy the ride...

Put aside that which divides and promote that which unites. Start with the assaults on the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendments, red-pill lite...

and read my sig, again.

:D

onward and forward

:)

[Jamsie 567]

Somethings in life you can not change. Somethings in life you can... go where your needed. Trust me people are watching you keep setting a good example people will follow.

[Rhys]

Ron Paul wasn't built in a day.

[lucius]

...enjoy the ride...

Sage advice...Smile and have fun with it! :)

[powerofreason]

As far as education goes our best bet is to go after young people. College age and below is where we will find people most open to our message. Have you maybe been able to bring any younger family members to our side? Some people are just so consumed by propaganda and party politics that they're too far gone to reach.

[TER]

The race is long and hard! We are all tired and weary and sometimes feel alone. Don't forget you have friends who are fighting with you and that the movement is growing daily.

[Luhiss]

People will always resist something out of the mainstream, even if it seems obvious to us, the beliefs and feelings of the average person is deeply entrenched. It's taught to us from the day we enter public school.

All you can do is say what you think, and be smart about it. Avoid emotion at all costs (don't be dispassionate, but just don't get too worked up and frustrated).

In addition to a major shift in political thinking, I've also become a vegetarian, which comes with its own fill of questions, disrespect and ridicule. People don't want to know why I've chosen this path. "I don't want to know. Please don't ruin my dinner" is what I hear so often.

People naturally protect that which they don't want to give up, or that which will hurt them when they eventually discover the truth. They don't want to think of themselves as a cog in a war machine, or supporter of classicism or racism or anything else they might feel guilty about.... They don't want you to ruin their political "dinner"...

I'm 40 years old. I discuss these topics with friends of mine. Some are fairly left (a better direction for me in some ways, and they are actually more receptive and open to my ideas although they seem to be unable to make the leap. One is a hardcore neocon. I have no hope of converting this person. I'd have better luck convincing a tree trunk. My father is 82 and was in the Navy in WWII, but has trouble understanding that he and his generation didn't fight for a flag, but for an idea, an idea that is being violated every day. For him, however, if it is wrapped in a flag.. it must be good, and right, and true. My mother grew up as a child in Nazi Germany. She laughs when I talk of the dangers of a government that is too powerful, or too intrusive. She laughs when I mention fascism. I don't understand how someone who lived through it can be blind to the possibility of its rebirth in America.

In the end, the only person you may convert is yourself.... But continue to spread the word, tell people how you think and why. You may not even be aware of it when you convert someone. It might just be a single comment that sends someone down the road of discovery. Had I not stumbled onto Ron Paul, I might still be blind. (sometimes I wish I still were.. .it's a lot easier.. and a lot more comforting).

[Micah Dardar]

I would take it a step further. Personally, I see it as almost sinful to have this arsenal of knowledge and not share it. I feel compelled to spread the message to anyone that will listen, and I don't let it get me down for long when someone doesn't get it. I kinda feel sorry for them.

[Shinerxx]

Most people have to have something directly impact their lives negatively before they will be willing to change their sheeple mentality. I was once a Republican sheeple and voted with the fold. This all ended one day two years ago when a Republican Texas State congressman tried to take my pets away from me. I raise snakes and I love them like you would love any family pet. They are not dangerous and they are not large. He thought he could take them from me. I fought his crap legislation like many others in Texas and during the process I learned about Liberty and then last year about Ron Paul. Sadly we'll progress much farther into socialism before everyone's lives are directly impacted like mine was.

[FunkBuddha]

Please read this. Whatever your faith (or lack thereof), this should ring true and help you understand your role in this Revolution.

Isaiah's Job by Albert J. Nock (http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/nock3b.html)

[mediahasyou]

how to sell liberty (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_shEnY_lcQI)

It might not feel so overwhelming if you didn't support the system by voting: http://www.voluntaryist.com/articles/114.php

[Truth Warrior]

how to sell liberty (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_shEnY_lcQI)

It might not feel so overwhelming if you didn't support the system by voting: http://www.voluntaryist.com/articles/114.php :cool: + 10 bazillion GREAT CHOICE!!!<IMHO> ;)

Thanks! :D

[pacelli]

Thanks for breaking your lurker status to share your experiences. It is a major undertaking to try to exist among people who know the details of every FoxViews broadcast. Things that they cannot understand are not important and have no bearing on reality. Most could care less about the Federal Reserve, interventionism, or civil liberties. As long as they aren't bothered personally, it doesn't make a bit of difference.

I encourage you to become more active in discussing your experiences and sharing your views. It can be helpful to have some feedback and see people say, "yep, I'm going through the same thing!" Despite all of the backbiting and petty disputes online, it is still a great source of support through these difficult political times.