I have finally turned my facebook back on. I had a nice two month break away from the platform and I am thankful for it. I feel as if I can use the platform now without being sucked in and spending unnecessary energy on people and conversations that are inconsequential. I look forward to doing my best to push people away from facebook and towards decentralized platforms like Steemit.
In my time away from facebook I had several moments of clarity regarding the source of my stress and anxiety. I have written about how fb itself made me stressed out, but it would be wrong (and irresponsible) for me to place the blame on Mark Zuckerberg alone. I had to slow down and examine where my uncertainty comes from and why I feel like I am missing something.
Why do I feel like I am missing something? Why has this feeling stayed with me for so long?
I received the answers (or at least, part of the answer) on my birthday and on Christmas eve. Readers of this blog know that I spent my 33rd birthday in a beautiful, off-grid community in Costa Rica. While I was there celebrating my life, surrounded by wonderful people, I had a moment to reflect. It was one of those moments where you know something is weighing heavy on your heart and mind, and you’re not even sure you want to talk about it, but it spills out despite your best efforts. I was laying in bed with my partner, talking about my next year, and reflecting on the last year. Before I knew it I found myself talking about my birth father and how his absence has affected me.
For those who are unaware, this relationship (or lack thereof) is something I have openly discussed to crowds all around the U.S. and even now Mexico and Costa Rica. I won’t get too much into the details at this moment, but let me just say my father has been a drug addict and in and out of prison my entire life. As you can imagine this has affected me greatly. I even had my own struggles with drug addiction, prison, depression, and recovery. (I actually talked with @Lukewearechange a couple years ago about this issue).
Then, on Christmas I was driving to my mom's house - just cruising and being high- and the next thing I know I am thinking of him again.I felt overcome with sadness and knew that tears were coming. I decided to pull over immediately and allow myself to feel this moment. I have told myself I was over these pains, but it seems as if there is more healing to do.
In the last few years I have made huge strides in overcoming my emotional struggles and pains related to this relationship. As an adult I have even been able to counsel my birth father and offer him advice. It was an odd role reversal for me. I am not a parent and I don’t think I will ever be, but for a moment I acted like a father figure to my own birth father. I told him that I am an adult now and that I no longer need the father-son relationship I once thought I needed. I told him who I have become. He told me was proud of me. Then he asked me if I could help him score some cannabis. I love cannabis and appreciate the medicine and believe all people should have access to what they want. However, I have never had any fantasies about partying with my father. And that’s not the type of relationship I wanted.
So I turned him down. I said, “Man, I can’t help you. I want to be here for you, but not like that.” I told him that I hoped he could figure out what is at the root of his addiction and emotional trauma so he could live a life that doesn’t consist of prison and drugs. I looked him in the eyes, with tears streaming down my face, and said, “I want you to have a life. I want you to have more than this.’ He told me he was proud of me. Soon after that conversation he went to turn himself back into the authorities for another recent parole violation. He is now locked up again and will be out in a few months time.
No matter what I do, no matter how many drugs I do, how many times I have sex or distract myself with material possessions or accomplishments, nothing can fill this hole. That’s what I used to think. These days I know that I can fill myself up with love and value. I know that to be true, but I still struggle with wishing we could catch up. I wish I knew what it was like to call up a “dad’ and talk about life. But I don’t. And that’s fine. I know there is a huge opportunity for healing this year. And for that I am thankful. I hope he can heal this year as well.
Troy Broze, I want the best for you.
I am an investigative journalist and liberty activist; a Lead Investigative Reporter for ActivistPost.com and the founder of the TheConsciousResistance.com & The Houston Free Thinkers. I have also co-authored three books with @johnvibes: The Conscious Resistance: Reflections on Anarchy and Spirituality and Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion, Vol. 1 and Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion, Vol. 2
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I don't get the same feeling here on $teemIt.com as I did on FaceBook. I won't go back to FakeBook.
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I thought I was the only one. Zuckerberg lately is considering making Facebook cypto based though.
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You deserve the best!
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As do you, and as do we all. Much love for you sister!
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I feel the same way you do. I deactivate my Facebook sometimes to just take a break from it. And I always feel good when I do. However, I keep it since I have friends from all over and it's one way for us to keep in contact.
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Same here I do facebook to promote my post and interact with folks not in steemit yet. True soemtimes facebook makes me sad. I learned not to keep up with the Jones @isharmaine
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Beautifully written Derrick. I wish my father would have chosen to be a bigger part of my life, and I too work on filling the void inside of me that wishes I could have a meaningful relationship with him. I was lucky enough to have a grandpa who introduce me to the lasting value of comedy, which has helped me tremendously as I move forward in this experience. Thank you for sharing.
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@claydo though they see we are from same trees I beg to disagree. We always have a choice to be better.
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you are bullshit
less than 2 months ago you defended the platform and have been holding live sessions, wtf, are you insane to post this? i asked why you supported facebork, you said 'you had to reach the people' then you kept posting on facbrok then you write this schlock about your break?
you cops are getting fucking incompetent
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From looking at the 'comments' section on your profile, you seem to have an unhealthy obsession with Broze. Are you okay?
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it's odd how he personally, or whichever person actually runs his account, evaded all of my substantial questions and then kindof random people step in to shallowly defend him and cast aspersions on me.
i'm investigating every surprisingly well funded semi-news source including the last american vagabond, the free thought project, 'neonnettle', 'earthnation'
these sites are all kindof similar, and could easily be thrown together by private security agents.
i tried to be part of mspwaves and PAL whatever on discord, and I ran into very strange provocative users who pushed neo-nazi racism hard, then when I asked about it I was booted immediately.
I think it is just part of being vigilant, I think everyone has been too careless about sourcing their information.
I am of course also highly suspicious of any great centralized leader, which is exactly how dbroze presents himself. As someone who claims to be an anarchist, it is also very odd indeed.
So I asked questions and not only were they not answered, the general response of everyone who has weighed in has been, like you, something more like an octopus stirring up dirt to hide its true nature.
Like I said, if dbroze wants to be on steemit he should be the only one using his steemit account and he should answer his own critics rather than having, what, 5 now randos try to obfuscate things like this is reddit or something.
this is all consistent with a psy-op.
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btw i took a look at your entire profile and you have only 4 posts in a year, and they are crap.
are you real or do you just shadow puppet/shill when called on a few times a year?
because what cops do, see, is they have 'persona management' software that allows them to keep dozens of shill accounts laying around for when they want to say something without taking credit for it, like cast aspersions on those asking difficult questions about their operations.
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Chiiiiillll Winston. Smoke a joint, it might help.
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are you paid to keep your tongue on dbroze's asshole or do you just do it because that's all you know how to do?
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Did you smoke a joint yet?
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shut the fuck up jackass
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Maybe mushrooms are more your cup of tea?
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I'm so happy to be on steemit now and find people like you and Luke and a bunch of others I haven't otherwise been hearing much from lately on facebook. :)
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I am also equally grateful to this platform I have found friends who share my interest and also a platform I can express myself more
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Quality content.. Nice
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Thanks for sharing this, we are all going through a process of healing and longing to become whole, knowingly or not. As long as you have the intention of healing and transforming the past, healing will happen and many forgotten and hidden things will hit the light of awareness.
I believe not only our mind but also our body, our organs and very cells will store unpleasant and traumatic memories if we cannot emotionally digest what is happening at a certain moment.
This memory will become subconcious and might manifest as dis-ease and subtle physical symptoms.
These symptoms are in a way signs of our emotional subtle body wanting to be recognized and to be released.
So healing and becoming whole can only happen through remembering and releasing old unpleasant memories and thereby be released.
In this spirit, wishing you all the best, keep it up, I admire your work, please have an excellent year 2018!
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Yes @ redgaruda we all get scared along the way but as the old book says beauty from ashes
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I have some perspective you haven't attained yet. I have kids approaching your age, and have seen my parents become whom I protect, from being my protectors. It's the way of life.
It seems like a role reversal, but really it's not. As we attain our full prime, and know we now must protect those that once protected us, it is difficult to see that additional wisdom they have accrued from their decades more experience.
I see my own sons coming to this point. It is difficult to restrain my advice, but I have realized they must acquire their wisdom as did I: by making foolish mistakes, and learning to regret them.
You speak with great wisdom, obviously aware you are just as human as everyone else, and this is a great strength. I have come to feel that humility is the trait I should most embody, and for this reason, I have endeavored to not provide my unsolicited advice to my sons - despite knowing they will regret deeply some things they have undertaken.
It is good to sincerely want the best for your family, and it is even better to acknowledge you aren't the judge of what is best for them. If you really feel that cannabis does no harm, I reckon you might be able to find the strength to share that with your father.
There may come a day when the opportunity to grow your relationship in that way will no longer be available, and it would be unfortunate if you missed any opportunity to broaden and deepen your mutual respect and love.
The death of my mother is a fresh raw wound yet, after only a few months. There is so much I regret not taking the time to invest in, that could have expanded our relationship. I remember once finding her at a party I attended, and having the opportunity to share a joint with her.
It was the only time we ever did. She was a professional in the financial industry, and also in politics. We rarely crossed paths socially, as I was a heavy metal musician (I remember when I was 16 and she first learned I smoked pot. She asked me if I injected it into my eyes, and that was why they were so red). LOL
She was 'slumming', and I was crashing a high end party, and we shared a moment.
It is one of my most precious memories, in a life as full as anyone's of turmoil.
As your parents age, you will find you are their protector ever more and more, yet don't confuse their frailty for foolishness. With more experience comes wisdom, and it can be the most precious gift you might ever receive.
Thanks for sharing this intensely personal and intimate glimpse into your life. I admire you a great deal, for your indefatigable devotion to justice, fairness, and reason.
May every reward of those good ends bless you all your days.
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Just to be clear, I do not think cannabis causes any harm, but Troy has a thirty year old addiction to crack. Any time he drinks or smokes anything he goes back to that direction. He is still struggling with depression and emotional trauma from early in his life and is slightly institutionalized after spending the majority of the last 30 years in prison.
Thank you for the comments and support!
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I couldn't pretend to advise you to do this or that, and am confident you can negotiate the hazards you are faced with.
It is good that despite what must be a heart-wrenching situation, you yet hold beneficial interest in your heart. Clearly, your heart is big enough for all the turmoil going on in it.
Could I support more folks like you, I would. There aren't many with such dedication to justice and compassion, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Thank you.
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Sometimes I also feel that @valued-customsr especially in financial management. But in time I learned to be less critical of my parents because they are what they are because of my grandparents. I'f were not conscious what bad behavior to cut we will also pass it on to our children and grandchildren so it honk it's good to be self aware
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I too hope this will be a year of healing, and wish you both all the best. Any dad should be proud of the truths you've exposed and spread for the benefit of humanity. Saludos.
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@cardoprimo no such thing as perfect person I learned to forgive my parents for things they didn't do well in my eyes. When o started looking at that direction I begin to see more to be thankful about
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Thank you for sharing your journey. I'm happy to see you coming to terms with things and growing. Sending love to you and your dad. Welcome back to Facebook - now get the awake ones over here to Steemit! Steem on! :)
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Filling yourself with substances or whatever it may be is just trying to gain the love emotion which is happiness. Love is so powerful and we all need it to function. I wrote a whole post on why Love is so powerful today. Would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Have a magnificent day!
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I agree. After my past experience, going through my addiction and eventually prison, I came to realize that I was medicating because I was in pain.
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Yea. Glad you are good and got through that @dbroze! Great to hear your success now.
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@bitdollar it's correct drug addiction is escapism a call for help
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This is an inspiring article. At the end of it you are very lucky to have this chance late in life to come together in a different way, and be a guide for your father as an adult. In giving him the care he lacked, you are also giving it to yourself, and doing the work of healing your ancestral lineage.
Well written and well done.
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Love.
@qami
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Definitely something relateable. I visit FB just to keep in touch with the few people that I have made friend with in that community. I try to not read anything because it is too overwhelming. Sounds like time off the grid did a world of wonder for you.
As for 'Dad' mine love alcohol and my brothers more than me. He never wanted a girl, so I had to live with that my whole life until he died 3 yrs ago. I could never turn to him for anything. Thing had gotten so bad when I was 31 he put his hand around my throat. I stood there stared him down and said 'Do it' He actually started to squeeze. I ended the relationship then and their. I don't need that in my life. So I can comprehend trying to deal with a parent with addiction and they would rather have that than you.
Nothing feels that hole. In time what you do with your time takes over and you don't feel that need anymore. Stay strong and true to yourself
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@dbroze I love your honesty. I'm glad you find yourself
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YOU ARE GOOD PERSON! BEST WISHES! AND LATELY, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!
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I still get notifications from facebook but i just leave it as it is; notifications. Steemit brought a lot into perspective. Things you waste time and energy on naturally leave you. Steemit just took over and you enjoy spending time, meeting people, learning and ofcourse earn without any depressing obligatory feeling. I can relate a little to that. Steemit makes people loosen up.
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I'm so addicted to facebook that i cant go a day without log in,i really want to stop using facebook again but i dont know how to@dbroze
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