Beyond the Information War

Dylan Charles, Editor
Waking Times

Editor’s Note: Inspired by recent work with my coaching clients, I wanted to share this message which explains what’s been going on with Waking Times, which is really about me and my perspective on this crazy world. Thank you for your readership over the last decade. ~Dylan Charles

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In 2011 I started Waking Times with the vision of bringing together evolutionary and revolutionary ideas, so that those who were paying deep attention to the big problems in our world wouldn’t forget to look inside of themselves for solutions and direction.

Back then there was so much to discover, and among many enlightening topics I chose to also discuss some ‘conspiracy theories,’ because I feel that an understanding of our world is incomplete if you only pay attention to the surface narratives.

I’ve mostly been concerned with the bigger elephants in the room, like fiat money and the emerging medical technocracy, and whenever I looked below the surface of these issues, I couldn’t avoid seeing the inhumanity, cruelty, corruption, evil and stupidity rotting away at our human potential.

After trying to fix the world for a bit, I finally realized that I saw the same things when I looked inside myself. Just as society at large, I too was prone to self-delusion, cognitive dissonance, escapism, and believing my own bullshit.

Whenever I disregarded or ran away from those parts of myself I didn’t like, life didn’t get any better. I tried ignoring my intuition, drowning out my emotions, and distracting myself from reality, but only found frustration. And the faster I ran from the truth of my life, the more self-destructive I was.

Kind of like the world is today, in 2021.

The more we try not to see the darkness festering just below the surface (of pretty much everything), the more in-your-face it all becomes. The more we collectively work to suppress it, repress it and oppress it, the more illogical, irrational, hysterical, unstable and dangerous it all becomes.

So now here we are. All of us. With the social decay, destructiveness, fear and viciously controlling nature of our world right in our collective face. Brushing it out of view requires extraordinary effort these days, and for most people it’s just too much to bear. I get it. It’s often easier to live in the delusion. It’s less frustrating. We have so much on our plates already. Let’s go along to get along.

But it’s such a magnificent paradox. If instead we chose to directly confront the darkness, to look right at it without blinking, then bring it into light and properly deal with it, we would actually have a chance of surviving it. If we don’t, we’re doomed.

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” ~ Gospel of Thomas 

I’ve heard Jordan Peterson say that the most challenging thing to do everyday is telling the truth, because there is almost always short-term gain in a comfortable lie, whereas the truth almost always carries with it the risk of not getting what you want.

I think he’s right, and that our world has become so complex and fast-paced that ignoring and avoiding the truth has become a type of survival mechanism for the times.

But… As above, so below. As within, so without. What are you hiding from yourself?

If we chose to look at our own darkness, and understand our own delusions, and find ways out of our own destructive habits and patterns, then we’d still have a chance at living an extraordinary life in these remarkably unstable times. If we don’t work to acknowledge and root out our fears, insecurities, doubts, prejudices, patterns, programs and traumas, then we won’t be able to handle what’s coming at us. It will be too much to handle.

After 10 years as a publisher, editor and writer in the independent media, I sense that we’ve now reached a breakaway point.  The trains have left the station.

Those who believe in the illusion are fortifying their commitment to the illusion, and those who see through it are fortifying themselves for the struggle of their lives.

There are those who seek truth, and those who seek to suppress truth. Those who want more control, and those who want to be left alone. Those who demand obedience, and those who revere individualism. Those who wish to silence others, and those who wish to freely express.

Which are you?

At this point, people are either awake already, or not. If not, then in order to escape the gravity of the Borg hive mind, they will likely need to experience some extreme shock to jolt them from the trance. This means that the work of waking people up has changed and this effort is moving from the info-war to the inner-war, which is our most likely our last chance, because the next war will be an outer struggle for physical survival, should we let it come to that.

On the inner battlefield, knowledge of external events is of lesser importance, and living in the hamster wheel of ever-evolving political and social news and narratives is a self-defeating distraction. Our full attention is needed on the clearing and fortification of our inner and private lives, where we can do more than just spectate.

What matters most right now is honesty, personal responsibility and a fearless willingness to confront the darkness.

The problem is, like I said earlier, we don’t always see our own bullshit. We don’t always know when we are being led by truth or when we are being misled by carefully crafted delusions about what is real and what is possible.

I’ve seen this time and time again in my work as a self-mastery coach and as a facilitator of plant medicine retreats. People seek out insight from these medicines and from coaches like myself in order to accelerate their understanding of themselves. To help them better see that which is within them, so they can more rapidly and completely evolve.

With all that said, I’ll get real here for a moment and share some of my truth with you.

I feel that there are plenty of players in the independent media out there today doing incredible work with extraordinary resolve. Many of the ‘conspiracies’ and stories I’ve been concerned about and have been warning about for years are coming to fruition right now, and I sense that my experience and perspective is of better use working directly with individuals and groups,  expanding consciousness of the inner domain, and helping them to break through their self-imposed traps and programming.

So, for all of our readers out there, I say thank you and stay tuned as I redirect the focus of this project onto deeper participation in our evolution. Thanks for showing up with an open mind and thanks for sticking around over the years. If I can be of service to you somehow, please contact me. I’m available for one-on-one personal coaching and have some exciting projects coming forth very soon.

Oh, and check out my stellar podcast, Battered Souls, where I hang out with extraordinary people who’ve overcome incredible things and now do bad ass stuff. It’s excellent, you’ll love it. It’s a refreshingly real conversation every time.

Read more articles by Dylan Charles.

About the Author

Dylan Charles is a self-mastery coach, the editor of Waking Times and host of the Battered Souls podcast. His personal journey is deeply inspired by shamanic plant medicines and the arts of Kung Fu, Qi Gong and Yoga. After seven years of living in Costa Rica, he now lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and enjoys spending time with family. He has written hundreds of articles, reaching and inspiring millions of people around the world.

Dylan is available for interviews and podcasts, contact him at [email protected].

This article (Beyond the Information War) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Dylan Charles and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.

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