One more day goes by, and I keep adding new issues to my list of global concerns and horrors that, even if they don’t directly affect me, will inevitably have consequences in one way or another—it’s only a matter of time.

If I had to pick one—or at least the one at the top of my list—it would be the systematic spread of massive disinformation through social media. Not a single day goes by when I see a post and don’t think: “Someone is bound to read this and believe it. Either because they don’t have the tools to understand it well enough, or because they genuinely think that way and we have no way of bringing them back to the same reality we live in.”

What can be done?

For fear of sounding cynical or defeated, I rarely speak openly about what we’re going through.

But… if you want to make a difference…

You can choose to fight misinformation. How? Well, you read, research, study, and then post on social media (yes, the very platforms that are spreading misinformation). Only for the algorithm to suppress or censor your verifiable information, or for the very people you’re trying to inform to deny your facts and accuse you of being a propagandist, insisting your claims are lies or part of some agenda (any agenda, whichever is trending at the moment: woke, leftist, communist, Islamic, globalist, etc.) In the end, you end up “flagged” or “banned” by the social media platform and added to THE list of people of interest to the institutions in power.

You can also get involved in your community, help others, and become a source of assistance and support. This is the option that, if we all chose it, would make the world a better place (or at least easier to navigate). The problem here is personal burnout and the lack of individual resources most people have. You work 40–50 hours a week plus commute time; you barely have enough money for rent and bills; everything is falling apart around you, and little by little, your life is getting more complicated and expensive.

Even if others have less than you—or NOTHING at all—who could judge you if you decide to take time to heal, rest, and try to survive? A life of service to others is neither compatible nor sustainable with the current institutions and systems that govern us. In short, those who do not take care of themselves cannot take care of others. Much less bear the weight of an individualistic society that punishes poverty and leaves the disabled out in the cold.

And of course, you can always take direct action. Here I have to limit my words because it’s practically the surest way for the three-letter agencies to knock on your door and make you disappear, or for some other three-letter agency to shove you into a vehicle with hooded men and make you disappear. Now with AI, they’d also leave you with a little media gift to destroy your reputation, but that’s another topic (and a long one).

Let’s get back to it… Direct action, in a nutshell, is identifying a problem—or the cause, or part of the problem—usually linked to suffering, oppression, injustice, etc., and solving it. The emphasis is on solving it. Because we all know there are some ways more efficient than others to solve our current problems. Who knows? Maybe your solution helps others, improves society and you’ll be recognized as an ally-hero for future generations.

As someone who has studied and earned degrees in various fields, I’ve had the privilege of publishing what I’ve studied and researched. Not just for personal gain or to generate content, but to “inform” or TRY to combat the distortions and lies I read every single day. These actions, however minor they may be, have resulted in more than a few of my accounts being suspended, censored, and even blocked for posting certain phrases and information on social media.

What is the solution?
If there is one, I don’t know it (or cannot elaborate so freely about it).

But I am clear on two things:

1- There are bad days when I don’t even go near social media or only log in to reply to messages and get on with my life. But there are also good days when I have the patience, strength, and desire to tolerate nonsense and try to do my part. I’d say I have more good days than bad ones; I hope they make a difference.

2- Tomorrow I have to work to survive. If I’m lucky, I’ll stay healthy and work for another 40 years. And if I suddenly decide to believe in miracles, I’ll be able to retire someday and peacefully enjoy the little time I have left before I sleep forever six feet under.