We’ll start with this 1949 quote from Albert Einstein: “There will come a time when the rich will own the media, and it will be impossible for the public to make an informed opinion.” We now know, due to retired intelligence officers, congressional testimony, and insiders, that under “Project Mockingbird,” the CIA has journalists and editors on their payroll to suppress or promote stories that fit their agenda. The CIA has operatives at all print and TV organizations as well, which means we no longer have an independent media. They probably influence streaming programming too.

I believe many people intuitively know that mainstream news and everything else being broadcast at us is government/corporate-controlled. That’s probably why alternative media has grown exponentially. So, what do we do to negate this situation? One thing we can do is to avoid mainstream (“If it bleeds, it leads”) national news and read the newspapers discerningly. Don’t get caught up in the fear they spread. This is such an important point.

We are bombarded with fearful images and programming daily; never-ending wars, catastrophic storms, the threat of financial upheaval, and yet another murder of a young person just starting their life. And that’s just the news. If we add in the infinite variety of crime-focused TV shows and ultra-violent movies, no wonder we are anxious and fearful. Look, I get it—I know you love your crime-based shows—but every one of them is about acts of Human-on-Human violence every night. I don’t see how we can raise our vibration when we repeatedly subject ourselves to that type of negative and fearful imagery and messaging.

When we as a people are fearful, we are easier to control, and that’s what the powers that be want. I know it’s not easy, but we must avoid fear-based programming and refuse to consent to fear. We can use the time we spend on fear-based programming to find and engage in something that we’re passionate about. I’ll talk more about the importance of living your passion in Chapter Twelve.