Land Of The Free?

Which way now, 

my American friends? 

When is enough enough???

Orders Are Orders

 We used to laugh at krauts Germans sometimes saying that they are sticklers for the rules, but recently we found out it's really true for the big part of their population.

As you probably know, masks have been largely abolished here in the Netherlands, but you still have to wear them inside in Germany and Belgium. Well, when we were on vacation the borders got finally open and we visited both these countries. In Belgium, most folks were wearing masks under their noses, the way it used to be done over here when it was mandatory.

In Germany, though...There was a village close to the border with a big supermarket which we like very much. It usually sells lots of stuff of all sorts. I will admit, I've been missing German interior design and gardening magazines so I was quite enthusiast about going there even though I had to wear my mask again. Inside we noticed people were staring at us in a funny way, I was wondering why. 

And then a lady shop assistant approached us and told us we had a WRONG SORT OF MASK ON! Ours were from fabric bought in a common store while in Germany you have to wear a special government-approved one with a number on it! A medical grade one, from a pharmacy. To say I was mad is an understatement. 

They all had theirs pulled up all the way to their eyes, btw. Ultimately it was for the best though, because while we were debating whether we should may be still go there for a couple of day, they got flooded, exactly the area which we were planning to visit.

Enfin, I guess no Germany for me this year as I'm not optimistic about autumn. In Iceland they already say the whole circus will last 15 years. We'll see...

Something To Cheer You Up

Can someone tell me which movie is it???

Why I Distrust Medical System

 One of the reasons:

Hormonal Birth Control Solves Everything?

Conspiracy Or Incompetence?

 There are so many conspiracy theories going around. NWO, globalists, population reduction etc. Some people say that viruses are a conspiracy and they don't exist in reality. The main reason I took the corona stuff seriously in the beginning was because of all the usual suspects shouting about "plandemic". Frankly, many of those guys sound paranoid. 

It doesn't mean they are wrong on everything, though. But for many people, it's like the Garden of Eden moment, their eyes got opened and they finally realised the king was naked. Yet, this whole NWO thing has been going strong since 'good guys' won WWII. The first vaccines were pushed on everyone already in the 1950s. Some of them already had aborted fetus cells back then. Boomers were easily influenced by the TV and they ate it all hook, line and sinker. 

I don't exactly support VD's rants about the day of the pillow, but we do have a boomer question, to a degree. Most boomers thought the new world emerging in the 1960s and 1970s, with its unlimited credit, easy travelling, anticonception and disappearance of many diseases was simply great. And it's boomers in many cases who are the most vaccinated. We are told to subject teenagers to experimental vaccines so that the boomers could live longer. 

The world has also been getting dumber. In the 19th century, working class were reading Dickens. Nowadays the middle class are watching dumb TV shows. Instead of meritocracy we get 'gender' and ethnicity quotas. Politicians only think about how to survive the next election and are afraid to take responsibility. The majority are addicted to their smartphones. 

Enter Corona. Whatever it really is, whether it's just a more dangerous type of flu or a lab grown virus, I do think it's real, however, it's been handled with gross incompetence, used by politicians for dirty games, the mortality exaggerated, the possible treatments thrown out to push for the experimental vaccines etc etc. It could be that the conspiracy theorists are right. But it also could be just the incompetence of our rulers, the failure of the post war system, and the arrogance of those who think they have the power to eradicate diseases and to command nature (in reality, God).

Heck, it could even be both...

A New Housekeeping Schedule

 I'm currently trying this one. 

What about you?

Flood Pictures

 

The worst was in Germany, of course, but still...

Flood Of The Century?

In short, that's what we have been dealing with:

I'm Back!

 Comments moderation is back to normal. We have survived the most horrible flooding but more about it later!

A Short Personal Notice

 It's finally so far! We are going on vacation. I'll be back in about 2 weeks, all comments will go in moderation until then

See you all later, have a nice time!

P.S. Just a reminder. Normally on this blog, all comments on posts older than 12 days automatically go in moderation. Since I get lots of spam, I don't often check them. Just did right now and saved 3 comments from limbo. Excuses:)

Does Modern Lifestyle Cause Anxiety?

 Some time ago Matt Walsh got a lot of flak on Twitter for his suggestion that anxiety is not a disease. People were telling him about their anxiety disorder and how some things cause them panic attacks and that they can't function without medication.

Most of them were women, btw. That made me think. People nowadays are told to ignore their instincts. Yet getting anxious or even panicky may be your body's way to tell you to stop and rethink what you are doing. Progressives made a big deal about "mother's little helpers" and talked incessantly about 1950s housewives needing pills to get them through the day, yet how is it different from a woman who needs antidepressants to be able to function in work setting?

In fact, I doubt modern feminism would even be possible without anticonception pill and other drugs which make being an office drone or other similar jobs more or less tolerable.

Since I'm not a doctor I can't give medical advice on topic of disorders and mental health, but if you are suffering from anxiety it may be a good idea to try and find out what exactly is it you are so worried about. It could be the school your children attend, financial problems, in-laws, or work situation if you are employed.  You may feel trapped or stuck but taking medication to numb your natural reaction isn't really a good way out. 

Don't force yourself to do things which make you really uncomfortable. Don't be afraid to say, no. If the idea of going on vacation with your mother-in-law interrupts your night rest, just cancel it. If the neighbour pushes you to babysit for her because she wants to work longer hours and you have your hands full with taking care of your own family tell her to send her kids to daycare. Don't ruin your health because you are trying to please others. It's OK to change your mind. 

You don't have to be a martyr, it's OK to just enjoy your life.

The Importance Of Freedom Of Conscience

 I was planning to begin this post by stating that the freedom of conscience is an important Western value, but then remembered that even in Muslim countries, at least in theory, Christians are supposed to practice their faith unmolested if they pay a special tax (I think it's called jizzya, but too lazy to check).

In Europe, this freedom was born out of Reformation and the religious wars that followed it. In the end, we recognised that every person should be free to follow his or her own conscience in the matters of faith and principles. Some say it was beginning of liberalism but I honestly don't care. While I disagree with many things in the modern society, I don't think we should throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to say, as the recent lockdowns proved.

You can abuse the notion of freedom and stretch it to promote sin/vice, but it doesn't mean that (political) freedom in itself is wrong. 

The reason I decided to write about it is because some people apparently believe that the freedom of conscience only exists for men, not for women. What I'm referring to is the modern teaching on wifely submission. While progressives scorn the very idea, some religious people go the other direction and take it too far, claiming that the husband is the final authority on everything outside of outright criminal behaviour, like murder, which the wife is still not supposed to commit if commanded.

I recently heard about some lady who didn't want to get vaxxed but did it anyway because her husband persuaded her. Personally I don't think that a decision on so controversial a topic should be taken under pressure from others. After all, we are talking here about YOUR health.  If you choose to do it, you do it for yourself, not for others. 

There are things which one spouse simply can't and shouldn't force the other one to do. He or she can't force the other one go against their convictions. Here I think it's important to make a distinction between a preference and a conviction. For instance, a woman may prefer to wear long dresses but her husband doesn't like how she looks in them. It this situation, it would be wise to follow his taste more than her own, since after all, it's (hopefully) her own husband she's trying to please with the way she looks.

On the other hand, she may have a conviction against wearing a miniskirt, in which case it would go against her conscience to do it. A better example would probably be the anti-conception pill. Many Protestants seem to think it's fine, while the Catholic Church expressly prohibits it. For a Catholic woman, to follow her husband in this matter would mean to go against her Church's teaching and her own conscience.

And you should consider that going against one's conscience never pays. There is an old poem called Soldier Of Fortune which deals exactly with this topic. One could think that it's just a poetic Victorian exaggeration they were so prone to, but it's still true nowadays. If you go against your deep, heart-felt convictions for worldly profit, or to please others around you, it will never pay, but vice versa, it will ruin your self-image, destroy your inner peace and break you as a person. You will despise yourself for your weakness, especially if the desired result isn't achieved. 

The end doesn't justify the means, and the fact that you were pressed into doing it won't comfort you in the end, because as a grown-up, deep down you know that there always is a choice and you are the one who bears full responsibility. 

Each of us has or should have a moral/honour code and if you break it, you do it at your own peril. Blind obedience to authority is imo, not Biblical and we should always use our power of discernment. 

I should add that I'm not talking about ordinary things like what to eat for dinner or which colour wallpaper to choose for your bedroom, but I guess you all understand what I meant! 

Or so I hope...