It's a matter if persistence. You seem to have trouble seeing it, but some people don't want to hear it. They will see. It's not worth pushing away friends and family. Ideally you will be there when they are forced to see to help them along with the process. You and I both know that it is not an easy thing to digest. It will be even less so when they are force fed the reality by the world around them. Love is the only thing real, don't regret pushing it out of your life. Your friends don't have to see through your eyes to be good friends.
Absolutely it bothers me. I have been to four funerals in the last year. Only one if them did I get to plead with a dear friend, begging them to not get vaccinated. Fell on deaf ears. It will always bother me, but I spoke up, gently and often. I can live with that because I have to. I often wonder if I could have gotten through more if she hadn't heard my crazy stories about the rest of it all. If I had just picked that one battle, maybe it would have carried more weight.
Speaking up is important, but it doesn't take a trained psychologist to see when people close up and are being pushed away. At that point the only thing you gain is the satisfaction of speaking your mind. Keep your friends close. Where you can answer questions as they arise. Why push them away? Your influence is lost forever.
That is the video that helped my wife come to terms with voting for Trump the first time around. She was the one who opened my eyes. She dug (a lot) and hated Hillary, but only knew Trump the way most people did. Her trust was very guarded. That dude put her mind at ease.
When masking first started, I had to get groceries and was under the impression that I would be tossed if I didn't comply. It was the first time I had to put one on. I hated it, but feeding my family is number one. There was one guy walking around without one. I pulled mine and never put it back on. I felt stupid not being him before I saw him, but that was all it took for me to see. I did get thrown out of a few places, but now I know where to not spend money. Hopefully his ripple passed through me and on ot others. Good post and good reminder OP.
Sounds like it is affecting your personal attitude. Not everyone wants to hear about it. Try to rouse those who are stirring rather than those still fast asleep. It is not your assignment to try to change the views of everyone.
My brother-in-law went through what it sounds like you are going through. He alienated himself from all of his friends. In the end, it was helpful to no one. Everyone does not have to see what you see. Likely you have one person who is on, at least, a similar wavelength. Talk to them when you need to come to terms with, or just want to discuss what you know and learn.
Remember it is their goal to sow division. The left is the side that requires you to think as they do. Learn when to express you views and when to bite your tongue. The latter is never easy, I know. When it comes to the vaccine, express your views and take solice in that. It is not easy to watch friends and family die, but once you have said your peace, you must make peace. Everyone else is entitled to their own views and choices. Learn what seeds planted may grow with time and leave it at that. It is not weakness to remain silent at times, it is strength.
Hang in there. Manly men are going to be in short supply when they start waking up. You will likely become a hot commodity. Use this time to enhance your male qualities. If you don't know how to handyman or fix cars, get to learning. Now finding an unvaxxed girl is going to be a trickier task. If you want children, I recommend you put in the work on finding one of those. Love will find an open heart that is reinforced with an open mind. Grind forward and be receptive. There is no rush. My son is in the same boat.
They are rapidly forcing out the experienced teachers who know how to teach kids and replacing them with less inclined, easily brainwashed automatons. It's easy to hate on teachers, but those few selfless teachers who remain from a past era, buck up against a broken system and continue to do their best to try to reach the handful of kids, who can still be reached, deserve accolades.
While the lines are blurred in so many once nobel professions, kudos need to go to the righteous. Like our Constitution, they are very much in the way of those who seek total control. It's thankless work. If you have children still in the system, be involved. Make sure to take a moment to thank those who strive, against the odds, to improve the future of your children. With parental oversight, it's only too late once we give up on the remaining few. They are the branches that can support new life as we drive out the wicked.
I am not speaking of you, necessarily, but many who have had decent jobs form an opinion of what they are willing to do for money. There is work to be done. There us a shortage of people who will just show up. In retail, in trade in many capacities. Twenty-two years ago, two years into my business start-up, the world trade towers were blown up by the usual suspects. People stopped buying. I was in your shoes. I had to hold three jobs that didn't equal even one decent paycheck. One of those jobs was picking up trash in business parking lots for a property owner. Had it not reinforced my dedication to my family, it would have been humiliating and hardly seemed worthwhile. It would have been a low point. Instead it makes me, and more importantly my wife, proud and comfortable that there is no limit that I won't go to. Not long ago, I came off a ladder and broke both of my heels. That could have been disastrous (I was 50). Instead I invested in knee pads and figured out, with a little help, how to build from my knees.
Get rid of phones, cable everything you don't absolutely need. Sell nice cars in exchange for older cars that run. If you don't know how, use youtube to learn how to work on them. Many things you can do to ease the pain. It is painful, I had to get my truck out of repo. Terribly difficult emotionally. You can survive this. It is a spell and this too shall change. Use the opportunity to strengthen your family and your families resolve to work as a team. You will look back with pride, forgetting the degree of hardship and only remembering fondly what you, your family and most if all your undying love is capable of. Reduce your standards and increase your conviction. Handyman it for awhile. You would be surprised how much people need it and how much they will pay to get it. Again, youtube can make you look like a pro at anything. Charge $300 extra for a service and buy a power washer. Lots of folks will give you money to clean their driveways. Paint a house. Even on the cheap, there is good money in that.
If you need any tips or knowledge feel free to ask me. I will share my personal info with you if you need to talk through a task. There is a way. You look hard enough, and you will find it.
Thank you for taking the time to write all of that down. Very much appreciated. I've been meaning to begin a regimen for awhile, but kinda like supplements, hard to get that ball rolling. You were just what I needed to commit.
We should send everyone with a dual citizenship over there. You know, so they can help fight their little imaginary war.