Shifting in the Fateful Era of Capitalism ᝰ🚬
I know that many of you—and I very much include myself in that absurdly long list—have been victims of discourses more toxic than Chernobyl within this polarizing community, one that has many facets brushing up against the problematic and crossing straight into the harmful. If I received a coin every time I heard a shifter talk about meritocracy, repeating with arrogant certainty that you’re simply not trying hard enough and that this is why you haven’t managed to complete your endless process, I would probably be spending my immense fortune in Monaco.
We live in a society that constantly deceives us, treats us like fools, and sells us cheap ideas that are clearly dysfunctional in this late stage of capitalism. We are told to stay positive in the face of blatant labor exploitation and promised social mobility on an unjust social ladder, all through an enslaving work schedule that does nothing but enrich the factory owner.
And no, this is not a communist manifesto calling for the seizure of the means of production. This is a piece of writing that seeks to put an end to these types of messages that circulate through our community with overwhelming frequency.
But don’t let depression win this battle… I have good news! Shifting does not have to operate under this failed framework. We’ve been taught to believe that the more we do, the more results we’ll get. Sometimes this can bear fruit, but in many other scenarios it does nothing but trap us in deep frustration, a false sense of incompetence, and—of course—low self-esteem.
Shifting is an action, mostly carried out from the unconscious, profoundly natural and tied to the most basic foundations of our human existence as free consciousness in absolute nothingness. It can be compared to breathing, blinking, walking, among many other things we do with refreshing ease in our daily lives. I’m aware that shifting realities feels deeply foreign to our current reality; it feels like a distant magical spell, far beyond our abilities—thoughts that are completely understandable and coherent given our situation. But let fear of the new, feeling undeserving of something so wonderful, and above all the terror of failing, not lead us to believe lies that push us to do more, more, more, and a little more every day. Let those thoughts, filled with doctrinal cyanide, not ruin our colorful process—one full of ups and downs, meant to be enjoyed rather than to embitter the existence of the one experiencing it.
NO, you don’t have to follow a ten-thousand-step method to shift.
NO, you don’t have to do a three-hour meditation to shift.
NO, you don’t have to listen to subliminal audios for the tenth time in a single day to shift.
NO, you don’t have to listen to poisonous speeches that make you feel bad about yourself.
Find your comfort. Practice introspection without fear of the truth, and use a method that doesn’t agitate your breathing or make you feel uncontrollable nervousness. Let the process adapt to you, not the other way around.
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