I hope my article posted at The Federalist yesterday can explain in more detail why I felt this book club project is so necessary. Here's an excerpt:
Let’s face it. The corporate media certainly won’t offer a solution. Neither will Big Tech or academia or any other corrupt institution. It must come from within each of us speaking one-on-one and face-to-face.
As renowned sociologist Jacques Ellul wrote: “Propaganda ends where simple dialogue begins.” To that purpose, I hope my website can help promote sincere discussion on the theme of weaponized loneliness and to build new bonds of friendship.
Here's a link to the whole essay: "Speaking Openly About Loneliness Can Help People Resist Tyranny."
People are becoming ever more isolated and confused in a society that increasingly punishes open speech. My goal is simply to do something to help us overcome the isolation and confusion that is smothering us as individuals and as a society.
I was inspired by Vaclav Havel's essay "The Power of the Powerless" (which I plan to use as a book club selection.) Our real power is not in the media or institutions that have become corrupted. Rather, our power to overcome the weaponization of loneliness can only come from our relationships. It comes from real conversations with real people in real life. This is the essence of what Havel called "the hidden sphere of life" where it's possible to live within the truth. Book Club Website