Last week I watched Mel Gibson’s ‘Braveheart’ movie of 1995. There are two pivotal moments in the film where William Wallace feels the pain of betrayal. At the battle of Falkirk when the clans on horseback ride away from the fray instead of engaging with their sworn enemy and later, when in pursuit of the king he must do battle with Longshanks' knight. After feigning defeat Wallace overpowers the knight and, when he removes the helmet, finds him to be none other than the Bruce, rightful heir to the Scottish throne. Wallace’ face captures the shock perfectly.
Could it be that a massive shock is an essential part of the learning process? In a popular TV series. ‘Kung-Fu’ from the 1970s, the young ‘Grasshopper’ and a schoolmate from the Shaolin temple were dispatched to the village to fetch groceries for the monastery. On their way back they were set upon by brigands and robbed. When they got back the blind master sat them down and asked what the event had taught them. The schoolmate said ‘Never trust a stranger’ whereupon the master told him to pack his bag and leave. Grasshopper then responded – ‘Expect the unexpected’ The master told him to stay.
There is a well known pattern to responding to trauma and forced change. The Change Curve was proposed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross after working with terminally ill patients facing catastrophic change. People typically move through six stages – Shock, Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Although these are typical stages, people traverse the territory at different rates and sometimes in a different order. Many respond angrily and may stay at this stage for decades, stunting their ability to enjoy life and grow. Although Wallace took his revenge on those who betrayed him, the young Grasshopper showed an unusually mature grasp of the situation and how to adapt. There is a danger of oversimplifying grief. The shock is typically proportional to the emotional investment made by the individual in his/her changing circumstances.
Since 2020 the world has been turned on its head in response. to the best funded propaganda campaign in history. Many people don’t yet realise that the Downing Street SAGE group had more psychologists than doctors and that their brief was to sub-divide the population so that targeted messaging could be developed for ten groups to maximise the fear at large and optimise the take-up of the ‘vaccine’. Now, over two years since its introduction, we are growing accustomed to seeing young athletes die on the pitch or courts and many thousands more suffer from life-changing neurological damage. As the intent of the campaign becomes evident, anger is rising and the population are in danger of turning to violence to avenge their losses. People who administered the programme, despite misgivings over its safety, and those contributing to the fear narrative by administering Midazolam and Morphine in our care homes to bump up the number of deaths may be feeling guilt when they realise they’ve contributed to the carnage.
The world is now at a very dangerous juncture. When first I watched Braveheart I was cheering on the vengeful Wallace but now I recognise that the old Divide and Conquer maxim of war is alive and well. The New Improved version for the 21st century polarises everyone – vaxxed vs unvaxxed. We have been lied to by those we trusted. The government is at war with its people and there is worse to come as the gene-altering bioweapons weaken our immune systems. When the next weapon is released those who refuse to ‘expect the unexpected’, choosing instead to engage in petty or even deadly recrimination, will fail to protect themselves in time to avoid severe illness or death.
A more appropriate stance, and not only because it’s Holy Week, is – ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do’. For those prepared to adapt to Kubler Ross’s acceptance phase, it’s time to work on removing the toxic spike proteins from our systems and to rebuild our innate immunity.
