ICURBlessings

here above I stated facts from personal experience in regard to labor issue both in the US and Canada. I could add to this that in my area at least 50% if not far more of retail stores such as grocery stores, have been in shortage of worker for the past several years. And not just entry level jobs, management position as well. But in those it is less evident as they simply fill these higher positions from unqualified but willing individuals. When Trump was the President, at one point the word went out that Immigration Officers would be flooding an area looking for illegal immigrants (those without a work permit/green card). That week I saw in the news a huge construction project were over 90% of the workers were suddenly not showing up. These were all working without a green card. They got scared and did not show up to work. They entire project was frozen to a stand still! That is one tiny example among thousands... Those that are against immigrants - including illegal immigrants - have no idea of the BENEFITS their Nation derive from them.

What are the pros and cons of immigration? Is it always beneficial? This is a BIG question with a lot of possible answers. Immigrants are an important catalyst for the economy of a Nation, an increase in population usually stimulates the economy. Immigrant can add color to a culture. There is a long list of advantages from immigration but also immigrants can bring destructive components of their culture. But the realities that I witnessed in both the US and Canada is: A huge sector of employment exist that natives will not participate to a substantial degree - farm-work, construction, general labor jobs, cooking, etc... AND thereby produce seriously problematic conditions within their Nation - that only immigrants can resolve. This issue seem worst in the US than Canada. Native of the US are even less motivated to fill these jobs than Canadians do. In Canada I have been told by relative who live there, of businesses (Restaurants and Hotels) that had to completely and permanently shut down because they could not find workers. In the US, a friend of my wife had to wait 8 months to have a hot water tank replaced because of a lack of plumbers. They lived 8 months without hot water. This situation also have driven construction wages super high, while the work quality is going down because of employing completely unqualified labor-force. In those conditions I see immigration not only beneficial but NECESSARY to maintain a higher quality of life for a Nation.

SURPRISE - what you describe here about a person; are that person's states and responses to a 'Perceived Threat'. All those behaviors you listed are responses to a 'Perceived Threat'. And these responses - from a wider context - are how we arm ourselves and others. In a nutshell - the solution or helpfulness is to remind that person that they are truly loved and truly safe.

Protecting others or anything for that matter is a response to a perceived threat. 'Threat perception' is subjective and very contextual. Meaning what does NOT appear as a threat to one may appear as one to another. Some Shamanistic rituals and practices may appear as a Threat to a Parent who's child is going through Shamanic initiation. 'Threat perception' that seem justified in a context is rarely correct when brought up to a wider context

Here is a video where Jamie Raskin explains the principles behind the separation between Church & State as established in the US Constitution. He puts the separation between Church & State in many different perspective - including historical, and of course in the context of today's corruption driven by some fundamentalist Christian under the Trump/Republican party. Congressman Jamie Raskin is very good at explaining such things...

...and of course the ultimate purpose of Self-Realization...

It is possible to experience this world and be completely UNCONSCIOUS of one's sense of purpose - BUT believe it or not - it is impossible to experience this world without a serving of purpose. On one hand many choose to be unaware of their sense of purpose - but this does not mean they don't have one. If one's sense of purpose is to raise a family and have children - that is a purpose mostly determined by the drive for the continuation of the human specie. Many as the see the problems in this world, the injustices, the unnecessary wars, etc... and they can't help themselves to DO something to REMEDY the situation. Many see purpose as seeking pleasures, comforts, others as raising walls of protection around what they value...

YES of Course the internet has done both.

"I don’t know why my “soul” chose this. If that was the case" ... and you don't care to know? OR you do care to know but believe it is impossible to know?

I am going to wind back. Look at your experience of how "separated" is your internal world from the external world. Look how you feel introverted. Look at when you fall asleep the external world fades, like a curtain is raised between your consciousness and the external world. Somehow you chose to have this experience of being a human, and living in a world governed by all its laws of physics, biology, sociology, etc... A world were you experience yourself as a body... A world of Time, with a past, a history and a prehistory, ... Why do you think you find yourself in this world? Why are you here? What is your purpose here OR what is the purpose of this world in your soul-journey?

OK - WHAT is true is: That which is the idea that the World that we believe to be EXTERNAL - that we perceive as outside and beyond a boundary determined by the physical body - can only be assumed as a FACT - not entirely unlike when humans 'assumed' the Sun was rotating around a CENTER which is the Earth. We believed it was a fact and a certainty until Copernicus and Galileo showed us otherwise - WHAT is true is: the idea of an EXTERNAL World - and especially the idea that this EXTERNAL World stands as REALITY - is at BEST an UNCERTAINTY. To understand that this very experience of that which we call REALITY is at best an UNCERTAINTY is a starting point from which to move DEEPER towards Truth.

"Well the external world I see as a projection of my brain " This statement is faulty because the premise upon which it is raised and upon which it stands is ONLY an assumption NOT a FACT. An assumption that should at the very least be questioned. In other words - under this statement there is an assumption that the external world is REAL and not entirely and ONLY a creation of the Mind. Also under this statement there is an assumption that the Mind is the product of the brain and central nervous-system. Those are two central assumptions among others.

Could you accept the idea that the external world is PART of your internal world. 'That' being a special PART - a part that operates under different laws and principles than what you experience as INTERNAL. It is like a very ancient agreement was made - long before human beings came into existence. This agreement would produce the effect of splitting your mind between 2 very specific spheres of experiences: One Internal and one External. And every living-form - human or other - comes in this experience where we are identified to a physical body - and have this experience of an 'external world' - external to ourself (our body). ...that is a universal state that all living things experiences, and that we undertake as a 'FACT' - BUT that all genuine spiritual journey leads to the realization that ALL that which we perceive as EXTERNAL is actually INTERNAL.

Do you see the external world as a place where much occurs that you have NO control over?

This statement "nothing external excites me to be honest. I just want to return to a somewhat normal internal state, that is what excites me" points to a 'disconnection' between your internal and external life. ... and I would guess you are much more 'introvert' than 'extrovert'.

Please define and describe what is normal internal state

Please describe and define what is for you a "normal internal state"?

"continuing with what I’m currently doing" - what is that? School? Presently - what excites you about living? And also do you have a future-prospect that excites you in some ways?

I have had experience with this state... and I understand how you want to find your freedom from it. First and most importantly KNOW that IT shall PASS. Until then BE Patient with the PROCESS. The PROCESS is there but not obvious BECAUSE what you experience FEELS-Like a "lack" of processing. That is the illusion which is normal. I mean we human mis-perceive almost everything and most of the time - to the point that it is the 'NORM'. One key area that you should have access and THAT will help the PROCESS is: HOW you are SEEING your future - either the rest of your life OR the next phase of your younger adult life. This PERSPECTIVE which your mind is PROJECTING as your future is also influenced by some important factors - such as how you judge yourself as a human being. Specifically WHAT you don't like about yourself MUST be transformed in some ways. Are your views of the future of human kind and yours personally PESSIMISTIC in some ways? Have you resigned yourself to Parental or Social expectations of WHAT you are to do with your future in someway? Is your future cast in a way that does not bring JOY - but the opposite? Do you have a true-sense of Purpose aligned with your future or your life? It is OK to not have found one's sense of purpose at 21... Most at that age have not - BUT, and if so, be aware that you have not - and therefore expect to discover it - and that IT will fill you with JOY.

THEREFORE the battle should be focus on reversing the population's vulnerability to 'Disinformation' and misinformation. And NOT on the Left fighting the Right.

Before the internet, the extreme Right population would of been a TINY minority, totally marginalized and powerless. Now with the power of misinformation and disinformation used and spread by this Extreme-Right - a substantial percentage of the population - although still a minority - is manipulated into joining this extreme-right ideology. I see this substantial number - although a minority - of extreme-right producing a huge stress on the whole or the rest of the population. If the 'rest of the population' does not put an effort to counter this - the Nation falls under the control of that minority. 'Effort' will manifest itself as a divisive force - but that is a superficial way to look at it. Metaphorically it would be like saying don't fight the cancer that wants to ravage your body because you will increase the sense of division between your healthy cells and cancer cells.

About "We’ll keep in mind that illusion etc are real ..." In philosophical/metaphysical discussion context I consider Reality and Illusions as mutually exclusive -

When it comes Truth and Reality - the word 'existence' is like a two-edge sword. One can say that only what is real exist and be correct in a certain context. While another can say that an illusion, although not real, can exist as such, meaning as an illusion - which is also correct. If you take the definition of EXIST as 'stand out' - than one MUST ask: Stand out from what? That very question frames a dualistic perspective: WHAT exist - and WHAT it stands out against or from. Since Reality is a UNIFIED State (Oneness) then a dualistic perspective is fundamentally of SOMETHING NOT REAL. The only time that I see the topic of 'EXISTANCE' not ambiguous is when we are specific of what IS EXISTING. This could be 'objects of perception' such as a chair or a Planet. Or it could be about the Existence which is your BEINGNESS - or what many likes to call CONSCIOUSNESS. When we are specific about the Existence of 'WHAT' now we have much less ambiguity to deal with.

'Blame' is a phenomenon with roots in a layer of 'guilt' that is individually experienced but collectively shared and reinforced. Blame is a PROJECTION of fundamental guilt. It is a way of pushing guilt 'outside of oneself' under the beleif that as long as guilt is falling on someone else it is not on me. This strategy motivated by the natural need to get rid of guilt is ultimately INNEFECTIVE. To blame the so called 'elite population' is fundamentally the same behavior as blaming the immigrant population.

Maybe the word 'work' in Shadow-Work could be replace with something more appropriate for you. I think the word 'work' is from the concept of having to dig deep and to overcome our natural resistance to become aware of our dark-side. Do you already have some kind of awareness of your 'shadow' or 'dark-side'?