Dear Friends,
Yesterday’s episode with Mehrtash Olson was a jolt of clarity in a season of fog. Together, we unpacked not only the tangled incentives and collusion in media, government, and business, but dug down to the spiritual roots—how the confusion of tongues at Babel is, in our age, being reversed, and how the high stakes of information, agency, and justice are more profound than ever. Here are five urgent takeaways from our conversation—each one a lens for living as people created in God’s image in times of mass manipulation.
1. Freedom Isn’t Free—Nor Is It Simple
Civilization has evolved, with the mountainous power of ancient kings replaced by sprawling, interconnected systems—democracies, global corporations, and complex bureaucracies. Today, “the valleys”—the people—have more visible power, but only if they can discern and claim it. As Mehrtash and I discussed, a society can only function if its citizens have access to trustworthy information and develop the internal capacity for independent investigation. Otherwise, our “freedom” is for sale to the highest bidder or strongest algorithm.
Lesson: Nobody can do your discernment for you. Freedom, in the information age, takes spiritual vigilance—purifying heart and intention to see clearly, and being willing to pay the cost of persistent inquiry.
2. Propaganda Has Evolved—And So Must We
What we once called “propaganda” now hides in plain sight: not just obvious government lies, but the subtle steering of perception by media, entertainment, “experts,” and the echo chamber of social feeds. Mehrtash pointed out that, as NATO itself now admits, “the hearts and minds of all people are deliberate targets of distraction, persuasion, information warfare.” We are not merely an audience; we are the commodity.
Yet both faith and reason, ancient and new, remind us: the goal is not paranoia, but justice. “Possess a pure, kindly, and radiant heart… The best beloved of all things in My sight is justice.” (Baháʼí Hidden Words I & II)
Lesson: Your heart and your judgment are battlegrounds. Guard them with humility, practice, and the Word of God—not just with cleverness or cynicism.
3. Power Seeks Its Own—and Accountability Is Both Spiritual and Systemic
Cheryl Atkinson’s and Glenn Greenwald’s stories, as recounted by Mehrtash, showed that media and government often act in lockstep—not answering to citizens, but to themselves. Programs like Operation Mockingbird and the incentives of “Operation Special Purpose Entity” in business highlight a crucial reality: powerful incumbents write rules that favor themselves, even when the banner is “justice” or “transparency.”
Faith, at its best, draws clear boundaries: God-given rights supersede institutional claims. In the Bahá’í tradition, even the community’s sacred obligation can’t override the individual’s responsibility of conscience. The Guardian is to protect rights, not to usurp them.
Lesson: Institutions (even well-meaning ones) must serve, not own, the people. True accountability is always two-way, and rooted in spiritual principles of justice and transparency.
4. Don’t Mistake Incentives for Conspiracies—But Don’t Be Naïve
Much of what passes for “conspiracy” is in fact just the natural outworking of perverse incentives and human ambition in complex systems. As I reflected, incentive structures—sometimes formed with noble intent—can be hijacked to enrich insiders, mislead the public, and manufacture crises (or “solutions”) for profit or control. Simplistic blame-games (the “cabal,” the “beast,” or the “other side”) miss the deeper, more pervasive danger: a loss of spiritual and civic vigilance.
Scripture and the Bahá’í writings both insist: personal responsibility and purification aren’t optional. Refuse the cynicism that paralyzes; reject the naïveté that blinds. Seek “evolution, not revolution”—systemic repair rooted in individual transformation.
Lesson: See clearly, judge humbly, and refuse both the seduction of blame and the apathy of despair. Our freedom depends on it.
5. The Only Antidote: Active, Principled Discernment—Together
From Edward Bernays (“the invisible government... is the true ruling power of our country”) to your favorite news feed, the age of psychological manipulation is here. “See with thine own eyes, not through the eyes of others.” Such a command—rooted in both spiritual tradition and the scientific method—means we must take up the disciplines of questioning, consultation, and justice-seeking as daily practice.
Lesson: No algorithm can give you wisdom. Only a purified heart, relentless inquiry, and a spirit of justice—practiced in honest community—can keep you truly free.
In Closing
The stakes could not be higher: freedom, trust, agency, and above all, the capacity to “see with our own eyes”—to live as souls created for stewardship, not manipulation. As Mehrtash and I agreed, this isn’t just an intellectual or political task: it’s a spiritual calling.
Where have you seen “freedom for sale” in your own life or community? What disciplines or stories have helped you retain your sight and your soul?
Share your reflections below, and join us for upcoming installments as we keep peeling back the layers—together—in pursuit of truth, justice, and vibrant community.
Remain watchful, remain humble, stay free.
—Wade Fransson
Remember: You are created in the image of God. The world will always try to sell you another version of yourself. Hold out for the truth.
