In a small Minnesota town where my parents eventually settled, I met a man who left a lasting impression. Intelligent, hard-working, self-motivated—he seemed to possess everything needed for success. Yet, in this town, none of that was enough. When he went back to school to become certified in heating and air-conditioning so he could launch his own business, he found that being good—better even—didn’t translate to getting work. Why? Because he hadn’t been born into the right family. Nor had he married into one. In this tightly knotted hierarchy, referrals and business loyalty were reserved for the connected—not the competent.
Even though his work was superior and his prices more reasonable, the jobs went to less qualified contractors with the right last names. His story is not unique. I’ve seen it before.
I did not grow up in that Minnesotan town, but I did live for a time in a small South Dakota town where my father was the pastor. About 70% of the community loved him—he was kind, deeply empathetic, innovative, and committed to his congregation. But a smaller group, perhaps 30%, made his life increasingly difficult. Why? Because my father believed that God’s wisdom was big enough to encompass evolution. He believed creation could unfold over billions of years, not just the 6,000 years described in a literal reading of Genesis. This flexibility, imagination, and openness terrified the fundamentalists.
That same small group eventually drove my father out. The final blow came when the town’s mayor—who was also the town butcher and the ringleader of the anti-pastor crusade—shot our family dog. Let that sink in: a community leader, a butcher no less, responded to theological disagreement with the casual violence of a bullet through a pet.
That act mirrors the level of cruelty and irrational devotion we see today. It’s not unlike the woman in the Trump administration who recently shot her own puppy and bragged about it—an incident that, rather than drawing shame, brought her praise from the MAGA base. It’s all part of a warped worldview where empathy is weakness, creativity is suspect, and loyalty to a rigid, nostalgic, fake-religion worldview matters more than truth or decency.
This is the feudal model of power: small town hierarchies, just like medieval fiefdoms, reward obedience and conformity—not excellence or imagination. And these structures didn’t stay in small towns. They scaled. Over the years, this mindset climbed the ladder from local governments to statehouses to Washington D.C., setting the stage for Trump and his MAGA cult to seize power.
Just like that 30% drove my father away, MAGA’s minority—less than one-third of Americans—has managed to dominate the political landscape through gerrymandering, voter suppression, media manipulation, and sheer will to power. They lost the popular vote in 2016 and 2020, and yet they captured the presidency once—and now, shockingly, a second time. How? Because the feudal framework still rules.
Carl Jung once wrote that modern man is “eye-deep in the medieval psyche.” We dress like modern people, use modern tech, and live in modern cities, but psychologically? We’re still trapped in feudalism. We still defer to kings and lords. We still fear heretics. We still sacrifice the wise and the compassionate to appease the powerful few who wear the right colors and say the right words.
In my book, Sapience: The Moment Is Now, I explore how our collective psyche—warped by centuries of myth, fear, and manipulation—has been weaponized to keep people disempowered. These aren’t just psychological phenomena. They’re political tools used to fracture our shared reality, destroy our ability to agree on basic facts, and manufacture divisions so deep they seem impossible to heal.
Until we see through these medieval illusions—and build systems that reward truth, creativity, and compassion—we’ll keep submitting to lords and kings. And they will keep shooting our dogs, real and metaphorical.
The fault lines in our society aren’t random. They’ve been carved by centuries of deliberate design.
It’s time we saw the architecture clearly—and started tearing it down.
Be Curious — Remain Open to Learn New Ideas & Grow
Here are people I have been watching and following closely as the whole world moves through an incredibly dangerous time.
How Religion Helped Pave the Way for MAGA’s Desire to Destroy Everything & Punish Everyone
On Lies and the People Who Believe Them
What’s going on in the minds of Trump supporters
Time to Look In the Mirror for sure!
Why America is Not a Moral Country
Tired Uncle Sean — Like Father Like Son
This vid resonated so much with me that I commented on it: You are soooo right!!! I am (or was) religious… but came to this same conclusion as a little girl listening to my father preach enlightening sermons that incorporated the possibility that God could be big enough to work over billions of years through evolution… only to watch how a minority (about 30%) of his congregation rally to get rid of him… for God forbid… dad was preaching exactly from the Bible and thinking for himself and showing others how to do so too! This cumulated with the ring leader of this minority group (who was also the mayor and butcher of this small SD town) shooting our dog. It worked we left and I lost my faith in this kind of cruel, stupid god.
Decline of the American Empire — Talking Economic Sense
Economics plays a huge role in the macro forces driving individuals, political parties, and nation states. To know how to navigate these times, one need to pay attention to these macro drivers and these two economists make economics easy and explain plainly what is happening now.
Sapient Merch
fAuL LiNEs of DaRK PsYChE Unisex Tee, Mysterious, Haunting Tee, Dark aesthetics, Goth, Punk, Philosophical fans T-shirt
🔥 Wear the Truth They’d Rather You Ignore 🔥
fAuL LiNEs of DaRK PsYChE – Statement T-Shirt
Beneath the surface of smiling small towns, tidy suburbs, and high-tech cities, ancient structures still rule: hierarchies built on fear, obedience, and control. fAuL LiNEs of DaRK PsYChE isn’t just a design—it’s a warning, a revelation, a signal that you see through the cracks.
Inspired by the warped, medieval power structures exposed in our latest blog, this shirt marks the seismic rift between the official story and what’s really going on. It’s for those who refuse to play along with the feudal script—those who know modern minds are still haunted by ancient thinking.
Wear it like armor. Speak without speaking. Let the lines say what others dare not.
Features
🔥Classic fit and tear-away label for comfort that doesn’t compromise edge
🔥Strong, smooth fabric made to carry bold prints—and bolder truths
🔥Ribbed knit collar and seamless sides for long-lasting wear
🔥Shoulder tape adds durability for daily resistance
Care Instructions
🔥Machine wash warm (max 40C or 105F)
🔥Non-chlorine bleach as needed
🔥Tumble dry medium
🔥Do not iron or dry clean—truth doesn’t need polishing
ABCs of Democracy T-Shirt, Retro Adventure Tee for Patriotic Enthusiasts, Bold Statement Graphic
What happens when federal workers disappear? This bold and thought-provoking sticker makes it clear: No Federal Workers. No Democracy. </span…
America Stood at a Fork in the Path And Chose the Psychopath Protest Poster
This vertical poster with the design ‘America Stood at a Fork in the Path And Chose the Psychopath‘ can easily be transformed into a Protest Poster by gluing it to cardboard and affixing a stick. The intense colors and matte finish give off a rebellious and impactful vibe, perfect for those who are passionate about activism and social justice. It’s relevant for prot…
Corruption King — Qatar’s Bitch, Satin Protest Poster
This Corruption King poster with the text ‘MBS’s Bitch’ embelm on his brand new Saudi plane exudes a rebellious and edgy vibe. The larger poster sizes can also be turned into a Protest Poster by affixing the print to cardboard of the same dimensions and adding a stick, if desired.<span sty…