As with all Tuesdays and Thursdays, this is a “Best of Erik.” I post this because I was thinking about M.J. off and on yesterday and how sad it was to see him destroyed by the public.

Me: Why do we slaughter the unicorns? Why do we destroy people like Michael Jackson and, well, all the sweetest, kindest people? We just destroy them. What’s that all about? I mean, I’m not saying we should take away responsibility from each individual soul; I don’t want to do that, but what is it about our human race that makes us want to do that, collectively?

Erik: Well, two things there. Number one, often we don’t understand kindness without meanness. If a person is purely kind, purely giving, we’re already programmed to believe there are strings attached.

Me: I know!

Erik: That whole innocent soul is completely jaded for every person that walks on earth. They’ll always keep their eyes open for an ulterior motive and mistrust. And, what drives that—it’s not the collective—it’s the media.

Me: Oh god, yes.

Erik: Yeah, and the media does it as a marketing scam for you to pay attention, for you to be addicted to their newscast, to find out what’s the latest thing, how to protect yourself, how to stay on top of the thieves. And most of the fucking time, they’re teaching the thieves how to be better. That’s what just grabs me.

Me: Oh, I don’t like the media lately. Seems no one reports things without going through a filter of their own personal agenda. But, you know, I guess we wouldn’t have seen that halo around Michael Jackson if it had not been for the nastiness he endured from the media. For me, it sort of highlighted his angelic qualities.

Erik: That’s true!

Me: So, do we do this for a reason—a spiritual reason? Is there something in all this that will help humanity grow?

Erik: Mom, anything is going to help humanity grow. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a rougher path, a harder path because of the way it’s presented. If we could just get down to the bottom of things and tell the truth, expose it—even when you say the word, “truth,” people doubt the word. It automatically conjures up feelings of doubt and mistrust.

Me: Yeah.

Erik: You know, we’re so mistrusting as a whole. This is what the whole big gaping wound is.

Me (solemnly): Yeah.

Erik: It’s not just a surface scrape. This deep wound of mistrust is the biggest pain and suffering that we are going to go through as the earth changes. As it goes through devastations, we can’t trust the media. Take Japan; they can report exactly what the earthquake did and what’s happening, but they will not report everything going on with the nuclear plant.

Me: Hmm.

Erik: They’re afraid to disappoint their country.

Me: Yeah, because they want to remain in power, I suppose.

Erik: Yes.

Me: Yeah, um. (pause) God, I had a thought a second ago, and now I can’t remember it!

Erik (chuckling): That’s what old age does to you, Mom!

Me (teasing): Oh hush your mouth!

Jamie giggles.

Me: You bad boy! You’re grounded!

Erik and Jamie both laugh.

Me: So, I guess this whole universal lack of trust is a huge obstacle to our spiritual awakening or The Shift. We can’t embrace everyone, or anyone for that matter, unless we have that foundation of trust.

Erik: Exactly, Mom. You get it!

Me: Yeah, another point for little ol’ Teflon brain. But seriously, we need to learn how to have faith in the good intentions of others, but it’s hard sometimes, because some people don’t have our best interests at heart.

Erik: That’s why things are going to be polarized. The trusting and loving on one side, uh, in one dimension, and the mistrustful and fearful in another dimension.

Me: Hmm. Split decision, huh?

Erik (chuckling): Yeah. Like a boxing match.