Has being a Conspiracy Theorist actually provided any practicality in your life?

Thought I'd get this out there as I was ruminating on the general life I've lived over the last 13 years and wanted to ask the same of you - has being an actual Conspiracy Theorist provided any practicality in your life - are you happier now than you were before you went down the rabbit hole - or has it been more depressing... or.. ??

I started delving into this subject due to some weird occurances I've experienced over a few months in early 2002.

However the further I went down the rabbit hole, the more depressing it seemed. It felt as if there was no light at the end of the tunnel, and when something seemed like I had hit the jackpot, did it only materialise into something totally obscure and just opened a door into more paths and more forks in the road, and eventually just ended up being depressed.

I realised I had wasted a lot of my time into things that did not make anything practical in my life.

I realised I focused on the problem, and not the solutions - if there were any at all.

I cannot recall anything that is positive in the light of conspiracies that affected my life in the way that was productive, or positive other than one thing, and that is the social circles I had been involved in, I have made a lot of good friends from ATS and other scenes, and have met a lot of good hearted people, but that is about it.

Basically I've had enough. Seems like cyphers steak eating quote from the matrix is that 'Ignorance is bliss' and that seems more and more tempting as the days go by.

I've even started delving into skepticism, critical thinking, logical thought, where even my own beliefs about the after life have deduced to nothing more than me being a meat suit. Even questioning whether there is even a spirit/soul, or whether we just go 6 foot under when our life ends. To me this line of thinking has led me into somewhat a more positive frame of mind.

Let me explain.

If this is what it really is (thus the gray area). No life after death, no reincarnation and now heaven nor hell, then isn't this life the only chance we get to actually make a good go at something?

I look at my daughter and educate her on all the things I've experienced, and noticed she's a lot brighter at 10 than I was when i was at that age. I take comfort in that, knowing that she will most likely lead a far better life than I did.

So you see my dilemma. I am somewhat ambivalent now on discussing conspiracy theories. I tend to lean towards offtopic discussions. I tend to lean towards threads that involve graphics (avatar creations) and what not.

So..... has conspiracy theories shaped your life for the better?

It's practically wasted a lot of my time/life lol

Well let me start by saying that the more hardcore, or oldskool CTers tended to be schizoid of some sort, and used this focus as an outlet into their already alternative life-style. The other chunk seemed to be a bit traumatized by something which happened in their lives.

CTers tend to project their demons onto the global stage, not to say there aren't real demons out there trying to do evil things, just that the world is far more dynamic than it's usually made out to be in CT land.

Why do I know any of this? Experience. I was traumatized many years back, and used CT land as an outlet for my fears and anger within my own heart. In a way, CT's allowed me to grow as I best saw fit, as no damned therapist did a lick of good that I ever saw.

It took me a long time to pick away at my psychosis, irrational belief by belief. Now, I feel better off for it. I have a much more global perspective, that is far more layered than before I became psychotic. I have a way at looking at things which is fairly unique within society, and I'm respected for many of my views and abilities to solve problems because of allowing myself to fall so deep in the past.

So I can't speak for other CTers, but in my situation, it allowed growth. Now, this was done during what should have been my prime years for reproductive success, and outright partying. I still partied, and had fun, but a lot of time throughout my 20's were spent behind a screen researching with a dozen+ tabs, else in deep contemplation lying on my bed, or walking around the neighborhood at 3-5am.

For my particular instance, it was worth it. I'm just glad that my perspective is detached these days from my inner bubble of peace. The possibilities no longer cause me harm. I have already long accepted my own death, and the death of the species. What else could take me down?

Your mileage may vary!

reply to post by Im a Marty


Hey, I'm a marty. I completely agree with you. In fact, I wrote something similar on randvy's thread, Someone is playing God.
You may feel you have information people need to know, even, and then find they already knew, and you were likely the one "in the dark." LOL. And when it come down to it, if there's nothing you can do about it, are you better off knowing how controlled your life, opportunities, etc. may be? I don't know. I do see your dilemma, particularly as a parent. Educating your daughter to know what's going on so she can protect herself and make good choices, with whatever choices she may have, is always good. However, we don't want our kids to have no hope, or be cynical at a young age, do we? If they knew what we did, they might just quit trying.

One thing you mention, though, is about meeting people, connecting with good hearted people. Again, this is what I arrived at in Randy's thread.. Connecting with him, having a meeting of the minds and not feeling so alone makes it worth it, I think, for this life can be extremely lonely for many of us. So, that, I think is all important, maybe much more so than any information we learn or exchange here. Sometimes I have to take a break here. There's a lot of mean spiritedness, as well, and it can get to you…..

Good thread, and I've always enjoyed reading your posts, threads, and encountering you on chat.
T50

reply to post by Im a Marty


I wasn't always a conspiracy theorists.

It wasn't until I started seriously studying finance that I became one.

It has applications in my actual life. Right now I am out of work but that won't be forever. I plan on switching to actuarial science and that's pretty much just a career of mitigating risk as much as possible.

Being paranoid is a good skill to have when your working with the current fiat markets. Believing in conspiracies makes me more likely to see the need for various finance tools to mitigate against types of risks that might not be popular in the public discourse.

Like for instance, in finance school they will teach you various risk models based on standard deviation when markets aren't even normally distributed. The professors and many high level finance sharks know that markets aren't normally distributed yet the first rule of business is to teach finance students to use those models.

Just # like that. Things that make no sense.

I wasn't always paranoid. I was actually just a good ol' girl from the south who liked waking up at 7 and working hard and saving. I went to school because I was always good with money so figured finance would be a great field for someone who liked competition and business and working hard. Boy, was I wrong.

I wish I could go back and just do engineering. Who knows? Maybe I would be some sappy statist driving a fiat(great car name for a statist btw).

No going back now.

Just going to have to go into a field where I can mesh my paranoia to a good job.

I've also found support when I needed it, through trauma, as webedoomed's post alluded to. Support I couldn't have gotten elsewhere. It's also helped me make sense of some things in my life which I couldn't have put into context in any other way or place. So, those are pretty big pros, I'd say.

I live a pretty reclusive life, socially, so it's allowed me to keep my finger on some kind of social pulse of how people think and interact with one another these days, too.
T50

for me it has been positive, but it depends how you look at it. CT's must be taken for what they are worth until proven otherwise, and that worth is purely SPECULATION. (again, until proven otherwise) because until the facts really come out, thats all it really is, no matter how SURE any of us are collectively, that is the whole basis of a theory, though without fact.

so, yes, for me, though I have delved into many "negative" topics and avenues, this has inspired much free thought and allowed me to feel like I have a better understanding of the world at large, and the true face of human nature, not only through researching CT's but also in dealing with people in places such as this, and in discussion of such things in the "real world" (off ats)

I think that as long as one can stay objective to what they are investigating and keep about them a level or awareness that continues to rise, then being in the CT community can have a great impact on your personal affairs. with that being said, it could very well go the opposite way if you allow yourself to become wrapped up in things of "dire importance" and take on the worlds struggles as a personal battle within.. that would be a mistake in my opinion.


S+F for inspiring thought

reply to post by Im a Marty


Seeing the lies and deception tapestry that men weave lead me to the shamanic path and seeking alternative methods of looking at
what we are told is reality.

I don't have a handle on the truth but I have seen some things of exquisite beauty and indescribable horror.

I have found the path to be one of adventure and awareness.

I feel like I got me a pair of these here glasses. I can see things and people for what they really are, can read the writing on the wall. There are times though where it seems not knowing certain things makes life simpler.







As the saying goes, it is good to have an open mind just not so much that it falls out.

Suddenly I am finding myself consistently feeling my long held beliefs validated, proven true by some disclosure of recent. I much enjoy validation and I am thankful, thankful for each and everyday. More and more I am finding that consciousness creates realiry.

For a start... a conspiracy is only a secret kept usually for some gain by a few parties. They are part of life. But choosing which ones to fight is difficult. I find most people do nothing with the information they have, and just use it to make excuses about their own life.

I believed in one. And it changed my entire direction in life.


Quite simply I am a mortician who specializes on obesity embalming. I have always been personally active physically, so put obesity down to being lazy. Which is true ... but....

What I had to do was look past my own bias. And by talking to health professionals who "sell" the idea of fighting obesity with drugs or traditional exercise I was forced to conclude most where deliberately not addressing the issue with an open mind or worse, being paid to not address it.

The hardest part... realizing I had been repeating their BS for most of my life. I was part of the problem.



Anyway. A decade on and I have two vocations now. One dealing with death, the other saving lives. But it has been a fight every step of the way. Fighting ignorance every day.

Thanks for the prompt responses everyone.

Well yes, webedoomed, I suppose my point of view at this moment in time is that I find a lot of 'regret' in the way I've lived my life upto this point. Although at the same time I cannot envision it going in any other direction than what it has, but I wish there was some form of 'off switch'. CTs seem to be an addictive form of gathering information, essentially I was a CT addict.

I suppose I need to get to the point where I need to see the positives in my life rather than focus on the negatives, but as human nature goes, a lot of us focus on the small insecurities of our lives rather than the prolonged positiveness of them.

Is there a profession (other than finances as mentioned) that could benefit from paranoia? grandeur delusions? Possibly psychology or social worker, but I don't know if at 34 I want to be spending the next 6 years with my head in text books to help people whom are in the situation I find myself in now?

If there were some form of specialised psychology that help people who delve too deeply into CTs (such as those that generate a lot of fear from it) to help them lead a productive life, then that would be an area I'd like to investigate, although snapping out of the resentment issue and being a husband/father is a priority at this time.

Again thanks for the replies

I have to say yes. Pre-9/11 I believed just about anything and only suspected that some of our politicians were bought off and only some of our corporations were hiding behind laws and politicians. That was a naïve time for me and for most of us I would think. Then as stories emerged, mostly through human rights studies and work, it helped to hone analytical skills and I learned to discern fact from fiction more.

I also learned to make less sweeping blanket statements, and thanks to ATS, source everything so it is not half-assed lunacy. I got into a bit of trouble for declaring that I was being monitored and hassled for a while, but I don't feel any less strong about things. I think it gave me more certitude and pragmatism about life and my priorities in terms of how far to stick my neck out. I am more careful about everything, but I no longer live in fear except for the upcoming asinine government and military decisions that will supposedly be made in our name. I want to see how it all turns out, and in the end whether this evil world will be vanquished by the good guys.

In this world which operates with selfishness, greed, and pain as paramount, the word positive takes on a meaning other than originally intended when thought of in a social way. Due to this, it is almost impossible to say that anything positive comes from going against the "truth" as perceived by the better part of the population, or by talking about things that some minds cannot comprehend, much less fathom any way that they could possibly be real. Conspiracy is a field that entails only one thing, and that is opposition and negativity being brought your way, but only in the sense that society looks at these reactions that way. But why shouldn't it entail these things? After all conspiracy is ABOUT opposing and negativity (albeit the destruction of negativity).

To quote John Lennon "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see."

Conspiracy will never bring you anything in the way of an easier life, unless I suppose you make cash from it, but that entails a whole different set of social traits. The thing is you are constantly rewarded every single moment that you are alive by knowing that you can
1. Live your life knowing that you are not just settling because you feel powerless and that you do not walk with closed eyes and dead mind.

2. Knowing that you have the mental capability to be able to discern fact from fiction better than your average joe, due to the time spent sharpening this skill.

But as you said, it is definitely a gateway to meeting like minded people, and a beautiful one at that.

Great post. Peace

reply to post by Im a Marty


Not one bit. It's entertainment pure and simple and so is ATS.

reply to post by Im a Marty


To be honest I felt the same and hit EJECT a while ago...

I don't think for me it was necessarily conspiracy theory as much as it was the immersion and over-indulgence in it. I hit eject around the time of Sandy Hook...It came to a point where I got tired of seeing the world in such ways...

I stopped watching TV...and logged out of ATS for quite some time...I participate sporadically now...not near as much as I used to...and my investment in the topics is much less.

When I hit eject I came to a real-eyezation that my world view was becoming skewed and not at all like my in the moment reality.

Sandy hook wasn't happening down my street...kids aren't getting kidnapped down every other block...the weather is actually pretty decent and if its not things are good enough to survive it comfortably...cops aren't beating random people up for random things...FEMA isn't outside my door...my neighbor isn't a terrorist and hes not planning the next whatever...

basically the realization was that ALL my concerns, worries, discouragements were these illusive far sighted events and objects I couldn't really taste, touch or experience...just THINK about.

That was enough...it was at that point I started enjoying the sunny days back in pleasantville because my reality wasn't anywhere NEAR what was being presented on TV or in Alt-media...

Instead of looking at my daughter with fear for her future...I just started to appreciate the fact we were both alive, happy, and able to enjoy the present moment as much as we possibly wanted...and THAT was and is priceless...

Contrary to popular belief you don't lose IQ points for enjoying your in the moment reality...its not akin to sticking your head in the sand either...its called enjoying the ride by focusing on the enjoyable aspects of it that are in your individual reality...

If we get down to it...most of the people here on this site have got it pretty lux...their not being bombed, riots aren't taking out their local town...FEMA hasn't encamped them...most are comfortably immersing ourselves in some of the most dastardly malevolent perspectives imaginable...stealing our peace from ourselves...ignoring the in the moment reality and focusing on a much more speculative horror...

I can't do that anymore lol

I do think there are a lot of good things about conspiracy theory though...people are looking under rocks for truth...and that is a noble pursuit! Just don't let that pursuit steal your happiness!

reply to post by Im a Marty


The conspiratorial element in politics and religion certainly helped me escape from my Christian upbringing, and to look outside of the two-party system. I am no longer swayed by the superficial sacrifice of Christ upon the cross, or the "eternal" battle being waged over my "soul" by God and the Devil, and I definitely know that neither Republican nor Democrat will ever provide for me 100% of what I am looking for in my government and elected officials.

Whether or not I could have come to these realizations on my own, without the work of others' who blazed that trail before me, can only ever be a hypothetical question, but I definitely believe that conspiratorial theories have opened my eyes up to a more practical way of living. One that lacks the chains we wear to keep ourselves shackled to a faith, or the ideological blinders we adorn in support of a candidate.

The real practicality though? No, that will never be found in conspiracy theories. The nature of a conspiracy theory is to deconstruct, to remove and take apart. If you want to build a better life for yourself, or for others, you won't accomplish that by sticking to conspiracy theories. To achieve that you need to start formulating your own views, beliefs, theories, ideas, and explanations; building up instead of breaking down.


~ Wandering Scribe

brandiwine14
I feel like I got me a pair of these here glasses. I can see things and people for what they really are, can read the writing on the wall. There are times though where it seems not knowing certain things makes life simpler.

As the saying goes, it is good to have an open mind just not so much that it falls out.

id concur with this.

great movie, BTW, haha watched it again not too long ago - must see for anyone on these boards.

Conspiracies helped me a lot, during the travel i explain below.

I have never really been a conspiracy theorist, i mean by starting a theory and sharing it with people i talk to, or by blindly believe what another person told me.

But, i have allways had questions i need answears to, and constantly new ones poping up all the time.

The only way to get those answears was to get in and keep an open mind and study the pro's and con's on those things i and others questioned. That included conspiracies, as they have both new questions and answears that can help me understand.

I have had a deep depresion all my life, it's over now, but only cause i searched the answears that kept my mind in the dark.

It really started to take of some six years ago.

I had questions about everything, so i started with myself, then people around me and then the whole world and every little thing going on in the univers i was born in to, using the knowledge i had and the knowledge i got.

I am now an ok happy person, still have an open mind, and no one can knock me down.

My opinion is clear about everything, i seem to understand the full basic of how this univers i questioned works.

I learned that it's not allways other people being idiots, but in many cases my self, cause i need to understand how other people think and act, and mirror that understanding towards myself and understand how i think and act.

I feel i am a much better person now, and will never judge anyone for who they are and believe.

I will never become flawless and in here you will sometimes see me being smart and other times a complet idiot, and that goes for everything i do outside of the internet to, but i am well aware of that and accept it as being myself.

7 billion people is 7 billion different opinions, i am just one of those 7 billions.

Did conspiracies help me? Absolutly it did.

Am i a cospiracy theorist?, yes and no, i am both side, cause new things happens all the time, and needs to be questioned and answeared.

Hope this wasn't to much of a personal story as an answear.

I have experienced a lot of supernatural / paranormal / unexplained / more than coincidence things in my life, since a child and have family / acquaintances / companies with 'high up' connections in various ways.

I never knew there was such a thing as a 'conspiracy theorist' until researching online about my own experiences regarding being on a plane close to the twin towers close to 911.

I was surprised that a lot of the information matched my experience, even more surprised when researching UFO and other things that I have experienced. I didn't know so many others had experienced very similar things. Then I realised my thoughts about the political and financial etc institutions being corrupt also matches a lot of opinion.

Basically I joined the dots and realised others were / are doing the same. The internet is awesome in so many ways, for me, putting the pieces together and forming the bigger picture is very important and part of my quest for the absolute truth of reality and the Universe / Multiverse.