The Second Civil War by Peter Montoya

Every American should read this book

I had ordered my copy of this book and was waiting for it’s release date next week. I contacted the author and told him I was excited to read it and he was kind enough to send me a pre release copy to review while I wait.

These are notes from my reading of “The 2nd Civil War” by Peter Montoya. The quotes (italics) are directly from the book. I cut and pasted them while reading when they stood out. I then made a note of what I was thinking when I did this for each clip. I share it here:

“But this is a self-leadership book that provides practical steps anyone can implement, not only to make their lives better and improve their relationships but also to heal our nation. Change starts with you.”

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

“Put simply, a civil war is a violent conflict between regions or political factions within the same state, territory, or country.”

Violence may not be physical. This current civil war is being fought with keyboards.

“Our American Civil War resulted in more than 620,000 military casualties and an estimated 50,000 civilian deaths. That’s about 2.13% of the population. If we lost the same percentage of U.S. citizens today, the death toll would be nearly 7 million people.”

Think about that…

“Civil discussions—in which everyone has an opportunity to share their thoughts without fear of judgment or ridicule—must be the goal.”

I am not a believer in tolerance, I believe we must move up to acceptance.

“Your war is not (yet) being fought with guns or swords, but with shaming, shunning, and other “emotional” weapons, leading to the dangerous cancel culture we now inhabit. What began with subtle derision soon escalated beyond mocking and ridicule to include doxing, unfriending, empathy denial, intimidation, and even death threats.”

Even using the term “Cancel Culture” is derisive. What does it mean? When I first heard the term, I thought it was just a reference to boycotting. This is the first time I saw the magnitude of what is meant.

“visit www.SecondCivilWar.co to take this quiz online (“How Severe is Your Civil War”) “

well… are you going to do this? Here is my result:

“Following a designated leader carried ample benefits for our ancestors. But perceiving a leader in a too-gloriously-positive light—as if they can do no wrong—is blind hero-worship, which is extremely dangerous.”

I have accused siblings of Trump Worship. I am not proud of that.

“Our elected leaders are public servants, not the other way around. So to cast them in the role of “hero” is a disservice to them as well as ourselves, and our country.”

Indeed. We are a democratic republic… not one or the other. (There was a post a long time ago where someone asked people to say whether the USA is a Democracy or a Republic. I was told my answer of us being a democratic republic was a cop-out, but I was honestly stating what I was taught in school.)

“We learn to fit in with and take on the values and characteristics of our community—whatever or whomever that may be. These groups can be geographical, familial, religious, interest-based, etc.”

They say that travel broadens the mind…

Is that still true today? Does expulsion=death? We are a social animal…

“Political parties, producers, corporations, politicians—they’re all locked in a war, spending trillions of dollars annually to battle for your attention. In (extremely) broad terms, they have two options: Fact-driven, slow-moving narratives that build human connections by way of empathetic understanding. Sensationalized, fast-paced, fear-driven messaging that triggers tribal reflexes and promotes division.”

WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) and When do I get it?

“Because I am dedicated to the well-being of our civilization, and the survival of our species, I’ve deliberately, purposefully expanded my “tribe” to the United States of America and humanity at large. The broader our “tribes” are, the less likely we are to end up in an epistemic bubble, and the better off everyone will be.”

We are one world. One Love.

“Inclusion (genuine acceptance): You are you; we wouldn’t be the same without you, and you are essential.”

YAY! Acceptance as an ‘I’ word! I will use the word Inclusion

“One of the best ways to identify a credible news source is to look for relatively dull reporting. (Seriously.) Real, truthful, accurate news is generally quite dry. That’s as it should be. If you want entertainment, read a novel. If you want information, look for the flavorless purity of journalistic integrity.”

Indeed… choose when to be entertained. Know that that is what it is.

The Associated Press (www.apnews.com)

Reuters News (www.reuters.com)

“Savvy packagers are exceptionally good at cherry-picking details to lure us in. Pick any mundane or seemingly uninteresting story—they can turn it into juicy, enticing bait in a heartbeat.“

Sign up with Lurn.com and find out how copywriting works. Psychological.

“It’s not the digital code that is to blame, really. It acts like a mirror, reflecting back at us our inner desires, demons, biases, beliefs, and immoral behavior. It’s up to us to improve the view.”

Now we see in the glass darkly…

“The only winning move is not to play.”

This book is a start. I believe in a bright future for the USA and the world. This book has me thinking, and I hope you read it too. You can get a chapter to read for free, please do, and if you are intrigued, please read the whole book. Then let’s talk.

I want to thank Peter Montoya for the honor of reading his book prior to release. I am glad I read it.

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