Today, I’m about to take the stage at one of Asia’s biggest human resources conferences—alongside one of my personal idols, physicist Dr. Michio Kaku.
My talk will be about how we’ve used AI at Mindvalley to accelerate productivity, creativity, and innovation. It’s a story that’s made our company an academic case study in AI transformation.
But I’ll also address something darker—something that’s hijacking our minds, our votes, and our shared humanity.
It’s the way AI is being used not to elevate us—but to divide us.
We see it every time we open TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube and get served content that perfectly matches our outrage.
So today’s newsletter is about this darker side of AI.
It’s about how AI is being weaponized to divide society.
And how ALL of us, but the immigrant and the person marching to get them out – are both being hijacked to serve a greater political purpose.
Let’s begin with the algorithm
Not the kind that builds robots.
The kind that feeds you headlines. Curates your outrage. Hijacks your empathy.
The kind that fuels TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X.
These algorithms don’t just reflect your beliefs.
They sculpt them.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth:
AI doesn’t care about democracy.
AI cares about dopamine.
It optimizes for one thing: engagement.
And the fastest way to get engagement?
Fear.
Outrage.
Division.
So what do we get?
Not truth.
Not nuance.
We get emotional bait.
Headlines like:
“Trump ends the H1B Visa program.”
“Democrats halt the government because they want healthcare for illegals.”
And who benefits from this firehose of emotional manipulation?
Not the wise.
Not the kind.
But those most willing to say anything, no matter the cost.
And right now, the cost is being paid by immigrants. The very people we once promised to welcome, protect, and uplift.
America: the immigrant myth
Let’s start with the United States, where this lie has taken root the deepest.
In his recent speech at the United Nations, Trump declared that the U.S. government is being shut down because Democrats want to give healthcare to illegal immigrants.
Sounds outrageous, right?
Here’s what he doesn’t tell you:
The actual portion of the U.S. healthcare budget that goes to undocumented immigrants?
< 1%
That’s not a typo. Emergency Medicaid expenditures for undocumented immigrants are estimated to be less than 1% of Medicaid’s total spending.
That’s for emergencies—like if someone is bleeding out on a highway after getting hit by a car. The American way is to save a life.
The alternative? Let them die.
But 1% is still something, right? That could be going to regular Americans. How dare those undocumented folks leech off tax-paying Americans?
Now there’s the other great myth that the White House is perpetuating.
Far from draining the system, undocumented immigrants contribute $97 billion in taxes annually—equivalent to the tax output of the entire state of Ohio.
Yes, you read that right. The average undocumented immigrant in America actually contributes between $8K to $10K a YEAR in tax revenue.
Now imagine everyone in Ohio being told they’re not allowed to access any healthcare—even emergency care—despite paying taxes.
And when people say, “Well, they came here illegally,” let’s talk history:
For decades, the U.S. had a rotating door policy with Mexico.
Undocumented labor was quietly welcomed to do the jobs Americans wouldn’t.
Reagan tolerated it.
Bush tolerated it.
It only became a “crisis” when fear became a campaign strategy.
I want to be very clear, I’m not suggesting we allow illegal immigrants into countries; countries have border policies for a reason.
America spends $25 billion in budgeted per year on policing its border. What I am against is the villainization of undocumented migrants, the tearing apart of their families, people not having the right to due process and fair trial, because these are tactics that dictators use.
As a conscious civilized society, we need to be very, very aware of these tactics.
Obama himself deported $3M people from the United but it was done with due process – there are fairer, safer ways to deal with illegal immigrants.
But before we move on, let’s talk about crime. Trump has been suggesting that undocumented immigrants contribute vastly to crime. Data from the Cato Institute tells another story.
- Undocumented immigrants are 41% less likely to be incarcerated than Americans.
- Documented immigrants are 74% less likely to be incarcerated.
Immigrants are by FAR less likely to engage in criminal behaviour. But of course, it’s not convenient to tell the truth.
If you think this hysteria only affects undocumented workers, think again.
What happened when I tried to build a company in America
Let me tell you why Mindvalley—a global personal growth company—was forced to leave the U.S.
In 2004, I was legally living in New York. Visa approved. Business thriving.
Then, I was added to a federal watchlist.
It was called Special Registration—a Bush-era policy targeting people from Muslim-majority countries.
Here’s the irony:
I’m Hindu. And baptized an Orthodox Christian.
But because I held a Malaysian passport—from a peaceful, developed country with a Muslim-majority population—I was flagged.
For four years, I couldn’t fly in or out of the U.S. without a two-hour interrogation.
Every four weeks, I had to report to the NYPD.
I’d arrive at airports earlier than everyone else to sit in a room with agents who often asked, “How are you even on this list?”
They knew it was absurd. But the system didn’t care.
So I left.
And I moved my company to Malaysia—not for lower taxes or talent, but because I refused to be treated like a suspect for carrying the “wrong” passport.
We built something extraordinary.
Mindvalley now operates globally, has created thousands of jobs, and impacts people in over 100 countries.
And I made a promise:
If I couldn’t build in America, I’d recreate everything I loved about America in my own hood.
This is why Mindvalley became the first company in Asia to win the World’s Most Democratic Workplace award. It’s also why our office made Inc Magazine Top 10 Most Beautiful Offices in the World in 2012 and 2019. I recreated everything I loved about Silicon Valley culture in Asia and helped these ideas spread.
Eventually, President Obama declared Special Registration unconstitutional.
But in 2016, Trump tried to bring it back—under a new name: The Muslim Watchlist.
Only this time, social media was awake.
People protested. CEOs like Sergey Brin marched in the streets. Trump backed down.
But the same fear-mongering I lived through is now being used again.
To divide.
To distract.
To scapegoat.
Europe—The numbers, the narrative, and my uncle at dinner
A few nights ago, I was having dinner with a family member.
He said, “You know, Vishen, Europe is finally waking up. Crime is going up because they’ve let in too many immigrants.”
He’s not even European. But he’s been watching the wrong YouTube channels.
I looked him in the eye and said, “Let’s look at the data together.”
Yes, many Europeans say they feel unsafe.
That fear is real.
I feel it too.
I don’t wear a watch when walking around certain parts of London.
But that fear isn’t being caused by immigrants.
Multiple academic studies across Europe and the U.S. have found no correlation between increased immigration and increased violent crime. (I’ve linked to all of them in the blog post version of this article).
But it goes further. Despite what Trump says, crime across the world, and especially in Europe and the USA, are plummeting.
Why? Because as humans, we grow.
We evolve.
We become more conscious.
Anyone telling you otherwise is hijacking your fear for votes. This chart from Steven Pinker’s excellent book on why we need to be optimistic about the future shows just how much crime is decreasing. It looks at homicides, but the same is true for almost all levels of crime (the book is an excellent read!)
Trump’s Speech at the UN and his claim that the rest of the world is “going to hell”
By now, you should probably have read that Trump’s speech at the UN was widely seen as factually incorrect and described by many pundits as the worst speech any sitting American President has ever given on a public stage.
Trump says, “Look at Germany! Almost half the prisoners are foreigners!”
He’s not wrong—on the surface.
In Germany, around 48% of prisoners are foreign nationals.
But Germany is part of the EU.
“Foreign” includes people from Italy, Poland, and France—people who move freely within the union.
But we have to look better. Of the total incarcerated in Germany who are foreign nationals roughly 70% were non-EU nationals. And many were just the people Trump vilified. Afghans, Syrians and other refugees and people of lets just say browner skin complexion. So let’s examine data and see if it’s true that such people cause higher crime rates.
First, let’s zoom out.
Since the 1990s, immigration in Europe has increased by two-thirds.
In that same period, crime has dropped by a third. (All data sources in the blog post related to this article).
So if crime is falling and immigration is rising, the narrative falls apart.
But still something seems off.
Why are there so many foreigners in jails in Europe?
Here, the analysis is simple.
Here’s what the science of crime shows us:
- Most crimes are committed by men.
Globally, men make up the overwhelming majority of both criminals and victims. In the UK, three out of four people arrested or charged are male. - It spikes in young adulthood.
Crime—especially violent crime—peaks in the late teens to early 30s. In almost every country, young men under 35 commit the highest share of crimes. - Most refugees and migrants in Europe?
You guessed it: young men under 35. That’s because they’re the ones most likely to take the risk of fleeing war zones, walking across borders, and seeking work in foreign countries.
So yes, if you bring in thousands of young men, that demographic will naturally show up more in crime stats—even if their behavior is no different from native-born youth.
But here’s where it gets even more interesting.
When researchers adjust for age and gender, the difference disappears.
A Syrian, North African, or Chinese immigrant commits a crime at the same rate as a white European of the same age.
In fact, in many studies (including from Stanford and the Public Policy Institute of California), immigrants are actually less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens of similar demographic profiles.
So when right-wing pundits show you a scary chart without age or gender context, remember this:
They’re not sharing the truth.
They’re selling fear.
Crime is not an immigrant problem.
It’s a young male problem—everywhere, across all ethnicities and countries.
And here’s the good news:
Crime is falling.
Even among the most “at-risk” demographics.
Humanity is evolving.
But if someone’s trying to win your vote with fear, they’re not going to tell you that.
The culture gap
Now, there’s another debate I often hear:
“But can immigrants, especially those from Muslim countries, actually assimilate into Europe?”
Ah.
That’s a more interesting question.
The answer is: Absolutely yes.
When I hang out with my friends in Europe, they come from an eclectic and diverse bunch—Brits, Swedes, Italians, Indians, Americans, Canadians, Colombians, Egyptians, and Emiratis.
And one thing I’ve noticed?
Almost all of us have parents who were deeply steeped in their original cultures.
But among our generation—those of us in our 30s and 40s—our values are remarkably similar.
Sure, we may vote for opposite political parties, but our core values?
We believe in women’s rights. In fairness. In a democracy. In self-expression. In dignity.
But don’t take my word for it. There’s a scale that measures this.
In his book Enlightenment Now, Steven Pinker discusses something called the Enlightenment Values Scale, which measures cultural attitudes toward democracy, equality, free speech, anti-corruption, women’s rights, and more.
What does the data say?
Enlightenment values are rising across the entire world.
Especially in the Islamic world. Especially in Africa.
Yes, these regions still have lower average Enlightenment scores than Europe or East Asia.
But they are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth.
According to the data, the average young person in the Islamic world today holds values equivalent to the average young European in the 1980s. (see the chart below)
You know what that means?
We’re talking about a two-generation gap.
That’s it. Two generations.
In fact, today’s 18-year-old in the Muslim world likely has more in common with a European 18-year-old than that European 18-year-old has with his own grandparents.
So if we want to claim that bringing in young immigrants from Muslim countries is somehow bringing in people who will “hijack” European culture, then based on the actual data, we might as well kick out our grandparents, too.
Because the gap isn’t between civilizations.
It’s between generations.
We are becoming more alike as a species.
Thanks to globalization, the internet, education, and shared media.
We are converging—not diverging.
And this new generation—the one crossing borders, dreaming bigger, seeking safety, opportunity, connection—they are not a threat.
They are the future.
Actual diagram of the Enlightenment Values scale from Pinker’s book.
Why right-wing politicians push the fear narrative
Because it works.
Because when it comes to actual governance, they underperform.
VASTLY.
So they rely on outrage. Fear. Division.
Let’s look at the numbers—over the last 30+ years of U.S. leadership.
Since 1990, the USA has had:
3 Republican Administrations: George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Donald Trump
3 Democratic Administrations: Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden
Now, let’s compare their performance on indicators of wealth, business, and economy.
Before I go into the numbers. Who do you think performs better?
Pause a moment and guess…..
When I surveyed my audience, over 45% said Republicans. At an entrepreneurship meeting recently in the USA, 90% said Republicans.
Yet the real data shows that Democrats outperform in almost every major category.
- GDP Growth: Democrats averaged 3.46% growth; Republicans 2.4%.
- GDP Per Capita: Higher growth under Democrats in every decade.
- Job Creation: Democrats created 87.8 million jobs. Republicans: 31.9 million.
- Unemployment Rate: Lower under Democrats—5.4% vs 6.2%.
- Stock Market Performance (S&P 500): Democrats averaged 14.4% annual return. Republicans: 8.8%.
- Deficit (as % of GDP): Republicans average defects ~2.68%, Democrats ~2.57%
- Inflation: Lower under Democrats.
- Infrastructure & Innovation: Democrats championed large-scale investment (CHIPS Act, Infrastructure Bill). Republicans leaned on deregulation and tax cuts.
Feel free to use your favourite AI to look up any of this data on your own.
The conclusion?
Democrats govern better.
Republicans market fear better.
And they’ve learned how to weaponize the algorithm.
Now, to be clear, the comparison I’m making here is purely on business metrics.
Many of my entrepreneur friends—people I deeply respect—have told me they vote Republican because they prefer Republican business policy.
When I shared this data with them, they were genuinely shocked. Most had been convinced that Republicans outperform Democrats on economic measures.
Now, if you vote Republican because you align with conservative values, your Christian faith, or prefer Republican tax policies—that’s absolutely okay. Vote Republican.
But let’s stop repeating the myth that Republicans are better for the economy.
When it comes to actual business performance, the data just doesn’t hold up.
And so distraction and division become the political game.
The original Republican Party (pre-Trump) had deep respect for immigrations.
Reagan said, “You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey, or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk, or a Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American.” (From Reagan’s remarks near the end of his presidency)
And Bush said, “Our country is a country of laws, and we’ve got to enforce our laws. But we’re also a nation of immigrants … America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time.” (Address on Border Security and Immigration, May 2006)
But the current administration. I think many ex-Republican Presidents would be rolling in their graves.
What you can do next
Don’t believe the villainization of people who are struggling to feed their families and get a leg up in life.
The next time you see an immigrant delivering your food…
The next time you’re served by a man with an accent…
The next time you step into a cab with a driver from a distant land…
Ask them their name.
Ask where they came from.
Ask why they came here.
Ask what they left behind.
Because they’re not your enemy.
They’re not here to take your job, your healthcare, or your safety.
They’re just trying to live.
Just like your grandparents once did.
And if we keep letting fear win—if we keep letting AI divide us—
Then the greatest con of the 21st century will be complete:
The powerful will keep stealing from you.
And you’ll keep blaming the powerless.
It’s time to wake up.
To research.
To think.
To reconnect.
To choose leaders who build—not burn.
Because democracy will not survive another decade of algorithmic fear.
But it might—if we start choosing love over division, and truth over dopamine.
If this newsletter stirred something in you, I’d love to hear it. Leave a comment below. Do you agree? Disagree? Have a story of your own? I read every single one because these conversations matter more than ever.
With fierce compassion,
Vishen
REFERENCES AND SOURCES OF DATA MENTIONED IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
A foundational study by Luca Nunziata (2014), published as an IZA Discussion Paper titled “Immigration and Crime: New Empirical Evidence from European Victimization Data”, examined European victimization surveys and national immigration data. His conclusion: immigration does not raise actual crime rates, though it may increase fear of crime due to perception biases. You can read it here: ftp.iza.org/dp8632.pdf. Nunziata later published a peer-reviewed version in the Journal of Population Economics (2015), confirming the same result — “no effect of immigration on crime victimization” (ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jopoec/v28y2015i3p697-736.html).
A landmark British study by Bell, Fasani, and Machin (2013), “Crime and Immigration: Evidence from Large Immigrant Waves”, published in the Review of Economics and Statistics (MIT Press), looked at two major immigration waves to the UK — the asylum-seeker inflows of the late 1990s and the “A8” Eastern European workers who arrived after the 2004 EU expansion. Their data show no increase in violent crime, and only a small, temporary rise in certain property crimes during the asylum wave (which later reversed). The full working paper is available from the LSE: eprints.lse.ac.uk/59323, and the published journal version is here: MIT Press PDF.
In Germany, one of the most examined European cases, Maghularia and Uebelmesser (2019, updated 2023) conducted a detailed district-level analysis over 2008–2019. Their study, published in Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, found that before the 2015 refugee inflow there was a weak positive association between immigration and certain crimes, but this turned negative or insignificant afterward. Over the full decade, the average effect of immigration on overall crime was statistically zero. The study is available at sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167268123001713.
Huang and Kvasnicka (2019), in their IZA Discussion Paper No. 12469, titled “Immigration and Crime in Germany”, reviewed the European evidence and presented new results using official police data. Their conclusion echoed earlier findings: no evidence that asylum seekers increased violent crime; small upticks in non-violent or migration-specific offences were explained by demographics (young male populations) and economic integration barriers. Download here: ftp.iza.org/dp12469.pdf.
Similarly, Dehos (2021), writing in Regional Science and Urban Economics, analyzed Germany between 2010 and 2015 and found no increase in overall crime attributable to asylum seekers once migration-related offences were excluded. There was only a small increase in property crimes after asylum recognition, which the author attributed to temporary economic hardship rather than cultural factors. (sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166046221000341).
Recent empirical summaries continue to reinforce this conclusion. The Ifo Institute’s 2025 analysis of German police data found no correlation between the share of foreigners (including refugees) and local crime rates — effectively confirming the earlier decade of literature. Likewise, a comprehensive international survey by Marie and Pinotti (2024) in the Journal of Economic Perspectives reviewed studies across Europe and the U.S., concluding that “the bulk of credible evidence finds no systematic relationship between immigration and violent crime.”
Even broader meta-reviews, such as Gehrsitz and Ungerer (2022) in Economica, stress the same point: high-quality studies using causal identification find no significant effects on violent crime, and only minor, temporary effects on certain property offences.
For accessible summaries of this literature, the IZA World of Labor review, “Crime and Immigration” (wol.iza.org/uploads/articles/33/pdfs/crime-and-immigration.pdf), concisely notes: “There is little evidence that immigration increases crime; at most, small, short-term effects appear in specific contexts.” Another readable synthesis is “Immigration, Crime, and Crime (Mis)Perceptions” from the Inter-American Development Bank (publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Immigration-Crime-and-Crime-MisPerceptions.pdf), which explores how public fear often rises even when actual crime does not.
Finally, Nunziata’s earlier conference version, “Crime Perception and Victimization in Europe: Does Immigration Matter?”, presented at the IZA Annual Migration Meeting, offers the early theoretical framing that would go on to guide much of this research: crime perception ≠ crime reality. It’s archived here: conference.iza.org/conference_files/amm2011/nunziata_l1447.pdf
451 Responses
Thank you Vishen! I so often dispair at the rubbish that’s being circulated as “truth” but now I can see that there are others in the world who are awake to this whole FEAR MONGERING campaign that’s being touted by the right wing of politics world-wide. Sadly it’s becoming more apparent here in Australia too. I was particularly interested in the Enlightenment Values Scale you mention – and I love that we are converging across civilizations. This world really needs a humanitarian boost-in-the-arm …. and if somehow we can get more people to see that, there’s a real hope for the future. I really appreciate you sending around this email today 🙏
Hello Vishen…. I read your new letter not only with an open mind but with an open mind resting within my heart. I was telling a friend of mine this exact afternoon of October 7 that my body has set foot in 47 countries around the world. Out of this number I lived in 17 of them longer than 3 months, long enough to blend within the culture where I was at the time. The point that I was sharing with my friend Paul is that the world has shaped me to understand at a very young age that we are ONE. That politics, borders, colors, religions, languages spoken are faint when we – as one – work towards a worldwide evolution and brotherhood.
I hold 3 valid passports-. I call myself a FrancoCanadEricain having residence in Mexico ….You got the drift. Passports do not mean a fuck to me. They are just a piece of paper that allows me to cross the borders quicker. Point, nothing else. If I could get 10 more I will. I will because I walk on the same planet, the same connected ground that you and the rest of humanity walks on. We are HUMAN before being a human entity. Point !
Your news letter is full of good clear logical sense. I am with you and I invite all to broaden their God given abilities to fear not, but to understand what is really going in this corruped word so that we all join the fight with a clear, free and unslaved spirit !!
Thank you !
GpC
Firstly, let me just say that I am Canadian so I am impartial to American Politics. BUT Vishen, your subscribers come to you as a spiritual advisor. Shouldn’t you be talking about LOVE? I’d rather you write about how we can all go inward and bring more love into this world rather than further the political divide in the US.
Secondly, you forgot to mention that there as a growing issue with jihadist who have immigrated to the west and are causing havoc. While most immigrants come to the west for a better life, these Muslim extremist believe that militant or armed struggle is a legitimate and effective way to achieve sociopolitical change and establish a state based on Islamic principles. It is these violent immigrants that cause concern for those of us who want to see a new world where love rather than hate prevails.
Thank you Vishen for engaging in and sharing such a relevant and important conversation that rings so true to me. I am a white, 59yo Australian female who has learned about and understand I have come from the advantage of “white privilege”. I own and run multiple businesses, do not take lightly the responsibility of supporting our staff to enable them to support their families and community, who enable us to successfully continue to operate and perpetuate that cycle. I enjoy the freedoms and many advantages of being an Aussie which for me include but are certainly not limited to the opportunity to be able to build and run a business, be a mother who is able to provide my children with an education, good health and personal safety, the responsibility and ability to freely discuss and vote for those freedoms and advantages to continue, and the ability to help others. Importance of integrity and critical thinking I’ve taught and continue to reinforce to my now adult children, along with responsibility and consequence. Not having the advantage of formal education in my youth, I am currently spending most of my time outside of work and family commitments trying to understand human history – movement, religion and politics, decipher the integrity of sources for information, and trying to educate myself on how to recognize authenticity on what is reported in Australian and Global news in today’s various forms of media, with the aim to be able to have more educated conversations with family and friends for mutual empowerment. It’s quite overwhelming but starting to feel less unobtainable. Thus far my belief is that the fear of many Aussies is about how we sustain the number of immigrants entering Australia, political integrity (importing votes) v’s sustainability of quality of life here in the short and definitely long-term for everyone regarding consciously planning to support infrastructure, and the ability of government to align with likeminded international powers/leaders/country’s. I believe there is a real fear of those who do not value human life and peaceful co-existence and how that may threaten our safety and way of life – whether it be a real threat or fabricated for a particular gain. Regarding the Islam faith, I’m trying to educate myself on the various interpretations of Islam and how Muslim faith has evolved into various cultural and intellectual movements within Islam, the variety of faith in the Muslim world, how that has and is supposedly shaping so many countries and communities around the globe now and historically. Also working to understand the role extremists. like the Neo-Nazi network (apparently called the National Socialist Network in Australia), big business and political parties play in taking advantage of the current confusion, despair and as you aptly put it “compassion hijacking” for their own agendas. I’m trying to read historical texts and books from different perspectives in the attempt to form an educated opinion. I keep coming back to the same opinion – human history involves conquests, suffering and mistakes that historically we seem to ultimately learn and move forward from. I am feeling so much anxiety about the future, I guess that’s why I’m trying to understand the past, hoping I may feel less defeated and more hopeful about the possibility we can move forward as a global community who prioritize valuing human life and able to effectively care for this planet that supports it. Your email today certainly helps. Thank you again Vishen for sharing your thoughts and giving others an opportunity to share theirs.
Your article has equipped me with facts to counteract the racism and bigoted statements. Thankyou. A great article, I’ll also be reading Steven Pinker’s books. I found it’s so encouraging to read that we are becoming more enlightened, having read this in other books too. I do want to believe this and I so hope that we are in the age of enlightenment. God, I do question this at I hear the voice of criticism in the back of my mind but if I look around and reflect yes, it has to be true. Thank you Vishen for sharing your light with us.
Here here! A virtual clap for you Vishen. I’m an immigrant too. Thanks for having the balls to speak out. This rubbish has got to STOP.
Immigrants UNITE!
Thank you, Vishen, for sharing this so openly. Your words resonate deeply.
I was born in the U.S. and brought to Canada when I was just six months old. For forty years, I lived peacefully as a landed immigrant, raising a family, working hard, paying taxes, and contributing to the community I loved. Then, almost overnight after 9/11, everything changed. I went from being a contributing resident to being labeled an “illegal alien.”
Despite never once breaking the law, not even a speeding ticket, I suddenly found myself treated as if I didn’t belong. What followed was eight long years of navigating an exhausting and dehumanizing immigration process, unable to leave the country or even visit my parents. The day I finally received my citizenship was also the day I chose to leave.
It isn’t just one nation that holds painful immigration systems, it’s a global issue, built on fear and separation. Over the past twenty years, I’ve traveled to 56 countries and seen these same patterns everywhere. Those who say, “People should just do it legally,” often don’t understand the depth of what that truly means, the waiting, the loss, the humiliation, and the courage it takes to endure.
I’ve come to see that fear is the most common tool of control around the world, but it is belief that keeps us bound to that fear. When we begin to see one another as human beings rather than borders or labels, that fear begins to lose its power.
Amazing as usual. Loving these emails!
Vishen, I want start out by saying thank you for what you do in regard to both mental and physical wellbeing. Before I say anything I want to disclose that I have not voted for a Republican or Democrat in over 40 years. I did lean Libertarian, but now consider myself a Voluntaryist.
I find your ventures into political discussions to be somewhat superficial. Let me break down some points you made. You correctly pointed out the better overall economic success of Democratic administrations compared to Republicans, but you missed some key information. Let’s look deeper. After the long streak of economic growth under the Reagan administration in the 80’s the economy was due for a recession under Bush. Just as that recession ended, the Clinton administration took over with the economy already starting to recover. Later in his administration we had the Dot com bubble and the peace benefits from the end of the Cold War. Bush took over and the Dot Com bubble was about to bust. We had a relatively minor recession and a stock market crash. Toward the end of his administration we had the big financial crisis from another bubble. This time in real estate. The Obama Administration took over with the economic crisis ending. The economy had no place to go but up as the banking panic was over. Then for the entire length of his presidency he was the beneficiary of near zero interest rates from the Federal Reserve Bank, the real driver of the economy. Also, the creator of boom and bust cycles. The grand distortion occurred with the Covid lockdowns which tanked the economy. This was a bipartisan decision in Trumps last year. This massively distorted the overall Trump economic record. Coming out of the lockdowns the economy roared back. Biden was the beneficiary of this economic bounce back effect. Then the Federal Reserve did sharply raise interest rates to curb the inflation resulting from the supply chain shortages and massive stimulus spending. It did not tank the economy as the economy was being flooded with historic deficit spending. Also the massive aid packages to support historic levels of uncontrolled immigration. Housing, food, etc. Now it’s 2025 and I suspect we are due for another recession. If you honestly review the 1990 to 2025 period it has very little to do with who was in the White House. It has more to do with the boom bust cycles of the Federal Reserve Bank, uniparty policies like lockdowns and loose lending mortgage requirements both wings of the same bird promoted, Both parties also promoted the post-9/11 world of travel harrassment that you experienced. It was not a Bush thing only. Not that I respect Bush in anyway! I don’t. Plus Presidents don’t really run things: they are figureheads. Our past 2 administrations had/have a man at the top that seems clueless. No way they are really running things. The same power is behind both parties. Military industrial complex, pharmaceutical complex and the Zionist-neocon lobby. Plus hidden oligarchs behind the scenes that pay to keep us divided and fighting each other using the algorithms you mention. We need to look beyond the political theater of both parties and ask who is controlling them? Voting is not the answer. These powerful forces choose the candidates we vote for. So there is no compelling case that one party is better than the other.
– Looking at immigration issue. Again you quote real statistics. Immigration has been a net positive for our country. I agree 100%. What you miss is the historic levels of unregulated immigration we had in America in recent years. This was very disruptive to the fabric of society and disrespectful to legal immigrants. Look what is happening in Europe. There are large communities of immigrants that came in and seem to have no intention of assimilating into English or French or German culture. They actually have their own legal system. Some cultures advocate for harmful female vaginal mutilations or making women cover themselves from head to toe. Completely backward and contrary to European culture. Fortunately in America we avoided that issue as most immigrants do assimilate here. Although that was starting to get tested last year. Even in Texas there was an attempt to set up a community under sharia law, but it was stopped. It is well documented in Europe that there are immigrant rape gangs that get a pass from authorities. In Europe if you complain on social media about any of these issues you are subject to arrest especially in the UK and Germany. So yes, I tend to say Europe is committing suicide. Plus they cut themselves off from Russian energy which cripples their economy. They choose war instead of peaceful solutions and reap the whirlwind. That energy supply is not likely to come back. Russia found other markets. Now they are going to start paying for their own defense rather than letting the USA cover these costs. That is another burden on their economies to absorb.
– Another point: The 2025 abuses on power are not new to Trump 2025. They started during bipartisan Covid lockdowns and continued with the vaccine mandates and censorship on these issues. Too many looked the other way during 2020 to 2022 as the Constitution was shredded in the name of a mostly fake health emergency. As for crime: it is running rampant on the internet. So your crime stats do not reflect that.
-To sum things up: The world is run by sick/evil oligarchs who pull the strings on elected politicians and the unelected and unaccountable European Union. Their goal is to keep the populace divided so we don’t look to the top of the pyramid. That way they can mold the world in their image with centralized control. Remember authorities lie. Also, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We need to look toward ourselves for solutions, not authorities.
I have saved your writing. Most people are very emotional rather than logical.
Thank you for your effort to educate those who can’t see what we can see.
Thank you! I’m grateful that you as a person with influence, especially in the tech and business spheres, is sharing a message of reason, clarity, and compassion. Offering hope from facts.
Vishen, thank you for speaking up. I very much appreciated it. Keep it up.
Hi Vishen,
Thank you so much for this beautiful and powerful article. I truly appreciate that you are one of the rare, influential voices who are not afraid to speak up.
I’m originally from the Czech Republic and now live in Chicago, and it’s chilling to witness what this current administration is doing to our beautiful city and its wonderful people. Many in politics are good at heart, yet too afraid to say something—and it’s heartbreaking to see how wrong and unjust things have become for so many immigrants.
I’m deeply grateful that you have the courage not only to speak the truth but also to educate others about such a complex and important issue. Your voice matters, and it gives hope to those who feel unseen.
MANY THANKS!
I wasn’t going to comment on this newsletter, but after seeing so many hateful reactions, I feel compelled to share a different perspective.
Many people are treating this as a purely political issue — but for Vishen, this is deeply personal. He himself is an international immigrant.
The word “politics” often sparks instant negativity, but let’s pause and reflect. Has America benefited from immigrants? Absolutely.
The founders of companies like Mindvalley, Tesla, Yahoo, eBay, Instagram, Uber, Zoom, Goldman Sachs, PayPal, and The Huffington Post were immigrants. These companies don’t just contribute to America’s economic growth — they employ Americans and form part of everyday American life.
I’m not American, nor do I live in the U.S., but I understand why many feel concerned about crime and immigration. Crime is real — but so are hunger and sickness. Both are global problems, not unique to America. Stereotyping every immigrant only divides us further. As human beings, we have the intelligence and creativity to design better solutions together instead of fighting and bickering.
I often hear the phrase: “Make America Great Again.” But why stop there? Why not ask: “How can we Make the World Great Again?”
I want to make clear that I’m not a Trump hater. I believe he has done great things for America and he has always done what he felt is right for his country and his people, and his intentions shouldn’t be dismissed. But when you become President of America, in many ways you also carry responsibility as a global leader. The ripple effects of U.S. decisions are felt everywhere.
Finally, let’s not forget the purpose of technology, especially Artificial Intelligence. AI was created to free us from repetitive tasks so humanity can focus on connection, building meaningful lives, and serving one another. Instead, we’re using it to divide ourselves with misinformation, selfishness, fear, conspiracy and hate.
We are better than that. Humanity deserves better than that
Thank you Vishen for this deep submission and for making the truth louder. The way of Christ is love and not division,building and not burning .
This actually brought me to tears. I’ve been feeling hopeless about the future, and unsure how to proceed forward. This is what I needed, a reminder that my instincts are correct. The current younger generations are far more enlightened than mine, GenX here, and they will continue to bring our world into a much more enlightened place. I didn’t really understand the whole algorithm thing before. That really helped. Would you allow me to re-post?
Thank you so much for these words of clarity, hope and wisdom. Thank you for being a light in this time and for your willingness to show up and speak up. You are walking the talk and an inspiration for us all.
How do we know when “information” isn’t nourishing the soul, but quietly reshaping it?
It’s not about who delivers the message — it’s about how we digest it.
In a world obsessed with feeding the mind, few pause to ask: What is this feeding my spirit?
Today, there are countless new ways to baptize ourselves in the latest flavors of indoctrination. Each mind has become its own echo chamber — marinated in inherited beliefs, seasoned with personal bias, and served with a side of selective perception. So when new information arrives, it rarely lands on peaceful, neutral soil. Instead, it walks into a neighborhood of fear — one that’s already been gentrified by our mindsets.
As an immigrant living in the United States, I’ve realized that my existence alone seems to enroll me in a nonstop sociology and psychology experiment — a living classroom of cultures, colors, and contradictions. I never consciously signed up for it, but apparently, I’m part of the syllabus.
At times, the experience is deeply challenging. Other times, it’s wildly entertaining.
It’s the full spectrum of human theater: confusion, comedy, and character development — blended into one unforgettable cultural smoothie.
I’ve learned that my very presence — my accent, my appearance, my birthplace — can awaken hidden biases like a sneeze awakens allergies. People begin discovering their “inner discomfort” as if I were some kind of diversity diagnostic tool.
“Congratulations,” I often think, “you’ve just met your unconscious bias. Would you like me to autograph it?”
And yet, I can’t deny the beauty within the chaos.
Growth and strength are guaranteed when you live as both observer and trigger — the student and the experiment. But awareness isn’t the finish line; transformation is.
We are watching humanity reveal itself — one awkward interaction at a time.
It’s humbling. It’s uncomfortable. And it’s necessary.
So here’s to those who keep showing up — who laugh, cry, and grow through the process.
Not everything is good, but everything can work for good.
Because those who walk in love will eventually find the solutions…
and the rest of us, somehow, get to be part of the healing.
Vishen…
Spot on with the abhorrent views on immigration. Let me expand on this a bit with some direct quotes to support your views…
“We have to send a clear message, just because your child gets across the border, that doesn’t mean the child gets to stay.”
“We’ve got to get tougher with employers. In fact the person we should send to jail is not the illegals, we send to jail the employers, If you knowingly hire an illegal alien, then you should be held accountable. Because let me tell you, the next person I hear tell me that my labor guys aren’t willing to work hard, that’s why you have illegals putting up sheetrock, then I want to tell you, you don’t know my guys.”
“Sanctuary cities shouldn’t be allowed to violate federal law, a fence is needed stop “tons” of drugs coming into the country from “corrupt Mexico.”
“Undocumented immigrants broke our immigration laws, and I believe that they must be held accountable. We are a nation of immigrants, and we are a nation of laws. We must hold accountable those who broke the law, especially those who may be dangerous… That’s why over the last 6 years deportations of criminals are up 80% and we’re going to keep focusing on the threats to our security.”
“Illegal immigration is wrong, plain and simple. When we use phrases like “undocumented workers” we convey a message to the American people that their government is not serious about combating illegal immigration, which the American people overwhelmingly oppose. If you don’t think it’s illegal, you’re not going to say it. I think it is illegal and wrong, and we have to change it. People who enter the United States without our permission are illegal aliens, and illegal aliens should not be treated the same as people who entered the US legally”
It is unbelievable that these views exists from the same people who create our laws and policies. Shameful to think that one side of the aisle is so apathetic to the suffering of millions of people who have crossed our southern border illegally looking for a better life…
What is even more shocking, Vishen, is that these quotes are actually from Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State, Joe Biden while he was Senator, Barak Obama while he was President (that is the 4th quote) and the final quote belongs to Chuck Schumer. Surprise!!
Your post only adds to the division in this country Vishen. It is arrogant and partisan. Illegal immigration has been used as a political pawn for decades by both sides of the aisle. For you to portray only one side of the story is dismissive of the whole truth and story. Instead of pointing out the sliver in your neighbors eye, isn’t it best to recognize the plank in your own?
Your AI generated blog post is very good at pulling out stats (most of which are misleading) but is terrible at understanding the American people. While you create a glowing review of the Democrat party, the rest of America has a different view, demonstrated by a historic low approval rating sitting just above 30%….
This wasn’t even top of mind, but you did bring up good points with research. One thing I did take away from my Inner MBA certification at Sounds True was to meet people that don’t look like you. While we are all humans and have similarities on the inside, the judgements and groupings that get placed on immigrants is staggering. Families broken up is heartbreaking. Personally, I feel like I better belong when places have a mixture of people from all different backgrounds. I’d rather sit at a table where there are many differences than at a table where we all look the same. Different perspectives help shift culture and to me that is very important for where we are in the world today. Great newsletter 💜 and sorry you went through all that and interrogation for 2 hours!!! Insane.
Hi Vishen and Team,
While it was unexpected and unusual to read such a newsletter piece, I want to leave a supporting comment here because I admire that MV is actively and openly taking a stance, and sharing an insightful and articulate post to put things into perspective. THANK YOU.