Episode 40 - Clickbait Vs. Character — Guess Who’s Loudest

What if the internet’s taste for outrage says more about our impulses than our values? We open with a stark contrast: one show thrives on mockery and shock while another earns fewer clicks by aiming at character and conscience. That gap becomes our entry point into a deeper question—why do we reward the headlines that agitate us and ignore the guidance that could actually help us?

From there, we name a subtle habit that keeps people stuck: being Half and Half. We say we trust a higher purpose, then add a quiet but that shifts blame outward. It looks rational and even fair, yet it drains agency. Instead, we break down a simple practice that flips the script: pause before replying. Not avoidance, not stonewalling—just enough space to let heat drop and wisdom rise. That pause changes the math of conflict, turning reactive spirals into chosen steps that build trust at home, at work, and online.

We also tackle the bark-at-the-stick reflex—the way we focus on the person in front of us and miss the deeper lesson of the test itself. Using images like the slot machine “jackpot,” we argue that outcomes hinge less on what others do and more on how we answer. If attention rewards cynicism, integrity rewards peace. We talk free choice, boundaries, and why turning inward is not passivity but precision: the fastest route to real change. Along the way, we challenge status-chasing, highlight the cost of clickbait ethics, and offer a grounded path to respond with clarity, humility, and strength.

If you’re ready to trade noise for nuance and choose character over clicks, tune in now. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a calmer way through conflict, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what will you pause on today?

Transcript

Clickbait Success Vs. Values

The Lure Of Conflict And Ego

Minority Mindset And Moral Courage

Half And Half: Faith With A But

See The Source, Not The Symptom

Pause, Reflect, Then Respond

The Jackpot Is Your Reaction

Chasing Status Vs. Trusting Purpose

Measure For Measure And Closing

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Welcome to the Trust Factor Podcast, the only podcast that guarantees your success when you implement its divine age old teachings. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Trust Factor Podcast. I want to point out to you something very interesting. A few minutes ago, I noticed online on Facebook the podcast app that hosts my podcast and many thousands of others, they have their own page. And somebody posted, a podcaster posted on their page his frustration with not being able to get a lot of viewership or listenership. And I looked at his subjects, his titles, and they were all religious based, talking about God, having a hard time getting people to tune in despite some of his best efforts. And one of the people who responded said, Hey, that's interesting. I'm having so much success, but the interesting part is that Mike podcast is exactly the opposite of yours. Amazing. So I look at his podcast titles. You wouldn't believe the titles. Literally throwing God under the bus, belittling religion, mocking society, doing all the negative things that all these podcasters out there, these quote unquote influencers who are trying to gain attention and popularity, all these wacky titles that are designed strictly to draw you in. They're designed to be conflicting. They're designed to whet your appetite and get your evil inclination excited. Ooh, what kind of juicy garbage am I about to listen to? And this guy is saying, look at how many wonderful views I'm getting. It's not that he was getting millions, but doing much better than the other individual, to which I promptly reply, very kindly and very matter-of-factly, that the biggest reason why this individual was having success was the very fact that his subject matter was the exact opposite of godliness, that humanity, with our evil inclination being as powerful as it is, driving us in the wrong direction, getting us to look at things we shouldn't look at, to listen to things we shouldn't be listening to. That's how it works. And I said very clearly, you have to understand you're trying to appeal to their evil inclination, which is easy. It's low-hanging fruit. That's why we fail. That's why society is so corrupt. Because they're driven to juicy details about things they shouldn't be listening to. And so it's no wonder you're having success while the other person is trying to bring people to godliness. He's trying to make this world a better place. He's trying to help people improve their character and to do away with corruption. And he's having a hard time. Let that sink in. So if you're here and you're listening to this, then give yourself a pat on the back because you are one of the minority or one of the few. And that is something that we need right now. We need people to step out of the darkness and into the light, to start to want to be better versions of themselves and to have a positive impact on society and on humanity. So bravo for you for tuning in for another episode. We go to the book, it's called Half and Half. And we're not talking about the Kramer that you use for your coffee in the morning. What does he say? He says that there are people who partially acknowledge their creator. For example, these are people who ask for advice about their marital difficulties. Somebody goes to a marriage counselor or any counselor for that matter and says, I'm having trouble, please help me out over here. Obviously he's going to a religious spiritual advisor who's also a counselor. The advisor tells him that their suffering is coming from the creator. And if they just improve their ways, if they turn the lens inward and focus on themselves becoming a better version of themselves, it will help them. And what do they respond? Yes, I agree. Everything is coming from the creator. But why is my wife doing this to me? What did I do to wrong her? Doesn't she understand that she's ruining the kids? You get this? I hear this all the time. We are all guilty of this to varying extents. Some people live by this where but is always a part of the conversation. The word but, yes, I believe there's a God, but yes, I know he runs the world. But, yes, I know everything comes from him, but there's always a but there. That's the majority of humanity. So if you're in there and you find yourself saying, but, then don't feel so bad because you're in the majority, but don't feel so comfortable because you got to get out of that majority and you got to get into the minority. The majority doesn't always rule, despite what society tells you that the majority rules. It's not true. If the majority ruled, my friends, then a small, tiny little blip on the radar that shouldn't even get noticed, like the Jewish people, at 15 million people in a world of 8 billion, we shouldn't even be relevant. Nobody should even notice us. Never mind, talk about us incessantly, day and night, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Every infamous podcaster in the world, every giant podcaster at the top of the list, they're only up there because 90% of their content is about Jews and Israel. Why? We're only 15 million. You shouldn't even notice us. We should be gone with a good gust of wind. But clearly we're not. We are the tiniest of minorities, and yet we are on the tip of every single individual's tongue on the planet. So it tells you clearly, majority does not always rule and they're not always right. The but that somebody puts into their statement means that their immunna is lacking big time. It's just lip service. And he sees the tormentor as the source of troubles. He doesn't see God. He sees the person standing in front of him. That's all they see. All they can see is red. They don't stop to rationalize, they don't stop to think, wait a second, is it really this person coming at me? Is it them that's deficient? Maybe I'm not seeing it. Maybe this is a message from my creator that I need to stop. And the best thing that you can do in that situation, my friends, is just stay quiet. That's the best advice anybody can give you. When you're faced with a challenge, especially from a loved one, stay quiet. Don't rush to respond. That is a big, big challenge for everybody. The best thing you can do is absorb the information, listen to what's being said, take it away with you in a very calm and collected manner, contemplate it, and then the next day, or a few hours later, or a few days later, it doesn't have to be right away. Come back with a well thought out response. I can guarantee you the difference will be night and day, a hundred and eighty degree opposite of the response that you would give if you just shot back because you're shooting back from emotion, and like I've told you many times, when you respond from a place of emotion, you will always lose. It doesn't work. Stop, contemplate, rationalize, reason, and then come back with a proper response. He's just like a dog that barks at the stick rather than looking at who is wielding the stick. You're barking at your wife, you're barking at your husband, you're barking at your children, not recognizing that they've been sent over to you by your loving father. Such people don't realize how near salvation they could be if they only would wake up and rectify themselves. The answer is right in front of you. The jackpot. You have to understand and look at it like this that you're sitting in a casino, which you shouldn't be in, but you're sitting in a casino and you've just pulled the arm of the slot machine. That person standing in front of you are those numbers spinning. The result of that spin, if you want to hit the jackpot, is entirely in your hands. Your response will dictate whether or not the bells on that machine go off. You understand? It's your jackpot. Standing right in front of you, your creator gives you the opportunity to hit the jackpot with every conflict, with every challenge. And the outcome is always in your hand, not in the hand of some machine or some casino bus where the house always wins. That's the opposite of reality. Remember, that's the material corrupt world. We're trying to live in a world of truth and honesty and goodness. And he wants us to live in that type of world. He wants us to create that kind of world. So he gives us the opportunity to live in that kind of world when he sends the challenge your way. What are you going to do with that challenge? This guy this morning on Facebook, who posted so proudly about his podcast topics that were all debauchery, so proud of it. Look, I'm doing much better than you are. This guy missed the boat. He missed the whole point. He's dying to be relevant. He's going to do anything he can to get clicks and likes and develop his status. That's all he wants to do. And he's willing to risk morals and ethics just to be able to get those clicks. Whereas somebody like myself or this other individual who's doing the right thing is not bent on trying to get the right topic, the right headline, because the headline is what sells. Yeah, you know what? We put ourselves at a disadvantage because we're not willing to stoop to those levels. But at the end of the day, I put my faith in my creator. I know who runs the world. I know who decides whether or not they want to click on the podcast and listen, whether or not they want to share it with their friends and family. I know who runs the world. These other individuals have no idea. And they're being tested. God says, okay, you want to be a celebrity, you want to be famous, you want to have status, and you're willing to denigrate yourself, then I'm going to send them your way. I'm going to send people over to you and you're going to feel like a hero. But the reality is, he's not a hero. He's actually more like a zero. These people must be told, do you want to be right? No problem. Continue being right, but your life will continue being purgatory. Or would you prefer the truth that the problem is yours and you must rectify yourself? So start living with a MUNA, that there is no one but your creator. Then your life will be a paradise. It's impossible to run away from reality, my friends. A person must live with a Muna, period. End of sentence. In other words, he must believe that there is no one but the creator. All of his problems come from the creator. So he has only the creator to deal with, not the individual standing in front of you. Not everybody who's coming at you with their problems. Deal with your creator, and the problems will take care of themselves in a way that is positive and uplifting. Only the creator can put an end to his tribulations, and only he decides when that will be. That determination comes from how you respond to the situation. One must understand that he has free choice, but that he cannot control another person's free choice, like we said yesterday. No one suffers for no reason. When a person improves his deeds and outlook, everything turns around for the best, and even his biggest adversaries will become his best friend. Remember, we said this yesterday. Everybody has the freedom to make a choice, but that choice is not free. Make good choices. Choose to focus inwards, not outwards. I promise you, I've been doing this for 20 years, and I know so many people doing the same thing. If you want to solve your problems, all of them, every single one of them, all you need to do is look inward. What would God want me to do? What is the godly approach to this situation? Let me pursue justice and truth and let me move away from all the negative emotions, the hate, the fear, the sadness, all these different things. Move away from them and focus on the positive, the uplifting, the good. Bring good into this world and measure for measure. The same way that he runs this world with everything else, he will run it for you, measure for measure. You bring good into the world, he will bring good into your world. Have an amazing day. Thank you for spending time with us on the Trust Factor Podcast. If you've heard something today that moved you, save this episode and share it with someone who might need to hear it. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss upcoming conversations that challenge, empower, and uplift. And if you're on social media, connect with us. Leave your thoughts, drop a quote that resonated with you. Hashtag the TrustFactor Podcast. Until next time, keep growing in your trust and keep living with purpose. I'm Jesse Revivo, and this has been the Trust Factor Podcast. Thanks for listening.