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Welcome To The Insane Asylum – Our Collective Psychosis - Chapter One
Welcome To The Insane Asylum – Our Collective Psychosis
Chapter One
All Aboard the Crazy Train.
All amusement park rides have one characteristic in common. Regardless of the twists and turns of the experience, the exit is always at the end. This examination of our collective and individual dysfunction, our insanity, follows a similar path. We start with the identification of a few of the bigger picture issues, then move closer for a critical inspection of several of the individual and cultural dynamics and end with some guidance towards the lighted exit sign and one possible way out.
I’ve never been more confident in humanity’s ability to finally throw off the chains that bind. But (and there’s always a “but”) this can only be accomplished using the powerfully disinfecting sunlight of awareness and understanding. This is usually achieved through self reflection, self actualization and eventually enlightenment. A common misperception among many is that the general population is not intelligent enough to become aware and enlightened. The awakening process has nothing to do with our IQ and everything to do with our EQ or Emotional Quotient.
If we can be conditioned by fear and narcissistic naval gazing to be self destructive, we can be encouraged to be emotionally and spiritually healthy as long as we don’t look to our leaders for guidance. In fact, we must not transfer the responsibility for our own well being to others for this is simply an invitation to manipulate and extort us. There’s no single solution, no magic button to be pushed that makes everything better, allowing us to go back to our comfortable insanity. Ultimately our own unique journey is a deeply personal and individual experience and while the direction is clear, the path is customized by each journey.
There is no softer easier way, no short cut through the maze and no one to walk the path for us. I know this because of my long and at times difficult personal experience overcoming self erected obstacles as well as those placed there by my culture and country. I’ve tried every path I could possibly imagine before eventually settling on the only one I could find with an exit. That alone should be encouraging to many because until a few years ago I didn’t think there was a way out.
And I’m not alone because many people I talk to still feel it’s hopeless. The question (in my mind at least) is no longer can we save ourselves but what’s the process that must be followed in order to make the lasting changes needed to not only survive but grow and prosper. Make no mistake about what I’m saying; there will be pain no matter what we do or don’t do. But there is pain during healing as well as pain during destruction and we have a choice.
Swimming in the Shipping Channel of Life
The answers are deceptively simple, which makes it difficult for most people to accept when we’ve been conditioned to believe that complexity requires complex solutions. Nothing could be further from the truth. When one finds they’ve dug themselves into a hole, the first rule to follow is to stop digging. Since we’ve been trained all our lives that digging’s what we do, it’s almost heretical to ponder anything else. Considering how our narrow view benefits certain select “others” we should question everything we believe once we’ve stopped digging and are looking for a way out.
As with all my work, I ask the reader to consume it in it’s entirely, in the order presented and to leave all sections in context. I’ve broken this essay into multiple parts (5 at this point) for easier consumption. But it really doesn’t work unless it’s read as a continuous thought process. So I suggest you read each section in order because this isn’t 5 independent articles, but rather one article broken into 5 separate pieces.
Each section won’t necessarily make sense on its own unless you’ve read the preceding sections. Even then it might not make any sense, but I’m only responsible for my insanity. You’re on your own. This silliness started out as a one or two page blurb but quickly morphed into Godzilla like proportions. Consider it the insane leading the insane and have some fun while expanding your mind.
May I also suggest that you read each section twice, something I usually do when reading anything new? Reading it the first time trips all the objections my ego comes up with, which exposes my deep conditioning and indoctrination. My ego always defends my consciousness from the inevitable cognitive dissonance I experience when I read something that contradicts what I think I believe.
Basically my ego lies to me and then defends those lies using the pain of cognitive dissonance. The first reading clears out all those trip wires and leads the way for the second reading, which talks directly to the reasoning, common sense and empathy centers of my consciousness. If I really enjoyed what I’ve read, it gets a third reading for the pure joy of it. And of course to make sure the new conditioning has been properly assimilated.
Have you ever noticed how upon reading something a second time, you’ll often find words, sentences, even entire paragraphs you somehow missed the first time around? It’s amazing how blind we are when our ego gets in the way. Since this essay discusses subjects that are not exactly consensus opinion, expect to experience a few ego elevator drops.
I also swim pretty far from the pier of the commonly accepted understanding of “reality” in the later sections of this essay so expect some disorientation and wrinkled fingers and toes. The good news is that I’m beginning to find physicists and various other scientists swimming in the “what is reality” discussion philosophers have had to themselves for centuries. So at least we won’t be alone as we tread water near the shipping channel buoys. I do hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. I’m sure you’ll let me know in the comments section.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
In an alternative universe such as Disney’s Magic Kingdom or Baum’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz, it’s always easy to distinguish the good guys from the bad, the truth from the lie. It usually has something to do with horned red devils and fire breathing dragons, with cotton tail bunnies and bizarre flying monkeys. We were weaned from mother’s breast with mythical tales of gallant white knights and long haired princesses, ancient stories originally intended to inform us of life’s wisdoms, pitfalls and hazards.
But our modern myths and fairy tales only serve to obscure, propagandize and pacify. Rarely do we question the content of anything we consume that’s entering through our five (six) senses. If a new offering appears to be reasonably consistent with what was recently consumed, access is granted with little or no critical assessment. Just go with the flow dude because it’s coming straight at you in torrents. After all what harm could a few TV sitcoms and dramas do to us, let alone the news? I certainly know when someone’s pulling my strings don’t you?
Most of us rarely consider the possibility that much of what we “know” isn’t actually based in reality, but is in effect a shared illusion, an unspoken and shared understanding between the natives. Our modern world is readily accepted and acted upon simply because there’s no serious consideration given to alternatives. After all, someone’s watching the store, right? We’re placed on an endless tread mill beginning around age 5 (some would say even earlier) and we’re assured this is normal and natural and everything that can be expected.
I know what I know because my parents and teachers taught me, my government and corporate approved propaganda reinforced it and now my TV and Internet are reinforcing the reinforcement. So it must be true simply because it all adds up to a staggering preponderance of evidence. We’re assured it’s all as real as an eighteen wheeler hard on our ass and trying to pass. Besides, everyone else pretty much believes the same thing we do with only minor variations. They can’t all be wrong! So don’t fight it, just go with the flow.
However, upon closer examination, much of this evidence is validated through circular logic, with Alpha supporting Beta which supports Alpha which supports Beta. On those rare occasions when contrary information enters the system and startles our consciousness, it’s quickly washed out as an outlier or fat finger. Madness and insanity, or dysfunction for those faint of heart who object to strong terms, is always self reinforcing, self perpetuating, self replicating and tolerates no contradictions. It is pure in form and function.
Unfortunately the world we live in isn’t quite as black and white as our story books, moving media and authority figures would have us believe. Instead, like some choking coal smoke that settles into every crack and crevice, we see nothing but endless permutations of gray wherever we gaze. It’s not very satisfying, is it? Where are the clear cut boundaries, where good begins and evil decays? Where are the brightly colored super heroes to contrast the dark evil villains? We can’t always tell them apart when they’re all covered in shades of gray.
I Can See Clearly Now, the Gray is Gone.
But wait, I think I know how to see through the haze. All it takes is an adjustment to my perception, a new set of spectacles for my senses. Like an old black and white TV, our most important sensory control knobs are brightness and contrast located between the ears. Between the two, everything can be brought into sharper focus. I’ll just be the good guy and everyone else can be bad. I can see clearly now, the gray is gone. It’s gonna be a bright bright sun-shiny day.
A consistent theme in various articles and comments are the angry denunciations of those (never ours, always they or them or those) evil bankers and corporations, the complicit mass media, a compliant regulatory authority and droves of corrupt government officials at the highest levels. And don’t forget the dead-to-the-world great unwashed masses. We complain they’re all engaged in an unprecedented (at least for modern times) take no prisoners thieving and feeding frenzy of those very same masses. And somehow we’re different, separated from the masses and the evil doers by our understanding and awareness of the fix that’s in.
Of course (we tell ourselves) this is being orchestrated by the powers that be, which can usually be found cowering behind the heavy curtains of the control system. They’re the ones pushing the levers and pulling the puppet strings, enslaving us with their fiat currency pushed by the black banking cabal without our consent and against our will. Here’s the proof, in black and white. Can’t you see it, there’s Professor Plum in the parlor with the candlestick?
And all of this may very well be entirely true. In fact, I believe much of it is. But it’s also mostly irrelevant to the one thing many of us are searching for in this filthy stinking mess. While it’s not voiced very often in the articles and comments, the great unanswered questions of this epic disaster are basic. Why is this happening? How are “they” able to get away with it? What is it about man that permits this cycle of greed and corruption to build to a climax and then recede, endlessly repeating the same cycle since well before Christ the Son of God or Ra the Sun God?
When will we accept that “they/them/those” won’t fix anything and it’s up to us to lead so that our leaders can follow? In the biggest paradox of them all, the underlying presumption is always that the machine itself works reasonably well if only the madmen were removed from the controls. But who put them there in the first place and won’t they just be replaced with more? We don’t question the basic systems, only the perceived faults of individual parts and mechanisms. We fiddle with the wires, connections and duct tape while the bomb is still ticking, collectively oblivious to the obvious.
I assure you with absolute certainty that I don’t have all the answers. But I can also assure you with equal certainty that we’ll never find the answers unless and until the questions that really matter are not only asked and examined, but that it’s done honestly and openly. In a world gone mad, sanity won’t be embraced or embodied until we examine our own insanity. Otherwise all we’re doing is soothing the savage beast within until this cycle ends and the next cycle of madness begins, bringing with it the next turning of humanity upon itself. While the reader may complain that I ask too much of us, that the problems are too big and the powers too strong; consider that it may only appear that way because we see the issue as one huge problem. This is an illusion.
Icons of Insanity
I’m using the words insane and madness in this essay not only to grab your attention but because I believe those are the proper words to use. But the inherent problem in using them is that the popular perception of insanity has been shaped by novels and TV. When one sees or hears the words insanity or madness, most people instantly visualize a serial killer randomly stalking victims before slashing them to pieces. Or maybe one thinks of a totally dysfunctional asylum inmate zonked out on Thorazine, specks of spittle clinging to his lower lip while drool drips down the side of his mouth. Our popular culture is chock full of these images, from A Clockwork Orange to a Freddy Krueger. For the purposes of this essay, wash those images from your mind because our collective insanity is much more presentable and socially acceptable.
Despite these image problems, I’m still going to use the words repeatedly because the reader needs to understand that I do mean deranged, not fully aware, acting strangely or at cross purposes to one’s own long term survival. Some of the words used in the definition of mad or insane help to explain my meaning further, such as mentally disturbed, extremely foolish or unwise, imprudent, irrational, confused, extreme impulsiveness, unsafe, wildly impractical or foolish, ill-advised, dangerous, senseless, reckless, unsound, maniacal, angry or ill-tempered. You get the picture.
I expect the reader’s ego response to being accused of insanity might be immediate and visceral and quite possibly insulting. I ask that you push past that initial impulse and understand that there are various levels of insanity, including high functioning and socially adapted. If you’ve come this far in the essay, let’s go the rest of the way. It’ll only hurt until the Thorazine kicks in.
Our Cultural Insane Asylum– Welcome to the Machine
The economic, social and political atrocity we’re not only witnessing but living isn’t their insanity, it’s our insanity; individually, collectively and culturally. This insanity, our insanity, is being outwardly manifested in individuals and groups, effectively in all of us to some degree or another. We our engulfed by our insanity in the same manner some wretched character in a Greek or Shakespearian tragedy is consumed by an angry God, the devil or some other ill-tempered spirit. Today’s modern calamity is the compiled manifestation, expression, reflection and symptom of all the ugly lies, half truths, spin and self deceptions our society leaves unsaid, does not discus, hushes up, hides from view and buries in the back yard of our minds.
Our inner dysfunction, while most certainly affecting us personally, is also expressed outwardly through us individually and collectively and in varying degrees and manner. And sometimes it’s focused within certain people and/or groups of people. Or more accurately, our collective insanity is acted out by or within certain people or groups of people. Does this concept sound farfetched or even crazy? Why is it so easy for us to recognize someone else’s insanity or to see that a group of people are acting crazy or insanely and yet not see it within ourselves or in our own culture? Why can’t we recognize that we might very well have the same insane or unstable tendencies as those we’re pointing towards? Are we pointing our fingers away from us so that we may deny the source?
Why do we so easily accept the concept of herd mentality, that people, either physically grouped into crowds or scattered throughout the world, can act as one (think of the markets) yet we reject this concept when it comes to madness, insanity or dysfunction? Why do we readily accept the phrase “The world went mad during WW 2” yet not think it was our own individual madness that we and the world were acting out? Why do we always exclude ourselves in part or whole from those or them?
Maybe we do accept the statement but don’t see how it relates to us. I know a few people who easily accept the idea that the world can/could/did go mad but not him or her. So are we saying it was everyone else that was insane but not us? If so, does this not illustrate our own dysfunction, to think we would be immune and not affected by what’s tormenting the entire world? We seem to have this serious mental and emotional block that prevents us from seeing the obvious. Of course, it’s our ego that’s blocking our vision and awareness, a subject I’ve examined in more depth in a prior article.
Precisely because of our intellectual and emotional inconsistency, helped along by our self deception, we can delude ourselves into thinking we’re OK. Often we’re encouraged in this self deception by outside forces that fan the flames of self delusion for control and manipulation purposes. One of the many ways is through the display of individuals who are obviously and intentionally different from us. They’re usually close enough to us for easy comparison thanks to TV and the Internet. But don’t dwell too long on the comparison because that might ignite self reflection. So the control system relies on quick glimpses that satisfy our need to feel superior, and thus separate, before the next manipulative image is presented.
Cultural Insanity Reinforcement - American Idol Style
Consider that a key component of the American Idol talent “competition” is the initial programs, where fool after fool is paraded before us. The canned laugh track encourages us to laugh and mock their inferiority and non conformity, thus enabling us to feel comfortable with our homogenization and normality. This concept is ripped from the pages of 1984, where the carrot and stick approach is used to corral us into the hamster pens to work another day.
The carrot is acceptance by the welcoming and nurturing hive, where group think is rewarded and uniformity and conformity is applauded. The stick is to publically ridicule anything that the hive considers abnormal and thus subhuman, which of course can’t be a part of the hive. It’s unthinkable to suffer this, a fate worse than death that of banishment from the hive. See how abnormal those dancing and singing fools are? Only a crazy person would allow themselves to sing that poorly or act that stupidly on TV.
Carefully mixed in with the fools are the soon to be “discovered” hidden gems, which look just like you and I. Our mediocrity is validated because those gems look just like everyday people who escaped from the streets. “Oh look honey, another slave has escaped. I could as well if I practiced harder on my clarinet and got that boob job. If I work some overtime for the next few months at the hamster wheel factory ………”
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the more talented contestants aren’t seeded into the show by the producers. There are many ways to do so. Regardless, the result has the intended effect; wonderfully talented but tragically and unfairly ignored men and women (invisible nobody’s like you and I) are finally discovered, their hidden talents recognized and validated by the world. They’ve hit the big time and they fulfill every person’s fantasy through emotional transference, thanks to perseverance and our 50” HD surround sound LCD TV.
And the fools, after being stripped naked and displayed for the crowd to jeer and stone, are thrown out of the hive as unwanted trash, not even worth the nickel deposit, their part of the charade now complete. Later, as some of the formerly hidden gems rise up the ranks (watch carefully how they’re steadily transformed with coaching, makeup and costumes) we allow ourselves to follow along, nurturing our fantasy that this too could be us. Thus we ascend God like into the glow of the adoring public, enabling us to feel superior while we wallow in our mediocrity.
And don’t forget the text voting, that wonderfully democratic principal that allows us all to participate in the crowning of our next plastic Idol on the dashboard of life. It must be true that I’m a singing fool because my fellow slaves elected me to the throne. The genius of American Idol is not in the music, costumes and coaching, it’s the magic that happens in the editing room and the manipulated voting.
Would Goebbels Like Reality TV?
There’s an extremely good reason why “reality” television shows are so popular. While we’re encouraged to suspend reality while watching regular TV dramas in order to enjoy the program, we consciously know it isn’t real, though unconsciously we make no such distinction. But with “reality” television it’s real, right? It not only could happen but it is happening. Isn’t that the entire concept of “reality” TV, that it’s real?
Leaving aside the understanding that “reality” TV is highly choreographed and elaborately staged; the illusion is that it’s real. This allows the viewer to be swept up along with the contestants as they morph from cocoon to butterfly, taking fictional character empathy and self identification by the viewer to much higher levels than previously thought possible. Goebbels, who until now had been the anointed master of the “Big Lie”, must be screaming in a jealous rage as he rots in his grave. And you thought this was just a talent show or a competition of “survival” on a tropical island.
This method of cultural conditioning is highly effective even when the viewer is aware of the dynamic, just as long as that person is somewhat dissatisfied with their life and is searching for meaning and understanding outside of themselves rather than within. And the higher the IQ and financial earning power of an individual, the higher the likelihood they’ll be searching, particularly among those who are growing weary of our consumer culture.
Some are beginning to recognize that we’ve been conditioned to believe happiness can only be found in an automobile or an iPhone. But where do we look when the hive actively discourages exploring anywhere but on the TV. After all, isn’t that the purpose of American Idol, to inform you of what’s acceptable and what’s not?
Look at the viewer demographics of American Idol for the proof. The average Idol (Idle?) viewer is anything but run of the mill in nearly all the demographics, with higher than average IQ and better than average income. This is you and I folks, not simply the average blue collar beer swilling Joe we like to point to as the problem cattle in the mindless herd. I’ve seen the cattle and the cattle are us.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
We as individuals, as a culture and a society, are only as sick as our deepest darkest secrets and lies. And all those buried and unspoken falsehoods surround us like an endless unmarked and unexplored mine field. On top of that, the lies we tell ourselves and each other in order to ignore this mine field add to the dishonesty that we live with and within. They fester inside our psyche, like swarms of virus bots consuming resources and destroying perceptions and pathways.
Have you ever wondered why confession, the purging of the “soul” of past transgressions, is so therapeutic and cleansing? How could this be unless lies and self deception truly are harmful to the mind/body harmony? I’m not talking religion here, I’m talking inner balance. If one is to believe in personal evolution, isn’t rigorous honesty beneficial to a long and healthy life? When navigating the jungle of life, you won’t last long if you’re in denial of your situation and are intentionally oblivious to that saber toothed tiger or that inner city bus. Though I guess that’s two ways to ineffectively scatter your seed.
So does it really matter whether the dangers are physical or spiritual if the damage is ultimately as severe? I’ve spent some time studying indigenous cultures and very few (if any) developed such a dishonest and deceptive culture as ours is today. These indigenous cultures flourished for hundreds if not thousands of years and many would still thrive today if they hadn’t come into contact with us. We came in peace, my childhood textbook claimed, written by the “winner” if that matters. All we wanted was everything we wanted. What so bad about that?
Ours is a culture that honors the glory and sanctity of God and humanity. And we constantly remind ourselves of this as we hack our way through one culture after another in a desperate attempt to rid the world of the cancer their sanity and harmony with self and nature represent to our own world. Our culture mocked their medicine men and shamans as primitive witch doctors at the same time we were bleeding people of evil spirits and burning witches. Oops, did I say that with my out loud voice? That’s sacrilege after all, with the penalty now my choice, that of being burned at the stake or excommunication from the hive.
The indigenous shaman was by far the most important member of their culture, healing sickness they believed could be traced back to a soul/body/spiritual imbalance. But they also guided the individual and the tribe’s consciousness forward, teaching their fellow man of the dangers and pitfalls inherent in any culture that worshiped self above all else. They warned their members of the hazard of endless accumulation and ego domination rather than harmony with a world in which they must co-exist or perish.
Their spiritual and cultural histories often reached back thousands of years and taped into an ancient wisdom and understanding that withstood the test of time, evident in both their healthy existence as well as the environment they lived within, not on or in spite of. Sounds like deep and valuable wisdom from where I stand and precisely why they were killed as quickly as they were discovered. They were heretics and would act as strong antibiotics if they were introduced into the European and American cultural virus. We couldn’t even take the chance of trying assimilation, instead relying on the tried and true extermination.
Kill Baby Kill
We as individuals and as a culture simply cannot destroy living beings, be they human, animal or plant, in such large quantities and with such speed without imbibing a daily dose of lies and self deception to kill the pain of our own sickness and insanity. To actually comprehend the death and destruction by our own hand with even a minimal level of empathy or compassion would assure its immediate cessation. I wonder if that’s why our soldier’s bodies come home at midnight and the wholesale killing is either sanitized or completely missing from our TV and other mass media.
I certainly don’t have the stomach for this business and I suspect neither do you. While I understand I cannot covet my neighbor’s wife and daughter, I feel no discomfort if I covet his oil and other natural resources. So as a society we ensure the resulting blood doesn’t splatter us and that death remains at a safe distance when we forward position our home grown madmen to oversee our neighbor’s destruction. Kill baby kill.
And so slowly but surely, helped along with generous portions of self serving propaganda, the dehumanization of those “savage and primitive races” (today aka as terrorists) is complete and our population is infected with blood lust and material infatuation. And the rest, as they say, is bloody history; though you won’t find this version in any acceptably sanitized school text book.
Our culture is plagued with school shootings, serial killers (government sponsored or otherwise) conducting mass murder, state sponsored genocide, fast food obesity and pill popping to kill our emotional and spiritual pain. And of course don’t forget the constant mindless consumption to placate an emotional and spiritual emptiness that can never be soothed by material balms. But we can die trying, can’t we? And we call ourselves sane.
The shaman was a healer in the broadest since of the word and the spiritual center and source of wisdom and guidance for the tribe. The indigenous cultures were dependent upon their shaman to remain spiritually centered and physically healthy. Once they were gone, any surviving tribesmen quickly succumbed to the insanity of the Europeans once their spiritual anchors were uprooted and destroyed.
Have you ever wondered why there are hundreds of stories of early European and American settlers in North America that willingly lived among and within these “primitive” cultures? Once the non natives (the white man) had been thoroughly assimilated into these cultures, why did so many of them want to stay and even fought against their old countrymen in order to remain within their adopted cultural families? These cultural adoptees talked about being the happiest and most fulfilled they’d ever been and how for the first time in their lives they felt at peace, both with themselves and with those around them.
How could this occur in a culture that supposedly had nothing to offer the modern world? What could these “backward” cultures possibly offer the so-called “civilized” Europeans and Americans that would be more attractive than what they already possessed? Is it possible that our culture has lied to us about these things and potentially much more? Could it be that our culture isn’t healthy for us, is in fact killing us? Might it be we’re being used and abused by our own culture for the benefit of others, that this isn’t a natural state for humanity and that this disturbance we feel is the source of our insanity?
I find it very revealing that the North American Indian has the highest rate of alcoholism and drug dependency in this country. It makes sense when you consider that once stripped of their cultural support and defensive systems, their shamans and nurturing culture, the original source of their strength and spiritual health, that they would seek a substitute elsewhere. Consider how you would feel if you visited heaven and felt the warm embrace of peace and happiness, only to be ripped from its breast kicking and screaming and deposited into hell. Maybe we should have their descendants consult our technology Gods to find a solution to their spiritual unhappiness and mental illness. You know what; I bet there’s an app for that.
In Chapter Two, we will continue our exploration of our individual and collective insanity, where we spend some time examining that lovable megalomaniac ego inside each of us, why and where it all went wrong, the sliding scale of insanity with lots of finger pointing, how we certify our madness for comfort and support, our mental toxic waste dumps and the first sighting of light at the end of the tunnel. Or is that just the crazy train express to DC? Here’s one car wreck we can all safely examine as we drive by in our economic suicide machines.
Cognitive Dissonance - 06/02/2010
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Okay, I have been warned that the new hydroponically grown weed is a lot stronger than previous generations but please... Great writing, obvious talent here but get out of the house and enjoy some of the beauty that surrounds each of us everyday. Remember the 7 deadly sins, they are an excellent guide to a better life if you can avoid breaking any of them. Unfortunately our "leaders" manage to break every sin in the book with little or no shame.
"Spot on. First you copy the original, then you copy the copy, then the copy becomes or is accepted as real, making it the original."
and infact, this becomes a new way of ruling the sheeple. for most of history, they ruled via depredation and violence. not that i was a fan, but warhol was one of the first to recognize this tendency and have some fun with it.
life creates art reflects life reflects art creates life
Enjoy the thoughtful posts CD. I'm still perplexed by the view that breaking the cycle is probable or even inevitable. I asked the question once in a prior post, and you stated here of those in power: "who put them there in the first place and won’t they just be replaced with more?". I think wanting to understand our place in the universe is a function of *both* EQ and IQ, not just one or the other. I see plenty of people (popularly referred to here on ZH as "the sheeple") that simply want what is offered on American Idol - the illusions of fame, wealth and the freedom to vote/choose, packaged in an easy to consume format. (Disclaimer: I could never watch the show, so can't criticize - clearly it has resonated with many). I just don't see the trigger event for making the majority of people want that sort of enlightenment - and if they only want it because others want it, is it really enlightenment anyway?
You bring up very valid points. As with everything in life, where you stand depends on where you were sitting before you stood up. As I get deeper into the series, I hope to answer some of these questions and ask others.
Part of the art of deception is in hiding the deception. So for many, American Idol is exactly what it presents itself to be, harmless fun and entertainment. One must study Edward Bernays and the industry he spawned in order to get a deeper appreciation of what's going on in the back ground.
And as always, when I use a broad brush, I do a sloppy job painting my picture. I could have easily turned this subject into a book, which this almost turned out to be. It literally exploded into a 5 part series that just as easily could have turned into 10 or 20.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays
Thanks for a most eloquent blog/post and the mention of Bernays.
Few people fully appreciate how the nephew of Sigmund Freud changed the advertising and disinformation spheres in America in the 20th century.
Whether it is how "we are bringing democracy" to the masses, or women adopting the cigarette-smoking habit, or the populace adopting the bacon-and-eggs breakfast, he truly had an impact on events.
He also went on to work for the CIA...
Is it possible that the only way to fight deception and mass psychological control is with those same tactics, but directed to end the control? I've been wrestling with this for a long time... Asimov saw this when he created psychohistory and it has stuck with me to this day that there is more to this than just fiction.
Is it possible that the only way to fight deception and mass psychological control is with those same tactics, but directed to end the control? I've been wrestling with this for a long time... Asimov saw this when he created psychohistory and it has stuck with me to this day that there is more to this than just fiction.
For more on Edward Bernays, I would highly recommend Adam Curtis' "The Century of the Self" series (and every other Adam Curtis documentary for that matter). http://www.amazon.com/Century-Self-ADAM-CURTIS-DVD/dp/B002KECK1Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1275492454&sr=8-1 (also widely available for free on youtube). I'm sure that CD has already seen it, but many on this site would benefit from becoming familiar with Bernays' work. When he was done basically inventing the modern consumerism movement (in the 1920s!), he went on to work for the CIA. The rabbit hole goes deep my friends.
yes, i bought the full set a while ago and and find Curtis'es work will really clarify ones perception of our disconnection from "the real" and awaken you to the fact of just how manipulated our perceptions really are.
Oh you genius genius man/woman.
Adam Curtis is a must see. I recommend, in addition to "The Century of Self" which is mentioned here, "The Power of Nightmares" and some of his other, lesser known work. Truly, a brilliant documentarian of the psychological development [de-evolution one might call it] which occurred throughout the 20th Century and brought forth the "reality" in which are currently residing.
After watching "The Century of Self", I bought every documentary Curtis ever made. His work is powerful. I am a man, and I am no genius. Someone put me on to Curtis and Bernays' work, and I just pay it forward.
I've watched "The Power of Nightmares" several times. I thought it was great. I e-mailed the link to many of my friends, colleges, and posted it on various social websites.
Most of the people who responded thought I was nuts. It boggles my mind how so many people can dismiss something that seems so obvious if they can entertain any kind of cognitive thought.
We have gotten to the point it seems, if the Tee Vee doesn't tell people what to think, they can't do it for themselves. Sad state of affairs, and as long as this continues, we have no chance to change anything.
Didn't mean to ramble, my point was TPON is a good watch. Highly recommended.
Dammit man/woman! Thinking is hard work! Forming a logical argument even more so. Don't even get me started on Wisdom...
While it is generally of little concern to most that our entire social edifice is predicated and founded on a lie, and a great, deathly, and all consuming lie at that, the profound metaphysical and spiritual implications of the grand delusion reach into and pervade every facet of our lives.
yardfarmer, the lie exists because collectively we are comfortable with it. the lie masks the fear. ultimately, the fear comes from fear of death. an effective practitioner of "naval gazing" is simply practicing dying. when one reaches that level of consciousness (ie. consciousness w/o the ego of which CD speaks), one realizes, not postulates, there is nothing to fear and thus is enlightened. but I can tell you from exp. this is one tricky journey.
You are an interesting person CD; thanks for sharing your thoughts here.
God had a unique sense of humor when he created this joint. Infinite minds, briefly residing in finite bodies, for purposes unknown.
God had a unique sense of humor when he created this joint. Infinite minds, briefly residing in finite bodies, for purposes unknown.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Priceless!
Every word a gem. Every phrase a string of pearls.
Thank you.
This is really great. I've been toying with writing something similar, and it's refreshing to see that not everybody is asleep at the wheel. Just one thought for those like minded.
I feel the biggest trick that the corporations have foisted is to some degree a trick of fine art. In the sense that if I look at the Mona Lisa, I know that it's not an actual person. Yet, it can evoke in me thoughts similar to what being in presensce of an actual person might evoke. Similarly - mcd's (to pick one of many) has created something, the big mac, it resembles 'food' closely enough to convince most to eat it. (to some degree they suspend their doubts also). but as is clear now, a lifetime of eating mcd's, swilling coke and watching reality tv results first in brain death, and secondly in death death.
"Similarly - mcd's (to pick one of many) has created something, the big mac, it resembles 'food' closely enough to convince most to eat it."
I prefer MacSnot. :>)
Spot on. First you copy the original, then you copy the copy, then the copy becomes or is accepted as real, making it the original.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulacra_and_Simulation
I once was working with a Navaho Indian man who attend peyote sessions and knowing that the Navaho and the Tibetian Monks both believe a drastic change is coming I asked him a simple question about our 8 billion inhabitants. " What do you see happenning in a world becoming overpopulated and polluted. He replied simply not to worry "Nature will take care of it." He is living still today on a reservation, he still lives in harmony with his native earth and views himself as only a small part of the whole. He truly enlightened me. He is absolutely right. This european coming is but an unsustainable drop in time.Living out of balance with earth and Mother Nature being the bitch she is, she will return the earth to a proper balance regardless of what we think we will accomplish. One of the wisest men I ever met,doing the menial task of welding in a boiler for a living.
Terrific Story
Thx for that; so well and simply said.
CD, it sounds like you could team up with these guys:
http://mahb.stanford.edu/
I'm wondering if you're familiar with their project, and what you might think about it.
In-sight-full, CD. Bravo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubDnEWHkjBc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYB0VW5x8fI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLvySWlx45s
I love Terence McKenna and listen to his recorded lectures and read him all the time. It's interesting how his views evolved as he matured. During his last years, he admitted publicly precisely this, that he was seeing more and needed to change his thinking somewhat. Can you just imagine where he would be if he had not died at such an early age?
Every time I listen or read him, I find myself spending the next 48 hours closely examining his often unique point of view, which is where I find the greatest value. But I don't agree with everything he said. While he was a "maverick" he restrained himself in some areas just as other public intellects do.
Regardless, he forgot more than I know and he's a life long study for me. All I can hope to do is present a different point of view as well. I know I'm not breaking any new ground, just re-gifting old gifts for new friends.
"Epistemological Cartoons"
so says Terrence....wow and THAT is exactly what traps so many of us in the reality we share in our little groups of like minded souls.
Wonderful beginning CD; great stuff.
Keep going man.
It takes a lifetime of living and examining to arrive at the Doorstep of knowledge such as you are offering.
I once saw Terrence in a small theater in Boulder CO and he was even better in person than on You Tube.
I really wonder if you can break the binds without some sort of mystical encounter and I wonder what he would say to THAT.
I also didn't agree with many of his opinions, and found him lacking in many technical areas (specifically physics), but admired his breadth of knowledge and courage to think outside the box and question our assumptions.
I also appreciate his healthy amount of self-reflection despite the obvious cult following..."One of things you get to appreciate in this talk is the hypocrisy of me talking about the dissolution of ego..."
Thanks again for the read; we need more like you.
"This is not necessarily the truth,
this is what Wittgenstein would have called
an exercise in searching for that which is true enough."
http://deoxy.org/mckenna.htm
As my daughter sometimes says, "You rock, CD".
I think there are two sets of people on ZH.
Some who intimately know what you're talking about across the spectrum from economics to culture to religion to the international sphere. This set of people realize that there is an active effort of societal propoganda that upholds the culture and economy we have constructred - many of these choices are are morally bankrupt and damaging to ourselves. However, these people - of which I include myself - tend to police tape in their consciousness on these topics to keep themselves functioning in their day jobs. If you start to unravel the matrix of lies (many of which are clearly lies, but the truth is not available)...you'd devote yourself to something worthy and grand (a notion that WAS far more throughout history, but has been appropriated to mean economic success Trump style)...taking the blinders off society from this insanity and actually changing the course of humanity before you die.
Another set of people, many who understand the Economic Matrix - the false construction in terms of economics, the lies, the spin doctoring of the State, the PPT, the ponzi - but fail to connect with it on other levels. Their notion of a more balanced/honest society may just mean "no-fractional reserve banking, no Federal Reserve" - and clearly this would probably balance society out really fast...however, the patient is much sicker than that. My wife would say you just need to watch the new Sex and the City movie to see the cultural desperation - we have women parading around in 7 inch heels, changing outfits as quickly as sticks of bubble gum, hiking up their skirts vying for the attention of any man who might pass, chicks who date perennially trying to capture one man (which is in their nature - but images of the last badass who broke their heart still persist so they can't "settle"), but somehow claim to be "FREE" of men, and self-actualized (like an amoeba, but are humans amoebas?)! HAHA. IF you think this is just what happens on TV, you don't realize the world you live in it. Go really find out about how packs of young teens without boundaries "experiment" (they don't date, they hookup don't you know), why do 12 year olds wear thongs?, are those continual heartbreaks of our young girls just part of the dating scene, if so why do they grow up so desperate? And we tell ourselves - we're free, we're not like them, we're advanced, we've thought ourselves out of being human! HAHA.
Alan Bloom was just one signpost of where we are today:
There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative.
The relativity of truth is not a theoretical insight but a moral postulate, the condition of a free society, or so [the students] see it. They have all been equipped with this framework early on...That it is a moral issue for students is revealed by the character of their response when challenged—a combination of disbelief and indignation: "Are you an absolutist?," the only alternative they know, uttered in the same tone as "Are you a monarchist?" or "Do you really believe in witches?"'
The first flaw in your argument is assuming you are the norm instead of the aberration.The truth is in seeking knowledge, and more importantly self knowledge, you are in the very tiny minority.
The second flaw is the majority of people are too scared to think for themselves. They need someone to lead them, to define right and wrong.
Finally you speak of aspects which actually require work. Work and personal insight. Once again we find the masses far too weak for either.People fear to know themselves.They fear the ugliness and the irrationality of their natures.They do not willingly choose to bring those horrid notions to light.
In the early days of Psychotherapy very large blocks of time were spent in actually doing the hard work. The inner being requires deep and sustained prodding.It was hard and ugly.
Everyone will always choose the path of least resistance. Why do you think any type of enlightenment is described as a "narrow" one?
In this world there is a very small minority that either wish to discover who they are or choose to face the ugly truth of reality. Your article speaks to that minority. The only way that minority can influence the masses is by control and manipulation.
Not everyone has the ability to achieve Nirvana, that is why Bodhisattvas remain behind until every single speck of dust in the universe becomes enlightened.
To quote the legendary Wesley Snipes bit of Zen wisdom "Some motherfuckers are always trying to ice skate uphill".
At least you are consistent with some of your other hate mongering posts. I wonder if you have the capacity to see your pattern? I'll give you a hint, the statement makes it seem as if you think one heck of a lot of yourself.
Let's try this statement. Do you see an inconsistency here? If not everyone can achieve Nirvana, then why is the Bodhisattva left behind until every speck of dust in the universe becomes enlightened? Don't you just write some off, as you indicate above in your prior statements?
How is that quest for ruling the world and controlling your enemies going (you claimed this was everyone's goal in another post)? How is that enlightenment coming along?
People do not need to be led and told what to think. Where this exists is a condition that is a product of socialization. Children are naturally curious and joyful. The process of whipping them into little workers for the anthill hurts them and damages their capacity for love and openness. Their growth becomes twisted and stunted because every time they reach for what is naturally theirs (freedom, love, joy) they are corralled and punished. What eventually happens is learned helplessness. Shock a rat over and over again, and it stops trying to do anything to help itself.
this seems as good a place as any, so my question is, where does LOVE come into the discussion? i'm ENFJ from a Myers-Briggs definition. (actually, i score 50/50 I/E.) i'm fairly certain that most of my profound dissatisfaction in this life is due to the fact that i give endlessly, and i don't see ANYONE else who is a giver. we are ALL takers. self absorbed, self indulged, and thoughtless of others. and its killing me. love is giving without any expectations. of course that definition is cool on paper, but in practice, we all want SOMETHING in return. most of the time that something i get in return is the simple satisfaction of giving. but still, its hard to give and give and give, and never get so much as a sincere thank you, let alone having my love be reciprocated...
"People do not need to be led and told what to think. Where this exists is a condition that is a product of socialization. Children are naturally curious and joyful. The process of whipping them into little workers for the anthill hurts them and damages their capacity for love and openness. Their growth becomes twisted and stunted because every time they reach for what is naturally theirs (freedom, love, joy) they are corralled and punished. What eventually happens is learned helplessness. Shock a rat over and over again, and it stops trying to do anything to help itself."
...So very true, MsC...and when we regain/relearn the child's natural joy, openness, curiousity and love...then nirvana, heaven, etc are so very much more attainable because we glimmer that it is right here, right NOW.
And the people are taught to need things. Perhaps because things go better with coke! Lol.
1 meal per day and my sleeping bag is my basic need. All else is luxury. Been living that way a long time since everything i ever had was took away repeatedly. Learned that i own nothing, but am a caretaker.
That is NOT MY truck! Its just a truck i get to use, despite the fact its paid for. My brothers do not share my view but they have a right to be who they are. That bothers my ego, but not me. I just am.
Non-attachment is one of the keys to enlightenment. I join you there brother, well done.
yep, t o u g h as hell.
go through death†
tibetan monks sand mandala, fascinating ceremony. watch these guys make beautiful art when completed they take it down to the river and reincarnate the color sand particles, back into life form again.
Ritual destructiond e t a c h
that's about ritualizing impermanence. why be attached to something inevitably destined to end and begin again?
j u a n g r a n d e
Save a place for me guys!
Even though it likely will be a while before I can get there.
It is this capacity to be willing to challenge and allow others to challenge within ourselves some our most deeply held convictions that really makes this place for me.
Perhaps this commenter may one day see the relevance of this shared sentiment. GM pal
Insanity = The inability to recognize the truth!
Thank you CD. I've been trying recently (with mixed success) to lose my ego, or at least subdue it. It's the first step in the way to heal, and the only thing that will allow myself to start to grow again. Your writings are always illuminating to say the least. Thank you for your work--I look forward to part II.
CD is right, there is no need to repress it. The shining light of counscious awareness is all you will need to see "the Wizard" behind the curtain.
and what's behind the curtain behind the curtain
Conscious awareness. Lately I've read a book or two exploring this. CD's essay so far reinforces what I read. I am making very slow progress in trying to be "aware" as I do things and as things happen.
Humility, I should work on that.
Seeing the machinations of Ego looks like a worthwhile endeavor. But, I have found it hard, and progress is slow.
I know this will sound funny coming from me, since I have my moments, but humility is probably the most valuable characteristics you can develop. If you manage to achieve it I can assure you a whole other horizon will open up.
CD; magnificent work old chap; outstanding.
True humility is the realization that the ego is the lie. Pride is just a defense mech. for an ego on the ropes. Unbelievable discussion on a fin. blog. evidence of the paradigm shift in progress? +++CD