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The Zero Hedge Effect – Crossing the Event Horizon - Part 2 of 2
The Zero Hedge Effect – Crossing the Event Horizon
Chapter Two of Two
By
Cognitive Dissonance
The first half of this essay (rant to be honest) can be found here. Or maybe it’s over there. I can’t remember. My doctor tells me Viagra also improves blood flow to the memory centers of the brain and he gave me some samples. Wish me luck. You are looking at the second half, but I’m going to link to it anyway just to mess with your head. Just don’t look under here. The third half was eaten by my dog Rover and won’t be published because the laxatives aren’t working. Please download a copy from the Akashic field if you are so moved and can get a good connection. I live in the boonies and can never get a strong enough signal. Maybe I need to change to bran flakes.
Most of us, regardless of our education level, are not going to question something we know to be a fact. And we know something is a fact because.......well, because we know it’s a fact. After all, it was in the school textbook, newspaper or magazine. Or better yet, it was on the TV. From where I stand (what is that I’m standing in) it’s not as important to understand what we think we know as it is to understand why we think we know. While to some this may appear to be nothing more than a subtle distinction, to me it is all the difference in the world. As someone remarked the other day, if we want better answers we need to ask better questions. Better questions come not only from studying the issue more closely, but from studying ourselves and those around us. Continuously questioning our basic beliefs and assumptions keeps us sharp and on our toes. More importantly, as we begin to recognize our own deep social conditioning and how this distorts our worldview, the public myths created by the MSM and the ruling elite become more transparent. Before we know it better questions are rolling off our tongue and the illusion begins to crumble before our eyes. This is the reason why I always return to the same theme, that it all begins within. Anyone who hasn’t been in a coma for the past 10 or 15 years would agree that we’re all cursed and living in some very interesting times. Yet the vast majority of us seem to possess (cling to?) some very clear ideas about what’s going on and what’s happened in the recent and distant past. Even when we don’t really know, we have the remarkable capacity to concoct something or another to explain the insanity, usually with the considerable help of the MSM or alternative information sources. Even those who consider themselves to be contrary or skeptical rarely spend the time to thoroughly exam and vet the things we ‘know’ we know. I’m continuously fascinated by the process in which we as a society and a culture arrive at what we believe are conventional wisdoms, accepted truth or even common sense. While the myth is that these shared understandings have been thoroughly vetted and verified over time, in just about every case I examine closely I find just the opposite to be true. So why do we adopt these cognitive shortcuts when they mislead more than inform? And what role do they play in society and why are we so gullible and agreeable when walking down these blind alleys? Maybe what we’re seeing here is actually a sign of our conditioning and indoctrination. As I said earlier, why we believe or know is much more instructive and better explains, and thus predict, the human condition. The modern day self induced illusion we all suffer from to some degree or another is ultimately several ideas or beliefs that gain purchase by flattering our ego and stroking our intellectual arrogance. “I am master of all that I see and hear. And while there are always flaws in my thinking, I’m not so weak kneed as to be swayed by a strong breeze like a common butterfly. I know what I see and I see all that I need to know. I’ve been around long enough to have figured out how the world works and the games people play. I will not be deterred by those who are weak willed for I know the truth. I can see through the lies and deceit and while I don’t have it all figured out, the principal players and hidden hands are clear to me.” While the above paragraph might be viewed as over the top, most people truly do believe they ride herd over their little corner of the collective consciousness. Many feel quite strongly that they’re in control of their beliefs, that they’re intellectually flexible and even quite fair and open minded. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Our conditioned mind blends so well into our social structure that we can barely see the first level of conditioning, let alone the hidden hand. It takes a deep humility to question ourselves more than once or twice. While we are told that to constantly question ourselves makes us weak, those who say this wish for us to lock our blinders on and see only what is flashed on the (television, newspaper, magazine, Internet, political) screen in front of us. Don’t worry, we will tell you how things work and what to think about it.
We cannot find the tools we must use to free our minds within the very construct that has captured our minds. This needs repeating. We cannot find the means and opportunity to free ourselves from within the very system that enslaves us. To think otherwise is the height of self deception. The illusion will always reflect back to us all the proof we need to conclude that the illusion is completely real. This also applies to alternative points of view. In essence, we believe what we wish and are conditioned to believe and we will seek out and even fabricate evidence to confirm what we wish and are conditioned to believe. Intelligence and training makes this process that much easier because of our mental agility and super sized egos………which also serves to obscure that which needs to be more transparent.
The illusion for the most part is seamless, sensible and ultimately satisfying for those engulfed by and within the illusion. Consequently for the vast majority of us, we (not they, them and those, but we) will fight to remain within our conditioned box rather than break from the herd, even if the herd we belong to is a splinter group or self described rebel sub group such as Zero Hedge. To even consider breaking from the consensus reality in anything other than a superficial manner is extremely frightening and possibly even emotional suicide to an ego firmly attached to the group’s conventional wisdom and the acceptance received from that herd.
While I agree that ideas can be the most dangerous weapons of mass destruction man has ever created, rebellious talk without action is in my opinion ultimately self deceptive, superficial and self defeating. To leave the larger herd and join a smaller division while essentially remaining within the confines of the overall mythology must be recognized for what it really is, a repositioning, not a break or repudiation. We might take up residence in a different cave, but we are still on the very same island.
This isn’t a judgmental statement, though I’m sure many will feel otherwise. It is, however, a partial explanation for why so many ‘rebellions’ wind up adopting the same oppressive methods they originally denounced and overthrew. It is a self deceit to think we are being rebellious if all we are doing is changing position in the food chain or expressing bravado to kill the pain of our own impotence. Once we decide to walk the path of self discovery, it is a continuous and lifelong journey. Some would go so far as to say many lifelong journeys. To think it is not a forever endeavor simply indicates how close our new cave is to the original grouping.
Just because we believe we are already awake and aware doesn’t mean we are, or that we don’t practice self deception. In fact, we are much less likely to question ourselves or our perception of reality since we sincerely believe we know what we know, having already broken through several cognitive dissonances to arrive here. The hard work’s already done, we tell ourselves, and we have cleared all the major hurdles………right?
Zero Hedge for the most part has its own consensus reality and belief systems which are constantly reinforced and rarely seriously challenged, other than superficially. Just read the comment section if you don’t believe me. While there are many people willing to ask questions pertaining to actual factual knowledge, there is no shortage of firm beliefs and opinions and a shocking scarcity of open minds. Spend a few hours in the comment section and it is quite obvious that there is very little willingness to seriously consider contrary points of views with a weighting equal to our own already established belief system. That is not the definition of someone being open minded and flexible or of someone willing to learn. And yet we have the gall and audacity to declare our superior awareness.
From a more removed point of view and looking directly in the mirror, we can all easily see how those poor North Korean’s have been brainwashed and manipulated into adoration of their “Dear Leader”. And while we shake our heads at how stupid they must be to not see what’s so obvious to us, the North Korean’s are saying precisely the same thing about you and me. But of course that’s just their conditioning showing, not ours, right? It’s them, not me. Our conditioning is much more subtle and quite a bit more sophisticated than the blunt techniques used in other banana republic’s and democratic dictatorships.
In fact our conditioning is extremely well hidden within our consumer culture and conditioned belief that we are free. Ironically while discussing this very idea with some long time friends the other day, even though they begrudgingly admitted that we ‘might’ be somewhat conditioned, they also agreed that we are much smarter, or at least better informed, than those pathetic North Koreans. So while the ruling elite here in America must use more sophisticated methods to accomplish our conditioning, my friends, who all consider themselves aware and awake, somehow concluded that the elites ultimately failed to (fully) condition them.
In a remarkable example of group self deception, by admitting and then accepting that there are attempts to control us, my friends somehow concluded that the attempts were unsuccessful without presenting any evidence other than that it was ‘self evident’. I’m aware, thus I’m awake, thus I’m not controlled or conditioned, because being controlled means you are not awake or aware……I think. Circular logic always makes perfect sense and is supremely satisfying. And when we use circular logic to prove we aren’t conditioned or controlled, well……you get the picture.
Even though I understood why and how this happens I was still astonished with the ease by which my friends flattered their egos while contemplating their possible, though ultimately ineffective, conditioning. I suspect the ego flattering was crucial to ignoring the illogical conclusion reached by the group. It’s even easier to accomplish this self deception on an individual basis since no one is watching us except ourselves, and we make the rules of evidence that allow us to self deceive. In my opinion this is one of the signs that we are even more deeply immersed within the illusion and myth of who and what we think we are than we could ever see without a thorough self examination.
Our constant feeding on a diet of American exceptionalism and superiority has its benefits, at least for those who wish to promote apathy, passivity and self delusion among the slaves of all social classes. And make no mistake about it; there are slaves among the rich as well as the poor and middle classes. Given the choice between recognizing that we are subtly, but effectively, conditioned and controlled or believing we are free and independent, which way do you think we will lean, particularly if our consumer culture reinforces the ‘free’ belief? Promoted and enabled self deception is always the most effective mind control because we willingly accept the programming and then customize it to suit our own particular belief system, thus assuring its effectiveness. Do you remember seeing those Dodge Challenger ‘Freedom’ TV commercials where George Washington roars into battle against the redcoats behind the wheel of a growling black Dodge? To those engulfed within the illusion it seems perfectly normal because we have been conditioned to suspend disbelief while in front of the idiot box. But for those who are beginning to escape, it all looks a little surreal. The narrator’s only words at the end speak loudly to the blatant bleating of the Newspeak drum of consumerism equals freedom. “Here’s a couple of things America got right. Cars and freedom.” It’s all very seductive, even if you don’t like the car or George Washington. The message is loud and clear and it is endlessly repeated not only by corporate America, but by government and private institutions as well. To deny the conscious and subconscious effect of this programming and conditioning is an admission in and of itself that the programming is successful. Please take a moment and view the clip here. Tell me there are no overt and subliminal messages behind strapping the American flag to the black Challenger as George Washington charges into the panicking redcoats and routs them in defeat behind the steering wheel of a car created 235 years in the future. This is followed by a stern faced, but victorious, George Washington standing next to the American dream, the Dodge Challenger, while the background voiceover cements the mental conditioning. Edward Bernays, the father of modern mind control and propaganda techniques, must be laughing in his grave. Bravo! And don’t even get me started on the astonishingly bald faced mind control effort put forth by the rebranded Ally Bank, the old GM finance cesspool that has risen from the ashes to haunt everyone, not just car buyers. We are told straight out that we love our bank, that we really really love our bank, that bank (of course) being Ally Bank. Even the name is amazingly subliminal. Of course I love my bank. My bank is my Ally, courageously fighting by my side against all those other nasty banks that are just out to screw me. The first time I saw that Ally Bank commercial of the dog (Rufus) barking every time his ‘master’ told him he loved his bank I was shocked how in-your-face the conditioning was. Talk about a Pavlov’s dog in-your-end-dude? Have they no shame? Apparently not in the anything goes world of corporate consumer whoring. See for yourself here and then consider how far we have sunk into the abyss. To say to myself that “Because I’m awake and aware of the government propaganda and corporate advertising efforts to condition and control me, they have little to no effect on me” is the height of arrogance and self delusion. How can we possibly think that even our small day to day purchases of various consumer products, not to mention our beliefs regarding social, political and corporate events or history, are not heavily influenced by the massive and extremely effective propaganda and mind control techniques directed towards all of us? Billions of dollars are spent each year perfecting and implementing these meme programs. To say that we are not significantly and continuously influenced by this massive propaganda onslaught is the prima facie evidence of the very success of that conditioning. We are smothered by hundreds of 30 and 60 second bits of mind control on a weekly basis, all of which are cleverly supported by additional print, radio, movie and Internet assaults on our state of mind. And I’m speaking about both commercial advertising and state propaganda. To believe, or even simply think, that since we know what’s going on we aren’t greatly affected, is denial of the deepest kind. Either we remove ourselves from the most egregious (and effective) control device, the boob tube idiot box, or we accept that we are conditioned and blissfully submit to the mind control. Then all that remains is for us to devise a way to deny it is happening. As harsh as this may sound, to swim with the sharks and declare we won’t be bitten is the ultimate act of the self deluded fool.
Simply put, the very fact that we regularly visit Zero Hedge for our refreshing dose of alternative reality, the so called ‘truth’, is in and of itself just another form of self conditioning and indoctrination if all we do is blindly accept this ‘truth’ as fact, just as we did with the ‘truth’ before Zero Hedge. The path to awareness does not end simply because we have found an alternative set of plausible facts and theories that satisfy us enough to believe that we now know ‘the truth’ and all we need to do is hunker down and wait it out. To simply take the opposite side of the mainstream meme is dangerous on several counts, least of which is the fact that not everything we read, see or hear from the MSM is a lie and not everything on Zero Hedge is the truth.
The danger of attempting to cross through the Event Horizon created by The Zero Hedge Effect is that we might become hopelessly trapped between the alternative reality offered by the master keepers of the public myth and the running commentary offered by Zero Hedge and company, this contributor included. There is a truth even greater than offered by the so-called truth speakers, but it can only be found by first questioning everything, then looking deeply within. ‘Truth’ is not a single point or destination, but rather a lifelong journey. In fact ‘truth’ is not what we are really seeking, but rather ‘knowing’, a much deeper comprehension that is sourced within and cannot be externally imposed or learned.
Our culture teaches us that truth is an external reality when it fact truth, just like all things we consider to be real, is a temporary construct entirely dependent upon our perspective and interpretation of reality at that moment. ‘Knowing’, on the other hand, is absolute and irrefutable and requires no translation or analysis. We are told that we must be informed of the truth, that it must be shown to us in order for it to be found. This is the fundamental distortion that keeps us blindly bumping around in the dark, the BIG LIE if you will. Since we are taught to only seek truth externally, we are always subjected to manipulation and extortion by those who wish to control and abuse.
There must be a better way and there is. However, it requires that we abandon the ways of the perpetual deceivers and look within to discover our innate and powerful capability to ‘know’ everything we need in order to grow and live a healthy and prosperous life. This isn’t starry pie-in-the-eye stuff I’m promoting, where if we all just hold hands things will get better. Real change and freedom, not that garbage proffered by the charlatans and magicians, springs from within and there is simply no substitute. As long as we wish to believe it is the responsibility of someone else to do the hard work, any change we may experience is artificial in substance and temporary in nature.
The process by which we achieve the substantial and lasting change we all crave is as simple and as difficult as seeking it within. In order to know something, first we must know ourselves. In order to heal something, first we must heal ourselves. As long as we wish to believe it is more complicated than this, we will continue down our current path of self destruction.
07-13-2011
Cognitive Dissonance
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I have lived through a period (outside USA) where I had no friends, because I was "different" and didn't want to spinelessly adjust to become "normal." I have learned you cannot live on your own, especially emotionally. So that limits my ability to completely live according to, or just talk very openly about my beliefs.
The Dodge Challenger commercial was crazy, but at least somewhat funny. The Audi TDI enviro-fashism commercial during Superbowl in 2010 got me really fuming (and I admire the TDI technology), and I wrote an email to Audi stating if I see such a thing two more times I will not consider buying an Audi at least within the next decade. Got the usual form letter in return...
CD, til the end you have become a bit overly winded in this post.
The "capability to 'know'" I would equate with gut feeling - I believe one should always check his gut feeling for a veto (like the "assured free lunch" warning light blinking), but otherwise I prefer my rational thinking. Most of the time, truths are simple, just strip the overcomplexity and it instantly becomes clear.
America medicating its Cog Dis?
Has America become a nation of psychotics? You would certainly think so, based on the explosion in the use of antipsychotic medications. In 2008, with over $14 billion in sales, antipsychotics became the single top-selling therapeutic class of prescription drugs in the United States, surpassing drugs used to treat high cholesterol and acid reflux.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/07/20117313948379987.h...
the United State of Antidepression
I am gross and perverted
I'm obsessed 'n deranged
I have existed for years
But very little has changed
I'm the tool of the Government
And industry too
For I am destined to rule
And regulate you
I may be vile and pernicious
But you can't look away
I make you think I'm delicious
With the stuff that I say
I'm the best you can get
Have you guessed me yet?
I'm the slime oozin' out
From your TV set
You will obey me while I lead you
And eat the garbage that I feed you
Until the day that we don't need you
Don't go for help . . . no one will heed you
Your mind is totally controlled
It has been stuffed into my mold
And you will do as you are told
Until the rights to you are sold
That's right, folks . . .
Don't touch that dial
Well, I am the slime from your video
Oozin' along on your livin' room floor
I am the slime from your video
Can't stop the slime, people, look at me go
I am the slime from your video
Oozin' along on your livin' room floor
I am the slime from your video
Can't stop the slime, people, look at me go
1970 - Frank Zappa
I love this but do you realize how long it takes to take apart all of our illusions.
1. You wake up in the morning to the alarm clock. Why do I have an alarm clock, why do I sacrifice my sleep schedule for my company to run more efficiently.
2. You get up to go pee, you look at the paint job on the wall and think to yourself you should touch that up, if you ever need to sell. Why are we so impressed with perfection?
3. You put the lid down before you flush so that no icky stuff gets on the toothbrush. Seriously???
4. You wash your hands, you are extra careful to clean to get rid of any bacteria, after all you have seen the antibacterial soap commercials, ignoring that countless experts are claiming that the antibacterial soap is strengthening bacteria
The first 4 minutes of your morning and if you go down each and every rabbit hole, you will spend all your time examining your navel and your conscience. I would never get anything done. It is really important that I get money to feed my kids and pay for shelter. I probably would suffer a great deal of brain-washing in order to keep my kids and have them be happy.
You might say that without freedom, happy is not possible. But darn it, my mom was weird and people with weird mothers, are UNhappy. She didn't buy the illusion and she hardly watched tv, and that caused me undo stress. Adolescence is the great conformer of humans. So a certain amount of brain washing is acceptable in my life. I accept it and move on.
Dont listen to him sweetheart, CD has nothing to offer anyone other than confusion and paranoid gibberish, thats how he gets his kicks. If you are raising two kids and holding down a job then you have enough on your plate, you dont need to be entertaining this car crash, moreover he should be taking advice from you
If you ever feel yourself with the urge to start questioning absolutely everything, always ask yourself "How different would things be if they weren’t the way they were?" If you are not prepared to see that thought exercise through to its varying conclusions with clarity and honesty, through critical debate with yourself or with others, and cant offer any reasonable alternatives, then there is no grounds to be afraid of what’s in front of you. The underlying logic here is that its easier to tear something down than build it from scratch -some people just get into the habit of taking the easier option and it takes over their personality like a cancer. Any fool can ask questions, but its a different animal that will give you the right answers.
My friend we have Google these days. Any fool can find an answer, but it's a different animal that will ask the right questions.
Umm, that’s fascinating. It seems there are all kinds of souls asking questions these days, it’s a funny thing, its turned into quite the cottage industry; I hear of people making good money off it too? - that’s a question you might want to answer when you finish with the big stuff. Ach, I think you have just overlooked a little bit of context here - I suppose you’re just another soul punching above his weight, nothing wrong with that sir, but when your own shadow starts to box your ears you might want to hang the gloves up. You should talk to Cog Dis, im sure you would have a lot of interesting questions to ask each other…
Please remember that in the essay I was very specific in saying that we must not rush in and deconstruct the illusion, that we must begin small by looking within. I do not advocate naval gazing about toothbrushes or hand cleaning. Those will become more obvious with time and de-conditioning. I'm talking about the big steps that need to be taken slowly, but deliberately.
This was a humbling exercise in looking into the mirror. We need to be reminded of these facts and we need to constantly evaluate our confirmation bias. Thanks for keeping us honest around here CD. As always, your contribution is greatly appreciated.
I got a little discombobulated reading this one. You usually argue that we are trapped in a belief system that not only clouds judgement but also prompts us to compartmentalize new stimulus into pre-existing categories. You caution---I am happy to see---that even those who adopt an “alternative” viewpoint are prone to the same errors. All well and good so far.
After that, however, you argue that belief (rebellious talk) without action is “ultimately self-deceptive, superficial and self-defeating“. Correct me if I’m wrong, but what you are saying is that one may well be deluding himself about reality, but if one believes something, have at it.
Seems dangerous. It also seems to be what the “opposition”, whomever they might be for any particular set of people, is doing.
I do not consider myself naïve. Neither do I consider myself a follower---of anything. I question everything, trust just about nobody, have no heroes, and don’t for a second believe “people are basically good”. Goodness is a choice, and one that should be lauded, but it is quite rare. I consider myself very lucky in a number of ways, but mostly because I have had the opportunity to see real human goodness, and in this life I have found real happiness (which is my normal state, perhaps because I have few expectations, and tend to view challenges as entertainment rather than obstacles). Conversely, I’ve seen a bit more badness than I might have wanted (which makes me appreciate goodness even more).
I bring this up, in conjunction with your writing, for two reasons. The first is that my own firsthand experience tells me that a good number of the things regular commenters on ZH believe are absolutely wrong, and I am of the view that these people have just replaced one supposedly omnipotent source with another, even though both are likely flawed. Indeed, the very fact that the other source is from some “alternative” media seems to make it almost sacrosanct in the world of those who call themselves “awake“. When people adopt a belief that is false, any “action” these people might take---if they accept your call to arms---would be unfair, misdirected and a solution to nothing.
The second reason I bring it up---again from personal experience---is that I have gone through a social uprising where people “acted” on their beliefs and opinions, and many innocent people were slaughtered as a result. I know that when the blood fever is up, it doesn’t take much “convincing” for some people to do horrible things. Imagine a poor girl seized by a mob, having her head chopped off with a dull machete and then stuffed on to the fence around a park, after which someone says, “Ooooops, wrong girl”.
That’s an extreme example, but it happens (happened).
I doubt you are advocating violence, but rather more peaceful actions aimed at making things more fair and just, but not everyone in society---or even on ZH--agrees. Your statements and views on self-deception---no matter the belief for or against a particular issue---is about as good an argument as any for adopting a policy of non-violence. Others will disagree, but for those who do, I guarantee the blood of innocents will be on their hands, or just as likely their blood with be on someone else's hands.
as long as you're not you're not suggesting that the "blood of innocents" is being currenlty spared or could not increase without some action.
Violence, even under the law, is a broad term. At the other end, abuse experts acknowlege that many forms of abuse even torture can avoid the technical definition of violence. Is violence purely a physical act? Does it require physical harm? Does it include any form of unjustified, illegal or immoral force imposed on another? The law and the concept of "domestic violence" includes many acts of emotional (even property) abuse and manipulation. The law also allows "violence" and simply redfines it under many circumstances of "necessity" and "defense" - of yourself and others. In the end, historically, it seems like once a critical mass determines they reach criminal, economic, political, immoral and any other qualifying victim status, they take on that redefining role and do what they deem is necessary. Some may disagree with their methods and their reasons but that's humans and their history.
This smells of relativism. Ah, relativism: The number one excuse sociopaths use for treating others in ways they themselves would never want to be treated.
there is no spoon
In a world with no spoons, a man who can eat peas with a knife is king.
Nice piece, Cog. Accepted wisdom used to deem facts as things as existence obviously in front of us: rocks, trees, other people, etc., and, theories of existence and operation that passed various experimental tests, and which have not been disproved: the Bohr Atom structure, relativity, Newtonian theory, etc. Then came along quantum theory, which seemed to suggest that facts may vary depending on the viewer's circumstances. Now, multiverse theories are suggesting something far more odd.....that even the quantum diversity of results may just be a thin slit of truth that humans see due to their limitations in operating in multiple dimensions.
At the human level, there are grains of truth: being shot is real, a chain of neutrons acting in a particular way under specific circumstances can cause a huge explosion. But, the question is, what happens to materials and humans in the other dimensions that new physics suggests may exist? Impossible to know. Maybe we are still alive after being nuked to a cinder, but in a different place and possible different form...which brings in many other aspects of human thought: theology, the soul, etc.
The reason I bring this up is that the "no truth" argument has been seen for years as a cheap way to end an argumewnt, much like the theological debate stopper: "because God intended it that way." In truth, there may turn out to be no real truth - not one that we as humans are capable of understanding.
I know this goes well beyond where I think you intended your argument to apply, but I think it shows us how even at the most basic level, truth is not necessarily a cogent reality we are capable of grasping.
But at the level of reality where your argument is staged - you are correct. Many of the things I have held as inviolate, have in the end turned out to be suspect, or dead wrong. That realization has made me somewhat of a cynic, and a doubter of ALL things, no matter the source, the forum, or how well it seems to meld in with my own preconceived notions of what I want to be truth.
What I want to be the truth. I think those simple words underlie the basis of your argument. We all seek a desired outcome, and in a generalized way, that outcome is pretty much the same for most of us....that is why advertisers can tweak us so easy. But, knowledge can circumvent their efforts....like in your case of Ally Bank. Most people in this country probably have no idea where they came from, and how they got to where they are. You do, I do, probably most people on this site do. Their advertisements are nauseating to me....but I am not the the marketing niche they are shooting for.
In the end, I think, without bringing into play physics and theology and multiple dimensions and an afterlife, truth is simply a viewpoint of a human meat machine. What we take for truth, we live by, so it becomes our truth. I am so adverse to any kind of common, structural idea of truth, that I feel that is does not exist anywhere in any universal manner, certainly not here on ZH or any other human opinion site.
What is on ZH is an idea of truth that is relevant to those who realize how bad they have been fucked over. And, sometimes an idea of truth is relevant enough to lead to change. If it does that, then it becomes an applied truth, if it does not, then it remains a backwater alternate theory of truth. That is the conditions that be per truth. The only truth we can ascertain is what is directly meaningful to us, and is within our grasp of reason, and suits our experience/learning based notions, That is why investment is such an odd, diverse game.
Well in the end the only real truths are the one that passed, and can always pass again, the scientific method...
Everything else is opinion or belief.
"All sciences are now under the obligation to prepare the ground for the future task of the philosopher, which is to solve the problem of value, to determine the true hierarchy of values." Nietzsche
By definition something based mostly on perception and subjectivity of humans cannot be determined scientifically...
which at a quantum level, pretty much includes everything, yes?
btw, not dismissing your point in the slightest....just wondering whether the boundary between subjectivity and objectivity is as clear as it appears or whether it's rather fuzzy as you get closer to the edges.
ever read any David Bohm? found this, thought you might like...
http://www.seekeraftertruth.com/beyond-limits-a-full-conversation-with-d...
Excellent comment Ari. Thanks. I think if you apply a second reading you will find, subtly maybe but there, that I addressed your points even while staying on a main level. Though you were by no means critical.
I took pains to state that "Our culture teaches us that truth is an external reality when it fact truth, just like all things we consider to be real, is a temporary construct entirely dependent upon our perspective and interpretation of reality at that moment." because it is impossible to determine truth without context and position in the universe.
And I always state that truth must be found within without stating the truths that will be found for the very same reason. I then go on to talk about 'knowing' which is often not applied to material facts and truths, but to broader pictures. I may not have truth or facts that prove my spouse is cheating on me, but I have an inner 'knowing' or certainty that s/he is.
In fact I suspect that many of our Cognitive Dissonances are caused by conflicts with our inner knowing and not from outside influences. We are told that a CD is caused when we are lied to and conditioned to "believe" one thing when the opposite is true. This causes the inner CD. But what if we really do 'know' the truth within and wish to believe the external lie. Then the CD is internally activated.
Anyway, thank you once again for not only reading, but then coherently and elegantly commenting. When I see so much thought packed into such a small area I am smitten with a tinge of jealously that I can not do the same. :>)
I'm not sure why anyone would think the Truth can be found within any more reliably than without. I don't have much faith in either source.
Nicely done, CD- I enjoyed both parts.
Thank you.
They were originally joined at the hip as one piece, but after including the art work it ran too long. So I broke it up. After some additions and subtractions in both parts there was no doubt there were two slightly different voices between the two sections and I realized the article always intended itself to be broken apart. I was just slow on the uptake.
Now the question I'm pondering: Did ZH condition CD into the above noted actions / conversations with others? Am I also being conditioned by him to question whether ZH readers are driving CD into actions he would not have taken when he made his first ZH contribution a long time ago?
Conversing with one self by questioning and answering with questions is in a sense what CD has advocated and thus he has pushed his propaganda upon a larger audience here near the event horizon.
I appreciate the slap to the face CD. Reality really does intellectually hurt sometimes.
The only fact I knew is what I saw in the next second.
The only fact I know is that I am something, or was something, or is something that never existed. Facts confuse me, Willie.
The only fact that I will know is one I never considered
And the only lie that I won't is one that I have
CD: You, Sir, are an enlightened soul. I'm always looking forward to reading your take on what's going on.
So what you're saying CD is that we're all brainwashed, but we are all just brainwashed differently on different things depending on what we gravitate toward. This I totally agree with but then again maybe I'm being brainwashed by you (cue twilight zone music) :)
"All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach."
"As soon as by one's own propaganda even a glimpse of right on the other side is admitted, the cause for doubting one's own right is laid."
"By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise."
Hitler told the truth every now and then
Davey Jones had the same thought above. :)
I have frequently said in both the comment section and in several of my articles, particularly the ones that discussed propaganda, that all writers and authors are by definition propagandists.
Take the Red Pill,
No Wait, Take the Blue Pill,
Aw Hell. just take a pill!
+++
There is a little bit of me wants to take you by the hand Cog Dis, and show you a lighter side to life, but I suppose you are the way you are and doing that would probably be wrong… a bit like Tom Cruise trying to get Rain man laid or something(though I suppose that’s part of my “conditioning” shinning through there - damn those bastards got me with the Rain man meme, again) Seriously though, why not drop the gobbledegook before it turns around and farts in your face? If you want to talk a lot of nonsense about something meaningless, try music journalism - give me your opinion on this little performance...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6EvL60xMk0&feature=related
CD has been watching too much TV.
Charlton Heston - "You can have my remote when you pry it from my cold dead hand."
Simply Elegant.
It is not overly difficult to live off the grid. Might be worth giving a try. It can change your perceptions and intuitions about the world. The physical move is only part of it, but an important part. Money and language will not feed you there. I can only speak from my personal experience, of course. And it is likely different for each person. Kaczynski, for example. But he never left the grid, not in any real sense. So there's that aspect to consider. I've seen crazies in the wild who manage in their own tight way, thinking all the time. And encountered some transparent and sublime souls as well. I learned a lot from being around them.
Living back in the city has been different since my outside days. Now it's just another place to stand, no better, no worse. Definitely more interesting, but like everything is. As for the guv'ment, well...c'mon boys.
Hello CD. I am new to your postings on ZH, having entered through a side door a couple of months ago. I thoroughly enjoyed your 4-part series concerning the money meme. Especially your Trojan Horse analogy. Reading the comments are especially amusing since they display all levels of understanding what you are trying to convey. Being new to the site, I am probably repeating much of what has already been said. But in the interests of educating the public as you attempt to do, may I offer three companion books for consideration? It is most likely that you and your readers are already familiar with these, but: "The Watchman's Rattle" by Rebecca D Costa This book discusses memes and supermemes. It is extensively researched and footnoted and yet easy to read. She explores several cultures that thrived and then suddenly disappeared. Mayans are the most well known of these. Her point is that the prevailing supermemes that control the culture fail when they reach a cognitive threshold and can no longer solve current problems. She posits that we now have tools to move forward: Insight, aka the 'aha' moment. Eckhart Tolle has an excellent series of books that address the ego and how it dominates in every human. The internal dialogue is the ego expressing it's dominance. He writes eloquently about this and gives specific methods as to how to extinguish the ego so that our true authentic self can emerge. Finally there is the series by Don Miguel Ruiz, the most notable being "The Four Agreements". It is a short book and each section is 4-5 pages in length. Be impeccable with your word. (in the beginning there was the word...) Don't take anything personally. (it's not about you when people interact with you) Don't make assumptions. ( this one is very hard to do) Always do your best. (if you fail, and we all will, start over the next day) As you say, CD, just because one has had a glimpse and has crossed the divide, the hard work has just begun. Other views pointing to the same goals are very useful. Becoming an authentic person not driven by outside influences is a lifetime effort. Thanks for your writings. As more people raise their consciousness, new memes will appear that address our concerns. Organizing groups to protest is pointless.
A very nice summary. I am trying Rebecca Costa first and will move forward from there. Costa will be on my door step Friday in time for the weekend. Thank you.
Tolle's " The Power of Now" is his first book and the best one to start with. "The Four Agreements" also has a section helping readers with exercises to reach their authentic selves.
Thanks for the reading suggestions.
edit, Sawgill, get yourself a avatar so I can look for it when I am scanning comments... yours are the kind I like to read!!!
Might I suggest "Night Train to Lisbon" by Pascal Mercier...a middle age man takes a journey and well...you really have to read it.
Your stuff keeps getting better and better, CG. Very insightful and a reminder to keep on my toes about everything. One thing, you talk about the importance of seeking the truth and self-reflection but not on how to do so. The most important thing our indoctrination camps (err, public education system) makes sure we never learn are proper critical thinking skills. I recommend everyone read up on Aristotle and up-to-date derivatives of his work on critical thought and logic. The more I properly apply these mental tools to my fundamental assumptions, the more I realize just how plugged into the Matrix I still am.
Thank you for your kind words.
The reason I started my "Dispatches from Occupied Territory" series was to take a more hands on approach and spell out some of the techniques and methods I and others use to heal and grow under the guise of talking to Marie, someone new to the awakening. It's more interesting in that format than it is for "CD" to just pontificate in articles.
No one wants to be lectured to, but they will listen to someone else get an ear full. :>)
I don't suppose Cognitive Dissonance has been reading Jacques Ellul? http://www.edgeofgrace.net/2006/11/10/jacques-ellul-on-propaganda/
No, I do not know this person.
Believe it or not I am not well read on the subjects I write about. Most of what I write about I have teased out from deep thought and meditation. I don't really like reading other people on this subject because very often (but not always) I feel like I am being sold an opinion rather than having a conversation.
I have not come across a lot of authors who discuss these subject who are not a bit defensive and you can actually hear it in their writing. They are writing defensively because they are anticipating the rebuttal. Frankly the average Joe is not very open to these discussions and there are some nasty critics out there who would rather pontificate about what they (think they) 'know' by beating up on the author. This takes a toll on many and something I stay mindful of. This is why I like to write for me to me. This way it feels like I'm talking with someone I know well.....which of course is exactly the case. :)