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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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Jacques Ellul has been called many things, but "defensive" is not one of them. Certainly not with respect to this topic. NB: the excerpt here is from a book published half a century ago. Very much ahead of its time.
Worth investigating. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Ellul
I hope you understand that I wasn't speaking about Ellul (since I do not know him) or any other author in particular. I was simply voicing the reason why I do not read many people in this field. There are several I have read that are not defensive and they have a conversational style. This I like. There are others who seem to feel the need to write in textbook or lecturing style and I run from the room when I encounter them. :)
I shall click the link and read upon your recommendation. Thank you.
I was watching a documentary with the kids the other night called "The Tibetan Book of the Dead". There were direct translations from this ancient text, it brought to mind some of your writings.
Nice explanation
good luck on the trip
There's still plenty of room on the bus. In fact the bus never fills up no matter how many people are loaded on.
Cog,
Don't turn around too quickly, but I'm sitting two rows behind you.
Shhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you the bastard with the spit balls back there? :)
I keep on flashing back to the 3rd grade field trip to Devil's Hopyard with Wayne in the back. Nasty business and it did not end well for him. All I got was a two day supenstion. He got a beating after I could take no more.
Clearly I'm still not over it. :>)
No Cog,
But I am always the first suspect.
With you I would be very careful----violence always awed me and I liked to fight but never started it----one of those types
A year and a half ago I received the karmic pay-off.
Two trolls entered my cabin and tried to kill me but fell in love of money. So, they tied me up and went to another cabin looking for my weapon and money, and I was able to escape.
This is why I know that there is nothing to fear except my mind----death was pleasant and I was completely at peace----I came back to life laughing at fear.
It is a funny feeling not to have fear, but-----
No, I did not throw that spitball-----and I will not say who did.
Life is too funny not to enjoy it
The only thing I hate worse than spitballers is tattle tales. So you seem like a high quality candidate friend to me.
But for now I'm instructing my operatives to keep an eye on you. This is Fight Club after all. ;)
Namasteji! I hope you are prepped and ready. Farmland, the ability to farm, good neighbors you trust, stored food, guns/ammo (and the will to use them), and of course some physical PM (when a barter economy emerges).
When the internet goes down, those of us who have archived stuff, and have the ability to power stuff will remember you.
MBW
I always forget that aspect of the game, to save a semi-hard copy. The URL bookmark will only work while things are still relatively good (i.e. the internet is still up and ZH has not yet been blocked).
BTW, this might be an opportune time to start gathering suggestions for how to get around the latter problem, other than using anon proxies (which would likely ALSO be blocked).
I was going to ask CogDis for a bibliography of his stuff, but realized it's quite easy to find:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22submitted+by+cognitive%22+site%3Azerohedge.com&hl=en&tbo=1&biw=1366&bih=610&prmdo=1&num=10&lr=&ft=i&cr=&safe=off&tbs=#q=%22submitted+by+cognitive%22+site:zerohedge.com&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&tbo=1&prmdo=1&prmd=ivns&ei=FCseTrydD_H_sQKVianeAQ&start=0&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=7af7a5700ca7c8ed&biw=1366&bih=610
I bet all of ZH would fit on a DVD. Backups could be made weekly and mailed to a few trusted old-timers. When the government pulls the plug, these DVDs would go viral old-school, like 5 inch floppy disks. Even if the web interface ends up being broken and you have only simple text search tools, the mountains of text would be invaluable. Also, keep a local backup of all your personal email. You can slurp it down from the cloud without having to copy each one.
There seems to be a few articles that don't show up in several search engine results including ZH's. If people would like the complete list, just email me at....
ZHCognitiveDissonance at gmail dot com
My old "Bovine Scatology Filter" cartoon from back during the days of the first Gulf War seems kinda appropriate here.
http://moby.to/7v92tv
Very funny. I assume that's papa Bush in the chair?
The subliminal and overt conditioning and predictive programing has become so sophisticated that I can no longer see anyone being able to resist. It is now time to turn it off and leave it off.
I am down to 1, maybe 2 hours a week. And that is strictly a few minutes of news shows each night to see what everyone else is being told. I no longer keep CNBC running in my office, though I will flip it on a few times a week when the markets are running and I need to know what the trigger is. Then it goes back off.
It is. I had taken Schwarzkopf's "bovine Scatology" comment, and the report that Bush was getting most of his war updates from CNN...and well, it seemed to go togethor. I used to watch a lot of Discovery/science channels, but they have too much false drama and bullshit now to be palatable. I order lectures from an outfit called "The Great Courses", I watch free lectures from universities on YouTube, some music...and oddly enough My Name is Earl reruns....it has an odd kind of demented wisdom in it that my warped brain finds refreshing. This is all while I work, when not working I read and write and fiddle with drawing/painting and computer graphics....and sometimes chase the little woman around the house when the free-radicals allow.
Thank your for sharing the link to The Great Courses. I have pretty well picked through the Netflix documentary section, your link is very timely.
I got rid of Dish TV in 2007 and at most over the air broad cast are on for less than 3 hours a month in our house.
Thanks CD and some great comments
The comments are always better than the article because they represent many points of view, not just mine. I am always schooled by the comments and better off from it.
I wish all contributors would interact with the commentators as much as you do CD. The dialogue is interesting and appreciated . . .
If nothing else I feel an obligation to spend some time in the comment section. Though I enjoy it immensely, so it is not a burden at all. But there is an agreement here that many do not honor. This is why I won't post if I can't spend significant time in the comment section. It's the least I can do.
I spend time creating. The reader spends time reading and then responding. I ackowledge the participation. It is a trade, not a one way flow or deal. People don't like to be lectured to and some contributors are lecturing.........IMHO.
I talk with Banzai7 all day every day and he has the same attitude. Respect and appreciation for those who read and respond to his work. We both understand that it is the readers who give us the energy and spotlight and not the other way around.
Well done sir. May I offer a suggestion? I have found it very useful to pay attention to the words and phrases I hear that provoke an emotional response. It may be difficult at first but if you really want to "know" yourself, it is a very worthwhile endeavor. I have found that the media, lawyers and politicians are very adept at provoking emotional responses from people through the use of just such words and phrases, and in the case of TV and movies, specific images.
Train yourself to be aware of this phenomenon and you are less likely to be manipulated. Try to get to the root of your emotional response. Ask yourself, why does it make me feel this way? What does the emotional response elicit in me and how did that come about. If you can accomplish this, you are on your way to understanding yourself in ways you never imagined.
Oh, yeah, one more little truth, if I may.
You don't own your "stuff", your "stuff" owns you.
How else can you explain why you put up with the crap that you do, if it's not for the accumulation and maintenance of your "stuff".
Man, if you want freedom, you need to recognize when someone is pulling your strings (emotions) and realize that your stuff is your own personal prison.
I agree. From a comment I left above. I (try to) follow the same practice when dealing with people, places and things. Let the first emotional triggers pass over me. Then deal with whatever I need to deal with.
is it a good thing or bad that you're starting to condition me.
The Winner.....by knockout. :)
(just don't tell anyone else our little secret, OK?)
Agreed.
I was "raised" Catholic by a devout Catholic family. Nevertheless, i quit attending the church in 4th grade, (and have not been back) realising they did not walk their talk. About then i realized my teachers were more interested in my acceptance of their paradigm than my ability to think, so i told them what they expected and began to self educate. I have never owned a television, and avoid places where they are on, and i rarely listen to commercial radio. Never saw that Dodge commercial, and today is the first time i heard of Ally bank. etc. etc.
Despite all that (and much more) i still struggle to be free of my conditioning.
Losing sight of the "mainstream" can be dangerous and isolating, keeping it in sight invites more programming. Attempts to "program" are everywhere. There is even some pressure to "conform" here, one of the freeest sites on the net.
It seems a critical mass (half? more?) needs to "wake up" and "tune out" before any of us can be truly free.
And don’t even get me started on the astonishingly bald faced mind control effort put forth by the rebranded Ally Bank...
As long as you promise to not get me started on the "new" Bank of America. A while back they were running commercials touting how wonderful they were for "simplifying loan documents," as if they, out of the goodness of their hearts, decided to do us this big favor. They were ORDERED to do us this big favor, and spun it into an ad campaign.
Let's don't forget that these are the same scumbags who (among so many other things) held the mailing of credit card statements just about guaranteeing that card holders' payments would be late - so that the late charges could flow.
I loved my MBNA credit card. Then BOFA took them over, and it has been a huge hassle ever since. I have been awakened now! >8-\
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/newsgraphics/2011/0119-budget/index...
The military is smaller than other parts of the budget. Folks should expect to pay more for medicare and ss, after all, they are living longer. And, I can see cutting most of the other budgets by 70% and not even noticing the difference.
CD, my first post in forever - I, too, began here when this site was but was a blogspot appendage.
You've eloquently rephrased what Plato stole from Socrates who undoubtedly stole from someone earlier than he: "the unexamined life is not worth living". For you & me, undoubtedly ture. Thanks for the updated reminder.
I only know that I know nothing - Socrates
The more I think I know, the more I know that I don't know.
One of the greatest facades perpetuated in modern society is that truth exists outside and that it's something to be strived for externally rather than realized internally.
Cultural conditioning has a lot to do with this. TPTB needs us to beleive in this philosophy.
Once we realize that we already have the answers to our own questions while operating in certain spectrums of consciousness (these modes of consciousness can be accessed in many ways, and then their precepts integrated into normal consciousness through action), the notions of paternalism (both in regards to State and Religion) seem ridiculous. External leaders cannot bring us to truth, there is nowhere to go to ascertain truth but inside, and nobody else can do that for ourselves but ourselves. There is a reason certain spectrums of consciousness (and their keys) are seen as taboo - connect the dots. Ever read 'Island' by Huxley, the civilization of Pala?
And speaking of the concept of self, if the philosophy of self as a phenomenal model by which we experience reality is accepted as true (which seems to be the case from a mystical and neuro perspective) and we begin to act as such, violence in all forms would be looked upon far more negatively than it is now. War in its current incantation would not have a place in such a society. Seeing self in other and other in self tends to mitigate violent means for achieving goals.
Culture wants us to believe whole-heartedly in separation, they want us to believe in ridgidity and boundaries. They want to separate us from ourselves, and us from the Other, so they can try fill the gaps in our collective psyche with material goods. That is how they present our salvation, our wholeness.
Our belief systems are projections, human impositions, upon reality, and do not represent reality itself. TPTB wants us to be confused in a state where those projections ARE reality, they are the shadow-makers in Plato's cave.
TPTB would like us to believe that order is something that must be imposed, when the fact of the matter is, nothing can be farther from the truth. They are afraid of the science and philosophy of emergence, because it makes their control systems irrelevant. Order arises as an inherent trait of matter itself, it is not something that requires management, the physical laws of the universe unfold in such a way that make human management of the process superfluous.
What are the emergent properties of humans unfolding in an unfettered manner free of dogma, paternalistic modes of control and guided by self-actualization and inner-realization? TPTB do not want to see a reality like this manifested.
I've been thinking about the thesis of CD's "rant" since reading part one yesterday, and I think I have uncovered the nucleus:
The " big lie", which is constantly paraded before us, is simply the concept that sovereignty is somehow hierarchical...
There are two common ways that this lie is exposed to us:
1) Passive Authority- we dazzle and impress others with our brilliance, and those that we impress begin to look to us as somehow superior to them, and soon they revere us and address us as authorities and eventually they begin to yield their sovereignty to ours. This is typically the avenue of Preisthoods and Academia... it relies on bureaucracy and process to maintain the illusion.
2) Aggressive Authority- Individuals or groups leverage the imbalance of some strength to directly impose their super-sovereignty over those who are "weaker" than they.
Over time, sovereignty yields to higher soverignty, until people organize into "sovereign states" and states into nations, and the next thing you know, we have some ass-clown with a teleprompter standing at a podium declaring that he can wage war against another population of people (human beings- each with personal conciousness and free will) without the approval of his own sovereign state; because he is acting as part of a coalition of other states under the "authority" of an even higher super-sovereign...
And while aggressive authority (number 2 above) is certainly more efficient than passive authority, it is also inherently less stable (since you never really know who is going to submit, and who is going to fight back), so the best "uber strategy" is to combine both methods in a hybrid system that completely obscures a singularity of truth that can not be seen, heard, nor discussed...
Sadly, this entire analogy can also allegorical to another term:
Parenthood.
Without respecting the absolute sovereignty, consciousness, and freewill of other people on an individual level, there can (and will) be no true freedom for our species.
The greatest day any parent should look forward to is the day their offspring say "Fuck off you idiot- I'm taking responsibility for my own life", but instead most parents live with fear and dread of this ever happening...
The nature of the human condition is why we seek affirmation from others, and it is why we so willingly sacrifice our individual sovereignty in the process of searching for some higher meaning.
In other words- the smarter we think we are, the more stupid we prove ourselves to be.
I've said it before, but i guess i'll say it again: Do not mistake levels of scale, for a top-down command hierachy (authority). Organisation on different levels of scale happens everywhere in the world, without there being a top-down command hierachy (and with world, i do not just mean "earth").
Phrased another way: organization =/= control-flow
Coordination and organization have nothing to do with sovereignty nor free will. People will group and organize naturally given any set of circumstances. However, coordination and organization almost always give rise to governments, and governments always immediately impose upon themselves that THEY must focus and organize all the people during ANY and ALL circumstances... thus the lie is born.
Government is unnatural. People should be allowed to group and to organize naturally based on circumstances, and then be allowed to disband and re-group based on whatever new circumstance arises. There needn't be process, nor election, nor appointment to regulate the experience of people within circumstance.
By themselves:
Hierarchy is not evil.
Authority is not evil.
But, a hierarchy OF authority?.... well, you tell me what good has ever come of that.
Yep. I did of course not just mention this distinction, just because i like to correct people for no reason. I had an... as some would say.... agenda, even if only one that is very shortterm (shortterm as in: provoking a reply, and then me writing this post, to explain the reason).
When about 2 weeks ago, i out of curiousity started to think about an alternative to traditional governance, without falling into the opposite trap that is anarchy (which's premises i consider just as impossible as governance - and for this reason resulting in exactly the same as what we have now - just with different labels and terms)... when i began to think about such an alternative, i noticed a few very interesting things.
One is that the model i came up with, included the usual levels of scale - state, nation, international alliances, and so on - and yet, the way it worked, wasn't what traditionally is called "governance". Considering that a strong camp on ZH, is BOTH anarchist AND reductionist/individualist, this discovery seemed quite big to me..... constantly on ZH, the argument from that camp seems to be: We currently have top-down governance, mapped on levels of scale... which among other things allows stuff like "the collective".... since that so far resulted in bad things, the solution must be ..... as usual for typical humans.... to do the OPPOSITE: No levels of scale.... only individuals.... and no government.
Ignoring that such a proposal for purely logical reasons is quite impossible, the argument that organisation in levels of scale IMPLIES governance, seemed plausible...... simply because thats how in our life it has always been. So, when i noticed that i can PROVE that this connection is false, it seemed quite significant to me.
Another thing that i noticed, was that current governance systems, ARE not what they claim! The common idea about democratic governance, is that the government is controlled by the people, and provides a SERVICE to them, and if people are dissatisfied, they choose a different "provider".
The actual structure of current democratic governments, is however nothing like that! The gov is not designed as a service provider, but as a big daddy.... people do not control the government.... there are no laws for that at all! The only thing people do, is to choose whom to elect from a pool of options DECIDED BY THOSE WHO GOVERN!
If current democratic govs truely were democratic, and truely would make governments nothing more than "service providers" that can in the case of dissatisfaction by people be rejected, then why cannot people simply do just that? Why has the government the power to do things with which the population disagrees? Why can't people reject policies? Why can't people easily revoke the granted authority? And finally, if people truely had the ability to decide policies, then why can't they override gov policies with own policies, if they consider the job of the "service provider" badly done?
What i'm hinting at: So far, the premises behind current governance haven't even been proven wrong.... instead, what people got, was quasi-dictatorship, labelled as a democracy where people control service providers, and can in case of dissatisfaction override them.
What we have right now, is not what it claims to be.
Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide. John Adams
BTW the word "democracy" is not found in any pages of the US Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, or The Bill of Rights.
Wish we would explicitly state our natural right of secession and do what we can to make it easy.
The supermarket is a dictatorship, but it works because there are low barriers to shopping elsewhere. People get stuck in doomed countries because there are high barriers to moving elsewhere. These high barriers make it easier for a government to get away with things. But what if every individual, every corporation, and every nation-state could change their alliances with ease, and take their property with them? You could still have heirarchy but it would be voluntary at all levels, and therefore all levels would have an interest in keeping the bullshit to a minimum.
I know this is a fantasy that would work better with space gypsies (if at all). The banksters will always start wars, control borders or find ways to tie heirarchies together so that northern Europe can't secede from southern Europe, for example.
All the kids have always known
That the emperor wears no clothes
But they bow down to him anyway
'Cause it's better than being alone
If I was scared, I would
And if I was bored, you know I would
And if I was yours
But I'm not
Now you're knocking at my door
Saying: "Please come out with us tonight!"
But I would rather be alone
Than pretend I feel alright
-Arcade Fire, "Ready to Start"
I read the first couple sentences and skimmed the last 2 paragraphs.
Summation: we're fucked.
Everyone talks about the solution, no one talks about what's going to happen between now and trying to achieve it's outcome. Probably something to do with large firey bombs dropping out of the sky.
No disrespect to the article btw, it's naptime and I already know most of this stuff anyhow. God forbid if we could get everyone else to pull their head out of their ass at the same time.
To begin to see the world as it is you must first strip yourself of your conditioning. No easy task. We are showered with lies from cradle to grave.
I am from Canada and lived in Austria, both as places to live for most citizens IMHO superior to the USA. America spend a lot of media demonizing both places, especialy when the ave American started to take notice of single payer health care. Until recently America did have the outstanding wealth and power than conviced most of the world all the propaganda was true, but now the masters of the universe have jumped the shark and the house of cards is falling like ironic mortar fire upon the sheeple as the masters flip through the property ads to see what country can protect them from the remants of the mob.
I also get a howl from people telling me, someone who has lived in Canada and Europe, what it is like to live in a "Socialist Ghetto".... I guess they only can parrot what they are told.
Conditioning that I'm doubtful can ever be undone:
circumcision
Santa Claus
Jesus Christ (Sunday school was a wonderful dream)
Amerikan History - might actually do something here...
The "Rufus Luv my bank ad" was pure puke.
Good writing CD, thanks
You neglected the two biggies, riouis:
RACISM
and
HOMOPHOBIA
Both articles strongly hint at it, but do not outrightly say it: To get out of the dependency on trust.... to get out of simply being a machine that is slave to its own rules.... to get out from always thinking in the box that is "personality".... one needs to change to a different kind of consciousness.
That may sound "esoteric", but what i mean with this really doesn't involve any magic or risky assumptions. I can probably best describe this, with the metaphor of a point of view. Most people tend to "look at things" from their personality (includes worldview) - their "self"... towards other things and people (basically: subject -> object). Some also manage to do the opposite - "impersonating" someone else and looking at things and oneself from his personality.
While both approaches do have their uses, both still lock oneself into some personality - into picking an "avatar" like in a videogame, to represent the point of reference. This is not only a strong limitation because of those things one takes for granted..... it also is a problem purely for emotional reasons. As most here know, whenever one thinks about anything, or judges something, personal selfvalue (ego) matters... it matters so much, that it often is the primary reason why one cannot accept something.... because it hurts the choosen "avatar".
This makes little sense for a very simple reason: You are not your self. You are no name, no body, no memory, no worldview.... you simply are consciousness. Your personality just serves as a nicely decorated house, and to establish some "consistency" in how you develop. So, rejecting something just because it questions your personality is kinda childish and unnecessary. It's like feeling threatened just because someone doesn't like how you outfitted your living room, or feeling threatened just because some item in it turns out to have been a bad buy.
Once you manage to take a step back, and become and observer and designer of your self, instead of only identifying you with your self.... once you manage to do that, introspection becomes much easier and less prone to selfdeception. And once you can "see" the logical web of concepts, infobits, and so on, you notice something very empowering: That in practice knowing "the truth" is actually less important, than being able to check information (and ones own personality) for inconsistencies (logical contradictions).... as well as relationship patterns often used for deception.... most desinformation is recognizeable just by checking for inconsistencies.... phrased another way: 99% of the lies and misconceptions out there, are badly done.... they are not very clever, because most people are incapable of recognizing that they are already false without even knowing the truth.
And there is one more thing - something that is quite relevant to the ideas behind libertarianism. When you become capable of not being locked into your self, and can also be an outside observer and designer, you also become capable of designing your personality the way you want.
YES Rynak. Great to find another nobody at Zero Hedge.
CD--who is this "you" that you suggest we look within?