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Two Ice Floes

Cognitive Dissonance's picture




 

Two Ice Floes

By

Cognitive Dissonance

 

Introducing a new portal into the mind of Cognitive Dissonance

www.TwoIceFloes.com

 

Regardless of who we are or where we live one truth seems unmistakably clear; we live, work, play, think and just plain exist in two very different worlds simultaneously, while moving seamlessly between and within them in real time. The more obvious of these two realms is the physical ‘real’ world that lay all around us, the place where our physical bodies reside and the space in which we live and eventually die. And then there is the dominion of our (non local) consciousness, some might call it the ‘mind’, ‘soul’ or ‘self’, the place only ‘I’ may find me, myself and mine.

Essentially we exist on two ice floes, which for the vast majority of us are permanently locked together and seemingly inseparable. But for those of us who begin to open our minds and plumb the depths of the rabbit hole, there is an increasing awareness that these two ice floes can and will not only move separately, but at different speeds and levels of awareness.

For the most part we believe that the first world, the so called ‘real’ world, is authentic and genuine, while the second place is just a space, a figment of our mind. And I guess the proof of this lay within our global insane asylum, for if we inmates were not so crazy in the mind, then our world would not be so very confined. But for this particular inmate it is well past time to release me, myself and mine from the self imposed ties that bind. 

I am not a victim and I am not a slave. I am what I decide I am both in the physical realm and within the space of my mind. For far too long I have allowed…….no, more honest words would be passively enabled, my physical world to be fused and formed not by my own mind, not by my own inner being, my ‘self’, but by all the other minds with whom I share this physical world, some of which are much more nefarious and soul sucking than me and mine.

My ego proudly asserts that I alone make my fate, and to a large extent this may be true, at least in the ‘real’ world. But up to this point if it is true it’s only because I have allowed the prevailing default mind control program to dominate me with only slight alterations and modifications to suit the egotistic belief that I am unique in a world not of my own making.

For the most part I live in a reality created by those who do not have my best interests in mind, who wish to control my mind and subvert my consciousness so that the body obediently follows.

My Cognitive Dissonance is that up until a half dozen or so years ago this Cog did not believe he was just another custom colored gear in the reality machine operating system, an emotionally comforting self deception that I desperately wanted to believe in order to rationalize my conformity.

Few wish to march to a different drummer, to be a self imposed outcast from the herd, a contrarian, a loner. Please, please, may I join your self-affirming pod? Born a perfectly unique individual, we spend the rest of our physical lives trying the die just like all the others. Conditioned from birth to believe that ‘I’ was only fit to be part of a ‘we’, breaking up is hard to do.

Two Ice Floes

As I began to seek out answers to the questions that were rapidly forming in my mind and soul I quickly found that there were no end of people, places and things that promised me they had “The Answer” (which as we all know is actually 42). The problem was that often, if not always, “The Answer” promoted by “A” conflicted with “The Answer” offered by “Z”. And yet when examined individually, and most importantly with an open mind, they both made some sense while isolated from both worlds.

Worse, regardless of whether I was examining explanations promoted from the ‘real’ world perspective (aka the scientific worldview mindset) or the esoteric point of view (the woo woo world as some would call it) they all ultimately required blind ‘belief’, a giant leap of faith that this was truth and that was not. “They” of course would loudly claim that this was not so, that it was the other side that required the faith. See…here is my proof.

The one common denominator I consistently found among the self professed truth purveyors was that whoever was speaking from whatever point of view they were promoting, the narrative was always one of self assured confidence that wisdom and light was their exclusive domain. No wavering, no self doubt, no hedging allowed when spouting “The Truth”. To express any uncertainty whatsoever was, and still is, considered a sure sign of weakness and will never be entertained. This belief is nearly universally held and is of course promoted by all self proclaimed authorities.

While the word “Propaganda” has been almost completely intertwined with government controlled information, the reality is that we are all propagandists in the purest sense of the term. When we speak, write or communicate an idea or thought, we tend to present our best argument in favor of our point of view and either diminish, ignore or subvert contrary information that does not help our case and might actually torpedo it.

I am just as guilty of this practice as anyone else, though I do try my best to at least expose myself as a propagandist by declaring myself one with as much certainty as possible. What I try to do in an attempt to compensate for what comes naturally to all of us, primarily because we have been immersed in this authoritarian culture from birth, is to inject a smidge of humility into the equation by exposing my flaws, doubts, confusion and uncertainty. In short, to be aware of my ego and its sometimes subtle, sometimes enormous, influences upon “me”.

There is a saying I am sure I’m about to butcher. There is your truth, there is my truth, and then there is the ‘truth’ which can usually be found somewhere in between, possibly even in the middle. I suspect the actual location is not fixed and will almost certainly not be found between the two promoted “truths” simply because it would be outrageously narcissistic to proclaim that all the undiscovered territory is safely contained between the two “know” end points. It is the epitome of egotistic expression to confidently claim that I occupy one end of the universe, let alone the very center.

Even if one does not accept this premise, and you most certainly should not simply because I am promoting it, what is one to do if one is lost in the wilderness without an accurate compass, maps or signposts, also known as static answers? Well….if you want better answers, the only solution is to ask better questions. And the only way I can see how we can formulate better questions is to expand our perceptive minds and awareness and dump our preconceived notions and beliefs overboard.

I don’t have all the answers. In fact I only have a few. What I have, at least when I can convince my ego that new knowledge is not threatening to it, and thus to me, is the desire and capacity to explore and expand my severely limited universe and seek out those better questions. I am willing to go it alone, but it seems silly to even try when I am not alone in my desire to look beyond my nose and push back the barriers of the ‘known’ body of knowledge and wisdom.

Asking Better Questions

How do you eat an elephant, particularly one that just appeared out of nowhere right in front of your eyes? One bite at a time is the only answer that works for everyone and one that seems to work for me. Over the last seven years, as my growing awareness of the grand facade grew, I began to make changes both personally and professionally, some small and seemingly inconsequential, and others huge and life altering. With the help and encouragement of Mrs. Cog I am once again turning the wheel of life and embarking on another life altering metamorphosis.

Would you care to join me, to observe or even to participate, in a real time thought experiment of alternative reality creation played out in a semi public forum? If you would like to do so then may I introduce you to a new portal into the mind of Cognitive Dissonance?

 

02-20-2014

Cognitive Dissonance

www.TwoIceFloes.com

 

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Thu, 02/20/2014 - 23:34 | 4460691 Reaper
Reaper's picture

Even the truths outside of man's creation can change. What if a new virus develops or an alien life form appears on Earth. Why do we presume the laws of nature are immutable? What can a man know and what is beyond his comprehension?

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:47 | 4460031 satoshi411
satoshi411's picture

Indian Call Center Bot's discover ICE PHOTOGRAPHY.

The best english you can buy for $1/day.

*

The problem here is that all the experts and tellers of 'truth' are assholes selling something.

If all your friends are frauds and criminals and say you work at Goldman-Sachs, what the fuck is the truth? All that matters is how much of the loot are you getting.

'TRUTH' is for philosophers, and there are no fucking philosophers on ZH, or in the INDIAN call centers ran by GS.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 23:08 | 4460592 Spankrupt
Spankrupt's picture

No intellectual loot for you! Your brain playing tricks on you, you silly nobble. What BS are you selling through your 1000 employee multi national Sat411 that you boast so exceedingly about? You are GS on a different platform dipshit.  

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 21:54 | 4460272 Borrow Owl
Borrow Owl's picture

Were you born with a barbed-wire wrapped Kong Dong stuck up your poop chute?

...Or is it just some kind of fetish thing?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 21:06 | 4460099 tip e. canoe
tip e. canoe's picture

i'm not a fucking philosopher. i just play one on the intertubes.

(sorta like you, with not quite the skills, n'cest pas?)

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:16 | 4459926 Westcoastliberal
Westcoastliberal's picture

I appreciate your writing skills and POV, Cog.  Seems like this might be a start for your quest: http://butterfliesfree.com/  Be sure to watch all the videos, I found them worth the trip.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 21:38 | 4460209 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Thanks for the link.

That is one slow website. I'll eventually get it to load.

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 06:10 | 4461177 duckduckMOOSE
duckduckMOOSE's picture

I think....the physical (real) world...is an ice floe. 

The "(non local) consciousness, some might call it the ‘mind’, ‘soul’ or ‘self’, the place only ‘I’

may find me, myself and mine."  ....is the Ocean. :-)  just sayin'.

 

 

 

 

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 07:42 | 4461255 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Because language has been so manipulated and bastardized by central powers that wish to control I struggle with descriptions and thoughts that can transcend the fog. Combine this with belief systems that also color and distort language and it's a wonder we can communicate at all.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:07 | 4459889 Manipuflation
Manipuflation's picture

Cog I have to ask.

"To express any uncertainty whatsoever was, and still is, considered a sure sign of weakness."

 

My friend, that is exactly what it is.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 21:50 | 4460259 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

I've known quite a few people who were/are quite certain about many things. They are also some of the weakest individuals I know.

It all depends upon your definition of 'weak'.

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 03:18 | 4461065 Manipuflation
Manipuflation's picture

I guess you are correct Cog Dis.  There is one other thing, I guess I do no need to buy anything more from the ZH store or buy anything else from a secondary website.  The marketing is "weak".  Are we clear now?  Now, before the full retards get going, think about what I just said.  You are a sharp guy Cog D.  I hope you never thought that I was not ornery.

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 07:48 | 4461260 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

The vast majority of marketing is based upon the idea that the product or service offered will answer your questions or solve your problems. Two Ice Floes will not do any of that and doesn't claim to be able to do so.

However it can help you formulate better questions. Madison Avenue doesn't seem to have a marketing plan for that.

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 01:46 | 4460953 janus
janus's picture

janus never takes permanent sides; but in this particular instance i'm siding with Manipf...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8QI74M2NOA

George Harrison sides with us both.

help me Lord to rise a lil higher,

janus

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 04:23 | 4461111 Manipuflation
Manipuflation's picture

And manipf is your friend Janus.  That manipf guy can be a real prick sometimes but he has a heart.  His friends come to his defense when he does not ask them to do so.  It does not appear that manipf's friends give up on each other.  This will be remembered by manipf.

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 00:50 | 4460847 TimmyM
TimmyM's picture

The smartest thing you can say is "I don't know"

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:05 | 4459882 new game
new game's picture

tip e - do you try to do something like this to start your day?

http://www.lifeevents.org/5-tibetans-energy-rejuvenation-exercises.htm

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:38 | 4459982 tip e. canoe
tip e. canoe's picture

haha, if you knew the way i start the day :)  let just say that it's more henry miller than dalai lama.  we all have our shit to work thru yes?

thanks for the 5 tibetan tip.   here's what i'm struggling with at the moment:

Iron Shirt Chi Kung
Thu, 02/20/2014 - 21:07 | 4460107 new game
new game's picture

ah, on first blush, i like it. thanks

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:03 | 4459877 janus
janus's picture

CD,

i really like what you've written here; and since you're going to take some flack for candor, i want to at the very least cast my lot with those willing to discuss such subjects.  the notion that these things should be verboten is to me inconceivable; as if all of life is to be abstracted solely through a mechanistic catechism of cause and effect...pennies per pound...all hail empirical certainty. bosh!

we are separated from the beasts by far more than aposable thumbs (sp? assuming the apo is from the greek -- meaning apart or distinct...ZH spell-check could use some updates)...and i bring up the 'apo' for no small reason; our apostasy from (or should i say 'of') the other beasts is profound.  we think; we are; we are aware of both; and these braided understandings precipitate an awareness of causes greater still.

what and wherefore?

you're basically skimming against one of Kierkegaard's primary conclusions: "faith is reasoning in the absurd".  the pursuit of faith must be recognized as such -- a form of absurdity ('objectively' speaking).  faith must, however, be founded on many substantive things (this faith, if it is to function beneficially, cannot be cynically conned with artifice; it knows the genuine article).  our natural environment teaches us much; but our inner collation of these observations and experiences cue the detatched evaluation of sensory experience to draw conclusions, and from them interpret and arrange, as to derive some greater purpose.

to thine own self be true...and janus will only add...and unto others be truer still.

consider whether things like greed, lust, kindness, wrath, hunger, satisfaction, contempt, love, hate, jealousy, fear, trust, anger, repose, stress...on and on...are good or evil; and is there a place of freedom or seperation from them?  a nirvana absolved of the vicissitudes of experience?

i know that i am a melange of competing and conflicting forces; not to say that they're in any way incompatible; nor, for that matter, are they reconcilable.

and as is apropos of this discussion, i would be derelict if'n i didn't advocate a reading of the words of Christ Jesus.  i do not -- it should be known -- endorse any church or specific theology (though some seem better than others).  i assume this name may likewise be verboten (as it's forever maligned with by its association with so many despotic endeavors).  but the message is Powerful and impossible to dissolve.

Truth has a certain 'ring' to it...it only takes a mind/soul inclined to receive it.

janus will follow your journey...and i expect nothing but success.

Fortune favors the bold, amigo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxybRlfs3wg

vaya con Dios,

janus

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:00 | 4459857 tip e. canoe
tip e. canoe's picture

more music for the missus:

Sounds from the soil - 432 Hz (Anthurium & Simone Vitale)

midi's kinda cheesy, but check out the concept behind it:

http://messagetoeagle.com/singingplants.php

 

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:10 | 4459900 Mrs. Cog
Mrs. Cog's picture

Wow tip e, as my teenager would say, that's just stupid cool.

This is one I will most definitely read up on. Thanks so much. :-)

 

 

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:29 | 4459967 tip e. canoe
tip e. canoe's picture

all credit goes to you for getting me back on the 432 kick again.

been obsessed ever since!

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 21:08 | 4460108 CPL
CPL's picture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO1jSeP-e-o

How use audacity to convert 440 to 432.

 

And audacity, open source for all platforms

audacity.sourceforge.net

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 19:00 | 4459636 ebworthen
ebworthen's picture

Only Yaweh knows the truth.

I find solace in admitting to myself that I don't know a whole lot more than I know.

I look forward to passing on and fully knowing.

Styx, "Grand Illusion": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcGP0nXPQ70

"America spells competition, join us in our blind ambition,
Get yourself a brand new motor car.
Someday soon we'll stop to ponder what on Earth's this spell we're under,
We made the grade and still we wonder - who the hell we are."

A line from "Home Truth" by Elvis Costello and the Attractions:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uij1uCPNCLE

"So I turn on the TV again,
And the world comes crashing in."

Turn on the T.V. and you will see an avalanche of the group mind ice floe crashing in.

George Harrison and the Beatles "Within You and Without You":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljnv3KGtcyI

"Try to realize it's all within yourself
No-one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small,
And life flows within you and without you."

R.I.P. George.

The challenge seems to be to find those who are questioning our perverse reality versus rabidly grabbing for its brass rings.

Good stuff here Cog, thanks for sharing your journey.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:32 | 4459979 Westcoastliberal
Westcoastliberal's picture

EB, the older I get, I come to the realization that I actually know less than I thought I did. If that makes sense.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 23:12 | 4460612 DaveyJones
DaveyJones's picture

the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing - Socrates 

good stuff as usual and congratulations

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 22:37 | 4460459 Yes_Questions
Yes_Questions's picture

 

 

its wisdom.  hopefully your "older" does not mean you can't enjoy your wisdom as it grows and allows more knowing. 

 

 

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 21:03 | 4460090 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Yup

I often say to myself that the more I know, the more I know that I do not know.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 23:23 | 4460656 scrappy
scrappy's picture

Reminds me of a supposed mentally challenged person with a heart of gold, Earl Taylor.

He would say "I forgot more than you know."

Another favorite, "build up the backup."

What a guy.

Had a boat like the USS Minnow from gilligans island, and drove into our posh local mall with a puke green dodge and a boat that will never float again. He was beaming, I mean proudly smiling.

 

 

 

 

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 21:54 | 4460273 tickhound
tickhound's picture

The older I get, the smarter my parents get.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 20:39 | 4460003 ebworthen
ebworthen's picture

Yes, perfect sense, and I as well.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 18:59 | 4459635 new game
new game's picture

The seven natural laws(+one) by mark passio has launched my thoughts to a new level of understanding.

I will not be able to see the world "quite the same".It certainly answered some questions that are setting the plane of understanding(higher)

for even better questions.  does this end? hell no! Now it is getting more and more interesting! Like walking the line and seeing

a glimmer out over there. i humble myself to yet more truth...thanks for that link. C

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 18:44 | 4459575 Chupacabra1977
Chupacabra1977's picture

Cog, I really like what you write. I've read every piece of yours here on ZH.

I find your ability to be objetive, especially with yourself, fascinating.

Though I have my own ideas about how you are able to detach, basically "check out" while being "checked in," my question is was there a seminal event that happened or was it just an onion peeling?

I don't expect a detailed answer but a general one would be good.

I went to your new site. I like it. The reason is I see parallels, and am intrigued.

You are a person that hs taken an idea and actually manifested it.

Very few have the guts to live on their own terms.

I'm impressed.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 19:15 | 4459709 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Thank you.

I suspect some, maybe even many, might object to your kind assessment of me. It seems that I trigger a lot of people and I'm still not sure exactly why. I suspect it is my writing style. Some take a sniff and smell a skunk, others a rose by another name.

"Though I have my own ideas about how you are able to detach, basically
"check out" while being "checked in," my question is was there a seminal
event that happened or was it just an onion peeling?"

I would say both, meaning several 'seminal events' have happened over my life which compelled me to slowly peel the onion back layer by layer.

Regarding the ability to detach, there is an interesting story there. I created the Avatar/ID Cognitive Dissonance well over four years ago as a true alter ego of mine. I wanted to speak with a voice that was a bit disembodied from me, as my mentor or teacher. When I write as Cognitive Dissonance I am actually writing to myself, to my 'real' self, explaining to me what I am trying to say to.....well.....me. 

It's all a little wired if you think about it too long. But I tried to explain a piece of this concept in my last piece called "Transcendence" where I explain that I am trying to fake it until I make it. Speaking in my Cog voice allows me to detach and examine areas that my ego might try to shield me from if I were to approach it directly. Using my alter ego allows me to tread where I would not normally go without some trepidation. The games people play. :)

Whatever it takes to do the hard introspective work is what it takes. I have found a workaround to disarm my ego. And trust me on this one, my ego needs disarming. Just ask Mrs. Cog.

Does that help?

By the way, if you liked our new website please consider spending the 14 cents a day it costs to join the growing community. We are creating a different value proposition at Two Ice Floes and, while there is a cost involved, there is no advertising and the fee will keep most of the trolls away and Mrs. Cog will chase off the few who slip in the back door.

There is and will continue to be exclusive content, including ongoing postings of our life up here on the mountain, and the forums are wide open to discuss anything you want. You can even create your own topics in the forum if you want.

Give it a try. If you don't wish to invest in an entire year, there is a six month subscription for a little more than half a full year. You seem like the type of person we would love to join the growing community. What have you got to lose?

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 01:46 | 4460951 Chupacabra1977
Chupacabra1977's picture

Cog, your self discovery (developing self/spirit) is wonderfully organic, yet heavy.

I think that's what is so human about you. It's the struggle of the physical versus the conscience with an evolving aftermath.

Your pieces are profound yet emotinally heavy. Heavy in the sense that you are carrying a metaphoracal bag of bricks on your back.

Sometimes, one can drop that weight in a room of their choosing and go back and visit it when they want, knowing that when they want to carry that burden again, it'll be a choice.

I'm pretty sure you already know this. I'm a fellow traveler that's seen and lived through chaos I thought was normal until I entered the "real world."

As much of a nihilist as I pretend to be, it helps me cope with the non-ordinary reality within which I live.

I "checked out" recently. Bought a house in Florida on a golf course, joined the club, play tennis and surf fish.

My transcendence was to turn my back on society and not look back.

It works well. My wife and I have never been happier.

By the way, I really like your site and will join.

Best regatds......

 

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 23:30 | 4460677 DavidPierre
DavidPierre's picture

"...wish to march to a different drummer, to be a self imposed outcast from the herd, a contrarian, a loner."


Turn it all off for 10 days. 

The electricity...the radio... The phones... the television... the inter web... the gasoline engines...the hum of the modern world ... go nowhere ... see  nobody.

Awake to silence... talk to no one... eat alone... work with your arms and your back... sit quietly in solitude ... slowly walk as silent as possible...see with your eyes...listen with your ears... sleep alone! 

Awake and remember your dreams.

There it will be... the answer you seek.

Wilderness is a necessity.


Thu, 02/20/2014 - 23:53 | 4460739 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Don't tell anyone, but I talk to the trees. I need to get out of the house on a daily basis and get some exercise. Or just to be outside, preferably in the woods. At this time of year when all the leaves are down and the brush has died back, the trees are so stately and elegant.

During the late fall, early winter and up until recently, when I needed to turn may attention to cutting some trees on an adjacent property in order to supply firewood for myself and an elderly neighbor who can no longer cut his own, I was cutting Kudzu. Thick twisting vines of Kudzu that wrapped around clumps of trees, slowly choking them to death. Each time I freed a tree or group of trees I could feel them relax and breath. They were happy, and so was I.

The Kudzu, on the other hand, did not like my presence in the stand and I could feel its hostility....as I'm sure it could mine. There were times when I had to stop for the day because the negative vibrations were just too much to handle. What a strange feeling. They were killing the trees they were living off, yet they felt pain just as the trees did. What a conflict.

Do I kill the Kudzu to save the trees? Or let the Kudzu kill the trees, they die itself when the dead trees finally fell, leaving the Kudzu unable to feed itself. I saw that often in the woods, Kudzu that had taken down a tree, then withered and died itself.

I am learning about life all over again up here on the mountain.

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 01:09 | 4460888 RockyRacoon
RockyRacoon's picture

When the trees start replying you'll let us know, right?

Don't stand in one place too long.  That kudzu is some pretty quick vegetation!

Signed: Proud subscriber to Two Ice Floes

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 07:04 | 4461217 new game
new game's picture

i recntly sold 40 acres of oaks, aspens, maples and elms. the withwrawl of not sitting on my stands(last fall) amoungst(the trees) is too much to bear. yes the trees have a message. that message is one of humility to the slow change that is constant.  the randomness and disorder all within the cycle of life which in not random and has distinct order. the granddady was struck by lightening but lives on - oh the message that 250 year old oak has repeated to me! adversity is only temporary.  some day it will blow down due to the slow hollowing out from the strike, but for now it stands tall and full of life. that strike could reflect some of my past self desruction. the shadow we cast over the family we care for is my lasting life...

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 13:28 | 4462317 centerline
centerline's picture

+1.  can't begin to say how hard I have been fighting... and pulling my family... back towards balance.  After awhile, the further you get away fom it, the more unobtainable it feels.  For some, it isn't even a memory anymore.  They are truly lost.

Am lucky that I have an adventerous bunch for wife and kids.  We like to go places like the mountains where we can rock climb, raft, hike, and just be outdoors.  A year ago spent time at a wonderful ranch in northern Arkansas (Horseshoe Canyon Ranch - highly recommended).  These little bits of sanity have at least kept the "idea" alive that the rat race is complete bullshit.

 

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 14:00 | 4460809 DavidPierre
DavidPierre's picture

The place I built on Vargas Island...150 sq.ft of solitude.

1994

http://www.vargasislandinn.com/photos/z-beach-studio-entry-l.jpg

During the many and frequent winter storms the high tide lapped up to and through the deck.

Only my guitar for company.

 

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 18:37 | 4459548 disabledvet
disabledvet's picture

It is pretty much impossible to "speak for oneself" let alone to know "what's on our mind."

This is why propaganda cannot be done by you or me...and why States and entire enterprises spend fortunes "putting out a message."

In other words "simple honesty will never do." The truth of the matter is the world is dark place...filled with real horrors and real pain. Sure...yet again the "cut the check" class has found it within it's "self" to cut the check again...not to ease our pain of course but THEIR pain.

The least of the worry is that any of it makes sense.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3xc5H_N8ds

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 01:05 | 4460878 RockyRacoon
RockyRacoon's picture

If we have a Federal Reserve to tell us what our money is "worth", cannot a Ministry of Truth not be far behind to get on with "stabilizing" our versions of reality?

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 02:11 | 4460998 ILLILLILLI
ILLILLILLI's picture

Funny that you should mention that...

http://www.wnd.com/2014/02/petition-protests-obama-plans-to-monitor-news...

In an exclusive interview with WND, ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow called the plan nothing less than the Obama administration attempting to regulate and manage the news.

“This looks like another attempt at intimidating the media and the news to have them cover the stories they want covered and to not cover and speak out on things they don’t like. This comes out of their interest in coverage of the Affordable Care Act, the economy, the size of government and to not cover issues like Benghazi,” Sekulow said.

 

 

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 18:37 | 4459538 Aquarius
Aquarius's picture

From Australia. at last - sigh.

Some honesty about "Economic Theory" and the role of Central Banks (Central Bankers)

and perhaps a good explanation as to why Bankers are dispatching themselves of recent times.

Note: I did say "some" honesty.

http://tinyurl.com/465ocz

Ho hum

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 18:58 | 4459644 logicalman
logicalman's picture

Some more honesty regarding banks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ql1RB2ERZg

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 00:24 | 4460799 JeffB
JeffB's picture

It's quite off topic, of course, but I still had to give you a +1 because I love hearing those UKIP guys in Great Britain speaking the truth to power with such courage and eloquence.

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 05:42 | 4461156 i-dog
i-dog's picture

Yep. I love hearing them too. So, it's a shame that they're just [yet another] controlled opposition.

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 19:35 | 4459684 new game
new game's picture

watching that video reminds of the merry-go-round we all rode when we were childern; the faster it spun the harder it was to get off without injury. how true this system of debt has become...

edit; Or maybe even the lives we become trapped in...

getting off is the easiest part....

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