| Author | Message | | Von Curtis | |  | | Von Curtis | | Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 8:36 am Post subject: A spiritual epiphany |
| A spiritual epiphany
http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-b...life_backwards
"In our age of unprecedented globalization, during which the most powerful nation in history has become increasingly nationalistic and supportive of an elitist economy, further frustrating and antagonizing much of the rest of the world while trying to fight terrorism, let’s try the opposite.
let go of all our ideas and explanations about what is God and what is Good. Tapping into Divine wisdom means letting go of what we’ve been taught makes sense and begin questioning our paradigms—those patterns and habits that lead us blindly into destructive folly.
Erich Fromm referred to this sort of insight as the paradoxical logic that exists in Taoist, Hindu and Socratic philosophy alike, and is contrary to our western Aristotelian logic that rejects the possibility of opposites.
And if we, as a species, are going to heal our Earth and our Communities, which seem to have strayed so far from the harmony of the Universe, doing the opposite seems like just the place we must begin, and, as George Costanza put it, it must no longer be just some crazy notion, it must become the basis of our religion."
http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-b...nger_a_lunatic
"The human ego loves to be "right", and some people prefer to watch the world burn with great glee and vitriol. But this is not the time for ego my friends; ego is what got us here. We have been called "lunatics", and now we are being called wise women and men, but it isn't about labels. It's about moving into the next phases of collapse with sensitivity, compassion, and humility, realizing that when people take their own lives in the throes of their own private and our collective collapse, there but for the grace of Something Greater goes any of us. Perhaps if they had been willing to look at the truth, they might have been able to hang around a little longer-or not. Nevertheless, our work is to continue waking ourselves and others up, which may be easier than it was five years ago, and meet everyone with kindness and empathy. "
http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-b...les_on_my_face
"Brave and beautiful souls, I salute you. I bow. I honor the spirit of your capacity to understand the meaning of Brotherhood and I wonder where all the other dreamers are and what they are dreaming that is more important than waking up because their bed is burning. Some of us cannot sleep while terror loots the world. Some of us know that terror will eventually loot us too. Some of us, even if that were not the case, would still heed the call… all too few …all too few.
The old world is breaking down. A new world struggles to be born. All the criminals and clowns have come up against their own absurdity and exposed themselves to school children and we have the Polaroid. They are lashing out in their sleep. They are lashing out in their disturbed sleep while the bed is burning and alas… many have entered into their dreams but you do not have to stay there. Redemption is on the table. You can be a better person if you want to.
Shortly a certain item is going to hit a certain mechanism with whirling blades. For those who love the thing that hits the blade there will be an opportunity to merge. Some damn well want to go down with the ship; not the ship I’m talking about… that other ship.
Let them awaken you. Find the ship of Liberty that sails for freedoms shores. No matter what you think, we are all in this together. There may be nasty weather but… the future is holding out its hand. Why don’t you reach out and touch it? The hand you are touching is your own. We have come a long way. Don’t falter now.
There are more good people than bad people. It is you in the middle that tilts the wheel. Isn’t it time for a better world? Open your hearts and your eyes | | | | Von Curtis | | Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:18 am Post subject: The Heyoka -Living Life Backwards |
| The Heyoka -Living Life Backwards
Todd F. Eklof
“Why did it all turn out for me like this?” George asks, after an afternoon of self-reflection at the beach. “I had so much promise. I was personable, I was bright. Oh, maybe not academically speaking, but ... I was perceptive. I always know when someone's uncomfortable at a party. It all became very clear to me sitting out there today, that every decision I've ever made, in my entire life, has been wrong. My life is the complete opposite of everything I want it to be. Every instinct I have, in every aspect of life, be it something to wear, something to eat ... It's all been wrong.” Just then a waitress arrives to take his order.
At first he asks for the usual, tuna on toast, coleslaw and a cup of coffee. But then, in a moment of inspiration, he changes his mind. “Wait a minute,” he says, “I always have tuna on toast. Nothing’s ever worked out for me with tuna on toast. I want the complete opposite of tuna on toast. Chicken salad, on rye, untoasted ... and a cup of tea.” Although Jerry argues that salmon is actually the opposite of tuna since salmon swims against the current and tuna swims with it, George’s new lunch choice marks a bold step toward transforming his life.
A few moments later he sees a beautiful woman at a table across the room. His friends encourage him to go talk to her, but he argues that she’s way out of his league. “Well here's your chance to try the opposite,” Jerry argues, “Instead of tuna salad and being intimidated by women, chicken salad and going right up to them.”
“Yes, I will do the opposite.” George responds, “I used to sit here and do nothing, and regret it for the rest of the day, so now I will do the opposite, and I will do something!” He approaches the woman and says, “Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice that you were looking in my direction.”
“Oh, yes I was,” she replies, “you just ordered the same lunch as me.”
George takes a deep breath and continues with the opposite of his usual approach, “My name is George. I’m unemployed and live with my parents.”
The woman smiles, “I’m Victoria. Hi.”
As the story progresses, Victoria’s uncle helps George land a job with the New York Yankees. “This has been the dream of my life ever since I was a child,” he says, “and it's all happening because I'm completely ignoring every urge towards common sense and good judgment I've ever had. This is no longer just some crazy notion… this is my religion!”
Though George’s spiritual epiphany is only a storyline in a comedic sitcom, his experience may be worth taking seriously. Is there wisdom in sometimes doing the opposite of what we’ve been doing? If we consider, for example, that the number of people killed in warfare has increased almost exponentially during the past five centuries, including more than a hundred million during the 20th century, and untold thousands already during the first five years of this century, perhaps it’s time we begin doing the opposite. In light of the fact that our polar ice cap has melted 30 percent during the last three decades, we’re experiencing an increasing number of apocalyptic hurricanes and other natural disasters, and energy consumption has tripled since 1950, even in light of global warming, maybe we should try the opposite. In our age of unprecedented globalization, during which the most powerful nation in history has become increasingly nationalistic and supportive of an elitist economy, further frustrating and antagonizing much of the rest of the world while trying to fight terrorism, let’s try the opposite. At a time when our bad environmental habits obliterate 130 species a day, let’s go with the opposite. In the most affluent country on Earth, in which a majority of people have been more concerned with forcing their personal religious views on everyone else, especially concerning freedom of choice and marriage equality, leading to an ineffective government that can no longer cope with the devastating impact of national disasters, and has squandered our children’s future on an unnecessary war, for God’s sake, let’s do the opposite! Yes, it does seem we should begin taking opposition most seriously.
In Lakota mythology, one who lives in opposition is called a heyoka. And just as George Costanza describes his experience as religious, one becomes a heyoka only after a divine encounter. Indeed, the heyoka is associated with the great Thunderbird who defies any logical description. In most traditions it is without form and its body billows like clouds. It has claws but no feet, beaks but no head, wings but no shoulders, and a voice like thunder but no throat. In order to remain invisible, Thunderbird covers itself in robes that are as shapeless as itself; some large, some small; some black, some white. Thunderbird also lives in an anti-clockwise dimension and cannot be understood by ordinary people because it speaks backwards. It is said, therefore, that if one does encounter Thunderbird, one becomes heyoka, and also begins speaking and acting in an anti-natural manner. As James R. Walker explains in his work, Lakota Myth, “When one sees the Winged One, he is heyoka and ever after when he speaks, he says the opposite of that he would say and when he does, he does the opposite of that he would do.”[1]
In one story, Eya, the West Wind, son of Tate, the breath of life encounters the terrifying and indescribable Thunderbird. After staring at the creature for a moment, Eya begins laughing and standing on his head and walking on his hands. He then begins shouting and taunting Thunderbird, even though the more natural thing to do would be to quietly cower and hide. “You pitiful thing,” Eya says, “your small voice frightens no one. Your weak eye can hurt nothing. Your beak and your teeth are good for nothing. Your wings are only tattered rags. Your talons are nothing but blades of grass. I would be ashamed to be your companion. I do not fear you and want none of your aid.”[2]
Naturally we might think Thunderbird, who can devour entire whales in a single gulp, and destroy anybody with the lightning bolts that shoot from its single eye, would become enraged over such insult, but because it lives in a backward dimension, it’s response is opposite of what we might expect. “You have pleased me,” Thunderbird tells Eya, “for thus I would always be addressed in terms the opposite of intention of one supplicating me.”[3] Thunderbird then invites Eya to place his tipi beside Thunderbird’s lodge on Thunderbird Mountain. “Together with you, I will purify the world from all filthy things. We will sweep it and wash it and water the ground. We will cause all that grows from the ground to flourish and bear leaves, flowers and fruits. We will give nourishment to all that breathes and cause their growth. We will combat the Unktehi the monsters that defile the waters; the Mini Watu that cause things to stink; and Gnaski the demon who delights in filth. This has been my province from the beginning and now you will aid me and all that breathes will be grateful to us.”[4]
The message here is clear, that if we are to join forces with the divine Creator and purify our air and water and heal our poisoned land, we must become heyoka, we must do the opposite of what we’ve been learning from our larger culture, from those who make our water, air and earth toxic through their greed and shortsightedness. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,”[5] wrote the Apostle Paul, and if we are to tap into divine wisdom, we must become fools to everyone else, living contrary and in opposition to what the larger culture says makes sense.
Like Thunderbird, the God of the Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—is without form and cannot be described. The Kabalah says, “Every definition of God leads to heresy; definition is spiritual idolatry.”[6] In Jewish mythology, furthermore, Moses is only allowed to see God’s “backside” because it’s considered impossible for any individual to fully comprehend the fullness of God. And when God leads the children of Israel through the wilderness, “the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light.”[7] A cloud, to sound redundant, is a very nebulous image,[8] and fire is the element Heraclites chose to symbolize his philosophy of constant change (i.e., “You can’t bathe in the same river twice”). Cloudy, ever-changing, nameless—these are the divine attributes that give context to Moses’ peculiar encounter with God as a burning bush—a God who answers, “I Am Who I Am,”[9] when asked its name. This term, ehyeh-asher-ehyeh, is itself rather nebulous in that its precise meaning is unclear. Some scholars suggest it would be more accurately translated, “I will be what I will be,” or “I exist,” or “I am present,” or “I will be with you.” Erich Fromm translates it as “I-am-becoming,” meaning, “God is not finite, not a person, not a ‘being.’ The most adequate translation of the sentence would be: tell them that ‘my name is nameless.”[10]
Hence, though it may seem backward to those who foolishly try to define God, and force their definitions on the rest of us, a genuine encounter with the Divine defies all definitions. The first step in becoming a heyoka, then, is to let go of all our ideas and explanations about what is God and what is Good. Tapping into Divine wisdom means letting go of what we’ve been taught makes sense and begin questioning our paradigms—those patterns and habits that lead us blindly into destructive folly. Becoming a heyoka means admitting we are fools, we don’t know, we don’t have all the answers, and we need to keep questioning and looking for even better answers, just as, in the Tarot, the Fool is represented as the beginning of wisdom.
In his book on the Tarot, The Hanged Man, psychotherapist Sheldon Kopp shares the writing of one of his patients who began to understand the importance of facing her shadow, that is, her opposite self.
I know I’m better because I feel worse.
The nicer you are, the harder it gets.
The stronger I grow, the weaker I feel.
You can’t give it to me because I already have it.
I can’t be littler because you’re not bigger.
The more lost I become, the clearer it gets.
I’m feeling confused, I must be in the right place.
I move furthest when I am stuck.
The worst part is knowing that I can make it.
The safest places are the most dangerous.
The more I cry, the harder I laugh.
The more I love, the more I hate.
The more I fight, the more friends I have.
I can’t make you love me, you already do.
I can’t be special, everyone/no one is.
Given permission to rest, I work harder.
When I rest you call it work; When I play you call it work; When I call it work you call it work. I can’t mess up.
Since I can’t please or displease you, guess I’ll just have to do what I want.
I don’t get to win, but I don’t have to lose.
There is no winning or losing, but I get to keep what I have.
Erich Fromm referred to this sort of insight as the paradoxical logic that exists in Taoist, Hindu and Socratic philosophy alike, and is contrary to our western Aristotelian logic that rejects the possibility of opposites. In western logic, A cannot be both A and not-A—there is no room for contradiction. Yet the Tao tells us, “To know and yet [think] we do not know is the highest [attainment]; not to know [and yet think] we do know is a disease.”[11] Yet, in paradoxical logic, in the backward-speak of the heyoka, opposition makes complete sense. It is not conflicting and dualistic, as in western reasoning, but is completely harmonious.
Becoming a heyoka, then, is crazy wisdom and divine wisdom at the same time. It is backwards in that it begins with answers and ends with questions. And if we, as a species, are going to heal our Earth and our Communities, which seem to have strayed so far from the harmony of the Universe, doing the opposite seems like just the place we must begin, and, as George Costanza put it, it must no longer be just some crazy notion, if must become the basis of our religion.
© 2008 Todd F. Eklof | | | | Von Curtis | | Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:22 am Post subject: NO LONGER A LUNATIC |
| NO LONGER A LUNATIC
Carolyn Baker
"What is madness but nobility of soul At odds with circumstance"~ Theodore Roethke "In a Dark Time"
It's the same with everyone I speak to who's been watching the downward spiral of empire for any length of time: "I can't believe how fast things are unraveling", we all say to each other. The incessant mantra these days from people who haven't been paying attention is that "things are going to get better", but almost no one is denying that we are in uncharted waters beyond anything we've experienced since the Great Depression. The uninformed are traumatized, and traumatized people almost always revert to "it's going to get better" thinking in order to cope with their current plight.
I continue receiving emails from former students and former readers of Truth To Power which essentially state, "We thought you were a raving lunatic when you were telling us this stuff five years ago, but everything you said would happen is happening." Included in these comments are reports of foreclosures, bankruptcies, lost jobs, loss of student loan funding, medical bills that can never be paid off, applying for food stamps, regular trips to food banks, illnesses that cannot be treated because of lack of insurance or funds, depression, rage, profound ennui, and a sense of meaninglessness.
My reaction to this feedback is not "See, I told you so, stupid!" but rather deep feelings of compassion and sorrow. I've been a fringe person for most of my adult life, thinking outside the box, and generally living ahead of the curve. I don't say that arrogantly because there's always been a price to pay for living on the edge. Yes, I've been a prophet but a prophet among many other prophets who began their journey long before I did and learned a lot more, a lot faster.
It's easy to point fingers at the perpetrators-and fingers definitely must be pointed, but then get lost in raging against "the New World Order" that orchestrated this nightmare. It's easy to get caught up in egoic "I told you so's"; it's much harder to breathe deeply many times a day and take into the cells of one's body the reality of what's happening and how quickly. It's more challenging to allow oneself to feel the pain of other humans, animals, and the ecosystem itself. For me, it very quickly becomes overwhelming, and I have to step back, breathe again, and think about what more I can do to help alleviate the suffering we've all participated in creating. Yes, we've all participated-we've all colluded. The word collusion simply means "co-illusion", that is, the sharing of an illusion.
As soon as I stop raging and making this entirely the fault of someone else outside of me-as soon as I feel my feelings about what's happening, then I must act to support others who are just now waking up and finding themselves terrified and unprepared. Here in Vermont, most people are thinking about the winter ahead. Some aren't, either because they have lost themselves in the glories of a beautiful summer or because they want to believe it won't get that bad. What I know is that many people in the Northeast are going to have a ghastly winter, and many are likely to die. My work, along with other folks in my community, will be to help keep each other warm and fed. It won't be easy, and everything Dmitry Orlov has already said and written about the collapse of the Soviet Union and Russian winters bounces around in my head as I prepare for one ahead in New England.
Several internet sites this week have carried Barbara Ehrenreich's article "Suicide Spreads As One Solution To The Debt Crisis", and on my site I've stated that I believe this is just the beginning of people killing themselves and going crazy as collapse intensifies. One feels the desperation and madness when visiting places in America's heartland where meth labs are well-stocked and the shelves of food banks echo abject emptiness. Listen to almost any middle or working class parent talk about getting their kids ready to go back to school-no money for school clothes and supplies even as school districts are already pleading for parents to kick in contributions for things the districts can't afford. Ask that wait person or barista serving you lunch or a now-very-occasional latte if she/he is making ends meet with paying rent, student loan debt, credit card payments, and buying food. Then don't ask if he/she has health insurance because you already know the answer.
And yet, this is only the beginning. If you want the full flavor of the psychological devastations of collapse and the emotional wreckage amid the shambles of a former first-world society, read Jim Kuntler's World Made By Hand. Click on this hyperlink and watch the trailer for the novel, listen to the music, feel the plaintive sounds of the mandolin strings, the loss, the total absence of a world of shopping malls, fast food grease pits, NASCAR, or plasma TV's. But also feel that these characters are in the process of discovering something they could never have known in an American Idol existence. They are discovering the land, where their food and everything they consume comes from; they are discovering each other, and probably for the very first time, the deepest layers of themselves.
Who knows if any of these characters saw collapse coming long before it did? Who knows if they were mindlessly chanting "it's going to get better" when they lost everything they had? Those individuals who are willing to learn about collapse, open to the reality of it, and prepare for it are much more likely to fare better than whose who don't. But even those who don't may survive those who do. If ever there were a time of no guarantees, it would be now.
You see, that's the kicker about denial-cover your eyes and plug your ears now, and in a few years (or less?), you'll wish you hadn't because if you had only been willing to let the truth in, it could have prepared you to navigate the unthinkable. Unfortunately, many people will have to discover those tragic consequences for themselves; others already know that the only promise denial has ever kept is extinction, and they will not cover their eyes or plug their ears anymore.
Many Truth To Power readers regularly email me with stories of how their families and friends have written them off as nut jobs, doomers, paranoids, hysterical, dramatic, negative, catastrophizing, and let's not forget, lunatics, for taking collapse seriously and preparing for it. For all of you, I recommend another wonderful site, Kathy McMahon's Peak Oil Blues which is invaluable for reality checking and providing emotional support for thinking, talking, and taking action around collapse. Likewise, Sharon Astyk's Casaubon's Book site is both supportive and very practical in terms of no nonsense preparation.
The human ego loves to be "right", and some people prefer to watch the world burn with great glee and vitriol. But this is not the time for ego my friends; ego is what got us here. We have been called "lunatics", and now we are being called wise women and men, but it isn't about labels. It's about moving into the next phases of collapse with sensitivity, compassion, and humility, realizing that when people take their own lives in the throes of their own private and our collective collapse, there but for the grace of Something Greater goes any of us. Perhaps if they had been willing to look at the truth, they might have been able to hang around a little longer-or not. Nevertheless, our work is to continue waking ourselves and others up, which may be easier than it was five years ago, and meet everyone with kindness and empathy. It was very painful, yet sometimes a little bit fun to be called a lunatic, but now, the lunatics rest their case.
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August 1, 2008 By Carolyn Baker, Coming Out Of Fundamentalist Christianity: An Autobiography Affirming Sensuality, Social Justice, and The Sacred, is now available for order at Amazon. To order click HERE. The book is available at http://www.carolynbaker.net. This article: http://carolynbaker.net:80/site/content/view/624/1/ | | | | Von Curtis | | Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:27 am Post subject: I Didn't Get All These Miles on my Face in One Life Time. |
| I Didn't Get All These Miles on my Face in One Life Time.
Les Visible
Smoking Mirrors
I think Lord Buckley said something like that in his rap about “The King of the Bad Cats.” He was talking about reincarnation. Of course we reincarnate every morning when we wake up from sleep. For most people waking up is waking up into a dream. A very few people are fully awake. The rest of us are somewhere between passed out and intermittent flashes of light. It would be a much different world if we were more awake.
There’s an old Ska song by Desmond Decker called “The Israelites” It makes me think about waking up when I hear it and it also plays into some of the amazing things that are happening in these times… these days…
The symphony has gotten so out there that half of the orchestra doesn’t even know what song they’re playing now. So many lies have been paraded bare assed naked down front street. So many crazy things have happened and just went by, like it was some kind of strange holiday of people celebrating how clueless they can be. We are in uncharted waters. A massive building collapses in free fall and the world goes, “duh...” Some kind of low rent David Copperfield made everybody believe they were seeing a Las Vegas Show with music by Brittany Spears. How did we get here from wherever we were? Surely we were once capable of seeing what was going on… wait a minute… you know what? Maybe not…. Maybe we are seeing it for the first time right now.
Who are these people?
Who are these shining lights? We have seen indications of them before; The after Downing Street Man in front of the brick wall in his black t-shirt. We saw them and heard them making a Ron Paul Revolution. We’ve seen them in the 9/11 Chronicles; Truth Rising film. We’ve seen the fine mind of it at work in the film “The Reflecting Pool” which nobody is talking about and sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who saw it. It… We… …is/are around and …now… and now? Now comes another ship called Liberty… liberty… and what have you been doing with your life?
Some kind of loving wonder is going on when some collection of people can get together and get on a ship of peace to set sail for a city at siege. Yes, I am going to send these people some money, not that I’m in a position to make much of an effect but… I’m also going to send them my love; my admiration, my words, my hopes, my heart and my prayers. I’m going to be sailing on that boat in my mind. I’m going to be dreaming in my dream, that’s trying to wake up, that something good is coming soon.
And I want to know. Yes, I want to know… where everyone else was all the years that this has been going on. I want to know. How come it took so long for something like this to happen? The last time a ship named Liberty sailed this sea the water turned to blood and then it wasn’t what it was.
Brave and beautiful souls, I salute you. I bow. I honor the spirit of your capacity to understand the meaning of Brotherhood and I wonder where all the other dreamers are and what they are dreaming that is more important than waking up because their bed is burning. Some of us cannot sleep while terror loots the world. Some of us know that terror will eventually loot us too. Some of us, even if that were not the case, would still heed the call… all too few …all too few.
We all have our heroes. Many of my heroes are unsung. I love what Habilitat does. I love what Doctors without Borders do. I love you, if you will let me. We must shake off the coils of our sleep. The greater promise in our collective hearts must rise and met the challenge. We must whisper to ourselves while we sleep, “I am Thomas Paine come again. I am Paul Revere’s horse. I am Lincoln by The Reflecting Pool and now I am awake. I am the people as myself coming up out of a dream to renew the music of my mind.”
These are the times. While the cotton candy tries to close our eyes we must awake. The cock is crowing and the dawn is coming. The Emperor can’t find his ass with both hands, much less his clothes.
Come with me. Come aboard this ship. This ship sails to Gaza but also to Sudan. This ship sails to The Congo. This ship sails the human traffic line. This ship sails into the future and into the past. This ship sails upon the sea in which you are sleeping. This ship is awakening and so are you.
Your ship is your life and I am my brother’s keeper. Probably we should “hold these truths to be self evident” but do we? Think of the world as a body. Think of the world as your body. Think about open wounds and the healing touch, the special medicine that courage brings. The body cannot be whole when a part of it lies bleeding.
On the day that you decide that you will no longer tolerate a lie, your life will no longer be a lie. It doesn’t matter if you are in Palestine or on the Champs Elysees. It doesn’t matter if you are a stockbroker or a stock boy. It doesn’t matter if you are a whore or a queen; on that day your life changes for the better and the sooner the better.
Wherever you are you can sail on this ship. The whole world can sail on this ship. The ship is in your mind. You are dreaming in the waves. Is it not so? Look at your life and tell me it is not so. Your life is your money. Spend it well. Invest in yourself by investing in others. This is not a call to your pockets; that is the least of it. It is your attention and your heartfelt support that we want.
The old world is breaking down. A new world struggles to be born. All the criminals and clowns have come up against their own absurdity and exposed themselves to school children and we have the Polaroid. They are lashing out in their sleep. They are lashing out in their disturbed sleep while the bed is burning and alas… many have entered into their dreams but you do not have to stay there. Redemption is on the table. You can be a better person if you want to.
Shortly a certain item is going to hit a certain mechanism with whirling blades. For those who love the thing that hits the blade there will be an opportunity to merge. Some damn well want to go down with the ship; not the ship I’m talking about… that other ship.
Look inside your heart and ask yourself, “What am I doing and why am I doing it? What do I believe and why do I believe it?
Somewhere inside, you still have certain qualities. They may be dormant but they are not dead. Let them awaken with you. Let them awaken you. Find the ship of Liberty that sails for freedoms shores. No matter what you think, we are all in this together. There may be nasty weather but… the future is holding out its hand. Why don’t you reach out and touch it? The hand you are touching is your own. We have come a long way. Don’t falter now.
There are more good people than bad people. It is you in the middle that tilts the wheel. Isn’t it time for a better world? Open your hearts and your eyes. We didn’t get all these miles on our faces in one lifetime. Make this one count.
Every Day | | | | Von Curtis | | Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:31 am Post subject: STRONG COMMUNITIES |
| A comment by MADMAX :
But the real focus must be on local community. At the moment nationalism is an excuse for racism, prejudice, xenophobia and all kinds of bigotry. In addition, centralized national governments are used as a cover by certain groups and organisations .
I see an inter-connected society starting at the local level with some regional, national and global syncronisation. A person can be a member of a local community where his main loyalty and benefits lie… with local representatives that meet at a regional and national level.
In some respects, that’s how things already are… but I am saying without the millions of very expensive civil servants and government officials. These people are a real drain on society and don’t really deliver the goods in any respect.
The average person can be involved on many levels… a person might be a local carpenter, doctor or whatever… but also be a regional representative and involved in global discussions on architecture, medicine, engineering, etc, etc. With modern technology such as the computer and internets we do not even have to leave the house to be involved in global issues and discussion. Instead of leaving it all to self-appointed officials who thrash things out in secret meetings.
Forgive me if I seem a bit pushy… but I have thought about it a lot and really think it is getting to a critical point where people really do have to start making fundamental choices before they are left with no options.
The New World Order boys are not going to be taking many prisoners!
We have allowed the power elite to manipulate our understanding and engineer our society for their own benefit… they do not want communities with brave men… heroes who are prepared to sacrifice their lives to defend their loved ones… they want society pliable and prostrate… this is why they employ social engineers… for control and command.” | | | | Von Curtis | | Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:54 am Post subject: the eternal search for truth ..... |
| the eternal search for truth .....
'The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates taught his students that the pursuit of truth can only begin once they start to question and analyse every belief that they ever held dear. If the certain belief passes the tests of of evidence, deduction, and logic, then it should be kept. If it doesn't pass the tests, the belief should not only be discarded, but the thinker must also then question why he was led to belive the erroneous information in the first place.
Spirituality is a Great Work that takes effort. It takes time and work . Healthy spirituality is a journey and it is a personal one.' - from a religious article in the NZ magazine "Uncensored".
THE TRICK IN LIFE IS ALWAYS TO TURN PERCEIVED NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES INTO POSITIVE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LIFE AND HUMANITY.
DO YOUR BEST AND FORGIVE YOURSELF FOR HUMAN FRAILTIES ON THE ROAD TO GAINING MORE WISDOM. | | | | Von Curtis | | Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:42 am Post subject: IF ONLY WE COULD MAKE PEOPLE SEE WHO THE VILLAINS ARE |
| A comment from MM on http://www.warwithoutend.co.uk/uk-and-europe/2008/11/19/israel-instructs-britain-to-stop-iran.php
there are more good wonderful people in the world then bad"
Agreed VC,
But most of the good people in this world have been pushed to the bottom of the social pyramid, while the really bad have floated to the top like scum.
We need to stop fighting amongs ourselves and realise who are the real villains in our midst. We need to educate and inform ourselves... otherwise we are lost in this complex world.
We need to distinguish between government immigration policies and racism cloaked as patriotism. Yes, there are illegal immigrants... but many of those have been driven from countries where the social and economic structures have been devastated and destroyed by western imperialism. Many, if not most, are refugees of one sort or another.
Who really wants to leave their home and travel round the world and be treated like shit? Many of these people have been left with few options.
I am pretty sure that if western foreign policy changed most of these people would happily return to their native lands. The real criminals are walking stalking the corridors of power in western capital cities and making billions off the backs of other people misery.
LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL MANKIND! | | | | Cowboy | | Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:59 am Post subject: |
| | Quote: | | We need to distinguish between government immigration policies and racism cloaked as patriotism. Yes, there are illegal immigrants... but many of those have been driven from countries where the social and economic structures have been devastated and destroyed by western imperialism. |
Oh yeah, that explains the 20 million illegal Mexicans in the US...... | | | | Von Curtis | | Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:15 am Post subject: |
| http://whatreallyhappened.com/content/biggest-piece-puzzle#comments
The "Biggest Piece" of the Puzzle
http://cafr1.com/ThePuzzle.html
To loot and pillage from all the people you need the cooperation of the overlord. The overlord in the USA is? Government is the overlord..
How do you get the cooperation of the overlord? You get the full cooperation of the overlord by including him in with the Lion's share of the take!
Comment :
Wrong!
chillyphantom
By far, the biggest piece of the puzzle is WE THE PEOPLE.
If WE THE PEOPLE are so damned complacent that they sit and watch the obvious looting and pillaging and they do nothing to stop it, that's what makes it work.
If WE THE PEOPLE stood up and said "Enough!", the puzzle would come apart.
WE THE PEOPLE are getting what they deserve for being so damned ignorant, lazy and foolish.
If an employer allows its employees to run amok, then the employer deserves what happens.
WE THE PEOPLE are the employer. The government members are the employees. The employer is asleep at the switch. The employer is liable for all the damage the employee commits.
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