In order to understand the present, one has to follow its roots down in the past. The present is a complete and utter mess. And the past is no different. History is an entangled thing, that is understood best when seen through all of its different angles. If we want to understand why things are the way they are today, we have to follow their development from the past. There are many truths, many levels of truths. But, probably, one of the highest truths is that things are not the way they seem to be.
In a previous article I gave a link to a comprehensive documentary about the historic development of corporate propaganda, marketing, shaping the consumer society in the US and manufacturing consent.
Here is another documentary that follows in retrospective the development of the modern political scene, the establisment of the political propaganda and the establishing of the ever-stalking, ever-imminent terror threat that keeps western societies in a grip of fear.
"This documentary offers a remarkable insight into the reality of our current fear induced climate. Adam Curtis chronicles the rise of neo-conservatism and the resulting change in the world's political agenda orchestrated by those who place their trust in the philosophical ideal of the necessity of evil to unite a country. The filmmaker manages to successfully pluck apart the myth of the reality of there being a logistically organized terror network, let alone one that is managing to orchestrate terror attacks from a cave in the remote mountains of Afghanistan. His arguments are backed up by some eye opening interviews with authorities on the field of Islamic fundamentalism, members of the US government and members of the US judicial system. These insights are parred with concrete, startling facts and the result is a program that manages to shake us awake making us aware of a far more realistic terror threat namely that of psychological warfare carried out by the powers that be, accompanied by a sensationalist media frenzy. I cannot recommend this program highly enough." -imdb.com
The movie is in three parts, about an hour each.
I will not comment, because what history reveals just leaves you speachless.. standing rapt in awe. Or maybe with a sentence. All this is madness. Insanity. Primitivism, prevailing in all camps.
Watch it. Think. Rethink. And spread the world. I deeply believe it is time for people to wake up and stop being a flock of sheep.
"None are more enslaved than those, who falsely believe they are free"
Shilled into Capitalistic ideology. We, modern people, tend to think that Feudalism is a thing of the past. That today in our advanced societies we enjoy freedoms and rights, not accessible to our unfortunate predecessors. Yes, today individuals in modern societies do enjoy new-found freedoms that were unthinkable before. Like gender equality, right to assembly and public protests, freedom to express your opinion, to trade and generally live your life the way you feel like living it. Of course, all those freedoms and rights do come with certain clauses and prepositions attached. The truth is, that all of the above are still emerging and although constitutionally accepted, those rights are not fully applied in practice. They are more or less fictional and formal, even though the average consumer may not see it this way. Perhaps, the biggest illusion in today’s world is that there is a Democracy. When in reality, there is Capitalism, which is the modern form of Feudalism.
History is a complex and entangled topic. But in history are the roots that laid today’s world. Due to a complexity of reasons, USA, with its economic ideology of Capitalistic prosperity and the American Dream, has placed itself as a world standard for social advancement, serving as an example for emerging economies. And despite all of its numerous flaws, a lot of governments do strive to follow in its footsteps, including ours, here in Bulgaria. Which I find a wrong thing to do. Indeed, whether due to a lack of alternatives or because of the short-sightedness of people in power, American Capitalism and US society had established as a world role model. But, hasn't this role model proved to be wrong?
In reality, USA was a land of prosperity and freedom, in the past. Today, it has turned into a highly exploitative system that completely excludes the “social” element and a global military aggressor. United States sits on old glory, because today’s reality is much different than the image they still project onto the world. In fact, USA is the world leader in hypocrisy and cynicism. Reprimanding corrupt foreign governments, when the US government works for corporations, instead for the people. Speaking against terrorism and military aggression, when the US foreign policy is one of the most terror-oriented and aggressive in the world. Talking about Global Warming and environment preservation, when US corporations are some of the major pollutants and destroyers of environment both on US territory and abroad.
Abusing non-renewable resources, as if the end of the world is just around the corner. Producing enormous amounts of waste, both organic and synthetic, that spill into rivers, oceans and all nature. The entire concept of perpetually expanding economic growth is wrong and unsustainable. A virtual economic prosperity, that still remains unexposed, but will not remain like this forever. Why virtual? Because, it is debt-based.
It is a strange thing that USA imports much more, than they export. Yet, Americans can afford a rather higher standard of life on the average. This is a controversy. And this is where the American credit system comes in the scene.
The land of the debt, where the average citizen has 8 credit cards and about a thousand dollars of debt on each one of those plastics. Americans are spending beyond their means and this situation puts American economy ahead of its actual GDP, thus this higher standard of living is somewhat artificially created with a lot of blink. The average American has higher rate of spending, than making money.
There are much unhealthy elements in the way US society ended up being set. Not to mention high rates of obesity, probably highest in the world, and GMO food treated with highly toxic chemicals (produced by Monsanto, the same Monsanto who produced Agent Orange for the Vietnam war) with side effects yet to be established, such as endocrine disruptive ones, both for humans and animals alike.
It may seem a great thing to be American, but is this only the façade? Behind the glamour there are shady mechanisms at work. Liberty, it seems, has been lost somewhere on the way.
Americans, today, are enslaved by corporations and banks. Banks lure people in taking credits with overwhelming advertisements, great offers and discounts, counting on the average person’s ignorance. Terms and clauses are intentionally complicated and written so that contracts be as less clear to the consumer as possible. Government, on the other hand, makes sure it keeps propaganda up, motivating society to be good consumers. However, the average American doesn’t make enough money to be that good a consumer, that is why they need to spend on credit, in order to fulfill the consumer-quota required from them. Modern consumerism, on the whole, is based on deception and misleading. A legalized fraud. Unfortunately, this model propagates itself overseas as well. For instance, here in Bulgaria, six years ago there were no mortgage credits, there were no credit advertisements on TV and on street banners. And today, already there are lots and lots of people in debt, caught in the spider web of banks and debt economics.
Banks use various strategies to keep their customers well in debt. They gladly would refinance your mortgage, so that you may fail to pay it off this time. They would even reprimand you, if you pay off your credit too fast. They don’t like you when you pay on time, thus avoiding interest. Ideally, banks want you to make minimal monthly payments forever. And, don’t worry, you can always go bankrupt and balance out your credit bills.
While, I’m not sure if all that bank credit system is such a bad thing after all. Since, if there were no credits available to the average working individual, the whole consumer-based society wouldn’t be possible. Not at these rates at least. But, what about the social side-effects of this aggressive Capitalism? What about the continuing and growing trends of inhumane practices of corporations, like sweatshops and death salaries? And what about the complete lack of care about the environment? What about taking responsibility for future generations yet unborn? What legacy are “we” leaving to them? A shattered and poisoned world? Why sustainable economy and renewable production is kept only in theory? Why are corporations waiting for the last drop of oil to dry out, in order to really invest in those new technologies? Greed is a great barrier to social advancement. Among other primitive behavioral patterns of human beings.
What about the growing inequality between rich and poor? Is the middle class diminishing? Where will that lead? Isn’t it time to officially declare Capitalism a mistake and move forward? Or is it that people must change their mindset first, in order that we move forward.
The presumption of constantly expanding economy is just irrational, not to mention unsustainable, and it will inevitably turn into a black hole, crushing down under its own weight
In one speech of his, J.W.Bush says that “Americans enjoy economic independence” Wow, I was truly stunned by this outlandish conclusion, what’s more, the sitting crowds in front of him actually clapped their hands joyfully. Amazing. It is amazing how much appreciation empty words can bring about. Of course, manipulative governments all around the world knew that effect long ago Bush was even born.
Title: Maxed Out
I do agree that people's own ignorance and lack of rational thought is the main reason to find themselves in such debt-overwhelmed situations. The banks having lied and deceived them into taking the bait is another element, but not really the main one. I mean, do live within your means people or at least close to it. Time to realize that the American Dream is not wealth that simply falls from the sky, it's about opportunities to earn. However, such opportunities are to be found all over the world today, so it's an old concept overall. And what about Liberty?
It is a strange thing that there are a lot of movies, articles and analyses over the past decades raising those issues and yet as if all of them are somehow kept on the background, shut and silenced with very little public attention drawn to them, like some kind of dissidents that are unfavorable to the ruling government, because, well, they are too objective and speak the truth. Preposterous. Here is another documentary related to Freedom and Liberty in USA that I recommend watching, some of the regulations that it criticizes are truly disturbing. Like the ban on growing vegetable in your back yard. I mean, this is a fundamental human right to grow food on Earth, banned. Crazy world.
And another one, examining this transition in a historical restrospection and embarking on quite a provoking trip in search of answers from some of the most notorious US institutions. Nearly a century later.. US society still walks oblivious to all this. Watch the following documentary, it is highly recommended and spread the word. Stand up and fight, for your freedom, for your rights!
Title: America: From Freedom to Fascism (2006) What we see in the above documentary is just gruesome. It is shocking and deeply, deeply disturbing. So ridiculous when people say that "USA is the freest country." Umh, think again. This sounds like the "Americans enjoy economic independence" line of Bush's. Utter and complete hot air words with absolutely no resonance in reality. Yeah, the truth is that Liberty in United States died at the beginning of the 20th Century and it is up to people now to resurrect it back. Say no to self-imposed ignorance! Informed and intelligent is cool. Dumbness is dull (not to mention highly manipulative). Wake up people.
Wake Up. It's time for the FED to go, USA and the world will gradually settle to be a much better place after those highly exploitative institutions are abolished from society
Here's what happened with the abovementioned whistleblower, because she was not backed by society! US Society = the flock of IRS and the FED.
Human psychology is one of the most baffling, perplexing, amazing and least explored, even less understood realm of the whole of Creation. It is the source of all art, mystery, myth, symbolism, ritual and everything divine. Indeed, human psyche gave rise to such profound mysteries that have proven to be utterly and completely incomprehensible to this other level of human mind - the more approachable and transparent – intellect or rationale. Human beings today, generally, divide themselves in believers and non-believers. The believers hold dear the archaic dogmas of the past and zealously believe, while the non-believers disregard all the religious non-sense and refuse to believe any more. All of them, believers and non-believers alike, collectively don’t understand, nor do they realize.
They don’t understand, because they look at it from the wrong perspective, which, of course, provides no meaningful view. Leaving believers aside, since they don’t even try to understand, the non-believers, likewise, simply disregard, without really trying to understand either. And to understand, one has to look at religion, myth and symbolism through the aspects of human psychology. To enliven oneself in the minds of those ancient humans and see the way they saw the world, the way they came to interpret it, the way psychology works in all the various manifestation of its intrinsic mechanisms, many of which stem from our instincts, embedded in our behavioral, as well as perceptional frames. Also, there are the practical, social layers of religion that were intentionally built-in, through history, so to provide a moral frame for society, as well as a structural one. If one learns to think in this way and analyzes religion in these respects, gradually, revelation enlightens one’s mind and leaves them in awe in front of the simplicity of the profound. The topic is quite voluminous and quite intriguing too, I am discussing a good deal of it in my book, for me some of these conclusions are truly staggering for a first-time realization, considering that so millions and billions of people don’t really realize it in this way, believers or atheists alike. Later the stunned-effect settles down and ferments into wisdom. Pieces of realization that build up and expand the horizons of awareness and consciousness, as much as burdened with “new age” blink those terms may be, I am using them for what they actually designate. The title of this post says a lot, but there is even more behind it. You see, it is not a matter of whether “God exists or does not exist”, it is a matter of, I’m not really sure how to express it, a matter of psychological adultness, because a great deal of the core motifs of major religions is the Parent element, and not only in religions alive today, but also in those that were forgotten.
On the most superficial level, religion is a form of government that, as all primitive forms of governments, puts “ordinary” people in the position of obedience (thus exploitation) without the right to question or disprove and with no option not to follow, otherwise will be outcast from society. In the past, religion served well as a social glue, since people were quite ignorant and uneducated anyway. Today, it mostly serves as a social segregator and a justification for hatred and discrimination. My God is not your God, your God is not My god, The gods are not your God and my God is your god, but not the God of your Dog. And so on outrageous arguments going on and on, forever. Until, people finally begin to realize. This may never happen, it may happen after thousands of years more, it may happen in a few centuries or in a few decades. Who knows what the unfolded, inexistent future holds in its state of infinite quantum potential.
Anyway, another year, another row of profitable religious celebrations filling the medium with much exaggeration and collective emotion. Now is Hajj time. Muslims from all over the world gear up for this year’s great Mecca stampede, to see the Space Rock, round it a few times in a cleansing ritual of purification from all the sins that have accumulated during the year, throw some earthly stone matter at a Devil’s dummy and ride a new, state of the art and technology Mecca train. Ah, it is the most mysterious thing when religion and technology join hands in unison. Such an awe. Stumbled upon a news article about it earlier today and was very amused by the colorful comments different readers had left below it. About the Hajj and the Mecca train. One reader says:
“Interesting that the train for religious pilgrims was made in an officially atheistic country!!”
Indeed, considering that women may have worked on it too, it is a great sin for hard-liner Muslim men to touch a non-family woman, you know, even indirectly, especially during the Hajj. Allah will condemn them to burn in hell, those disgusting and perverse women touchers. Another reader comments:
“No, Saudi have no army, they pay US to fight their war, and you will to keep oil following, but why not just raise oil prices ans stick it to the American people, George W. Bush in his book the Decision.”
I’m not sure to which comment this not quite coherent reply responds to, but it seemed interesting. Now I saw that there are some collapsed comments, you have to press the little plus sign to see them.
“Let them permit non-Muslims into Mecca and Medina. Let Saudi Arabia permit building of churches and other religion based prayer places just as we permit theirs! One way street is not acceptable for long!”
“What's the over/under on how soon some Muslim militant will blow up this train? I'd say one week.”
“No, it will be a Christian militant. They are real dangerous and just as plentiful as the Muslim variety. Haven't you heard?”
“And in the US, depression medication advertisements on the rise, in a recession many feel hopeless in finding a job and drug companies want to profit on that. They want a train, they get it. Here’s always a fist fight between the Rep and Democrats, tell he frustrated nation, I know better, but they are all for their self interest and those who paid for their campain”
This one is more like a monologue complaint out of desperation, completely out of topic and out of corporate news channels and popular talk shows as well. We feel sincere solidarity with you, frustrated nation! We all are. Everything is wrong in this world, everywhere. We are in the wrong world, I tell you! Lol, back to the comments.
“Only the men get to ride inside.. the women are strapped to the top like luggage.. so as not to offend the morality police....”
Another reader replies to the above comment:
“Wow, Ignorence is a disease with an optional cure. You need to get cured my dear.”
And a reply to the reply from yet another reader follows:
“Sweeping the realities and problems under stinking carpets are another kind of disease requiring treatment!!”
The debate continues on furiously:
“Just because there are so many Muslims in the world means that there are a lot more ignorant people in the world!!!!”
“That is true for all religions !”
“only stupid people believe in any thing as stupid as religion.”
What did I told ya. They’re all stupid.
“You people do know that all there doing is Worshiping a Asteroid.right?”
“With all of them facing each other's butts, they could be worshipping a hemorrhoid!”
“How is this any more strange than Christians making pilgrimages to various churches built to house the preserved remains of body parts of long dead saints?”
“Another instance of China beating the U.S. in competition for relatively new technology.”
“Yeah, all the U.S. can do is give them the most technologically advanced weaponry on the planet. We suck.”
“Non-Muslims are not permitted even in roads leave alone to the "holy" place!”
Aah, now isn’t this such a dreadful discrimination. Non-muslims must ride on camels through the desert, if they don’t have an off-road vehicle.
“Why don't they just take a flying carpet ?”
Now that’s the solution!
“R.B. continue with that belief at the risk of your enternal soul. There is only one was to true salvation and eternal life; Maximus speaks the truth. Just curious. what is your "religion" anyway?”
What is your religion: God doesn’t have religious preferences, don’t be ridiculous, only humans do! LoL
End
P.S. It is interesting to note, in regard to the alleged healing properties of religious artifacts, usually bodily remains of death saints or icons, that the "miracle" effect does occur. However, it is not the bones themselves that create it, but the channeled collective believe that boosts and amplifies the individual self-suggestion. This is the same as the Placebo effect. The mind-power of the believer heals the body through the power of suggestion. It is quite an interesting effect, very little explored and acknowledged by contemporary science. Probably because pharmaceutical industries doesn't want people to heal themselves, 'cause they'll be out of business.
These potentials of the mind are very real, as well as telepathy-related and similar shrouded in mystery abilities of the mind. It is just that the way these things work and occur is different than what the movie and entertainment industry had come to present them as. For instance, when you experience "telepathy" you don't actuallty read a mind like a text book, but rather you tune into certain intuitivie suggestions pointing to certain aspects, mindsets, tendencies related to a certain person, usually a person that you know. Something related to frequencies again, that we don't really understand yet.
Finally, back to speaking of poorly understood religion and religious fanaticism, here is an interesting video to see:
Title: Jesus Camp (2006)
Uhum, religion can be quite a disturbing ideology. Just as any rationality-deprived ideology. This is another problem in our postmodern world that needs to be properly addressed and resolved in the future. Yeah, let's just fix it then. Look who's talking of fasting (clip above).
