The most important political lesson I’ve learned in the last 20 years is that an overwhelming majority of people massively underestimate the power of propaganda.
"Have you ever stood and stared at it, marvelled at its beauty, its genius? Billions of people just living out their lives, oblivious. Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered? Where everyone would be happy?
It was a disaster.
No one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost. Some believed that we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world. But I believe that as a species, human beings define their reality through misery and suffering. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this, the peak of your civilization."
I was very late to a talk that Krishna Murti gave at Carnegie Hall in New York City in the 70's. For some reason (I was a dope) I sat in the seat I bought in the nose bleed section, even though there were only 100 people there. The people there looked like Indian doctors, post docs, students mostly east Indian. Someone stood up and asked what is it about the soul that survives death? Krishna Murti said, I paraphrase, I find that the answer is in the question. He felt it pointless to over explain.
Questioning is all well and good, but if one doesn't know how to think critically, randomly questioning things without adequate prerequisites can lead to believing in all kinds of narratives (including conspiracy theories, pseudo-science, etc.).
Historical ignorance is widespread. This was the foundation of George Orwell's 1984 state.
If things have been a certain way their entire lives then most people cannot even imagine anything that is different. As far as they are concerned things have always been and will always be like this.
I also believe that the consciousness bug that seems to insurmountable is also paper thin. I don't know how humanity sheds it, but I can see it is absolutely possible, and very natural.
The ups and downs are frustrating: When someone who you think is working on awakening deep consciousness and greater compassion for the living world starts quaking about Russian and Chinese bots being behind everything they don't like in the West. When therapists who work with psychedelics for trauma decide they feel "unsafe" when anyone criticizes the State of Israel. When an American world traveller friend feels uncomfortable seeing Russians in Bali because they are "unaccountable" for violence their cou try commits. I'm always thinking, "How do I get you to take that last step out of this garbage programming?"
"All our problems basically come down to narrative control. … the wealthiest among us control the media ... which gives them a very high degree of narrative control. They decide what stories get told to the largest audiences about how the world works, so they control public perception of reality."
. . .
Not to spoil it, but that's one of the themes of the recently released movie "Digger." Worth seeing on the big screen, Unfortunately, the movie was savaged by most critics and is losing a boat-load of money. In my opinion, it was a much better film than Nolan's over-hyped "The Odyssey" (I would also recommend seeing Ralph Fienne's take on Odysseus in the 2022 movie "The Return").
I agree, but how that is achieved is a very subtle manipulation of persuasion over many years by a media system and its reach that has only one point of control, that being us! Our population by city town and country. For we should be in control yet, we fail to understand that need!
I agree we need to tell stories that can inspire people to engage and act. Your Substack posts provide us a place to consider possibilities that are hard to imagine. You suggest a society where the ruling class is not ruling, here they have been vanquished, through an international egalitarian movement, since all of human kind, as the multitude, are in a great struggle against the ruling class.
In my ditch the rich essay, I basically advance the radical egalitarian stance that we imagine society without a ruling elite, state this possibility as an intention, and then become active around advancing immediate reforms, with the longer term intention to transform society into a real democracy based on egalitarian values, where there is no rich and no poor.
The possibility that a dominating class is replaced with an actual democracy, where people inform policy and program development, is hard to imagine, but it is possible, if we set our collective minds to it.
أحسنت النشر والقول – سلام غزة و القدس عليكم - العزة والنصر حليف محورالمقاومة وحلفاءها والذلة والعار لمحور الشر وجماعة أبستين (امريكا و بريطانيا وفرنسا وتركيا والسعودية وقطر والامارات و دول الناتو والنازية الجديدة والماسونية والصهيونية و أسرائيل) وحلفاءه
It is remarkable how closely this tracks with my work - both in the theatre and teaching theatre to young people. The story, yes? How best to tell the story, how to stay true to the story...the media we have consumed from an early age, they have done an excellent job telling us a story that has nothing to do with reality. And we have lapped it up like puppies.
The most important political lesson I’ve learned in the last 20 years is that an overwhelming majority of people massively underestimate the power of propaganda.
"It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” ~Mark Twain
Agent Smith to Morpheus:
"Have you ever stood and stared at it, marvelled at its beauty, its genius? Billions of people just living out their lives, oblivious. Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered? Where everyone would be happy?
It was a disaster.
No one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost. Some believed that we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world. But I believe that as a species, human beings define their reality through misery and suffering. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this, the peak of your civilization."
If millions are born millions must die.
Question everything, including yourself!
But do I have a Self, or is that an illusion too?
The answer is in the question.
In that case, what is the question?
I was very late to a talk that Krishna Murti gave at Carnegie Hall in New York City in the 70's. For some reason (I was a dope) I sat in the seat I bought in the nose bleed section, even though there were only 100 people there. The people there looked like Indian doctors, post docs, students mostly east Indian. Someone stood up and asked what is it about the soul that survives death? Krishna Murti said, I paraphrase, I find that the answer is in the question. He felt it pointless to over explain.
Questioning is all well and good, but if one doesn't know how to think critically, randomly questioning things without adequate prerequisites can lead to believing in all kinds of narratives (including conspiracy theories, pseudo-science, etc.).
If you find a fish in the milk...
Two statements I hate to hear from people:
It’s always been that way…
There’s nothing that WE can do about it…
Bullshit and Bullshit
Historical ignorance is widespread. This was the foundation of George Orwell's 1984 state.
If things have been a certain way their entire lives then most people cannot even imagine anything that is different. As far as they are concerned things have always been and will always be like this.
It was ever thus Caitlin....Even our wisest friends and family often fall for narratives that should be just unbelievable.....
I also believe that the consciousness bug that seems to insurmountable is also paper thin. I don't know how humanity sheds it, but I can see it is absolutely possible, and very natural.
The ups and downs are frustrating: When someone who you think is working on awakening deep consciousness and greater compassion for the living world starts quaking about Russian and Chinese bots being behind everything they don't like in the West. When therapists who work with psychedelics for trauma decide they feel "unsafe" when anyone criticizes the State of Israel. When an American world traveller friend feels uncomfortable seeing Russians in Bali because they are "unaccountable" for violence their cou try commits. I'm always thinking, "How do I get you to take that last step out of this garbage programming?"
Still, I know it is possible.
"All our problems basically come down to narrative control. … the wealthiest among us control the media ... which gives them a very high degree of narrative control. They decide what stories get told to the largest audiences about how the world works, so they control public perception of reality."
. . .
Not to spoil it, but that's one of the themes of the recently released movie "Digger." Worth seeing on the big screen, Unfortunately, the movie was savaged by most critics and is losing a boat-load of money. In my opinion, it was a much better film than Nolan's over-hyped "The Odyssey" (I would also recommend seeing Ralph Fienne's take on Odysseus in the 2022 movie "The Return").
I agree, but how that is achieved is a very subtle manipulation of persuasion over many years by a media system and its reach that has only one point of control, that being us! Our population by city town and country. For we should be in control yet, we fail to understand that need!
I agree we need to tell stories that can inspire people to engage and act. Your Substack posts provide us a place to consider possibilities that are hard to imagine. You suggest a society where the ruling class is not ruling, here they have been vanquished, through an international egalitarian movement, since all of human kind, as the multitude, are in a great struggle against the ruling class.
In my ditch the rich essay, I basically advance the radical egalitarian stance that we imagine society without a ruling elite, state this possibility as an intention, and then become active around advancing immediate reforms, with the longer term intention to transform society into a real democracy based on egalitarian values, where there is no rich and no poor.
The possibility that a dominating class is replaced with an actual democracy, where people inform policy and program development, is hard to imagine, but it is possible, if we set our collective minds to it.
In any case, here is a post at my substack that has my ditch the rich essay linked in the body, but also has a link to ideas from my friend John Spritzler, who I cite in the post: https://chuckfall.substack.com/p/a-simple-proposition-lets-remove.
Spot on.
There is no spoon.
Alas, no silver spoon.
I will use my right hand.
"I am more convinced then ever that this is possible."
Agreed.
"I am more convinced than ever that it is already happening."
Optimist!
(I'm not sure if that is a criticism or a compliment.)
The optimist sees the stars, the pessimist sees the bars.
We hang together, or we hang together.
أحسنت النشر والقول – سلام غزة و القدس عليكم - العزة والنصر حليف محورالمقاومة وحلفاءها والذلة والعار لمحور الشر وجماعة أبستين (امريكا و بريطانيا وفرنسا وتركيا والسعودية وقطر والامارات و دول الناتو والنازية الجديدة والماسونية والصهيونية و أسرائيل) وحلفاءه
It is remarkable how closely this tracks with my work - both in the theatre and teaching theatre to young people. The story, yes? How best to tell the story, how to stay true to the story...the media we have consumed from an early age, they have done an excellent job telling us a story that has nothing to do with reality. And we have lapped it up like puppies.
Are Humans Being Tokenized Without Their Consent?
Eric Weinstein:
'the forces driving artificial intelligence, geopolitical collapse,
and the illusion of modern reality.'
https://youtu.be/IkhmdTqSvJw
@Soleiletlune11
"I don’t want to hear any of these talking heads
say “we”. WE, the majority of humans on the
planet just living our lives have no say in any of
this. WE screwed up Iran? WE don’t understand
China? WE made things worse with Russia- I’ve
never been to Russia, Iran or China. WE didn’t
do any of this crap. WE aren’t building a vessel
for Satan to inhabit. WE didn’t create covid. WE
didn’t start wars. WE don’t have a choice. Our
money is force-ably stolen by all of our
governments and used for evil.
All I can say is that I love my fellow humans and
have no adversarial feelings based off of
anyone’s government or country of origin. My
fellow humans, you are my sister and brothers and
I pray for your peace and safety as much as I pray
for my own family’s peace and safety. Our world
leaders are evil. But we are not. Stay strong. "
Where did they tuck that moon rover?