"These systems of competition give rise to inequality, exploitation, poverty, injustice, oligarchy, violence, war, tyranny, and ecocide."
The capitalist system isn't "broke" and needs fixing. It's fixed and needs to be broken open! It's working the way it was designed and need to be shut down for good--stop believing the lies and listen to the truth you hear deep inside yourself.
It's not the capitalist system. Nothing wrong with honest barter. It's the corporate system - limited liability corporations cannot coexist with healthy cultures. We cannot have both...
Barter is not capitalism. Barter is when you trade your chocolate chip cookie with the kid next to you for a vanilla wafer in kindergarten. Barter exists in all economic systems.
Putting a price tag on human lives and allowing a tiny handful to make huge profits off the vast majority of working class humans when they're sick or injured is capitalism. It's why it must end or else we will all end. That level of sociopathy and inhumanity cannot be tolerated forever.
Thank you. This is at the core of every philosophy including the message of the mystics Jesus belonged to during his time on earth. How awful that humans have corrupted these messages and turned them into religions used to further separate us. I do have hope as well that one day, l not too distant, we will realize the insanity of it all and rebel against those who would keep us asleep. It’s about power and control and accumulating wealth. Hopefully they realize if we’re all dead it won’t benefit them in the least. Thank you.
The Nazarenes (Nazareth was not a place until considerably later, "Jesus of Nazareth" is a mistranslation); and the Essenes.
The former did not cut their hair, and were at least partly Nature worshippers, the latter were followers of the intellectual and magical Mystical Qabbalah.
Put those two elements together, and you have a lot of Early Christianity. Throw in the Ebionites, and you largely have the whole picture. Minus the female disciples, and Magdelene being a term denoting spiritual priestess of the local Pagan pantheisms.
The area at the actual time is not at all as Holywood shows it to be.
This article seems to indicate that Nazareth, at least, existed in Jesus’ time.
The magical mystical Kabbala seems not to have acquired any historical prominence until the 12th century (AD) with its inventors and adherents claiming its authenticity from, in some cases, biblical texts recorded thousands of years prior to that. The notion that Nazareth’s historical, archeological existence was cut and pasted a few years backwards (as you say) is utterly dwarfed by the degree of mental gymnastics required to accept that Jesus somehow belonged to a mystical sect that actually didn’t really exist as a thing until 1200 years later.
I’ve had long hair and been a nature lover all my life. I’m 72. No one to my knowledge has referred to me or any of my similarly disposed mates as Nazarenes.
(Divine Origins: The term “nature” finds resonance with the Egyptian hieroglyph “ntr” (pronounced 'net-ture'), symbolizing spirit, or God as the Creator. This interpretation paints “nature” not just as a physical realm but as a manifestation of the divine. 22 Aug 2023
“Little information exists on the Ebionites, and the surviving accounts are subject to considerable debate, since they are uniformly derived from the Ebionites’ opponents. The first mention of the sect is in the works of the Christian theologian St. Irenaeus, notably in his Adversus haereses (Against Heresies; c. 180); other sources include the writings of Origen and St. Epiphanius of Constantia. The Ebionite movement may have arisen about the time of the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem (AD 70). Its members evidently left Palestine to avoid persecution and settled in Transjordan (notably at Pella) and Syria and were later known to be in Asia Minor and Egypt. The sect seems to have existed into the 4th century.”
Once again, you have Jesus magically, miraculously existing some decades after his death as a member of this albeit, apparently heretical sect.
I read somewhere quite recently that the term Ebionite is derived from the old Hebrew word for ‘poor’.
(Jesus did, according to legend, resonate strongly with the poor of his time.)
As for Mary Magdalene ….
She could be one or even all of many ancient goddesses, apparently, who somehow and for no clear reason dipped into an early 1st century ‘narrative’ that has, according to you, no physical place of origin and no secure, consistent place in history. As far as the gospels go she had very little to say which doesn’t add a lot of credibility to her almost omnipotent status as ‘the goddess’. Given such divine origins she would surely not feel duty bound to say so little?
Interesting on Nazareth, clearly scholarship has changed on that.
Regarding the Qabbalah, as it is the only exigent mystical tradition that ties together the Astrological symbols (The oldest symbols in the World outside of China), the tarot cards, and ancient Hebrew, it is most unlikely to have been birthed in the 12th century. Unless all of those elements just coincidentally... coincided.
There is no more reason to call you a Nazarene as a Druid; unless of course you follow those particular faiths personally.
A Magdelene would probably have been as highly offended at you calling her The Goddess as Jesus would have from being called The God. Despite what idiotic Christians might think.
The Ebionites favourite Gospel would probably have survived had the Roman scum not decided to wipe out all reference of Jesus being a normal human for their own neferious ends. And what a different picture would have emerged then. One without most of the miracles, a very Jewish Jesus who strongly believed in foreskin removal, and no pig products.
There would be less Christians today, of that we can be sure. Same as if Christianity hadn't been 'spread by the sword' - a rather odd behaviour for a religion supposedly created by a pacifist, to be sure.
I had just made a stupid mistake on a project I'd been working on all day, ruining it, so when I logged on my patience was extremely short. Overnight, I came to realise that the mistake could be possibly weaved back in, and that I'd replied rudely to you, my apologies.
This is clearly why my salvation is ongoing immersion in stories about natural communities, particularly the inseparability of those mutualistic species that can't do without each other. It's a good thing to occasionally ponder your gut bacteria, maybe whisper a thank you for the connectedness -- you're pretty much toast without them. Silly? Not if you use it to remember that the lessons in Nature are not really those of separation.
Tooth and claw: that's more human construct separation BS as well.
From my perspective, my perception of humanity has taken several steps backwards. I never thought, even for a moment, that I would one day read that a soldier had shot a child in the head, and smiled about it. What is even more incredible is that our species has allowed this to happen. There are no words, but if anyone has any, all my senses await as my connections to the human species are slipping away.
Agree John. Caitlin is being a tad too optimistic, IMHO. I don’t believe what is euphemistically called “humanity” will ever recover from its murderous impulses.
No exaggeration: I hate humans (present company excepted!) My fervent wish is that a virus will appear that will wipe out humanity but leave the other-than-humans intact.
I’m less hopeful. I fear that the ability to think for ourselves has been trained out of far too many of us by an ‘education’ system predicated on the production of mindless drones. I think we’re so far down the road to the ‘Brave New World’ that Aldous Huxley warned of (or a version of it) that we no longer have the capacity to imagine our way back (at least not as a collective)
Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I am, because the alternative is the imminent collapse of human civilisation, and the descent into barbarism; a constant struggle to survive in a world whose ability to sustain us we have destroyed. But everywhere I turn - even smong the supposedly intelligent people I work with - I see people who’re incapable of thinking beyond the headlines & talking points they’re spoon-fed by a media utterly dedicated to preserving the status quo; incapable of seeing beyond the prejudice & hatred they’ve been indoctrinated with; incapable of imagining a better world as anything other than an impossible-to-achieve utopia; so fixated on the trivia mass-produced to distract them that they’re lacking even the basic curiosity required to understand the world around them and see as it really is.
Jasmine, I don't know how much you've traveled, but before you think things can't be other than they are, consider that your reference is the society in which you live. China and Russia particularly are not this way. Putin brought 70 million people out of poverty and into the middle class since he's been in office. China has brought 800 million out of poverty. In both countries, there's no homelessness, no unemployment, no dirty cities and the citizens respect, and even love their leaders. Not every country functions like the US and Israel, beating people into the ground and stomping on them. Living in Spain is better, even though it's in Europe (they just prevented a shipment of bombs going to Israel for the genocide; the US wants to punish Spain), Cuba and anywhere there's socialistic leaders who work to improve the lives of citizens, is preferable. The US is barbaric and I look forward to its fall, as all empires do eventually.
Thanks, again, Caitlin, for your insightful thinking.
Well, Jasmine, I’m afraid that I deeply share your pessimism - for the reasons which you have stated. I consider what is required to reverse our dire circumstances in terms of POTENTIAL solutions. Hypotheticals. Out of desperation. And because I find it difficult to confess or suggest out loud that, practically speaking, we have already stepped over a cliff from which there is no return - socially, politically, environmentally, climatically. Wishing that I’m mistaken…….
When necessary, I prefer to point it out by asking them if there are any competing laws of physics. That usually gets the old ego gears to lock up for a second.
Everything follows one order. Taken to its natural conclusion... There's no subjective life you/me/any of us haven't lived.
Caitlin, you are always inspirational! How we unite as a species is indeed a mountain to climb. It must begin with the politics of Marx. We must all be united in using our knowledge collectively for greater good and not exploitation. The greed is good creed needs to die a quick death to allow collectivism to flourish.
When the drums beat, the jungle trembles, man’s eyes go red with fear and anger, never he minds to pause and realize, it is thunder. He is away, to his infernal loss.
Caitlin, you speak convincingly of a very real, urgent and profound truth. These very intentionally manufactured and perpetuated "hallucinations of separation" have, as you suggest, been the basis of human history's insane, psychotic, suicidal and painful descent into the dystopian suffering that we continue to experience. The difficult struggle for human enlightenment is undoubtedly our only path to survival and the attainment of a just and sane world. This is the most important message of our time.
It's always been the most important message of any time.
But finding a vehicle to carry that message that won't corrupt it, that others will trust and listen to until they find it for themselves... well, there's the work.
I come at this from a completely opposite perspective: we are far less alike than we believe we are. First there's our overall worldview, which determines whether we're focused on avoiding threats or approaching rewards (the main thing the brain is focused on). Our worldview is either static or dynamic. A static worldview leads people to believe in an underlying order (so there is always a "right" or "correct" answer or action and there's no flexibility or innovation or creativity involved).
A dynamic worldview leads people to recognize that contingency, nor order, is the norm. Based on physics, we know that everything everywhere is in motion all the time, everything is a process, and everything is an interpretation. That means the static worldview is at odds with reality--and in fact finds reality threatening. Furthermore, people with a static worldview tend to believe in the just world fallacy, which says the world is inherently fair, people get what they deserve, and nothing needs to be done. It'll all work out in the end. A vast majority of people hold a static worldview. They will not take social action. No matter what.
I am disturbed by discussions that minimize the differences between people because I firmly believe that is going to lead to the downfall of the species. It's something "humanity" is up against and doesn't even see it. People who are focused on the future and believe they can impact or influence outcomes are in the minority--and while some of that propensity to one worldview or another may be affected by experience, most of it is, in fact, genetics.
That said, I love and appreciate your relentlessness in what you do. Thank you!!
As to "togetherness," I am moved to relate this: I received yesterday a year-turnover greeting card from an elegant, wonderful lady Muslim friend of 20-plus years. The inscription on the front of the card is perhaps the most elegant prose/poetry of the sort I've ever encountered, and it seems to "fit" here:
"May you find peace in the rhythm of the turning year ... and calm in the quiet of the longest night."
"These systems of competition give rise to inequality, exploitation, poverty, injustice, oligarchy, violence, war, tyranny, and ecocide."
The capitalist system isn't "broke" and needs fixing. It's fixed and needs to be broken open! It's working the way it was designed and need to be shut down for good--stop believing the lies and listen to the truth you hear deep inside yourself.
Well said TRC! Agree completely!
It's not the capitalist system. Nothing wrong with honest barter. It's the corporate system - limited liability corporations cannot coexist with healthy cultures. We cannot have both...
Barter is not capitalism. Barter is when you trade your chocolate chip cookie with the kid next to you for a vanilla wafer in kindergarten. Barter exists in all economic systems.
Putting a price tag on human lives and allowing a tiny handful to make huge profits off the vast majority of working class humans when they're sick or injured is capitalism. It's why it must end or else we will all end. That level of sociopathy and inhumanity cannot be tolerated forever.
In just one word The US Dollar is the real weapon of MD aka Mass Destruction !!!!!!
Thank you. This is at the core of every philosophy including the message of the mystics Jesus belonged to during his time on earth. How awful that humans have corrupted these messages and turned them into religions used to further separate us. I do have hope as well that one day, l not too distant, we will realize the insanity of it all and rebel against those who would keep us asleep. It’s about power and control and accumulating wealth. Hopefully they realize if we’re all dead it won’t benefit them in the least. Thank you.
Interesting. Who were ‘the mystics Jesus belonged to during his time on Earth’ please?
The Nazarenes (Nazareth was not a place until considerably later, "Jesus of Nazareth" is a mistranslation); and the Essenes.
The former did not cut their hair, and were at least partly Nature worshippers, the latter were followers of the intellectual and magical Mystical Qabbalah.
Put those two elements together, and you have a lot of Early Christianity. Throw in the Ebionites, and you largely have the whole picture. Minus the female disciples, and Magdelene being a term denoting spiritual priestess of the local Pagan pantheisms.
The area at the actual time is not at all as Holywood shows it to be.
Thanks!
https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2018/08/09/did-first-century-nazareth-exist/
This article seems to indicate that Nazareth, at least, existed in Jesus’ time.
The magical mystical Kabbala seems not to have acquired any historical prominence until the 12th century (AD) with its inventors and adherents claiming its authenticity from, in some cases, biblical texts recorded thousands of years prior to that. The notion that Nazareth’s historical, archeological existence was cut and pasted a few years backwards (as you say) is utterly dwarfed by the degree of mental gymnastics required to accept that Jesus somehow belonged to a mystical sect that actually didn’t really exist as a thing until 1200 years later.
I’ve had long hair and been a nature lover all my life. I’m 72. No one to my knowledge has referred to me or any of my similarly disposed mates as Nazarenes.
(Divine Origins: The term “nature” finds resonance with the Egyptian hieroglyph “ntr” (pronounced 'net-ture'), symbolizing spirit, or God as the Creator. This interpretation paints “nature” not just as a physical realm but as a manifestation of the divine. 22 Aug 2023
https://ne0spath.medium.com › l-r)
(From Brittanica.)
“Little information exists on the Ebionites, and the surviving accounts are subject to considerable debate, since they are uniformly derived from the Ebionites’ opponents. The first mention of the sect is in the works of the Christian theologian St. Irenaeus, notably in his Adversus haereses (Against Heresies; c. 180); other sources include the writings of Origen and St. Epiphanius of Constantia. The Ebionite movement may have arisen about the time of the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem (AD 70). Its members evidently left Palestine to avoid persecution and settled in Transjordan (notably at Pella) and Syria and were later known to be in Asia Minor and Egypt. The sect seems to have existed into the 4th century.”
Once again, you have Jesus magically, miraculously existing some decades after his death as a member of this albeit, apparently heretical sect.
I read somewhere quite recently that the term Ebionite is derived from the old Hebrew word for ‘poor’.
(Jesus did, according to legend, resonate strongly with the poor of his time.)
As for Mary Magdalene ….
She could be one or even all of many ancient goddesses, apparently, who somehow and for no clear reason dipped into an early 1st century ‘narrative’ that has, according to you, no physical place of origin and no secure, consistent place in history. As far as the gospels go she had very little to say which doesn’t add a lot of credibility to her almost omnipotent status as ‘the goddess’. Given such divine origins she would surely not feel duty bound to say so little?
Anyhow, thanks for engaging.
Take care.
Interesting on Nazareth, clearly scholarship has changed on that.
Regarding the Qabbalah, as it is the only exigent mystical tradition that ties together the Astrological symbols (The oldest symbols in the World outside of China), the tarot cards, and ancient Hebrew, it is most unlikely to have been birthed in the 12th century. Unless all of those elements just coincidentally... coincided.
There is no more reason to call you a Nazarene as a Druid; unless of course you follow those particular faiths personally.
A Magdelene would probably have been as highly offended at you calling her The Goddess as Jesus would have from being called The God. Despite what idiotic Christians might think.
The Ebionites favourite Gospel would probably have survived had the Roman scum not decided to wipe out all reference of Jesus being a normal human for their own neferious ends. And what a different picture would have emerged then. One without most of the miracles, a very Jewish Jesus who strongly believed in foreskin removal, and no pig products.
There would be less Christians today, of that we can be sure. Same as if Christianity hadn't been 'spread by the sword' - a rather odd behaviour for a religion supposedly created by a pacifist, to be sure.
Ok. Thanks.
I had just made a stupid mistake on a project I'd been working on all day, ruining it, so when I logged on my patience was extremely short. Overnight, I came to realise that the mistake could be possibly weaved back in, and that I'd replied rudely to you, my apologies.
*sits on the Catalyst picking his teeth*
Gonna need a groundswell of enlightenment to thread these needles...
This is clearly why my salvation is ongoing immersion in stories about natural communities, particularly the inseparability of those mutualistic species that can't do without each other. It's a good thing to occasionally ponder your gut bacteria, maybe whisper a thank you for the connectedness -- you're pretty much toast without them. Silly? Not if you use it to remember that the lessons in Nature are not really those of separation.
Tooth and claw: that's more human construct separation BS as well.
You join a considerable line of wise-people, Catelin.
I think connection is what we yearn for, even though in many ways we already are connected.
Thanks for posting, Caitlin.
From my perspective, my perception of humanity has taken several steps backwards. I never thought, even for a moment, that I would one day read that a soldier had shot a child in the head, and smiled about it. What is even more incredible is that our species has allowed this to happen. There are no words, but if anyone has any, all my senses await as my connections to the human species are slipping away.
“as my connections……” etc. Mine too……as I fear the task is just too great…..
Agree John. Caitlin is being a tad too optimistic, IMHO. I don’t believe what is euphemistically called “humanity” will ever recover from its murderous impulses.
No exaggeration: I hate humans (present company excepted!) My fervent wish is that a virus will appear that will wipe out humanity but leave the other-than-humans intact.
Peaceful world.
Hope that we can evolve from competition to collaboration ❤️
I’m less hopeful. I fear that the ability to think for ourselves has been trained out of far too many of us by an ‘education’ system predicated on the production of mindless drones. I think we’re so far down the road to the ‘Brave New World’ that Aldous Huxley warned of (or a version of it) that we no longer have the capacity to imagine our way back (at least not as a collective)
Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I am, because the alternative is the imminent collapse of human civilisation, and the descent into barbarism; a constant struggle to survive in a world whose ability to sustain us we have destroyed. But everywhere I turn - even smong the supposedly intelligent people I work with - I see people who’re incapable of thinking beyond the headlines & talking points they’re spoon-fed by a media utterly dedicated to preserving the status quo; incapable of seeing beyond the prejudice & hatred they’ve been indoctrinated with; incapable of imagining a better world as anything other than an impossible-to-achieve utopia; so fixated on the trivia mass-produced to distract them that they’re lacking even the basic curiosity required to understand the world around them and see as it really is.
Jasmine, I don't know how much you've traveled, but before you think things can't be other than they are, consider that your reference is the society in which you live. China and Russia particularly are not this way. Putin brought 70 million people out of poverty and into the middle class since he's been in office. China has brought 800 million out of poverty. In both countries, there's no homelessness, no unemployment, no dirty cities and the citizens respect, and even love their leaders. Not every country functions like the US and Israel, beating people into the ground and stomping on them. Living in Spain is better, even though it's in Europe (they just prevented a shipment of bombs going to Israel for the genocide; the US wants to punish Spain), Cuba and anywhere there's socialistic leaders who work to improve the lives of citizens, is preferable. The US is barbaric and I look forward to its fall, as all empires do eventually.
Thanks, again, Caitlin, for your insightful thinking.
Well, Jasmine, I’m afraid that I deeply share your pessimism - for the reasons which you have stated. I consider what is required to reverse our dire circumstances in terms of POTENTIAL solutions. Hypotheticals. Out of desperation. And because I find it difficult to confess or suggest out loud that, practically speaking, we have already stepped over a cliff from which there is no return - socially, politically, environmentally, climatically. Wishing that I’m mistaken…….
👏👏 Well said!
Compliments on an extremely insightful and articulate commentary.
Thank you so much, Caitlin. You speak from and for the heart of humanity.
All very true. We all come from the same cosmos, and all are part of the same cosmos.
When necessary, I prefer to point it out by asking them if there are any competing laws of physics. That usually gets the old ego gears to lock up for a second.
Everything follows one order. Taken to its natural conclusion... There's no subjective life you/me/any of us haven't lived.
But that's a discussion for another venue.
Caitlin, you are always inspirational! How we unite as a species is indeed a mountain to climb. It must begin with the politics of Marx. We must all be united in using our knowledge collectively for greater good and not exploitation. The greed is good creed needs to die a quick death to allow collectivism to flourish.
kosmic Debris, Excellent! Greater good and not exploitation equals harmony. Greed, hatred and delusion is what capitalism is.
When the drums beat, the jungle trembles, man’s eyes go red with fear and anger, never he minds to pause and realize, it is thunder. He is away, to his infernal loss.
Instead we are monkeys with machine guns.
I always thought of W Bush as a chimpanzee driving an enormous bulldozer.
(not so) great apes. the ruling apes are very acutely aware of this and if we want to 'rule' ourselves, we should acquire this awareness too, imo.
Caitlin, you speak convincingly of a very real, urgent and profound truth. These very intentionally manufactured and perpetuated "hallucinations of separation" have, as you suggest, been the basis of human history's insane, psychotic, suicidal and painful descent into the dystopian suffering that we continue to experience. The difficult struggle for human enlightenment is undoubtedly our only path to survival and the attainment of a just and sane world. This is the most important message of our time.
It's always been the most important message of any time.
But finding a vehicle to carry that message that won't corrupt it, that others will trust and listen to until they find it for themselves... well, there's the work.
Oh, so absolutely true and well said!
I come at this from a completely opposite perspective: we are far less alike than we believe we are. First there's our overall worldview, which determines whether we're focused on avoiding threats or approaching rewards (the main thing the brain is focused on). Our worldview is either static or dynamic. A static worldview leads people to believe in an underlying order (so there is always a "right" or "correct" answer or action and there's no flexibility or innovation or creativity involved).
A dynamic worldview leads people to recognize that contingency, nor order, is the norm. Based on physics, we know that everything everywhere is in motion all the time, everything is a process, and everything is an interpretation. That means the static worldview is at odds with reality--and in fact finds reality threatening. Furthermore, people with a static worldview tend to believe in the just world fallacy, which says the world is inherently fair, people get what they deserve, and nothing needs to be done. It'll all work out in the end. A vast majority of people hold a static worldview. They will not take social action. No matter what.
I am disturbed by discussions that minimize the differences between people because I firmly believe that is going to lead to the downfall of the species. It's something "humanity" is up against and doesn't even see it. People who are focused on the future and believe they can impact or influence outcomes are in the minority--and while some of that propensity to one worldview or another may be affected by experience, most of it is, in fact, genetics.
That said, I love and appreciate your relentlessness in what you do. Thank you!!
A great rumination, Caitlin. Thank you.
As to "togetherness," I am moved to relate this: I received yesterday a year-turnover greeting card from an elegant, wonderful lady Muslim friend of 20-plus years. The inscription on the front of the card is perhaps the most elegant prose/poetry of the sort I've ever encountered, and it seems to "fit" here:
"May you find peace in the rhythm of the turning year ... and calm in the quiet of the longest night."