January 20, 2012

Awareness: Moving Beyond Fear & Ignorance

The Awareness Revolution

"Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness."
-- James Thurber

"The significant problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." -- Albert Einstein

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." -- H. L. Mencken

In modern times Sigmund Freud is credited as having introduced us to the Pleasure-Pain Principle. In essence, we tend to seek out pleasure while avoiding pain, though the pain-avoidance reflex is far and away stronger than the pleasure-seeking reflex within our physical make-up. Politicians familiar with this basic facet of our psychology tend to enjoy greater success over time in holding onto office - they do so by continually finding ways to keep us in a state of fear and reliant upon them to be led to safety. Moving to the next level of human advancement has always relied upon sufficient numbers of people being able to grow and move past the fears of the majority. This is far easier said than done, however, as we are hard-wired to follow the herd, which very few are in the end capable of resisting!

The future progress of humanity has always rested on the shoulders of the few capable of separating themselves while envisioning a future unencumbered by the fears of the herding majority. This is the main lesson to be gleaned from the insights of Einstein, Freud and other past great thinkers. We find ourselves now at another such great crossroads - a major turning point from which those who survive will emerge stronger and wiser than before. Too many will be misled by the false comfort of the herd!




Thursday, January 19, 2012 1:24



BeforeItsNews

by Zen Gardner

Let's face it. This isn't reality. It's a fleeting world of voluntary make believe only adopted by self-numbing drones too afraid to even ask questions any more.

And they do it willfully. We all do.
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Whatever any of us do is a willful act of varying degrees of acceptance or non-compliance. As the old adage goes, "Either we're part of the problem or we're part of the solution." Now apply that to all of the economic, societal, interpersonal and spiritual levels we operate on and there's where we'll find an inspiring and meaningful, or dead and conforming, life.

None of This Has To Be

There are no poor, ignorant masses. Ignorant perhaps, but not so poor they can't wake up. We all have the spiritual resources at any given time to have absolutely thrilling and fulfilling lives.
The point is we choose our reality, even if one's imposed on us. If it's comfy cozy enough, the rut fits OK, or people are sufficiently intimidated and allow themselves to be dis-empowered, most will actually be happy to trudge through their assigned trench rather than stick their heads up even for a moment to wonder where they're going and why they're doing what they're doing.
Oddly enough.

And this apparent propensity for illusion rather than reality gets a lot of help.  By whom? Not just those addicted to a sleepy "don't rock the boat" way of life, but this tendency lays humanity wide open for conquest. Some smarty pants power pushers seem to know about this inclination to trust and follow rather than exercise discernment, critical thought and independent behavior.

And heck, like any good discovery or invention, or as the ravenous fascio-corporotist system teaches....let's take advantage of it and stick it to 'em.

The Weaponization of Ignorance:

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