You and Ariel had a powerful exchange and I’m gobsmacked that it didn’t lead to a positive ripple effect. In war, the pacifists gate hated on from both sides.
I know it my bones that if the people of the Middle East can reconcile, it will be the greatest achievement in our common evolution as a civilization. The solution to that conflict will be the model for any conflict thereafter. We simply need to turn away from war. War. Such a short word. Only three letters and yet a destructive open chasm of a wound that swallows life whole or in part, but whatever it spits out remains hallow anyway. War read backwards is raw. A raw suffering. Thank you for including me in this powerful post. Grateful for you Margaret.
The mistake all people have made, throughout time and throughout the world, has been to demand to be led, to welcome and glorify leaders and follow them.
To follow leadership is the betray yourself, to surrender and abandon your own power, independence and initiative.
Most leaders turn out to be sociopaths, because it takes a certain amount of ruthlessness to rise to the top. The most gentle, empathic, sensitive, generous, principled and loving people are not found there. What you will find at the top are hardened hearts and subdued consciences.
Power does not corrupt. Power is corruption.
There is no abuse of authority. Authority is abuse.
Stop asking to be led and you might have a chance to finally be free, to live dignified lives and to re-humanize the world.
"Stop asking to be led and you might have a chance to finally be free, to live dignified lives and to re-humanize the world."
The reality appears that most adhere to established ethics.
It is the 'authoritarians' the government, doctors, pharmacists, nurses, Medical Councils, institutions, bureaucrats, business, corporates and all churches who now manifest as the evil co-opted tools of faceless, unelected/unelectable supra-national entities. This degree of pernicious, Satanic, widespread subversion requires a titanic act of global transcendence, where conceivably social license is revoked and submission to governance is withdrawn. Perhaps then, we can rebuild humanity in such transcendence?
Thanks for your comment DrLatusDextro, and the link. My perspective is limited by the fact that I would never attempt to solve the world problems, but would rather figure out how to personally navigate a problematic world.
My experience has been that most people adhere to established ethics as long as they are not given any form of power or authority. In other words they adhere to such ethics because they are induced or occasionally forced to do so, being underlings.
As soon as, however, they are given any power, or access any form of authority and rise to a position of control, many people tend to abuse it, especially if they are rather mediocre individuals - such as are most bureaucrats - and can only experience an increase in self-worth by pushing and keeping other people down, by standing above them and exerting some pressure on them, or erecting obstacles for them and countless hoops to jump through.
In a competitive and hierarchical social system, it is inevitable that some people will be on top and others will be at the bottom, which completely nullifies the concept of equality and reveals it to be a fiction. An employee is not equal to his or her boss in terms of power and authority. A citizen is not equal to a government or even a single bureaucrat or politician. The sheep is not equal to the shepherd.
Authority (which the law and thousands of obscure and ever expanding rules and regulations represent) and power are, in my view, subversions of the natural order, which is not meant to be hierarchical and coercive but cooperative and based on voluntarism, according to spiritual laws.
However humanity has, for thousands of years, been thoroughly conditioned to believe that some special individuals are predestined to leads and most people are destined to follow. It has been trained to believe in hierarchy, and that without it, chaos would ensue. This is false, but it is one of the most stubbornly held beliefs humanity has ever had, even to the point of imagining that there is also a hierarchy in the spiritual realm.
I am not one to tell humanity how it should live, as I do respect free will. I however know how I want to live, and that is under my own power and authority and according to natural and spiritual principles.
Raphael, my experience echoes your observations, and indeed are epitomised by one business axiom, "people rise to the level of their incompetence." Couple this with a soupçon of power, and many individuals will exercise their trivial authority to its fullest and most ruthless extent. Thus is born the atrocities committed by the mild mannered, innocuous bureaucrat or ineffectual politician.
There exist inspired leaders and I consider that we often benefit and are helped by such individuals. I can point to a few but I accept they are indeed historically few in number.
It is clear that trading platforms built necessarily on trust and co-operation function well. The co-operation provides reasonably effective self-policing and "outliers" are quickly identified and labelled or shunned, identified as individuals or entities undermining the principles of co-operation in order to control.
I agree wholeheartedly with the statement you made: "Stop asking to be led and you might have a chance to finally be free, to live dignified lives and to re humanize the world." The assault by authorities in New Zealand (and elsewhere) relied on coercion and a dystopian amplification by State psy-op (nudge) units to influence and control public reflexes. The narrative was fixed, repeated and expanded.
The truly Machiavellian Yale study (Persuasive messaging to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake intentions; James EK, et al. Vaccine 39 (2021) 7158–7165) is one of the most perniciously designed studies ever undertaken to validate the means by which [social] influence may be applied. The study authors highlighted its limitations as follows:
"The experiments presented here are not without limitations. First, we measured intentions to vaccinate at a time when a vaccine was not currently available and the effectiveness and side effects of potential vaccines were not known. This also meant that we could not observe actual vaccination behavior, which is ultimately the outcome of interest."
If people can rediscover their social license, and their spleen, and no longer submit mindlessly to coercive governance, then, they may indeed "....have a chance to finally be free, to live dignified lives and to re-humanize the world."
I agree with you, and I am baffled by the ease with which populations are manipulated and controlled by sociopaths. But, in my view, this comes from conditioning, specifically being trained early in childhood to "respect" authority, which becomes a Pavlovian reflex for many and causes them to blindly obey.
The governmental response to the "pandemic" was a huge power grab (the very rich certainly got much richer while many small businesses vanished) as well as a revolting psyop, a global and horrific experiment in extreme and grotesque control and compliance, most of the mandates being obviously irrational and absurd. It was as if the "authorities" wanted to see how we, the people, would respond to ridiculous commands and how high we would jump when ordered to do so and for no valid reasons. And sadly, from their perspective, it was a resounding success.
Nothing that the "authorities" do surprises me, unfortunately, because I expect it. Individuals who rise to positions of power and control do so, most frequently, not to serve humanity but because they want power and control. These are easily identifiable because they have nothing to offer, no actual talent, no real intelligence, no virtues such as honesty...all they have are ruthless ambition and an oversized ego, and they act accordingly.
There is a Taoist concept which expresses that the truly valuable "leader" leads not from the front and above but from below and behind. In other world he or she eschews control and dominance and is more of a humble counselor than an authority, and when leading, she or he leads by example to inspire, without even trying but by living a remarkable life, rather than by using force.
First, let me begin by stating that we are all entitled to our own opinions. We do not have to agree, and a disagreement on this topic has nothing to do with being correct or incorrect, but on how we prefer to live our own lives.
If it were possible, I would prefer to live without governance. I am perfectly capable of governing myself. But the choice to do so was completely eliminated from humanity long ago in the name of nation-building, and is being eliminated ever more today in the name of globalism and ultimately implementing a one world control system. So we do not have a choice to be truly free and independent, as we are forced to live within and under a system we had no part in creating, a system we have the misfortune of being born into. I would have rather been born in the wilderness, personally.
Authority is proven to rely ultimately on force, on violence. It violates free will by definition. It is never “benevolent” but paternalistic at best and always punishingly violent when you challenge it, regardless of whether you live in a democracy or an authoritarian system. Wherever there is authority, there is implied coercion, and the only freedom you have is the “freedom to obey”, to be compliant, or else.
The idea of a “just cause” is also a huge problem, because all abuses of authority are perpetuated under the pretense of “just cause”, such as the tyranny unleashed during the “pandemic”, or the unconstitutional abuses allowed by the patriot act. There is always a “just cause” lying around to be picked up but those who are given authority over a population and end up acting against its will, for its “own good and safety”, or in the name of “national security”.
So in my view, there is no legitimate authority. There is no legitimate power either. All power is about dominance. It is meant to subjugate, to stand over someone, and it also fundamentally relies on force, on violence to assert and protect itself. Challenge power and you will uncover its true nasty nature.
In order for dominant power to exist, your submission is required. One cannot be without the other. The alpha cannot exist without the beta, anymore than high can exist without low. To live in submission is not living. Beside being very undignified and rather shameful, it opposes spiritual principles, which are meant to emancipate you, not diminish you, not keep you on your knees.
There are no good shepherds. All shepherds ultimately teach the sheep to be irresponsible, that is to say to have to be told what to do and not to do, where to go or not, how to live and eventually what to think and feel, as might very young children.
People who haven’t been allowed to find their own way and to learn according to natural law by making their own mistakes do not mature. They remain infantile and therefore cannot ever take responsibility for their actions, because when you are told how to live your life, you are no longer accountable, nothing is your fault, because “you were told…”
But then again, we are all different and have to live with the consequences of our beliefs and actions. I would rather be free than living under anyone or anything. If the Creator himself does not impose his will on anyone, does not exercise any kind of authority or power on anyone or anything in this physical life, no human being has any right to do so, and all who do trespass and violate spiritual laws.
Thank you, Raphael, for this beautiful example of how to lovingly express differing viewpoints as well as these compelling arguments echoing those that led me to become an accidental anarchist:
Liked with a hedge which may hinge on conversationally provisional definitions. In a comment to Margaret, I just chimed in about an underrated movie which brings to life what her essay says so well. In that respect, I guess all problem-solving projects ... whether it be making a movie, building a bridge, or performing life-saving surgery ... require some collaboration and authoritative leadership skills. So by that definition, I am not against authority per se ... but against a subset, distortion, and misappropriation of authority as power over others for self-serving purposes.
Steve, I think we might want to first define the word authority in order to communicate more clearly. When discussing authority, I do not mean “authoritative knowledge” or any skill. I mean coercion, such as the inherent coercion of the law which is meant to keep people in line.
It is likely that some people need to be forced to behave properly, and that without the force and implied violence of the law they would go wild and be destructive.
I am however not a part of this irresponsible crowd. I do not need to be told what to do or not to do by any authority because I am a responsible adult, and would rather live free and peacefully than be part of the herd that is indeed treated like livestock by the authorities, because people who rise above and dominate humanity inevitably lose respect for such a submissive and all too often easily corralled and exploited, manipulated and fooled humanity.
There in a very fine line between authority and bullying powers, which is frequently made invisible because authority implies coercion, just as the law implies a fear of punishment. And it is, or should be understood, that bullies never respect their victims because they only understand and respect force.
Do not, then, expect to be respected by your leaders, unless you regain or maintain the power to constantly and vigilantly hold them accountable at every moment while they are increasingly acting secretively and grant themselves ever more immunity.
That sounds exhausting to me…
It is one thing to have individuals who serve you, which is what government is meant to be in theory. It is another to have leaders, which is what happens in practical terms and leads to all forms of abuse.
If full agreement Raphael ... both with your pointing out the importance of definitions (I kind of like that logical positivist thingy — 'the clarification of a proposition is its verification') and your social-psychological analysis.
As a permanent outsider observing Japan from the inside, I don't know whether to laugh or cry at human nature. The politicians over here are so blatantly cringy in playing their role as wanna-be 'public servants'. For example, they have a custom of wearing white gloves while campaigning and waving to the public to signify their purity ... or displaying a feather in their jacket lapel to indicate their most recent virtue-signaling philanthropath donation. But once elected and in power, they immediately step into their roles in a ruthlessly sociopathic zero-sum game-of-thrones. No longer necessary to feign acts of shame, remorse, or compassion —kabuki at its worst.
What's frustrating is that quite a few of the population know its a rigged show and rotten-to-the-core. But Japan Inc. has most of the population so institutionalized and so dependent on authority just to pay the rent and buy groceries, there is little they can do about it.
Still, it is hard to get whole communities to see that William Blake thingy ... "to see the world in a grain of sand".
Even small communities, like families, often exist on a delicate edge, capable of collapse at any time simply due to the friction of neurotypical personality differences ... or worse, be infiltrated and corrupted by naively self-interested sociopathic behavior. Despite a popular veneer of Japanese exceptionalism, the Anna Karenina Principle appears to be universal, alive, and festering here. Meh. Human. All too human.
Cheers from Japan Raphael, and thanks for the opportunity to peer another inch deeper into the rabbit hole.
One of the key to controlling populations, for governments and the sociopathic elites that own them, is indeed dependence. History demonstrates that many people were conquered only after they were made to lose their innate independence, such as access to their traditional source of food, as did Native Americans for example.
And the key to freedom from such overbearing control is the opposite, independence, which can be achieved by depending more on the natural world (such as growing your own food and living off-grid while it is still allowed) and less on society.
This is impossible to do in cities, which is why the powers-that-shouldn't-be want us corralled in "smart cities" and away from rural areas, as alienated from the natural world as possible, mentally and physically.
In my view, relative unity within families and communities is destroyed when pressure is exercised from the top and the outside. This is often done by design, as history also demonstrates, in order to divide and conquer, or divide and control. The pandemic response was a case in point, which fractured many families and society at large.
Humanity is not perfect and has many universal faults. But clever sociopathic elements exploit these faults, these weaknesses to their advantages, as do all predators and parasites.
We have laws with just cause, to stop people from harming others.
We need legitimate power and authority to enforce those laws for the common good.
You seem to want to live in a world where personal sovereignty is absolute regardless.
So we are all responsible to protect ourselves?
Good luck with that!
Sounds like a human jungle to me.
In my world there is legitimate power and authority operating for the common good.
The One, good parents, elders and leaders, all exercise legitimate authority.
All authority and power are not based upon coercion, force and violence.
There are good leaders and bad leaders.
I am free to follow or take my own path, for whatever reasons I choose.
I am not necessarily a deficient or an inert if I choose to follow a good leader.
Good leaders do not necessarily encourage people to be dependent and submissive.
Good leaders encourage and enable maturity, responsibility and autonomy.
Trashing “paternalism” regardless is just a destructive strategy, designed to undermine faith in legitimate power and authority.
All paternal leadership is not evil, any more than any other leadership is!
Trash paternalism and raise the sullied flag of feminism!
The fact that the One does not usually zap bad players, does not mean we cannot stop them from harming others if possible.
The systems we live under may be exercising illegitimate power and authority, but we are still free to choose legitimate power and authority regardless.
The Self is the only legitimate source of power and authority. And yes, while people are certainly free to choose to be dominated by others, they should also be free to view themselves as sovereign beings carrying a divine spark, who can refuse unjust authority and author their own reality at will. Most forms of authority in our fallen realm are, at their root, based on violence. Even if they don’t appear to be that way, it is so. What happens to you if you disagree with how your taxes are spent, because you do not wish to see small children turned into fish food by GPS-guided bombs, and you refuse to pay? The soft nudge of the law transforms into the violence of the lawman as he drags you away.
Yes but it is what we DO with this knowledge what counts!
Kicking tin cans around to see how much noise we can make; engaging in information wars to see who can take the hill first and hold it for the longest; slinging mud around at each other, governments full of criminals and criminally negligent actors, or the mafias who break all the rules of principled conduct; does not help.
We need effective action plans.
We need to do our best to bring Goliath down.
We need to make the best plans we can to survive if we fail.
The Danish people saw the writing on the wall and made extensive plans well before the hammer fell.
Apparently they got almost all their Jewish citizens safely to Sweden, not without cost.
If we are all "sovereign beings carrying a divine spark", perhaps the One who gave us that spark, is "the only legitimate source of power and authority".
If I do not like the way my taxes are being spent, but I have to pay regardless, what am I going to do about this?
Rant about abusive power and authority?
Play the victim and whinge and whine?
Move to another place where there is principled taxation?
Is there such a place?
Is taxation without representation principled in any case regardless?
If the net is ever expanding to catch every fish in the sea I can:
try to avoid the net if possible;
cut the net as much as possible to enable escape routes;
try to get to a net free sea if possible; or
try anything else my divine spark of enlightenment suggests!
We always have choices regardless.
Even if our physical, mental, moral, emotional and spiritual freedoms are damaged or destroyed, our divine spark can remain free.
“We have laws with just cause, to stop people from harming others.”
Yes, as long as these people are petty criminals. But are the clever and sly criminals at the top stopped from harming populations? No. They introduce the laws that protect their corruption and criminality, give themselves and each other immunity, and prosecute whistleblowers.
Who will protect you from artificial intelligence, biotech, nanotechnology, robotics, digital ID’s, a central bank digital currency, all technologies which will be used as unstoppable trojan horses to pin you down in a smart city and surveil and control you 24/7? Who will protect you from a new technology which is currently being researched and developed by the US and China, which will allow its users (the authorities) to access, assess and alter your physical brain and nervous system remotely and without your knowledge? This is not science fiction, it is being researched right now, and has been called the new arms race.
Indeed, your brain is the final untamed frontier those who are obsessed with control, power and authority will conquer and subdue sooner or later, allowed by all who “respect” authority and would never dare challenging their leaders except perhaps at the ballot box, hoping for a “good leader” to come and fix everything for them.
Do you think a “good leader” will appear out of nowhere to replace all bad leaders and save you from a global digital tyranny, and free you from your digital prison?
Technology is never neutral, it is always developed with a goal in mind. New technological tools developed by DARPA (many of them are) are meant to control, they are tools of control….control, authority, dominant power, these are the pathological obsessions of the so-called civilized world. And they are nothing new…what is new are the technologies which will facilitate the implementation of these goals on a global and inescapable scale.
The alternative to individual sovereignty will be absolute slavery, there will be no middle road left, because of technology being used to implement absolute control.
Personally, I would rather be free and live in the remote mountains if there is no other choice. But to each his or her own…
Thank you for these provocative observations, Seeds. The unattainable concept of utopia has been the sheep’s clothing for the totalitarian wolf for millennia, from Plato’s tyrannical “Republic” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/my-croatian-weekly-hrvatski-tjednik) to Sir Thomas More’s “Utopia” to every fascist and communist regime of the twentieth century and beyond.
There is a difference between mixing and living peaceably and respectfully side by side, which has been achieved in Israel in the past according to Ariel’s own observations as well as those of Palestinians such as a sixteen-year-old girl named Sara, who said of life before the recent war:
I wish I could remember where I saw this recently, but someone made the astute point that tolerance must be extended generously for society to function—up to the point of intolerance. For if the tolerant tolerate the intolerant, their open-minded thinking will soon be subsumed by the more aggressive close-minded attitude.
Andrew Bard Schmookler explores this conundrum in his book “The Parable of the Tribes,” where he asks:
“Imagine a group of tribes living within reach of one another. If all choose the way of peace, then all may live in peace. But what if all but one choose peace?”
Just finishing a few days of getting my new laptop set up, and catching up on some reading. Great compilation of what self-selecting authorities don't want us to see and know.
While cleaning up my software last night, I had the boob-tube turned to one of the movie channels here in Japan, and half watched the 2008 remake of the 1951 Sci-Fi classic, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" ... and couldn't help but to think that if I were still in the classroom teaching Comparative Culture, that would be a good movie for Japanese college kids to deconstruct ... particularly regarding the acknowledgement of the destructive side of human nature. While psychopaths and other Cluster B's walk among us, it appears that the more neurotypical aspirations and responses to concentrations of power and authority over others are the greatest threat to humanity and life on earth in general.
But the movie brought out something that has long puzzled me about that fuzzy line between "art" and "entertainment". While the writers, actors, director, and other artists involved in the project may be consciously trying to tell us something important ... for all too many, that message will forever remain buried in the subconscious, if at all. Actors attractive enough to catch our attention, the storytelling skills necessary to keep it, and the A.I. / computer graphics used to maximize the verisimilitude (and box office sales) seem to conspire entertain and flood our senses at the expense of enhancing our critical thinking skills for what lies within.
For those who have been struggling with the forever-war of humanity against its own worst nature, the movie can inform and interweave as easily with our daily thoughts and conversations as lilies on a stream. But for those still caught up in the zero-sum games of what we were taught as conventional definitions of 'success', the movie is just another diversion from our naively self-centered task of looking after number one ... just another disposable piece of entertainment.
As through the voice of Flora Purim ... people see want they want to see. Or maybe, what they are ready to see?
My quandary is how, or if, people can be nudged to a tipping point of looking beneath the glossy surface. Those never ending layers down the rabbit hole ... never ending, like a mandelbrot fractal. But at least some of us, some of the time, may have the capacity to see deep enough to recognize and avert impending dangers. Rather bluntly, the movie says that only at the precipice of disaster can we change ... with the implication that some may not. I guess that is one path of growth towards moral autonomy and maturity.
A couple of Japanese I admire say something similar ... Suzuki Daisetsu's take on Zen (something I wrote about 10 years ago ... https://www.quora.com/What-do-modern-Japanese-think-of-Zen?topAns=15737515), and currently still alive and kicking, Kang Sang-Jung https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kang_Sang-jung ... particularly his book, "Naiamu Chikara". I disagree with the Wiki translation and suggest it is closer to "The Power of Profound Personal Confusion" ... something narcissistic authoritarians every where fear. Both Daisetsu (pre war Kyoto University) and Sang-Jung (Tokyo University a few years ago) have paid the price by being marginalized by the powers that be.
Cheers Margaret, and much thanks for keeping up the good fight and in style.
Goodness, Red-Pilled ER Nurse. Thank you for the gift of your deep attention and lyrical, heartful words. I am grateful for your wise, compassionate presence here and in the larger world.
We speak the truth. It's all we can do. Getting others to absorb it, is something entirely beyond our control. We do what we can. Thanks MAA!
BTW, being unfamiliar with “wavs” — in your opening gem of a poem — I had to do a quick check to confirm it wasn't a typo. (I thought you might get a half chuckle out of it.)
Haha, thank you for sharing that tidbit about “wavs.” I had a feeling some people might think that (the clue is in the “mastering”) so commend you for taking the extra step to research it :-)
I have severely limited my attention time on the ongoing war insanity recently. It's for my own sanity. There is an idea going round that this is my 'privilege' speaking, that the only appropriate response to Israel's psychopathy is to have your eyeballs attached constantly to the atrocity. I understand and generally agree with where this idea comes from, but following it to an extreme degree we are all encouraged to just makes us collateral damage of a different kind. It perhaps even ends up with you depressed and suicidal and a bit warlike yourself, fostering the desire for what you are against. It makes you a victim, leeches your power, makes grow what you wish to see shrivel. I will not do that to myself anymore.
OTOH, what you did with the Israeli man you dialogued with on X is exactly the appropriate sane response to all this insanity and you, dear woman, are adult enough to do it. Beautiful 😍 Here's to more of this kind of response ✨🌼✨
There was another such incident that it seems most people don’t know about or forgot about. It was entitled, “Apache vs Farmer” and showed the slaughter of farmers by an Apache crew in the fields of their farm.
My brother hasn't spoken to me since the War in Ukraine broke out. I said to him that there are no good actors in this war. I was saying to him what Daniel Alec Zeck was saying in this article. On top of my refusal to have anything to do with Covid mRNA injections he just could not cope with me. I tried to talk to him my opinion of the wars has not changes since I (and he) did not participate in the Vietnam war. I asked him "what has changed." He said he never wanted to talk to me again. I said I respect his desire and won't initiate conversation, but if he ever changes his mind, I am here.
Your ethical consistency across the decades is a testament to your integrity, Swabbie Robbie, and your willingness to reopen dialogue with your menticided brother is a further example of your compassion and character. I am so sorry you lost that relationship and hope you have an opportunity to reconcile before it's too late.
Thank you, and thank you for this article. We really need to stand with the people not the governments.
Today my wife showed me a video of a song (talking blues style) by Bob Dylan called Murder Most Foul on the assassination of JFK Published on March 27, 2020. His song reminded me of your poetry and and your poems set to music, I think you will like it.
Wow, thank you for sharing that mournful meditation. I’m listening to it now. Sounds like he’s challenging the official narrative, which is a big step for a high-profile figure.
Dylan - still the rebel after so many sold out for the fame and the money, the diamonds and rust.
I see the people he said to sing for or play for as a tapestry of our lives, of the music and films that formed a background we lived in. Great and not great. By our discernment it makes us who we are.
Not a fan of quoting Zinn. Had the violent revolutions come as per Marx's desire, there is every evidence that Zinn would have been cheering them on, firing squads and all.
Nor really, of quoting Goring either, along with his oh-so-casually evil "slob" insult, though the context makes the purpose of a Goring quote clear.
Just some feedback, on the sideline of my main message response, which is "Go, MAA, Go!"
In the meantime, I will point you to the following comment, where I clarify my longstanding position that quoting someone does not signify endorsement of everything that person ever said:
I feel it is the marker of a nuanced mind to be able to sift statements of value from the kruft, and those of us who are open to learning can benefit from studying the words of even those whose beliefs and behavior we may find disturbing in other contexts.
As for the Göring quote, I think it is doubly powerful to quote expert practitioners of propaganda on their craft as their own words often constitute powerful indictments of themselves.
The mythology of our living in a representative republic leads some to believe that if we are as a populace well educated on issues and on policies that our representatives ( @ 1/700,000) would actually REPRESENT US and respond to corresponding criticism and VOTE that way in session. My experience has been that no matter how cogent, meaningful and informed the opinion of a constituent and however massive a movement might become representatives can and DO vote their own pocketbooks... PERIOD. Even if one actually believes the fairytale of democracy one would have, by necessity to believe in fair elections to begin with. Take a look at what Mr. Palast has to say here https://www.gregpalast.com/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won/. Now, it seems whether one's rep. or senator was legitamately elected has absolutely no bearing on policy decisions made while those persons are in office. Politicians couldn't care less about our physical, mental or spiritual health as was thoroughly demonstrated by their COMPLETE SILENCE during the worst of the scamdemic restrictions and again NOW about U.S. complicity in the violent activity of and unlawful support for the BenZION creature oozing from Israel.
As far as recruiting actual human beings for war efforts there are a couple of fronts. One is the appalling, obscene and cynical way that ROTC finds new cannon fodder by exploiting the disadvantaged among us. I've found that ROTC has a presence ONLY in poorer school districts. I found that the poorest local high school had two military officers located ON CAMPUS. https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/hampton-union/2012/11/13/duo-heads-junior-rotc-team/49280994007/ Check the blatant lie on paragraph 6. Notice the photos here https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/find-your-path/army-officers/rotc/scholarships are ALL FEMALES. Obviously they are bribing the most vulnerable young people with promises of guaranteed education, training and benefits. (Do you think the female recruits are reminded of the incidence of RAPE in the military before they sign-up?)
Another fertile ground for military exploitation; the STEM program. Take a look here https://www2.fundsforngos.org/articles-searching-grants-and-donors/25-major-donors-investing-in-stem-education-and-technology-for-schools/ to view the F**KIN dirt bags involved in all their magnanimity. There are others besides these , military industries who are primary sponsors of STEM in our PUBLIC schools. Considering that most academicians operate with a fully functioning frontal lobe they would not be ( are not) good candidates for inventing, designing, engineering NEW KILLING machines in their universities. This is a problem for the MIC. Solution? Track our most promising children from age 5-6 onward providing "incentives" along the way for participation in programs ultimately related to weapons development. It might behoove parents to find out more about with whom what information is shared about their children's STEM test results.
You and Ariel had a powerful exchange and I’m gobsmacked that it didn’t lead to a positive ripple effect. In war, the pacifists gate hated on from both sides.
I know it my bones that if the people of the Middle East can reconcile, it will be the greatest achievement in our common evolution as a civilization. The solution to that conflict will be the model for any conflict thereafter. We simply need to turn away from war. War. Such a short word. Only three letters and yet a destructive open chasm of a wound that swallows life whole or in part, but whatever it spits out remains hallow anyway. War read backwards is raw. A raw suffering. Thank you for including me in this powerful post. Grateful for you Margaret.
Your creative talents shine in this one, Tonika. Excellent work in service of a deeply noble objective. Brava!
The mistake all people have made, throughout time and throughout the world, has been to demand to be led, to welcome and glorify leaders and follow them.
To follow leadership is the betray yourself, to surrender and abandon your own power, independence and initiative.
Most leaders turn out to be sociopaths, because it takes a certain amount of ruthlessness to rise to the top. The most gentle, empathic, sensitive, generous, principled and loving people are not found there. What you will find at the top are hardened hearts and subdued consciences.
Power does not corrupt. Power is corruption.
There is no abuse of authority. Authority is abuse.
Stop asking to be led and you might have a chance to finally be free, to live dignified lives and to re-humanize the world.
"Stop asking to be led and you might have a chance to finally be free, to live dignified lives and to re-humanize the world."
The reality appears that most adhere to established ethics.
It is the 'authoritarians' the government, doctors, pharmacists, nurses, Medical Councils, institutions, bureaucrats, business, corporates and all churches who now manifest as the evil co-opted tools of faceless, unelected/unelectable supra-national entities. This degree of pernicious, Satanic, widespread subversion requires a titanic act of global transcendence, where conceivably social license is revoked and submission to governance is withdrawn. Perhaps then, we can rebuild humanity in such transcendence?
https://drlatusdextro.substack.com/p/are-we-circling-the-drain-again
Well-spotted, DrLatusDextro, and thank you for sharing your article. I especially appreciate your brilliant exposure of the Ladder of Coercion!
Gratitude to you Margaret for your gift of humanity, expressed with such crystalline focus.
Aww, thank you so much, DrLatusDextro 🙏
Thanks for your comment DrLatusDextro, and the link. My perspective is limited by the fact that I would never attempt to solve the world problems, but would rather figure out how to personally navigate a problematic world.
My experience has been that most people adhere to established ethics as long as they are not given any form of power or authority. In other words they adhere to such ethics because they are induced or occasionally forced to do so, being underlings.
As soon as, however, they are given any power, or access any form of authority and rise to a position of control, many people tend to abuse it, especially if they are rather mediocre individuals - such as are most bureaucrats - and can only experience an increase in self-worth by pushing and keeping other people down, by standing above them and exerting some pressure on them, or erecting obstacles for them and countless hoops to jump through.
In a competitive and hierarchical social system, it is inevitable that some people will be on top and others will be at the bottom, which completely nullifies the concept of equality and reveals it to be a fiction. An employee is not equal to his or her boss in terms of power and authority. A citizen is not equal to a government or even a single bureaucrat or politician. The sheep is not equal to the shepherd.
Authority (which the law and thousands of obscure and ever expanding rules and regulations represent) and power are, in my view, subversions of the natural order, which is not meant to be hierarchical and coercive but cooperative and based on voluntarism, according to spiritual laws.
However humanity has, for thousands of years, been thoroughly conditioned to believe that some special individuals are predestined to leads and most people are destined to follow. It has been trained to believe in hierarchy, and that without it, chaos would ensue. This is false, but it is one of the most stubbornly held beliefs humanity has ever had, even to the point of imagining that there is also a hierarchy in the spiritual realm.
I am not one to tell humanity how it should live, as I do respect free will. I however know how I want to live, and that is under my own power and authority and according to natural and spiritual principles.
Raphael, my experience echoes your observations, and indeed are epitomised by one business axiom, "people rise to the level of their incompetence." Couple this with a soupçon of power, and many individuals will exercise their trivial authority to its fullest and most ruthless extent. Thus is born the atrocities committed by the mild mannered, innocuous bureaucrat or ineffectual politician.
There exist inspired leaders and I consider that we often benefit and are helped by such individuals. I can point to a few but I accept they are indeed historically few in number.
It is clear that trading platforms built necessarily on trust and co-operation function well. The co-operation provides reasonably effective self-policing and "outliers" are quickly identified and labelled or shunned, identified as individuals or entities undermining the principles of co-operation in order to control.
I agree wholeheartedly with the statement you made: "Stop asking to be led and you might have a chance to finally be free, to live dignified lives and to re humanize the world." The assault by authorities in New Zealand (and elsewhere) relied on coercion and a dystopian amplification by State psy-op (nudge) units to influence and control public reflexes. The narrative was fixed, repeated and expanded.
The truly Machiavellian Yale study (Persuasive messaging to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake intentions; James EK, et al. Vaccine 39 (2021) 7158–7165) is one of the most perniciously designed studies ever undertaken to validate the means by which [social] influence may be applied. The study authors highlighted its limitations as follows:
"The experiments presented here are not without limitations. First, we measured intentions to vaccinate at a time when a vaccine was not currently available and the effectiveness and side effects of potential vaccines were not known. This also meant that we could not observe actual vaccination behavior, which is ultimately the outcome of interest."
If people can rediscover their social license, and their spleen, and no longer submit mindlessly to coercive governance, then, they may indeed "....have a chance to finally be free, to live dignified lives and to re-humanize the world."
I agree with you, and I am baffled by the ease with which populations are manipulated and controlled by sociopaths. But, in my view, this comes from conditioning, specifically being trained early in childhood to "respect" authority, which becomes a Pavlovian reflex for many and causes them to blindly obey.
The governmental response to the "pandemic" was a huge power grab (the very rich certainly got much richer while many small businesses vanished) as well as a revolting psyop, a global and horrific experiment in extreme and grotesque control and compliance, most of the mandates being obviously irrational and absurd. It was as if the "authorities" wanted to see how we, the people, would respond to ridiculous commands and how high we would jump when ordered to do so and for no valid reasons. And sadly, from their perspective, it was a resounding success.
Nothing that the "authorities" do surprises me, unfortunately, because I expect it. Individuals who rise to positions of power and control do so, most frequently, not to serve humanity but because they want power and control. These are easily identifiable because they have nothing to offer, no actual talent, no real intelligence, no virtues such as honesty...all they have are ruthless ambition and an oversized ego, and they act accordingly.
There is a Taoist concept which expresses that the truly valuable "leader" leads not from the front and above but from below and behind. In other world he or she eschews control and dominance and is more of a humble counselor than an authority, and when leading, she or he leads by example to inspire, without even trying but by living a remarkable life, rather than by using force.
We are so far from this...
Authority is not the real issue.
Authoritarianism is the issue.
Authoritarianism is the presumption, that those who have the power to do so, are entitled to violate the free will of others without any just cause.
There is legitimate power and legitimate authority.
These are benevolent and do not violate the free will of others, without just cause.
Illegitimate power and authority, do violate the free will of others, without just cause.
There are sheep and there are shepherds.
There are good sheep and bad sheep.
There are good shepherds and bad shepherds.
Beating sheep or shepherds will not change this!
We choose to be good sheep and shepherds, or not.
We can choose to follow good shepherds, or not.
This starts in the family.
Good parents who do not abuse their power and authority, usually produce good children and good leaders, but not always.
Bad parents can produce good children and leaders.
We all have freedom of choice regardless.
Thank you for your comment.
First, let me begin by stating that we are all entitled to our own opinions. We do not have to agree, and a disagreement on this topic has nothing to do with being correct or incorrect, but on how we prefer to live our own lives.
If it were possible, I would prefer to live without governance. I am perfectly capable of governing myself. But the choice to do so was completely eliminated from humanity long ago in the name of nation-building, and is being eliminated ever more today in the name of globalism and ultimately implementing a one world control system. So we do not have a choice to be truly free and independent, as we are forced to live within and under a system we had no part in creating, a system we have the misfortune of being born into. I would have rather been born in the wilderness, personally.
Authority is proven to rely ultimately on force, on violence. It violates free will by definition. It is never “benevolent” but paternalistic at best and always punishingly violent when you challenge it, regardless of whether you live in a democracy or an authoritarian system. Wherever there is authority, there is implied coercion, and the only freedom you have is the “freedom to obey”, to be compliant, or else.
The idea of a “just cause” is also a huge problem, because all abuses of authority are perpetuated under the pretense of “just cause”, such as the tyranny unleashed during the “pandemic”, or the unconstitutional abuses allowed by the patriot act. There is always a “just cause” lying around to be picked up but those who are given authority over a population and end up acting against its will, for its “own good and safety”, or in the name of “national security”.
So in my view, there is no legitimate authority. There is no legitimate power either. All power is about dominance. It is meant to subjugate, to stand over someone, and it also fundamentally relies on force, on violence to assert and protect itself. Challenge power and you will uncover its true nasty nature.
In order for dominant power to exist, your submission is required. One cannot be without the other. The alpha cannot exist without the beta, anymore than high can exist without low. To live in submission is not living. Beside being very undignified and rather shameful, it opposes spiritual principles, which are meant to emancipate you, not diminish you, not keep you on your knees.
There are no good shepherds. All shepherds ultimately teach the sheep to be irresponsible, that is to say to have to be told what to do and not to do, where to go or not, how to live and eventually what to think and feel, as might very young children.
People who haven’t been allowed to find their own way and to learn according to natural law by making their own mistakes do not mature. They remain infantile and therefore cannot ever take responsibility for their actions, because when you are told how to live your life, you are no longer accountable, nothing is your fault, because “you were told…”
But then again, we are all different and have to live with the consequences of our beliefs and actions. I would rather be free than living under anyone or anything. If the Creator himself does not impose his will on anyone, does not exercise any kind of authority or power on anyone or anything in this physical life, no human being has any right to do so, and all who do trespass and violate spiritual laws.
Thank you, Raphael, for this beautiful example of how to lovingly express differing viewpoints as well as these compelling arguments echoing those that led me to become an accidental anarchist:
• https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/my-two-year-stackiversary-lattice
• https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/memes-by-themes-15-politicians
Thank you Margaret and also thank you for the links, I am truly enjoying your writings and your perspective!
Liked with a hedge which may hinge on conversationally provisional definitions. In a comment to Margaret, I just chimed in about an underrated movie which brings to life what her essay says so well. In that respect, I guess all problem-solving projects ... whether it be making a movie, building a bridge, or performing life-saving surgery ... require some collaboration and authoritative leadership skills. So by that definition, I am not against authority per se ... but against a subset, distortion, and misappropriation of authority as power over others for self-serving purposes.
Cheers from Japan.
Steve, I think we might want to first define the word authority in order to communicate more clearly. When discussing authority, I do not mean “authoritative knowledge” or any skill. I mean coercion, such as the inherent coercion of the law which is meant to keep people in line.
It is likely that some people need to be forced to behave properly, and that without the force and implied violence of the law they would go wild and be destructive.
I am however not a part of this irresponsible crowd. I do not need to be told what to do or not to do by any authority because I am a responsible adult, and would rather live free and peacefully than be part of the herd that is indeed treated like livestock by the authorities, because people who rise above and dominate humanity inevitably lose respect for such a submissive and all too often easily corralled and exploited, manipulated and fooled humanity.
There in a very fine line between authority and bullying powers, which is frequently made invisible because authority implies coercion, just as the law implies a fear of punishment. And it is, or should be understood, that bullies never respect their victims because they only understand and respect force.
Do not, then, expect to be respected by your leaders, unless you regain or maintain the power to constantly and vigilantly hold them accountable at every moment while they are increasingly acting secretively and grant themselves ever more immunity.
That sounds exhausting to me…
It is one thing to have individuals who serve you, which is what government is meant to be in theory. It is another to have leaders, which is what happens in practical terms and leads to all forms of abuse.
If full agreement Raphael ... both with your pointing out the importance of definitions (I kind of like that logical positivist thingy — 'the clarification of a proposition is its verification') and your social-psychological analysis.
As a permanent outsider observing Japan from the inside, I don't know whether to laugh or cry at human nature. The politicians over here are so blatantly cringy in playing their role as wanna-be 'public servants'. For example, they have a custom of wearing white gloves while campaigning and waving to the public to signify their purity ... or displaying a feather in their jacket lapel to indicate their most recent virtue-signaling philanthropath donation. But once elected and in power, they immediately step into their roles in a ruthlessly sociopathic zero-sum game-of-thrones. No longer necessary to feign acts of shame, remorse, or compassion —kabuki at its worst.
What's frustrating is that quite a few of the population know its a rigged show and rotten-to-the-core. But Japan Inc. has most of the population so institutionalized and so dependent on authority just to pay the rent and buy groceries, there is little they can do about it.
I have long been involved with small pockets of empathy-driven communities that pop up here and there, for example now in the local community, and occasionally in a roving soup kitchen (https://www.quora.com/In-Japan-a-tour-guide-told-me-that-a-homeless-could-go-to-any-restaurant-and-ask-for-free-food-the-restaurant-will-be-happy-to-provide-him-a-free-meal-to-take-away-Is-that-true?topAns=91465816). But their role in subverting totalitarian-fascism tends to be subconscious. I'm unsure of how consciously each community's collective mind chooses to avoid the danger of challenging institutional authority directly, but they do tend to be consciously offering alternative paths to moral autonomy.
Still, it is hard to get whole communities to see that William Blake thingy ... "to see the world in a grain of sand".
Even small communities, like families, often exist on a delicate edge, capable of collapse at any time simply due to the friction of neurotypical personality differences ... or worse, be infiltrated and corrupted by naively self-interested sociopathic behavior. Despite a popular veneer of Japanese exceptionalism, the Anna Karenina Principle appears to be universal, alive, and festering here. Meh. Human. All too human.
Cheers from Japan Raphael, and thanks for the opportunity to peer another inch deeper into the rabbit hole.
steve
Thank you Steve, I agree as well.
One of the key to controlling populations, for governments and the sociopathic elites that own them, is indeed dependence. History demonstrates that many people were conquered only after they were made to lose their innate independence, such as access to their traditional source of food, as did Native Americans for example.
And the key to freedom from such overbearing control is the opposite, independence, which can be achieved by depending more on the natural world (such as growing your own food and living off-grid while it is still allowed) and less on society.
This is impossible to do in cities, which is why the powers-that-shouldn't-be want us corralled in "smart cities" and away from rural areas, as alienated from the natural world as possible, mentally and physically.
In my view, relative unity within families and communities is destroyed when pressure is exercised from the top and the outside. This is often done by design, as history also demonstrates, in order to divide and conquer, or divide and control. The pandemic response was a case in point, which fractured many families and society at large.
Humanity is not perfect and has many universal faults. But clever sociopathic elements exploit these faults, these weaknesses to their advantages, as do all predators and parasites.
Cheers from the west coast of the US!
We have laws with just cause, to stop people from harming others.
We need legitimate power and authority to enforce those laws for the common good.
You seem to want to live in a world where personal sovereignty is absolute regardless.
So we are all responsible to protect ourselves?
Good luck with that!
Sounds like a human jungle to me.
In my world there is legitimate power and authority operating for the common good.
The One, good parents, elders and leaders, all exercise legitimate authority.
All authority and power are not based upon coercion, force and violence.
There are good leaders and bad leaders.
I am free to follow or take my own path, for whatever reasons I choose.
I am not necessarily a deficient or an inert if I choose to follow a good leader.
Good leaders do not necessarily encourage people to be dependent and submissive.
Good leaders encourage and enable maturity, responsibility and autonomy.
Trashing “paternalism” regardless is just a destructive strategy, designed to undermine faith in legitimate power and authority.
All paternal leadership is not evil, any more than any other leadership is!
Trash paternalism and raise the sullied flag of feminism!
The fact that the One does not usually zap bad players, does not mean we cannot stop them from harming others if possible.
The systems we live under may be exercising illegitimate power and authority, but we are still free to choose legitimate power and authority regardless.
Others may want to live in a human jungle.
I am will stick to my world.
The Self is the only legitimate source of power and authority. And yes, while people are certainly free to choose to be dominated by others, they should also be free to view themselves as sovereign beings carrying a divine spark, who can refuse unjust authority and author their own reality at will. Most forms of authority in our fallen realm are, at their root, based on violence. Even if they don’t appear to be that way, it is so. What happens to you if you disagree with how your taxes are spent, because you do not wish to see small children turned into fish food by GPS-guided bombs, and you refuse to pay? The soft nudge of the law transforms into the violence of the lawman as he drags you away.
The government is the military is the banking.
Yes but it is what we DO with this knowledge what counts!
Kicking tin cans around to see how much noise we can make; engaging in information wars to see who can take the hill first and hold it for the longest; slinging mud around at each other, governments full of criminals and criminally negligent actors, or the mafias who break all the rules of principled conduct; does not help.
We need effective action plans.
We need to do our best to bring Goliath down.
We need to make the best plans we can to survive if we fail.
The Danish people saw the writing on the wall and made extensive plans well before the hammer fell.
Apparently they got almost all their Jewish citizens safely to Sweden, not without cost.
If we are all "sovereign beings carrying a divine spark", perhaps the One who gave us that spark, is "the only legitimate source of power and authority".
If I do not like the way my taxes are being spent, but I have to pay regardless, what am I going to do about this?
Rant about abusive power and authority?
Play the victim and whinge and whine?
Move to another place where there is principled taxation?
Is there such a place?
Is taxation without representation principled in any case regardless?
If the net is ever expanding to catch every fish in the sea I can:
try to avoid the net if possible;
cut the net as much as possible to enable escape routes;
try to get to a net free sea if possible; or
try anything else my divine spark of enlightenment suggests!
We always have choices regardless.
Even if our physical, mental, moral, emotional and spiritual freedoms are damaged or destroyed, our divine spark can remain free.
We can choose to be free regardless.
“We have laws with just cause, to stop people from harming others.”
Yes, as long as these people are petty criminals. But are the clever and sly criminals at the top stopped from harming populations? No. They introduce the laws that protect their corruption and criminality, give themselves and each other immunity, and prosecute whistleblowers.
Who will protect you from artificial intelligence, biotech, nanotechnology, robotics, digital ID’s, a central bank digital currency, all technologies which will be used as unstoppable trojan horses to pin you down in a smart city and surveil and control you 24/7? Who will protect you from a new technology which is currently being researched and developed by the US and China, which will allow its users (the authorities) to access, assess and alter your physical brain and nervous system remotely and without your knowledge? This is not science fiction, it is being researched right now, and has been called the new arms race.
Indeed, your brain is the final untamed frontier those who are obsessed with control, power and authority will conquer and subdue sooner or later, allowed by all who “respect” authority and would never dare challenging their leaders except perhaps at the ballot box, hoping for a “good leader” to come and fix everything for them.
Do you think a “good leader” will appear out of nowhere to replace all bad leaders and save you from a global digital tyranny, and free you from your digital prison?
Technology is never neutral, it is always developed with a goal in mind. New technological tools developed by DARPA (many of them are) are meant to control, they are tools of control….control, authority, dominant power, these are the pathological obsessions of the so-called civilized world. And they are nothing new…what is new are the technologies which will facilitate the implementation of these goals on a global and inescapable scale.
The alternative to individual sovereignty will be absolute slavery, there will be no middle road left, because of technology being used to implement absolute control.
Personally, I would rather be free and live in the remote mountains if there is no other choice. But to each his or her own…
The picture of the little "Jewish" girl and "Arab" boy speaks truth and is worth a thousand words.
However, it may not tell the whole truth.
Like the story of the fox and the hound, some conflicts are implicitly irresolvable.
Culture is perhaps the infusion of spirituality into everyday life.
Some cultures are implicitly incompatible.
If these cultures stay within their own boundaries, well and good.
Try to mix them and the chemistry is explosive!
If one culture seeks to invade and cancel another culture, then there will be fireworks!
The roots of the problem are probably moral.
All living together in peace and harmony, in some kind of multi-racial, all inclusive morality utopia, is a false dream.
This is the poisonous fruit of the "human rights regardless" movement.
Moral responsible people respect the human rights of others.
Immoral and irresponsible people do not.
Moral, responsible people can live together in peace and harmony.
Immoral and irresponsible people cannot, even among themselves.
Immoral people will always violate the rights of others and inevitably cause conflicts.
Utopia without moral accountability is a deception.
Thank you for these provocative observations, Seeds. The unattainable concept of utopia has been the sheep’s clothing for the totalitarian wolf for millennia, from Plato’s tyrannical “Republic” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/my-croatian-weekly-hrvatski-tjednik) to Sir Thomas More’s “Utopia” to every fascist and communist regime of the twentieth century and beyond.
There is a difference between mixing and living peaceably and respectfully side by side, which has been achieved in Israel in the past according to Ariel’s own observations as well as those of Palestinians such as a sixteen-year-old girl named Sara, who said of life before the recent war:
“Life was good. Even though it wasn’t luxurious, we were content. We could go out and about, and family gatherings were something special.” (https://web.archive.org/web/20250408173808/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wars-toll-on-gazas-children-60-minutes/)
I wish I could remember where I saw this recently, but someone made the astute point that tolerance must be extended generously for society to function—up to the point of intolerance. For if the tolerant tolerate the intolerant, their open-minded thinking will soon be subsumed by the more aggressive close-minded attitude.
Andrew Bard Schmookler explores this conundrum in his book “The Parable of the Tribes,” where he asks:
“Imagine a group of tribes living within reach of one another. If all choose the way of peace, then all may live in peace. But what if all but one choose peace?”
👏👏👏👏
Hi Margaret.
Just finishing a few days of getting my new laptop set up, and catching up on some reading. Great compilation of what self-selecting authorities don't want us to see and know.
While cleaning up my software last night, I had the boob-tube turned to one of the movie channels here in Japan, and half watched the 2008 remake of the 1951 Sci-Fi classic, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" ... and couldn't help but to think that if I were still in the classroom teaching Comparative Culture, that would be a good movie for Japanese college kids to deconstruct ... particularly regarding the acknowledgement of the destructive side of human nature. While psychopaths and other Cluster B's walk among us, it appears that the more neurotypical aspirations and responses to concentrations of power and authority over others are the greatest threat to humanity and life on earth in general.
But the movie brought out something that has long puzzled me about that fuzzy line between "art" and "entertainment". While the writers, actors, director, and other artists involved in the project may be consciously trying to tell us something important ... for all too many, that message will forever remain buried in the subconscious, if at all. Actors attractive enough to catch our attention, the storytelling skills necessary to keep it, and the A.I. / computer graphics used to maximize the verisimilitude (and box office sales) seem to conspire entertain and flood our senses at the expense of enhancing our critical thinking skills for what lies within.
For those who have been struggling with the forever-war of humanity against its own worst nature, the movie can inform and interweave as easily with our daily thoughts and conversations as lilies on a stream. But for those still caught up in the zero-sum games of what we were taught as conventional definitions of 'success', the movie is just another diversion from our naively self-centered task of looking after number one ... just another disposable piece of entertainment.
As through the voice of Flora Purim ... people see want they want to see. Or maybe, what they are ready to see?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrNFO-eowxI
My quandary is how, or if, people can be nudged to a tipping point of looking beneath the glossy surface. Those never ending layers down the rabbit hole ... never ending, like a mandelbrot fractal. But at least some of us, some of the time, may have the capacity to see deep enough to recognize and avert impending dangers. Rather bluntly, the movie says that only at the precipice of disaster can we change ... with the implication that some may not. I guess that is one path of growth towards moral autonomy and maturity.
A couple of Japanese I admire say something similar ... Suzuki Daisetsu's take on Zen (something I wrote about 10 years ago ... https://www.quora.com/What-do-modern-Japanese-think-of-Zen?topAns=15737515), and currently still alive and kicking, Kang Sang-Jung https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kang_Sang-jung ... particularly his book, "Naiamu Chikara". I disagree with the Wiki translation and suggest it is closer to "The Power of Profound Personal Confusion" ... something narcissistic authoritarians every where fear. Both Daisetsu (pre war Kyoto University) and Sang-Jung (Tokyo University a few years ago) have paid the price by being marginalized by the powers that be.
Cheers Margaret, and much thanks for keeping up the good fight and in style.
Steve
That was Devastating.
And I couldn't even take it all in at once.
I have to come back and breathe in the concepts
And breathe out the words
Close my eyes and steep my soul in the shadows
Of the images as they dim into darkness.
Is it unfair to call it Epic?
I think not.
So much potency in one share.
Bless You Margaret Anna Alice for keeping your feet underneath you, your eyes open and your word making organs stoked.
Goodness, Red-Pilled ER Nurse. Thank you for the gift of your deep attention and lyrical, heartful words. I am grateful for your wise, compassionate presence here and in the larger world.
Great stuff!
Here's some more ... https://redpillpoems.substack.com/p/the-road-to-war-is-paved-with-lies ... and https://redpillpoems.substack.com/p/war-glorious-war
It's amazing how consistently spot-on and relevant Orwell and Huxley were and are.
With respect to your back and forth with Ariel, I must say — as one who has much less — your patience is quite astonishing.
Haha, thank you, Red Pill Poet, and both of those sharply observed poems make potent companion pieces to this article!
Yes, I thought so.
We speak the truth. It's all we can do. Getting others to absorb it, is something entirely beyond our control. We do what we can. Thanks MAA!
BTW, being unfamiliar with “wavs” — in your opening gem of a poem — I had to do a quick check to confirm it wasn't a typo. (I thought you might get a half chuckle out of it.)
Indeed, RPP, that is the challenge!
Haha, thank you for sharing that tidbit about “wavs.” I had a feeling some people might think that (the clue is in the “mastering”) so commend you for taking the extra step to research it :-)
Look up "WAR IS A RACKET" . . . . .
Thank you, Margaret for using your considerable gifts and precious time on such worthwhile - essential - projects.
A powerful collaboration of human voices, who have seen through the 'how they do it' illusion.
May its reach cover our globe and stir ready-souls.
Love is with you, Universe is with you. 💕
Beautifully, said, Kathleen. I agree one hundred percent! Blessings on all truth-tellers and peace-makers, now and forever. xox
I love this so much.
I have severely limited my attention time on the ongoing war insanity recently. It's for my own sanity. There is an idea going round that this is my 'privilege' speaking, that the only appropriate response to Israel's psychopathy is to have your eyeballs attached constantly to the atrocity. I understand and generally agree with where this idea comes from, but following it to an extreme degree we are all encouraged to just makes us collateral damage of a different kind. It perhaps even ends up with you depressed and suicidal and a bit warlike yourself, fostering the desire for what you are against. It makes you a victim, leeches your power, makes grow what you wish to see shrivel. I will not do that to myself anymore.
OTOH, what you did with the Israeli man you dialogued with on X is exactly the appropriate sane response to all this insanity and you, dear woman, are adult enough to do it. Beautiful 😍 Here's to more of this kind of response ✨🌼✨
There was another such incident that it seems most people don’t know about or forgot about. It was entitled, “Apache vs Farmer” and showed the slaughter of farmers by an Apache crew in the fields of their farm.
Thank you for this. You are doing good work.
Dying for the deep state is just plain stupid.
My brother hasn't spoken to me since the War in Ukraine broke out. I said to him that there are no good actors in this war. I was saying to him what Daniel Alec Zeck was saying in this article. On top of my refusal to have anything to do with Covid mRNA injections he just could not cope with me. I tried to talk to him my opinion of the wars has not changes since I (and he) did not participate in the Vietnam war. I asked him "what has changed." He said he never wanted to talk to me again. I said I respect his desire and won't initiate conversation, but if he ever changes his mind, I am here.
Your ethical consistency across the decades is a testament to your integrity, Swabbie Robbie, and your willingness to reopen dialogue with your menticided brother is a further example of your compassion and character. I am so sorry you lost that relationship and hope you have an opportunity to reconcile before it's too late.
Thank you, and thank you for this article. We really need to stand with the people not the governments.
Today my wife showed me a video of a song (talking blues style) by Bob Dylan called Murder Most Foul on the assassination of JFK Published on March 27, 2020. His song reminded me of your poetry and and your poems set to music, I think you will like it.
https://youtu.be/3NbQkyvbw18.
Wow, thank you for sharing that mournful meditation. I’m listening to it now. Sounds like he’s challenging the official narrative, which is a big step for a high-profile figure.
Dylan - still the rebel after so many sold out for the fame and the money, the diamonds and rust.
I see the people he said to sing for or play for as a tapestry of our lives, of the music and films that formed a background we lived in. Great and not great. By our discernment it makes us who we are.
Not a fan of quoting Zinn. Had the violent revolutions come as per Marx's desire, there is every evidence that Zinn would have been cheering them on, firing squads and all.
Nor really, of quoting Goring either, along with his oh-so-casually evil "slob" insult, though the context makes the purpose of a Goring quote clear.
Just some feedback, on the sideline of my main message response, which is "Go, MAA, Go!"
Thank you for your gentlemanly disagreement, Carl :-)
I find myself responding to this kind of concern so often (even in response to me 😆 https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com/p/margaret-anna-alice-battling-the/comment/105742377), I should probably write a post about it ;-) I have to get through my several hundred unfinished projects first, though.
In the meantime, I will point you to the following comment, where I clarify my longstanding position that quoting someone does not signify endorsement of everything that person ever said:
• https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/what-noam-chomsky-can-teach-us-about/comment/21187891
I feel it is the marker of a nuanced mind to be able to sift statements of value from the kruft, and those of us who are open to learning can benefit from studying the words of even those whose beliefs and behavior we may find disturbing in other contexts.
As for the Göring quote, I think it is doubly powerful to quote expert practitioners of propaganda on their craft as their own words often constitute powerful indictments of themselves.
The mythology of our living in a representative republic leads some to believe that if we are as a populace well educated on issues and on policies that our representatives ( @ 1/700,000) would actually REPRESENT US and respond to corresponding criticism and VOTE that way in session. My experience has been that no matter how cogent, meaningful and informed the opinion of a constituent and however massive a movement might become representatives can and DO vote their own pocketbooks... PERIOD. Even if one actually believes the fairytale of democracy one would have, by necessity to believe in fair elections to begin with. Take a look at what Mr. Palast has to say here https://www.gregpalast.com/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won/. Now, it seems whether one's rep. or senator was legitamately elected has absolutely no bearing on policy decisions made while those persons are in office. Politicians couldn't care less about our physical, mental or spiritual health as was thoroughly demonstrated by their COMPLETE SILENCE during the worst of the scamdemic restrictions and again NOW about U.S. complicity in the violent activity of and unlawful support for the BenZION creature oozing from Israel.
As far as recruiting actual human beings for war efforts there are a couple of fronts. One is the appalling, obscene and cynical way that ROTC finds new cannon fodder by exploiting the disadvantaged among us. I've found that ROTC has a presence ONLY in poorer school districts. I found that the poorest local high school had two military officers located ON CAMPUS. https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/hampton-union/2012/11/13/duo-heads-junior-rotc-team/49280994007/ Check the blatant lie on paragraph 6. Notice the photos here https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/find-your-path/army-officers/rotc/scholarships are ALL FEMALES. Obviously they are bribing the most vulnerable young people with promises of guaranteed education, training and benefits. (Do you think the female recruits are reminded of the incidence of RAPE in the military before they sign-up?)
Another fertile ground for military exploitation; the STEM program. Take a look here https://www2.fundsforngos.org/articles-searching-grants-and-donors/25-major-donors-investing-in-stem-education-and-technology-for-schools/ to view the F**KIN dirt bags involved in all their magnanimity. There are others besides these , military industries who are primary sponsors of STEM in our PUBLIC schools. Considering that most academicians operate with a fully functioning frontal lobe they would not be ( are not) good candidates for inventing, designing, engineering NEW KILLING machines in their universities. This is a problem for the MIC. Solution? Track our most promising children from age 5-6 onward providing "incentives" along the way for participation in programs ultimately related to weapons development. It might behoove parents to find out more about with whom what information is shared about their children's STEM test results.
Thank you, john, for your as-ever thought-provoking and heartfelt contributions.
From decades past a voice rises in remonstrance to implore listeners.
I'm left aghast.
Identical horrors looping around again. https://youtu.be/TxdaHM7rgag
Thank you for bringing yet more receipts, aagabriel.
Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose 💔