First, we must understand that myths only serve a culture when each and every individual within the culture believes the myth. As with any experience in story-telling requires, there must be a suspension of disbelief for them to function. Case in point, Paul Bunyan, with his blue ox, giant axe and legendary appetite. Let me tell you, it is easier to explain the deforestation of most of the "North" by him and Babe scything down acres at a single whack than it is to understand the complexity of our own kind devising ways to extract the most timber the quickest. In some cases, railroads only existed until the timber was gone, then the pillars of industry pulled up the track and went elsewhere to "mine" more trees. Paul and Babe are certainly easier to imagine.
I contend that human beings are myth-making machines, we will make our minds up about anything and hold to nearly any idea as dearly as if our whole way of life could be threatened by it's removal. We are "sold" myths all the time, so understanding the subtle differences between actual fact and myth can seem hard, until you try a few cases. There is a pattern. Actual facts are known, myths are imagined.
One of my favorite myths of creation involves beaver plunging to the bottom of a vast ocean to fetch a bit of earth for the sky princess to sit upon, holding as much soil as he could in his mouth, beaver spat it upon turtle's back, creating the Earth as we know it today, with all of it's landforms and river systems, on the turtle's back.
For a time, I believed this to be true, until I began to understand my first point, a myth is only of use when all the members of a society believe the same one. We truly are at the dawning of the age of Aquarius. In about 150 years, the water-bearer will unseat the age of Pisces. 150 years seems long until you look back and think of the great changes that have occurred in the last century and one half. I imagine and want to tell the story of a race of people who stood up for truth and fact in a way that no other cadre of individuals ever had. They had seen photographs of the Earth from space, they understood the concept of Starship Earth. What happens anywhere on the planet affects each and every other part inexplicably. They understood the fact that all races and creeds were arbitrary "differences" amongst one people. For them, there were no valid boundaries amongst the vast brotherhood of human kind.
When we begin to relegate ego to a lower status than our true self, we often see relationships differently and value our surroundings differently. Because we have purposely forgotten to take the liberty of judging each and every thing we can think of, we create a pattern new to many. I call the sheeple style of not learning, just filling in time, relies on the myth of knowing. A cult of knowing has grown up in a hotbed of technocratic sentiment, "scientific research" and worship of experts generally. I have learned enough to be in the early stages of really understanding how little I actually know. Living in the times we do, it is amazing that anyone can come to know themselves. Too much interference greets each and every one of us at nearly every moment than our organism was set up to handle.
Having a mythology that assures us that we can multi-task and that it will lead to something better if we can just do a few more things all at once, or that the best way to get ahead requires us to be workaholics or live as indentured servants, may be "good for business", but the costs to our children, our culture and the generations that will follow us far outweigh the short term expediency of those who fabricated the myth. The hidden price that we pay for the belief in this fiction is more dear than we can afford. First, we sacrifice our children, because they realize right away that we are not listening to them, or sharing important information that will help them to function in the world. Secondly, out health goes the way of the Western World and hypertension, stress, heart disease and cancer begin eating at us from the inside. We respond to the stress by trying to get more out of each day and accept "fast food" rituals that cause more havoc inside our own skin and bones. Finally, the endless shuffling around, chasing education, income, places to procure goods and services, even entertain ourselves and you have a whole package of activities that are contrary to what we are designed to do naturally.
Just like the marketing geniuses who brought Bible passages to life through art, therefore making it possible to brainwash large numbers of illiterate heathens, in our day there are those who spin the webs of deceit that lead us to shuffle our children off to event after event telling us that it "makes them into team players" or that the "enrichment" that we are able to provide is not enough for their blossoming talents. So, we seek a long line of professionals who supposedly know what our children need better than we do and the cycle is completely broken. In our time, we no longer sit around firs at night, sharing the stories that lead to understanding our great myths. There are new forms of technology that can elucidate a thousand conspiracy theories or present "facts" that lead us to become evermore estranged from our families, our cultural roots and the myths that held us together as families, neighbors, citizens and humans. The myth makers have far more power than we could have ever imagined. In the past, we trusted our elders to tell the stories. Today, anyone with access to a keyboard can make up our minds for us and lead us into territory that the glowing screens will confirm is dangerous, full of hazards and pitfalls and that requires us to do more things at once for the opportunity to "participate" in the brave new world of 2012.
You and I may not believe that the world was created in seven days by a guy who looks like half of us. We may not actually accept that turtle swam down to the bottom of a vast sea to reclaim a bit of Earth, which we all have to share and care for. The fact is, what we truly believe in may be as unique as the time we are living in, but we have the power and ultimately the responsibility to create myths that help us to function and remain healthy in the world. The only people who seem to be served by the prevailing myths today are large corporations that use us as pawns in a giant chess game of power and control. My myths and yours allow us to remain wage slaves, funneling the vast majority of our earnings into the coffers of multinational corporations and therefore the pockets of their CEOs. As technology has grown, we have always had the myth of increased leisure. Anthropologists have been aware of this for several decades, but the lies keep piling up on themselves. The demand for nearly every consumer product is based on the belief that their lives will be better if they could just procure this one item. The shake weight, or a Snugglie, or a pan that never needs to be washed. During my recent construction process there were several times that Nancy asked, "Isn't there another way to do..." Like when the toxic compounds were used for the plastic plumbing drain pipes. The containers said in no uncertain terms that exposure to the fumes will kill you, but the old way was to use cast iron pipe and seal the joints with molten lead, assuring brain damage instead of liver failure or cancer. Like with doctors, science and technology generally refuse to give up an old, expensive, gruesome and dangerous methodology until a more dangerous, more gruesome and even more costly and aggressive one is waiting in the wings to replace it.
In the end, it is up to us, what we will decide to believe in. I choose to listen to the elders, integrate the myths that seem to be based on loving one another, only taking what is necessary and giving back tot he larger community that allows me to enjoy a lifestyle full and rich with friends, time for enjoying the natural beauty and abundance of Mother Earth and having the time to give each thing that I need to get done my undivided attention. Those myths can be hard to find sometimes, but the rewards they bring are peace of mind and a deeper level of satisfaction than I can describe in words. This is an exciting time to be alive because the #occupy movement and growing numbers of people worldwide are expressing a new myth, one that says that we the people are at least as important as our overlords. The monied interests are not in a position to give back anymore and that is what led us to the current breakdown in society and culture. What growing numbers of people protesting is really all about is our right and responsibility to forge a mythos that leads us out of the darkness of the post industrial age with our dreams, our dignity and a semblance of life intact. Wresting our time and effort from those who own us today will take some powerful myth making, but it has been done in the past and will be done in the future. What is necessary in my mind is that we all take the time to respect our own ability to guide the culture that we all share into sustainable relations with the planet, our place on it and the neighbors that we have both right down the street and across continents and the vast oceans of this Earth. To that end, I continue to tell the stories that inspired me to trust the planet to provide my needs and rely of things that have proven value, not the over advertized accoutrements of "modern culture".
We all need air, water, food, shelter, a safe place to breed and raise our young, and affection. I distrust any product or service that will not fulfill at least one of those very real needs. When we all begin to trust our own ability to make myths, rather than seeking "experts" who can tell us what to believe, we should also notice that we make better decisions that lead us to be able to lead better, healthier and more enriching lifestyles and simultaneously live far more comfortably on much less. The myth of consumerist culture is on the ropes and our future as a species may depend on scrapping our old beliefs for new ones as quickly as possible. Everything we have tried so far has not worked, trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome is one definition of insanity, the time has come to strike out in new directions and with new found love for ourselves, one another and the planet. Make your myths reflect that and it will change the world for the better, subscribe to the existing myth that he who dies with the most toys wins, and you can plainly see where that will lead.
I contend that human beings are myth-making machines, we will make our minds up about anything and hold to nearly any idea as dearly as if our whole way of life could be threatened by it's removal. We are "sold" myths all the time, so understanding the subtle differences between actual fact and myth can seem hard, until you try a few cases. There is a pattern. Actual facts are known, myths are imagined.
One of my favorite myths of creation involves beaver plunging to the bottom of a vast ocean to fetch a bit of earth for the sky princess to sit upon, holding as much soil as he could in his mouth, beaver spat it upon turtle's back, creating the Earth as we know it today, with all of it's landforms and river systems, on the turtle's back.
For a time, I believed this to be true, until I began to understand my first point, a myth is only of use when all the members of a society believe the same one. We truly are at the dawning of the age of Aquarius. In about 150 years, the water-bearer will unseat the age of Pisces. 150 years seems long until you look back and think of the great changes that have occurred in the last century and one half. I imagine and want to tell the story of a race of people who stood up for truth and fact in a way that no other cadre of individuals ever had. They had seen photographs of the Earth from space, they understood the concept of Starship Earth. What happens anywhere on the planet affects each and every other part inexplicably. They understood the fact that all races and creeds were arbitrary "differences" amongst one people. For them, there were no valid boundaries amongst the vast brotherhood of human kind.
When we begin to relegate ego to a lower status than our true self, we often see relationships differently and value our surroundings differently. Because we have purposely forgotten to take the liberty of judging each and every thing we can think of, we create a pattern new to many. I call the sheeple style of not learning, just filling in time, relies on the myth of knowing. A cult of knowing has grown up in a hotbed of technocratic sentiment, "scientific research" and worship of experts generally. I have learned enough to be in the early stages of really understanding how little I actually know. Living in the times we do, it is amazing that anyone can come to know themselves. Too much interference greets each and every one of us at nearly every moment than our organism was set up to handle.
Having a mythology that assures us that we can multi-task and that it will lead to something better if we can just do a few more things all at once, or that the best way to get ahead requires us to be workaholics or live as indentured servants, may be "good for business", but the costs to our children, our culture and the generations that will follow us far outweigh the short term expediency of those who fabricated the myth. The hidden price that we pay for the belief in this fiction is more dear than we can afford. First, we sacrifice our children, because they realize right away that we are not listening to them, or sharing important information that will help them to function in the world. Secondly, out health goes the way of the Western World and hypertension, stress, heart disease and cancer begin eating at us from the inside. We respond to the stress by trying to get more out of each day and accept "fast food" rituals that cause more havoc inside our own skin and bones. Finally, the endless shuffling around, chasing education, income, places to procure goods and services, even entertain ourselves and you have a whole package of activities that are contrary to what we are designed to do naturally.
Just like the marketing geniuses who brought Bible passages to life through art, therefore making it possible to brainwash large numbers of illiterate heathens, in our day there are those who spin the webs of deceit that lead us to shuffle our children off to event after event telling us that it "makes them into team players" or that the "enrichment" that we are able to provide is not enough for their blossoming talents. So, we seek a long line of professionals who supposedly know what our children need better than we do and the cycle is completely broken. In our time, we no longer sit around firs at night, sharing the stories that lead to understanding our great myths. There are new forms of technology that can elucidate a thousand conspiracy theories or present "facts" that lead us to become evermore estranged from our families, our cultural roots and the myths that held us together as families, neighbors, citizens and humans. The myth makers have far more power than we could have ever imagined. In the past, we trusted our elders to tell the stories. Today, anyone with access to a keyboard can make up our minds for us and lead us into territory that the glowing screens will confirm is dangerous, full of hazards and pitfalls and that requires us to do more things at once for the opportunity to "participate" in the brave new world of 2012.
You and I may not believe that the world was created in seven days by a guy who looks like half of us. We may not actually accept that turtle swam down to the bottom of a vast sea to reclaim a bit of Earth, which we all have to share and care for. The fact is, what we truly believe in may be as unique as the time we are living in, but we have the power and ultimately the responsibility to create myths that help us to function and remain healthy in the world. The only people who seem to be served by the prevailing myths today are large corporations that use us as pawns in a giant chess game of power and control. My myths and yours allow us to remain wage slaves, funneling the vast majority of our earnings into the coffers of multinational corporations and therefore the pockets of their CEOs. As technology has grown, we have always had the myth of increased leisure. Anthropologists have been aware of this for several decades, but the lies keep piling up on themselves. The demand for nearly every consumer product is based on the belief that their lives will be better if they could just procure this one item. The shake weight, or a Snugglie, or a pan that never needs to be washed. During my recent construction process there were several times that Nancy asked, "Isn't there another way to do..." Like when the toxic compounds were used for the plastic plumbing drain pipes. The containers said in no uncertain terms that exposure to the fumes will kill you, but the old way was to use cast iron pipe and seal the joints with molten lead, assuring brain damage instead of liver failure or cancer. Like with doctors, science and technology generally refuse to give up an old, expensive, gruesome and dangerous methodology until a more dangerous, more gruesome and even more costly and aggressive one is waiting in the wings to replace it.
In the end, it is up to us, what we will decide to believe in. I choose to listen to the elders, integrate the myths that seem to be based on loving one another, only taking what is necessary and giving back tot he larger community that allows me to enjoy a lifestyle full and rich with friends, time for enjoying the natural beauty and abundance of Mother Earth and having the time to give each thing that I need to get done my undivided attention. Those myths can be hard to find sometimes, but the rewards they bring are peace of mind and a deeper level of satisfaction than I can describe in words. This is an exciting time to be alive because the #occupy movement and growing numbers of people worldwide are expressing a new myth, one that says that we the people are at least as important as our overlords. The monied interests are not in a position to give back anymore and that is what led us to the current breakdown in society and culture. What growing numbers of people protesting is really all about is our right and responsibility to forge a mythos that leads us out of the darkness of the post industrial age with our dreams, our dignity and a semblance of life intact. Wresting our time and effort from those who own us today will take some powerful myth making, but it has been done in the past and will be done in the future. What is necessary in my mind is that we all take the time to respect our own ability to guide the culture that we all share into sustainable relations with the planet, our place on it and the neighbors that we have both right down the street and across continents and the vast oceans of this Earth. To that end, I continue to tell the stories that inspired me to trust the planet to provide my needs and rely of things that have proven value, not the over advertized accoutrements of "modern culture".
We all need air, water, food, shelter, a safe place to breed and raise our young, and affection. I distrust any product or service that will not fulfill at least one of those very real needs. When we all begin to trust our own ability to make myths, rather than seeking "experts" who can tell us what to believe, we should also notice that we make better decisions that lead us to be able to lead better, healthier and more enriching lifestyles and simultaneously live far more comfortably on much less. The myth of consumerist culture is on the ropes and our future as a species may depend on scrapping our old beliefs for new ones as quickly as possible. Everything we have tried so far has not worked, trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome is one definition of insanity, the time has come to strike out in new directions and with new found love for ourselves, one another and the planet. Make your myths reflect that and it will change the world for the better, subscribe to the existing myth that he who dies with the most toys wins, and you can plainly see where that will lead.
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