It is becoming painfully clear that there is a dynamic and influential cadre of people in the world that cannot help but destroy all order and sanity around themselves. They destroy infrastructure, or just build it so poorly that it self destructs. They find ways of passing their time that hinder their own progress as well as that of others and they have debilitating attachment to "the way things always were", but that imaginary concept in their own mind is so peculiar and provincial that even believing it ruins any chance of creative action or intelligent thought which is necessary if we are to meet an insurmountable wall of delusion that strangles all life from new approaches to the world around them. This orientation has crippled our understanding about elementary facts and seeks to undermine foundational ideas that could lead to positive change, public support for investing in quality rather than quantity and, in turn leads to myriad abuses of basic physics. The tragedy of the commons was terrible and debilitating when people grazed livestock on communal pastures, but in the modern world the costs are perhaps even more deadly for nature. Effects in our current milieu are just shifted further away in space and time. Instead of leading to eventual starvation and death of a community food supply, our entire culture lies in the balance.
A multimillion dollar upgrade is being undertaken along a section of highway near my home. Traffic has been slowed through the area for several years. One of the biggest overpasses that just recently got finished got run into by an oversize load and is now being dismantled so that it can be rebuilt. After less than a year, the edifice is junk. Even though many extra dollars got spent making the concrete and steel structure pretty, I guess, no one thought it prudent to label the height restriction that it imposed along one of the busiest traffic corridors in the state. Oddly enough, even when the height restrictions are clearly posted, as they used to be on the old overpasses, that were not as pretty, some folks disregard them or do not realize how tall the vehicle they are driving is. I have seen many damaged overpasses in the past, but a new one that has just been built seems particularly expensive to replace. The spiraling out of control that we experience daily seems to be one of the most serious and powerful forces working against change in our culture.
It seems that the shit storm that is preparing to fly is in a swirling chamber, like turds circling the drain. We frequently get glimpses of the other side of the vortex, but the vast majority of the jumble of activity that we brush up against constantly and swirl amongst is obscured by the most proximal or biggest perceived threats in out immediate vicinity. I frequently research and try to understand discreet problems or issues common to many, but spoken of by few. It is my belief that the answers to most of our problems lie in the same course of action. Whether it is the commodification of the water resource or the mushrooming cancer rate, the solutions are the same. I have worked as a Bradley Method Childbirth Educator, a teacher, sign painter, counselor, community educator, silk screen artist, shaman, tree planter, guide and stagehand, however none of those things defined me. I was first a student. Looking for information that may prove useful is my nature and this forum is where I polish the ideas that I have dug up after five decades of paying attention.
I have seen, and occasionally participated in a bit of self-destructive behavior. I'm not proud of it, but I do not regret it either. How else can someone learn about one of the most popular ways that people try to escape the veil of tears that shrouds much of human experience. Rather than trying to be all gloom and doomy, I just want to state a fact. Especially at this time of year, when many infuse themselves with cookies and candies, give thanks and gifts, pig out on rich foods and make their resolutions, someone needs to be stating the obvious. Our species seems to be the only one on the planet that preoccupies itself with "holy books" and the question of why we are here. Personally, that is why I'm acutely aware of what other organisms tell me by their actions and states of being. Humans seem to have been trained to attempt to get something for nothing, even when they know that the best things in life cannot be extracted, they must be given away to exist at all. The shit that we all hold onto so desperately will always obscure anything that lies beyond it.
Perhaps it is not one bit odd that our culture is so enamored with Biblical "truth", religious thought, or fundamentalist ideals. Who would not want some guidance when the entire planet seems to be filled with threats and dangers, hopelessness and grief and dissolution and regret? The ego is so adept at creating defense mechanisms that we forget to question why. Many do not even realize when they are being part of the problem, it would sting too much and allow doubt to creep into their world view. Just in case you know people who believe in Yahweh god, urge them to get out their Bibles, check our Genesis and give it a close read. Not only will they6 see that the word Elohim is used to describe the gods. Yes, both male and female ones, who created the "other people". Outside the Garden of Eden, there was a whole and intact civilization completely apart from Adam and Eve. When this Yahweh god told Adam that he would surely die as a result of eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, he outright lied. Adam lived to the ripe old age of 900 years. When even your God is a liar, it must make accepting the entire litany of lies that we are spoon fed the rest of our days just a little bit easier.
Perhaps a story about an interaction that I had with my father-in-law will help to illustrate my point. For nearly a decade we had a running argument about buying quality and investing in things that last. He claimed that without planned obsolescence, the economy would crash. The way he put it, if consumer goods lasted twice as long, businesses would fail because they would have nothing (technically half as much) to do. Sales, in the scenario that he envisioned would slowly fall off and at some point would not make further production lucrative. My argument was that if indeed we were able to flood the market with products that would last a lifetime, and demand fell off because of it, we could turn our creativity and productive capacity to other much-needed products. Our discussions along these lines came to a head one week when his car, a luxury one that he claimed to be extremely well-built, the microwave, refrigerator, vacume cleaner and humidifier all went bunk. During our discussions about this issue, I frequently spoke of planned obsolescence as a sort of reverse lottery, one which participants could only lose. After pointing out the fact that the week of break-downs was the result of consumer goods being designed to wear out and fail to work, he began to understand the value of buying quality rather than nearly always buying based on price.
It is funny how one can hold such strong opinions, but act contrary to them in some cases. His luxury car for instance was consciously purchased as a way to show off his wealth and status. Lots of people would see it and he wanted the peace of mind that can come from buying quality. He delighted in placing notes under my windshield wipers that looked as if a passerby thought my car was junk and needed to be towed away for scrap. He always wanted to buy new cars, or ones that were just a few years old, that would show off his success. Mine, on the other hand, were frequently over a decade old and both fuel efficient and rarely, if ever in the shop. My current vehicle is sporting a few rust spots, it would never be mistaken for a luxury car and has been scratched and dented by hundreds of trips to the wilderness. One night a thirty foot long piece of tree fell on the fender, dimpling it and the roof has been scratched by countless canoe scrapes, but it still gets fifty miles to the gallon (saving more than two thirds of the fuel bill per mile that Dad paid) and gets me where I need to go. If I had to show off, there would be many more cost-effective ways to do it. Of course, no car will last forever, but mine is over 260K and going strong. It also cost less than half of what each of Dad's last three did.
If we can learn to ask better questions, like what is right, what is best and what is good, we may find that we can see through the lies that have been foisted upon us by powerful economic interests, religious leaders and the educational system. I strongly believe that surviving the coming shit storm requires cutting through the swirling crap that surrounds us daily, caring for our selves and our loved-ones in ways that do not require mindless consumerism and getting tot he bottom oft he question, Does this make sense?
A multimillion dollar upgrade is being undertaken along a section of highway near my home. Traffic has been slowed through the area for several years. One of the biggest overpasses that just recently got finished got run into by an oversize load and is now being dismantled so that it can be rebuilt. After less than a year, the edifice is junk. Even though many extra dollars got spent making the concrete and steel structure pretty, I guess, no one thought it prudent to label the height restriction that it imposed along one of the busiest traffic corridors in the state. Oddly enough, even when the height restrictions are clearly posted, as they used to be on the old overpasses, that were not as pretty, some folks disregard them or do not realize how tall the vehicle they are driving is. I have seen many damaged overpasses in the past, but a new one that has just been built seems particularly expensive to replace. The spiraling out of control that we experience daily seems to be one of the most serious and powerful forces working against change in our culture.
It seems that the shit storm that is preparing to fly is in a swirling chamber, like turds circling the drain. We frequently get glimpses of the other side of the vortex, but the vast majority of the jumble of activity that we brush up against constantly and swirl amongst is obscured by the most proximal or biggest perceived threats in out immediate vicinity. I frequently research and try to understand discreet problems or issues common to many, but spoken of by few. It is my belief that the answers to most of our problems lie in the same course of action. Whether it is the commodification of the water resource or the mushrooming cancer rate, the solutions are the same. I have worked as a Bradley Method Childbirth Educator, a teacher, sign painter, counselor, community educator, silk screen artist, shaman, tree planter, guide and stagehand, however none of those things defined me. I was first a student. Looking for information that may prove useful is my nature and this forum is where I polish the ideas that I have dug up after five decades of paying attention.
I have seen, and occasionally participated in a bit of self-destructive behavior. I'm not proud of it, but I do not regret it either. How else can someone learn about one of the most popular ways that people try to escape the veil of tears that shrouds much of human experience. Rather than trying to be all gloom and doomy, I just want to state a fact. Especially at this time of year, when many infuse themselves with cookies and candies, give thanks and gifts, pig out on rich foods and make their resolutions, someone needs to be stating the obvious. Our species seems to be the only one on the planet that preoccupies itself with "holy books" and the question of why we are here. Personally, that is why I'm acutely aware of what other organisms tell me by their actions and states of being. Humans seem to have been trained to attempt to get something for nothing, even when they know that the best things in life cannot be extracted, they must be given away to exist at all. The shit that we all hold onto so desperately will always obscure anything that lies beyond it.
Perhaps it is not one bit odd that our culture is so enamored with Biblical "truth", religious thought, or fundamentalist ideals. Who would not want some guidance when the entire planet seems to be filled with threats and dangers, hopelessness and grief and dissolution and regret? The ego is so adept at creating defense mechanisms that we forget to question why. Many do not even realize when they are being part of the problem, it would sting too much and allow doubt to creep into their world view. Just in case you know people who believe in Yahweh god, urge them to get out their Bibles, check our Genesis and give it a close read. Not only will they6 see that the word Elohim is used to describe the gods. Yes, both male and female ones, who created the "other people". Outside the Garden of Eden, there was a whole and intact civilization completely apart from Adam and Eve. When this Yahweh god told Adam that he would surely die as a result of eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, he outright lied. Adam lived to the ripe old age of 900 years. When even your God is a liar, it must make accepting the entire litany of lies that we are spoon fed the rest of our days just a little bit easier.
Perhaps a story about an interaction that I had with my father-in-law will help to illustrate my point. For nearly a decade we had a running argument about buying quality and investing in things that last. He claimed that without planned obsolescence, the economy would crash. The way he put it, if consumer goods lasted twice as long, businesses would fail because they would have nothing (technically half as much) to do. Sales, in the scenario that he envisioned would slowly fall off and at some point would not make further production lucrative. My argument was that if indeed we were able to flood the market with products that would last a lifetime, and demand fell off because of it, we could turn our creativity and productive capacity to other much-needed products. Our discussions along these lines came to a head one week when his car, a luxury one that he claimed to be extremely well-built, the microwave, refrigerator, vacume cleaner and humidifier all went bunk. During our discussions about this issue, I frequently spoke of planned obsolescence as a sort of reverse lottery, one which participants could only lose. After pointing out the fact that the week of break-downs was the result of consumer goods being designed to wear out and fail to work, he began to understand the value of buying quality rather than nearly always buying based on price.
It is funny how one can hold such strong opinions, but act contrary to them in some cases. His luxury car for instance was consciously purchased as a way to show off his wealth and status. Lots of people would see it and he wanted the peace of mind that can come from buying quality. He delighted in placing notes under my windshield wipers that looked as if a passerby thought my car was junk and needed to be towed away for scrap. He always wanted to buy new cars, or ones that were just a few years old, that would show off his success. Mine, on the other hand, were frequently over a decade old and both fuel efficient and rarely, if ever in the shop. My current vehicle is sporting a few rust spots, it would never be mistaken for a luxury car and has been scratched and dented by hundreds of trips to the wilderness. One night a thirty foot long piece of tree fell on the fender, dimpling it and the roof has been scratched by countless canoe scrapes, but it still gets fifty miles to the gallon (saving more than two thirds of the fuel bill per mile that Dad paid) and gets me where I need to go. If I had to show off, there would be many more cost-effective ways to do it. Of course, no car will last forever, but mine is over 260K and going strong. It also cost less than half of what each of Dad's last three did.
If we can learn to ask better questions, like what is right, what is best and what is good, we may find that we can see through the lies that have been foisted upon us by powerful economic interests, religious leaders and the educational system. I strongly believe that surviving the coming shit storm requires cutting through the swirling crap that surrounds us daily, caring for our selves and our loved-ones in ways that do not require mindless consumerism and getting tot he bottom oft he question, Does this make sense?
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