The Toxic Nature of the Human Imagination

a reply to: KellyPrettyBear


I agree our society does nothing in the way of preparing us to deal with our "minds". This is a grievous thing! It puts the society at large out to sea with out any way of rescue.

I agree Misfits R Us!!! I am a proud misfit!! Give me your best shot!!!

a reply to: ForeverMan

Well said about Maya!! It is a fine line indeed!! Trying to eek truth out of "wild imaginings" isn't a path easily trod!!

a reply to: rememberthetrees

Yes, Maya is a cunning one! I tend to think we are in collusion with the illusion and just rolling dreamily along. We need a large smack with a big reality stick like Yesterday. People are talking about paradigm shifts taking place nowadays, well i tend to think, shift our paradigm to what? If you can shift it all of the time then it's not reality (truth) but just another Maya inspired prison made by the imaginings of a crazy whacked out society.

a reply to: DrunkYogi

Great point! I totally agree!! Maya is very cunning! We strive for the Absolute, yet we must come back to the phenomenal world and our spiritual bondage!! Until merging with the Absolute and being in the I AM state, we strive! It isn't easy and some of us "grasp" even when we know we shouldn't, striving with all we have for that middle path and the return to the Absolute! Some have to learn the hard way and so we often need a large smack with a really big stick but most of us do not have anyone to wield that really big stick!! So we come to ATS to share and ask for someone to show us that really big stick!!

a reply to: KellyPrettyBear

The toxic nature of the human imagination.

Here, here!

...that the mechanisms  of the brain invent jigsaw pieces 'on the fly' to fit into every individuals' puzzle or group puzzle should be the elephant in the room...and it is ego that defends when resistance is encountered, is something that occurs on a daily basis, minute by minute, second by second for some unfortunates who see themselves assailed at every placement of the piece...they live thier lives holding on to this erroneous puzzle image, that, to them, makes absolute sense (a lot like an artist defending thier created work regardless of criticism because it is 'thiers').

Regardless, also of age...the old fool, or the young blade - one, shored by years of 'research'...personally defended to offset the time and effort put in - the other, presented with a new 'bone'...'mine, mine, mine!'...

Ego is hardly ever rational, since it works from the specific to the general, always coming back to the specific self - ideas, assimilated, absorbed, appropriated that can be molded to fit the individual puzzle, personal creation...

We see it here on ATS...the sites' mission statement 'Deny Ignorance' becomes a 'fact' finding exercise...some forum sections more amenable to actual facts than others...other sections, utilising others' years of research (appropriated and assimilated as thier own experience) to bolster the fragile and infantile ego to lash out at disagreement and dissent...

Some 'imagination' has propelled us into the dire mess we find ourselves in, appealing to the lowest common denominators - and yet there are voices like Lennons that ask us to imagine a different world.

Å99

a reply to: intrptr

there will be "great wailing and gnashing of teeth".

And for those without any ... teeth will be provided
2

originally posted by: artistpoet
a reply to: intrptr

there will be "great wailing and gnashing of teeth".

And for those without any ... teeth will be provided
2

Dave Allen speaks from the grave!

...probably more to the point...

People will provide themselves with teeth to gnash...

Å99

a reply to: Unity_99

The sun is not hell and no one thinking they are going to heaven will be going to hell.

Do gooders aren't good, they are the worst hypocrites on the planet. Especially when they kill and conquer whole nations in the name of their God.

Because even in Christian faith, thinking you're going to heaven means you have a spent a life time not murdering, raping or pillaging.

Or paying tax to support endless war? Driving to and fro on oil stolen from conquered nations? Using up every resource and polluting the planet with our fumes and waste? Ignoring the really needy all around us all day and supplanting donations to some charity that keeps the money for themselves? Doing their duty to honor their country by supporting all these things, begin a good citizen?

Better look again. What have we forsaken for others. Anything? Or do we defend whats ours tooth and nail. What do we spend out time doing but garnering and gathering for ourselves? We call our greed "thrift" , we don't hoard, we "save". And most of us justify all of our actions by declaring, it's okay, I am forgiven, I am going to be washed clean after I die.

What an awful excuse for our behavior. Convenient how we don't have to change, just believe…

There is no permanent hell.

The sun isn't forever either. It will burn out eventually.

The second death is permanent. As though they never existed.

Into the lake of fire that is never quenched.

a reply to: KellyPrettyBear

You are explaining what happens when imagination starts to have "real" consequences. I can imagine a penguin on roller-skates, it is harmless. The problem I see is that people mix their "beliefs" with their "imaginations" and they start to believe in imaginary things, and when their beliefs are strong enough to cause them to act, then their beliefs become actions, based on, imaginary concepts.

Just to imagine, to make-pretend, to acknowledge that the imagination is pure fiction is a beautiful thing.

A lot of concepts that I deal with can be said to just be my imagination, however, there is always personal experiential evidence, although, it can only be "proven" for each individual, not for the collective, no matter how hard one chooses to push their ideas.

That I must accept, though, it is food for thought.

a reply to: KellyPrettyBear

Imagination is a tool driven by desire. I don’t think it is the other way around. It is our desire and bias that we must guard closely. We are left with behavior and belief.

Is the programming of our behavior a feedback loop manifesting our base desires or nature? Is it something that is directed externally?

It is really academic. We have the ability to rise above it. I believe we must learn to observe without bias. We must look with open eyes at how we live today and determine how we would like it to be better. We must act on those goals with a singular focus.

This seems to be an effective method for short circuiting the system and re-evaluating from the basics of who and what we are. Or rather what we would like to become.

It doesn’t matter if we are caught in our own confirmation bias from self-manufactured snake oil we have foolishly imbibed. The negative loop can be broken with

1.) observation
2.) reflection (imagination for simulation)
3.) action (imagination to solve)

The planet is far from lost. In theory we could engineer our own demise but we are nothing compared to the energy and scale of trials this planet faced through its violent birth.

a reply to: compressedFusion

I don't disagree with you.

BUT.

Humans evolved to care about the world only to a range of several hundred
feet around them in many cases.

But our actions are trashing everything.

It will be difficult to hoist up ourselves beyond our lazy lives and to surpass
our own physical limitations by the power of societal evolution.

If we can pull this off we will 'survive' and maybe even 'prosper' At least for a while.
If we can't --- we won't. All species go extinct eventually.

Kev

a reply to: KellyPrettyBear


You Tube: Carmina Burana ~ O Fortuna

Wikipedia: O Fortuna

O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing
and waning;
hateful life
first oppresses
and then soothes
as fancy takes it;
poverty
and power
it melts them like ice.

Fate – monstrous
and empty,
you whirling wheel,
you are malevolent,
well-being is vain
and always fades to nothing,
shadowed
and veiled
you plague me too;
now through the game
I bring my bare back
to your villainy.

Fate is against me
in health
and virtue,
driven on
and weighted down,
always enslaved.
So at this hour
without delay
pluck the vibrating strings;
since Fate
strikes down the strong man,
everyone weep with me

a reply to: KellyPrettyBear

I ask Myself how did I ever not see this Thread before?! I am glad someone mentioned it as I am very glad to have found it now. This is very well thought out and executed. Rationality and open mindedness are key to a positive imagination. With You here I cannot agree more!

Thank You!!! This Thread is a Shining Gem in the Rough!! Thank You!!! Syx.

a reply to: SyxPak

Well put, a much deserved bump

originally posted by: SyxPak
a reply to: KellyPrettyBear

I ask Myself how did I ever not see this Thread before?! I am glad someone mentioned it as I am very glad to have found it now. This is very well thought out and executed. Rationality and open mindedness are key to a positive imagination. With You here I cannot agree more!

Thank You!!! This Thread is a Shining Gem in the Rough!! Thank You!!! Syx.

Thanks.

For some reason posts about common
sense and 'can't see the forest for the
trees' type subjects don't do very well
on ATS.

It's the dualistic ideology battles (which
are an entrapping control system )
that seem to be the most popular.

Kev

Duality & ego are the epitome of evil. The purest incarnation of it.

web.photodex.com...

a reply to: KellyPrettyBear

As far as the Controlling the masses and traps I say, F-_k that!! I have never bought into their games. My games are fantasy writing and other distractions. I do however fully believe in Us needing to control our own lives. That goes for thinking as well. Not just following blindly. I fear the days of critical thinking are fastly nearing an end. It has begun already......
Again, Kudos to this Thread!!!
Great Job!!! Great Job Indeed!!!!!!

You know what, you can even have your excrement plated in gold if you wish, just take one of these tablets:

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