Beliefs that stand in the way of our ability to change this world

We will look at this topic by examining the main assumptions of popular conspiracy/new age beliefs.

1) Earth is some kind of hell/prison/lower dimension and we are "slaves"

So, the story is, is that Earth is a hellish planet, and that in contrast, "higher beings" exist in "higher planes" where there is peace and order. It covers the idea that Earth is a prison for our souls, and that we are being fed upon here by negative entities, be they the Grays, Reptilians, demons or otherwise.

2) We are approaching some kind of "end" whether this be financial collapse/new world order/environmental cataclysm/"end of times"

We know about all the "doom porn" and it is a common feature of conspiracy propaganda that we are approaching the "end" where society will cease to function, where many will die, and also, the idea that this "end" is predestined in some way and that we are kept in the dark as to when this end will occur, when "the powers that be" will initiate their plans...

3) Some how some of us are going to be "saved" or will "escape" and others are going to perish or remain incarcerated.

There is also the idea that some of us can "escape" this "prison" or "cross-over" to a higher plane/density or survive the cataclysm...

The key is this - when we assume that this world is undesirable and that its collapse is assured, and that we are powerless to stop its fall, and also that we really belong elsewhere, anywhere but Earth, we have effectively created a thought construct that prevents us from taking control of this world and shaping it according to the way that we want to see it.

Robbing us of that imperative, "they" can proliferate their beliefs as we forfeit our powers to influence Earth-bound reality - being able to out-muscle the rest of us.

The idea is that it is our beliefs that control the influence we have upon reality.

To reiterate

- Why would you bother trying to change this world if you think that it is supposed to be the way that it is now - a prison?
- Why would you try to create a better future here when you can simply escape to a higher plane?

The message is this - clear your mind of these beliefs and you will be entitled to a greater amount of influence in this world, know that it starts with you if you want to change things, and don't get the idea that Earth cannot be a paradise or that we have no choice but to follow the status quo until such a point that we can "escape".

You might ask, "How do I change the world?" - it starts with the belief that you can and that is something that you have to prove to yourself, once you have you will be able to make choices that result in mutual prosperity and ethical responsibility, that result in creativity and contributions to knowledge.

Have you not thought, if only there were more positively minded individuals in this world, how much of a better place it can be?

After all, even "the powers that be" are just humans themselves...

Here's another one to add-

Some studies done by Gerard Marwell and Ruth Ames showed that students of Economy tended to free ride more than other students of other varied areas.

Their explanation was that since Neoclassical theory is based upon the view that individuals are inherently selfish with a tendency to free ride, the students integrated that principle by repeated exposure, and so became more self interested, and doing less acts of altruism, empathy, and cooperation.

This study attempted to explore further, considering that maybe the results were skewed...

The Marwell and Ames results and interpretation of those results may
have been influenced by two factors:
(1) there may have been selection bias - more self-interested students may have opted to major in
economics, and (2) the authors did not control for other factors that may influence the tendency to free ride, such as the gender, age, and ethnic composition of the subject groups.

We attempted to eliminate some of these biases by comparing the inclination to free ride amongst a set of ethnically homogeneous, predominantly undergraduate students while also controlling for gender. The outcome of testing 139 students in six separate experiments indicates that aspiring economists do not initially seem to be significantly
more self-interested or economically rational than (to name one case)
their counterparts in a sociology class.' Yet, as the number of economics courses completed by economics/business majors rises, the more self interested the behavior of these students appears to be. This finding is
consistent with Marwell and Ames's basic premise that economics training shapes the person.

Belief that humans are egocentric and without care for others, makes humans that way.

a reply to: SystemResistor
its hard to say really, or answer as to why? I believe the world has always been possesed by someone or other. Those who appear to control defend it by not allowing any updates by others. This could simply be an animalistic tendency.

Change needs to be well planned, or complety accidental. Either way the tendency is to resist change.

a reply to: SystemResistor

Excellent thread topic!
This is the one that bothers me the most.

We are approaching some kind of "end" whether this be financial collapse/new world order/environmental cataclysm/"end of times"

It's like a bunch of zombies, surrendered to entropy, marching toward their doom, while never attempting to confront the chaos and organize it!

They remind me of the mice that my cats catch to play with. Many of them, I'm able to catch and release back to the outdoors. But once they've been caught, they seem to have some sort of death wish and, almost always, run right back to where they were first caught or straight back to cat's clutches.

If one think the earth is hell then thats exactly what one would see and experience. Man's lowly qualities is what makes this plain hell.

Nice points. I've brought this up before in other threads. People spend so much time looking for the end times, resigning themselves to that fate. They end up becoming part of the problems and help them self-perpetuate.

People need to stop worrying about when the world is going to end and instead worry about what we can do to make sure it doesn't.

The part about earth is hellish is correct, but only in the way its run. Looking around in the universe, of so called planets we've seen up close (and aware that there are countless we haven't), earth is beautiful and we need to take care of each other and protect our Mother and make this place wonderful for everyone and all of nature.

The other parts are ISM, or beliefs, the prison part, the school part, and so on. To some degree a soul may experience that in not wanting to reincarnate here. If we were not very immature, earth would be paradise already. We're always in learning mode in infinite progression.

But this planet needs to be loved and caretaken, and all its citizens living lives of abundance and being taught to develop skills and contribute, or equal and living with dignity if they're overburdened or ill or elderly.

Nah, Earth is gorgeous! And it's filled with stunning landscapes, incredible foods, and unique creatures. There are more fruits than any creature can hope to sample, and more lifeforms than can be counted. And humans are just beginning to understand many of the incredible adaptations on this world, like sonar, echo-location, and evolution.

If we look at it religiously, I'd say that Earth is the ultimate gift of Life and a gorgeous example of how great things can be. But lifeforms have to be smart and kind enough to share this realm. The evil impulses of humans is what causes Earth to seem like Hell to some people. There's no reason humans around the world have to suffer. But there will always be humans that believe undesirable humans should suffer. Or humans that facilitate suffering so they can charge a price to end that suffering. As long as we have that, then there will always be horrible conditions here.

I agree with you 110%. Doctrines such as the second coming of Jesus only facilitate those who are in power to take advantage of us and to wage wars for profit. Like you said, why would anyone try to change things for the better if they believe this is how it's supposed to be and that someone or something more powerful than them will come and fix it for them some time in the future?

Is it only a coincidence that no one knows the day? It's the proverbial carrot on a stick, keeping people complacent to the fact that wars are being waged and atrocities being committed because they believe the war they are living through is THE war that brings back their savior to fix it for them, so they sit on their hands and wait and even hope that the end comes. Thing is, it will never come and people will continue believing the end is near as long as such doctrines are believed in.

Only WE can fix the world, nothing else. Those who wait for the end instead of trying to stop it are a leading cause for the state of the world today in my opinion.

S&F

Sounds like liberal garbage, sorry. I would give a more detailed opinion of my own explanation for why this is so, but why bother? The peace and love paradigm has never existed in our species beyond some very small groups of hunter-gatherers. All that disappeared when civs rose, and nothing has changed from that one iota.

Anyway, reminded me of this:

“My own view is that this planet is used as a penal colony, lunatic asylum and dumping ground by a superior civilization, to get rid of the undesirable and unfit. I can't prove it, but you can't disprove it either.” - Hitchens

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

agree with you 110%.

Another belief standing in the way of Utopia is that there is more than 100%... of anything.

Another is that correcting someone for something silly is clever and funny...

But good thread... and sincere apologies. People are meme collectors... change the meme, change the person, change the world.

a reply to: Baddogma

Not sure I'm understanding your post here. I don't "believe" there is more than 100% of anything, it was over exaggeration obviously. I was basically saying I couldn't agree more.

I apologize if you were being sarcastic, just not sure why you felt the need to point that out.

Belief is based upon a "collective consensus", when there is a substantial number of followers, they can alter the course of the future, such as religious followings.

These systems of belief are based on "axioms" and what I have outlined in the OP can be seen as such.

What I am delving into here is "popular thought" - concepts and ideas that have gained footholds in the collective consciousness, and I wonder how they came to be established in the first place. What I have learned is that they are like "thought constructs" that people latch on to, for example, the thought that the world is going to end is a very popular one, and it has been gaining quite a lot of momentum - what exactly would be the effect upon the future when we have a substantial proportion of the population believing in this end?

I know for certain that the effect would not be one that is constructive for society.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

The not understanding is not your fault... it's mine. I plead poor communication skills that need careful attention... and that post of mine was hurried, convoluted and was meant to be humorous. It wasn't.

Carry on...

originally posted by: SystemResistor if only there were more positively minded individuals in this world, how much of a better place it can be?

After all, even "the powers that be" are just humans themselves...

the first point i agree with entirely. it seems as if a positive mind precludes the possibility of being able to use it influentially on a national or global scale.

the second point? i honestly don't know.

a reply to: SystemResistor

If you're interested, there is an important book by Thomas Kuhn called The Structure of Scientific Revolutions that goes into detail the idea of paradigm shifts. It's a good read if you enjoy Philosophy of science.

Yes, consensus takes time, first within a speech community, then eventually into the citizenry once the nomenclature spreads.

Like Jesus coming to save the day, taking care of all the problems and banishing the wicked when it said he wouldn't be in the events of Revelations while only in spirit, and Gods a pissed teacher with a meter stick waiting in hell?

a reply to: SystemResistor

Even worse...

4) There is no free-will, there is only God doing everything.

5) Darkness is good, even spirits of death and destruction.

6) We should have Unity/Oneness with evil and darkness because Light and darkness are one.

Thank you for exposing those beliefs. Some of those are true but mixed with deception to create indifference.

1) Yes, the world is in darkness but we were born HERE for a reason to Let Your Light so Shine not to do nothing and wish for Heaven but to inspire Love and Equality and to expose false belief systems which approves of darkness/negative behaviors.

2) It's supposed to be the end of the world because Heaven is coming to Earth. The Kingdom comes on Earth as in Heaven. Those who work for God/Heaven/Light are supposed to be doing God's Will to bring it not wish for destruction and escape but Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness.

3) Those who love their neighbors as themselves will be sad to see people stuck in darkness and inspired to HELP not saying "God save me me me". It's not about just me but all of US as Children of God.

Peace from The Highest Heaven! Nice thread/post.

a reply to: SystemResistor some people believe the end is saved by multiple prophets we could all be those prophets the bible helps against corporatism if you think about it. The "mark of the beast" is a safeguard stopping people from branding us like cattle to consumer culture. It is also very anti establishment. But back to the point we do have free will and we can always take another shift in our timeline and conscious it all starts when we realize we are stronger and better as a collective.

a reply to: SystemResistor

Oh are you for real? Or just ignoring the fact that we have changed
the world. What was once a world full of clean and beautiful oceans.
Full of enough life to feed mankind forever, is soon to be void of life.
Why? Because we changed the world with Monsanto and our wants to
be more comfortable, nuclear power and our greed.

What was once a paradise full of clean air for us to breath? Is now
paved over for us to run to fro with machines that foul the air.
And polluted by towering smoke stacks filling the air and blackening
whole continents of ice so they no longer reflect light/heat. But in this
changed world now absorb light/heat. Making the world we have made
nothing but less. I could go on, but I think you and most of the ignorance
involved with this thread just need to understand one thing.

No one needs proof that mankind is lacking guidance. Our intelligence
has served only to make us a loose cannon without the guidance we
were supposed to have. But we fired our guide and chose to do things
our way. Well we have changed the world since then. At best we can hope
to be slaves for a lifetime to the dwelling that houses us. And if you haven't
noticed? The change absolutely sucks for most of us. Change the world my ass.

Atheists should pray they are wrong.