are the unaware IGNORANT or are the EDUCATED brainwashed?????

are the unaware IGNORANT or are the EDUCATED brainwashed?????
is the empty mind LIBERATED while the EXPERT has imprisoned himself????

are the norms, languages and symbols of CIVILIZED society SANITY or are they the lowest common denominators of CONFUSION upon those minds unable to escape the MADNESS imposed on them .

is the above classic eastern philosophy, a shaolin riddle..... or ??????????

IMHO there's a little of both! We are forced to think that going outside the box is to be feared, so when someone figures out one of life enigma's they are forced to stay quiet, while those that have little or no sense are promoted to the rank of knowledgeable, so that those in between can remain confused.

Peace, NRE.

I was a bastard at school, I didnt listen to anything my teachers told me nor do the work they put in front of me, unless I found interesting and it was something that tweaked my imagination.

I even hated art because of the rules they had in the lesson. even though I liked to draw at home, but because the teachers told me I had to draw a certain thing or shade a certain way, I wasnt interested. It got to the point where my teachers would sit me on a table at the front of the room on my own and told me to draw, while everyone els in the class was doing course work.

I admit my English and maths did suffer from my lack of doing anything in school, and that part I do regret, but its the only part of it I do regret. I had fun at school and a lot of fun for a few years after leaving, then I educated my self on things I found interesting and iv learned more about history and geography my self than I could of ever learned at school. I all so ended up with a better paid job than most of my school friends who finished school with GCSE's.

I have to be honest and say that I think im less brainwashed than everyone who went onto do well at school they are mostly clueless about anything that goes on in the world, all they talk about is their jobs their football team or the x factor. but I dont think been un educated makes you more aware than anyone els. You have to educate your self.

Hi mistressSophie,

You raise some interesting questions.

Originally posted by mistressSOPHIA
are the unaware IGNORANT or are the EDUCATED brainwashed?????
is the empty mind LIBERATED while the EXPERT has imprisoned himself????

I guess, the way I see things, is that there are no absolutes. The questions above lead to absolutes or difinitive points of being. Either you are unaware and ignorant or educated and braiwashed. They seem false to me.

A question that springs to mind: Is an experience brainwashing? Education can simply be an experience.

Is an empty mind anything at all? What is actually liberated? Emptyness! How does one liberate nothing, an absence or an emptyness?

I think the positions are reversible in the case of liberation and imprisonment, depending on your perspective.

are the norms, languages and symbols of CIVILIZED society SANITY

Sanity itself is a norm, a language and a symbol. Its juxtaposition is insanity which is also a norm, a language and a symbol. Sanity and Insanity are normal to society in that they are expected patterns of behavior within the society. We expect that people will be sane and we expect that some people will be insane, although insanity is a norm it is significant for being an abnormal pattern of behavior and thinking.
We use norms, language and symbols to signify the difference between the two. Norms, language and symbols can be sane and/or insane and therefor are not difinitive of just one state of being.
Whether a society is civilized or not has no bearing on its considered norms, language or symbols being either sane or insane IMHO.
A civilized society can be insane and sane in varying proportions relative to a wide variety of experiences or perspectives yet still function.
Just look at The U.S.A. or North Korea. Depending on your perspective, the norms, language and symbology relating to both these civilizations could be deemed insane, sane or a combination of both.

.or are they the lowest common denominators of CONFUSION upon those minds unable to escape the MADNESS imposed on them .

If they are the lowest common denominators of confusion, then what is the highest common denominators of clarity of mind and sanity that can be imposed?

is the above classic eastern philosophy, a shaolin riddle..... or ??????????

Eastern Philosophy or Shaolin riddles are norms, language, and symbols of civilized societies. They are also systems of eduction.
So, depending on how you answer the earlier questions, they could be prisons for experts, brainwashing material or even examples of the lowest common denominator which has imposed a madness some were unable to escape.
To not know any of this would be a liberation of emptyness that you would be totally unaware of as an experience because your ignorance would not lend you a reference point so as to ascertain the value of your empty mind as opposed to that of an educated imprisoned expert imposed in a madness by norms, language and symbols specific to a civilization.

Paradox anyone?

Originally posted by mistressSOPHIA
are the unaware IGNORANT or are the EDUCATED brainwashed?????
is the empty mind LIBERATED while the EXPERT has imprisoned himself????

are the norms, languages and symbols of CIVILIZED society SANITY or are they the lowest common denominators of CONFUSION upon those minds unable to escape the MADNESS imposed on them .

is the above classic eastern philosophy, a shaolin riddle..... or ??????????

We don't have a civilized society, unfortunately. I think it was Plato who said that without truth it's impossible to have a civilized society. It seems to me that we are currently seeing the profundity and truth of that statement.

There is brain washing, yes, but there's also witholding of the truth and a deluge of downright lies. Even those who aren't brainwashed cannot discern fact from fiction.

Great observation. The bible clearly says that the more knowlage you recive, the more troubled and un-happy you will become. Truth hurts. It is plain old truth that the educated are brainwashed. From an early way we are told what to do contrary to what we see . We are told to be a christian, follow gods laws but we see our countries leaders do the opposit. Our leaders go kill, steal and rape other countries
We are told to work, pay taes and our government will use the money for the betterment of our world. However we see the opposite, they use the money to live a rich life, for war and the persuit of corporate agendas. Always the opposit of what information they feed us. However we must educate ourselves all we can to see this, to know the truth will hurt. Hopefully people will educate themselves to learn this truth.To rise above their standards or higher learning, and change ourselves. Read the bible it explains all of this clearly. There is a lie behind almost every agenda in this world.

Originally posted by mistressSOPHIA
are the unaware IGNORANT or are the EDUCATED brainwashed?????
is the empty mind LIBERATED while the EXPERT has imprisoned himself????

are the norms, languages and symbols of CIVILIZED society SANITY or are they the lowest common denominators of CONFUSION upon those minds unable to escape the MADNESS imposed on them .

is the above classic eastern philosophy, a shaolin riddle..... or ??????????

Yes, and in some cases, yes.
No, just empty, and depends on the expert.
Some of both.

For a better breakdown, we would have to get into specific issues, not generalizations.

It's the yen/yang theory. Strive for balance and you will be fine. If you can't find balance, find a way.