Is there still hope for a better world?

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Introduction. Ocotber 1st, 2011

I'm not sure about you, and I can't speak for others, but to me it seems like I now inhabit two worlds, one) a predominantly maintream media generated social-matrix of the likes of Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, NFL Football, CNN, Fox News, with complimentary death, destruction, mayham and murder, and two) the real world and life itself as it is.

Tragically, and for reasons that I cannot adequately explain, I seem to keep on getting sucked back into the former, as if swallowed up in the belly of a beast. I can imagine how Jonah must have felt (allegorically speaking) inside the belly of the whale (the poor dear).

It's very constraining, let me tell you, but you would know, having yourself been swallowed by the very same whale, like we're mere crill to its insatiable appetite.

Malnourished and languishing in the darkness, I will pray for deliberance, and then, from time to time I will find myself, to my utter atonishment, suddenly puked up onto a new beachhead of bright new possibility, only to be summarily caught, sucked in, and dragged out to sea before I am even able to reach the blessed shores of reality, a free man at last.

But lately, I've begun to sense the possibility, or the hint, of a possible shift, as people everywhere are being puked up near beaches of new possibility all over the place, and then quickly running, as fast as is humanly possible for the shores of truth and reality, most of course immediately caught before reaching their new destination, and swallowed again whole, dragged back into the abyss, just like me.

"Pics or it didn't happen" I can hear some saying, and hey, we could offer you pics here of a world gone wrong, and of stacked bodies and severed limbs enough to fill 10 superdome stadiums (and that's just the Cheney/Bush chapter of recent history), but why bother? The data, is in, and it certainly does not paint a very pretty picture, we all know that. Heck all we get is bad news anyway. In the belly of the beast, the only thing you swallow, as "food for the mind", is bile. It's very gross, as you may well know having already tasted it yourself.

It wasn't always this way. In the old days, we were initiated through a process of life transformation witin the loving and mutually supportive framework of our community, the vast wisdom and understanding, and the love of our elders and ancestors informing us throughout the journey of our lives. Not any more. Now, they throw us to the dogs, as a dog, while assuring us, in no uncertain terms, that it's a "dog eat dog world", and that's not helpful. At primary or "elementary" school, they pack us into boxes of 30 and feed us a carriculum developed in the 1960s, while at the same time terrorizing us with the "facts of life", not the least of which is the idea that unless we are and remain top of our class and go on to obtain the education of a doctor or a rocket scientist, that we won't be very useful in the "emerging global economy", and that's not very helpful either.

What's a person to think? What are we to do?

By the time we get our proverbial # together, there's just another damn treadmill to run, another hampster wheel beconing, because that's the way the system has been designed, to trap us, and make of us "good consumers", madly doing our best, not just to survice, but if at all possible, to surpass the "Jones's" next door, the bastards, who just parked a new car in their lot, with the smile of Cheshire cat.

It's a real predicament - the worst part perhaps being the eventual prospect of a surrender and submission, an aquiescence, under the unbearable pressure of it all; a cracking and a breaking of our human will and spirit, such that we ourselves, just like Winston Smith in George Orwell's 1984, one day find ourselves babbling, in near catatonia, as we stare utterly transfixed at "the tube", the words "I love Big Brother".



Where is the Love?

People are, I've noticed, snubbing other people everywhere, and the great pastime now, aside from maintaining a certain "image" in the eyes of others, involves ranting, endlessly, and raving, loudly, about the absolute and utter stupidity, and inauthenticity, and the incivility, of our fellow man. "They" are to blame for absolutely everything that is wrong with us and our lives. We have the proof, just look at us!

And of course for money, yes money, not just as a means to the enjoyments and realities of life, but as a thing unto itself, as a status symbol (what do YOU do for a living...hmph?), for money, adn status, most of us, no matter how much we may protest that this is just not so, will sell out our best friend, and for the sake of our image, our own true self! After all, it's a "dog eat dog world". We know. "Kill or be killed, eat, or be eaten." We know. They taught us well.

Thereafter further asserting our will, whether a have, or a have not, in part to protect our own inner child, we eat it alive. We hear it's cries, we know it's voice, but would prefer, lest we should be ourselves as we are, and face, head on the full magnitude of our own ignorance, to keep is safely locked away in a closet where hungry monsters lurk.

Some among us, of the more sensitive and tender loving variety, unwilling to go to such lengths in order to find our "place" in the matrix of the beastly domain - they just completely break down in the face of it all, to enact mythic journeys of the hero from the apparent safety and security of mental institutions only to discover, too late, that there they are forced to take seratonin uptake inhibitors capable of turning them into the very devils they were prepared to heroically wrestle to the ground on hehalf of us all.

It's absurd. Utterly absurd!

To add further insult to injury, if all that weren't sufficient to knock the wind out of our sails, the failure in love, is total. It's both a "top down" and a "bottom up" phenomenon, like a socio-political grass roots movement which, although supposedly founded upon "Hope" and "Change", fails to deliver the goods.

Even those closest to us, from our own parents, our siblings, our spouses and even, God forbid, our own children, fail us in this vital area of simple human need - to love and be loved as we are unconditionally.

Then at last swallowed by the beast, for the umpteenth time, our most fundamental hopes and dreams dashed all to pieces, our very destiny, thwarted, we stand tall and look bravely ahead, only to suddenly behold our very life in a rearview mirror (where objects appear larger or smaller than they actually are) having all but passed us by, the prospect of old age coming at us at full speed like a Mac Truck, who's inevitability resides in the twinkling eye or an ornamental bulldog, and we shout MY GOD IT'S TOO LATE!

or is it...?
after all,

"For man all happiness must arise exclusively in relation to all unhappiness, already experienced." (Gurdjieff ) and

"The more that suffering has carved into our being, the more joy we can contain." (Gibran)

There IS another world. I've seen it. But by God, is there any way out of THIS one, and a way out upon which we can all absolutely agree?!

BLURP, SPLAT!

Help! (NAM running) I can see the SHORE!

Mods please feel free to move this thread to the appropriate forum, I see this is Global Meltdown - Financial. Ought to have started it in Psychology, Metaphysics, Philosophy. Thanks.

No comment.

Figures..

Sorry for the short unsubstantial post but I sure hope there is hope for us all. Get to loving, earthpeople.

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
No comment.

Figures..

Part of Love is keeping patience and compassion with others. You worked hard on this post, and it is very well written, and it is more than understandable that you would be anxious to get replies to your effort, but be patient. Let people enter this thread at their own pace, and let people say what they will.

Is there still hope for a better world? What's wrong with this world? It is perfectly positioned close enough, and yet far enough from the sun to sustain an environment that fosters life. Then, there is the moon. The moon is so perfectly placed far enough from the planet, and yet close enough to the planet, not to mention its remarkable position from the sun, so as to tilt the planet on its axis, even further fostering an environment suitable to life. In almost every way this planet appears to be the perfect world, but in a perfect world, we don't mean the position of the planet in relation to its sun, nor do we mean the gravitational pull the moon has on that planet. What we mean by perfect world is that ideal circumstance of human interaction.

What would an ideal human interaction be? Is it possible that this thread could serve as a microcosmic model of what that ideal might look like?

If it is to be so, then surely patience and compassion are required. Good things come to those who wait.

reply to post by NewAgeMan

YES

Always has been and ever will be.

I see that you are seriously trying to confront the great cheese grater known as the physical universe.

And in that confusing mixture of banality and profundity, we have our problem.

"They" would have us believe that no workable solution exists.

But "they" aren't even looking for one. They are relatively happy with how things are.

So chances are, the above statement in italics is a lie.

However, if I were to step forward and tell you what I think the best solution I have found is, you would probably laugh, if not spit, in my face.

Everyone wants a "solution" as long as they don't have to change their basic assumptions about how life works. Well, where do you think the problem comes from?

I am pitied, denounced or laughed at by all but a few friends. And they are too busy fighting their own battles to do much more than check in with me now and again.

But let me dare to make an observation, and ask if you have observed similar:

Every significant message of hope this planet has ever received from anybody has been accompanied by the requirement for an increase in spiritual awareness.
Most major and minor religions involve this element. Edward Bellamy's vision included this element. I could include more, but I am less familiar with their details. And what does "spiritual awareness" translate to in secular terms? Magic. They are all saying, essentially, that if we were all magicians, then we could solve all our problems.

I'm probably over-stating it a bit, but that's close.

Do you believe in magic? Because that is essentially what all those past teachers were trying to tell us was wrong. That we had lost our belief in magic. That we were letting the day-to-day grind of struggling to stay alive cut us off from the essential magic in all of life. Sounds corny, but this seems to be the basic message.

How many of those learned teachers managed, however, to codify some sort of method for bringing an awareness and expectancy for "magic" back into one's life? I can think of two that fit that basic description. We have a problem with the ancient teachers, because the surviving records of their teachings may have been compromised. So I think of maybe two I know of who have students who are getting actual results along this line. There are probably some I'm not aware of.

It sounds silly to suggest that the "answer" might lie in such an obviously illogical direction.

But every "serious" attempt to make progress seems to just come up with some "dangerous" person or group as the "cause of our problems." And that approach has never worked. Just never.

Another way to describe this "solution" would be that it involves a basically new state of mind. A whole new approach to the challenges of life. The approach that a real magician would take. "This looks pretty bad, but I think I can handle it." What if every single person on earth approached the daily challenges of life with that attitude? And what if they actually had the spiritual training to succeed with this approach?

I think a "better world" lies in this general direction. I don't want so shove anything down anyone's throat. I just want to encourage you to look in that general direction now and then and see if it's really as "kooky" an idea as the "serious" thinkers make it out to be.

Let this be a lesson to you my friend.

The Son of Man cannot save the world.

Only the father, which is Greater.

With Love,

Your Brother

Originally posted by IAMIAM
Let this be a lesson to you my friend.

The Son of Man cannot save the world.

Only the father, which is Greater.

With Love,

Your Brother

Unless they're One in the same which forces us into a greater responsibility role.

Originally posted by Jean Paul Zodeaux

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
No comment.

Figures..

Part of Love is keeping patience and compassion with others. You worked hard on this post, and it is very well written, and it is more than understandable that you would be anxious to get replies to your effort, but be patient. Let people enter this thread at their own pace, and let people say what they will.

Is there still hope for a better world? What's wrong with this world? It is perfectly positioned close enough, and yet far enough from the sun to sustain an environment that fosters life. Then, there is the moon. The moon is so perfectly placed far enough from the planet, and yet close enough to the planet, not to mention its remarkable position from the sun, so as to tilt the planet on its axis, even further fostering an environment suitable to life. In almost every way this planet appears to be the perfect world, but in a perfect world, we don't mean the position of the planet in relation to its sun, nor do we mean the gravitational pull the moon has on that planet. What we mean by perfect world is that ideal circumstance of human interaction.

What would an ideal human interaction be? Is it possible that this thread could serve as a microcosmic model of what that ideal might look like?

If it is to be so, then surely patience and compassion are required. Good things come to those who wait.

This is Truth my friend.

The people do not see the perfection in the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars because they focus on one, and not all three. Worse yet, they do not see beyond the Sun, moon, and Stars to something even greater.

To reveal the metaphor to the unaware.

The Sun = Christianity
The Moon = Islam
The Stars = Judaism.

The moon and stars rule the night while the Sun is absent.

When the Sun returns from the west, the moon and stars and forces of darkness will retreat.

It is the dawning of the day.

With Love,

Your Brother

reply to post by l_e_cox


Compromised you think? I would agree judging by the many witches put to death for using "aspirin" or natural oils in our not so distant past. Now we have entire industries reverse engineering nature with the goal of patenting it for profit.

The answer, the fix... Is common sense. It's a train where everybody needs to jump on board. And with perhaps the exception of dodging asteroids or solar flares, our problems are man made. These are relatively simple problems with simple solutions. If there's any magic involved, it's from us working together.

Originally posted by Americanist

Originally posted by IAMIAM
Let this be a lesson to you my friend.

The Son of Man cannot save the world.

Only the father, which is Greater.

With Love,

Your Brother

Unless they're One in the same which forces us into a greater responsibility role.

The lessor can never be the Greater.

With Love,

Your Brother

There is always hope as long as people hope

The human race may be horrible overall, but individual people are great.

I believe in hope because I believe in Jesus.

Others have their own beliefs.

Originally posted by IAMIAM

Originally posted by Americanist

Originally posted by IAMIAM
Let this be a lesson to you my friend.

The Son of Man cannot save the world.

Only the father, which is Greater.

With Love,

Your Brother

Unless they're One in the same which forces us into a greater responsibility role.

The lessor can never be the Greater.

With Love,

Your Brother

The Greater being the ultimate sacrifice... I mentioned nothing of distinctions.

Jesus is coming to save this world.

That means Jesus with the approval of His Father.

Or else the scripture writers are liars - probably.

In which case, we will be blanked out, hopefully quickly, by our own ignorant race, who have been intent on destroying the planet, and each other, from the word go.

Sigh.

Originally posted by Americanist

Originally posted by IAMIAM

Originally posted by Americanist

Originally posted by IAMIAM
Let this be a lesson to you my friend.

The Son of Man cannot save the world.

Only the father, which is Greater.

With Love,

Your Brother

Unless they're One in the same which forces us into a greater responsibility role.

The lessor can never be the Greater.

With Love,

Your Brother

The Greater being the ultimate sacrifice... I mentioned nothing of distinctions.

Believing that there is a Greater sacrifice is what provoked Cain to murder Abel.

There is no Greater sacrifice.

The Sun shines on the wicked and righteous alike.

The Lord causes all calamity and blessings.

With Love,

Your Brother

Originally posted by IAMIAM

Originally posted by Americanist

Originally posted by IAMIAM

Originally posted by Americanist

Originally posted by IAMIAM
Let this be a lesson to you my friend.

The Son of Man cannot save the world.

Only the father, which is Greater.

With Love,

Your Brother

Unless they're One in the same which forces us into a greater responsibility role.

The lessor can never be the Greater.

With Love,

Your Brother

The Greater being the ultimate sacrifice... I mentioned nothing of distinctions.

Believing that there is a Greater sacrifice is what provoked Cain to murder Abel.

There is no Greater sacrifice.

The Sun shines on the wicked and righteous alike.

The Lord causes all calamity and blessings.

With Love,

Your Brother

You tell of tales when Love is the ultimate. Oh, and you mean these guys right? haha...

Originally posted by Americanist
You tell of tales when Love is the ultimate. Oh, and you mean these guys right? haha...

That light should be enough to get you through the dark my friend.

Be safe on your journey.

With Love,

Your Brother

Originally posted by catwhoknowsplusone
Jesus is coming to save this world.

That means Jesus with the approval of His Father.

Or else the scripture writers are liars - probably.

In which case, we will be blanked out, hopefully quickly, by our own ignorant race, who have been intent on destroying the planet, and each other, from the word go.

Sigh.

YES! JESUS is coming to a town near you!
when Jesus get's here he's going to wonder why he sees so many people wearing accessories of him nailed to the cross with thorns wrapped on his head instead of wearing accessories of him with a smiling face or something that would bring joy or happiness into ones soul.

Originally posted by OUTofSTEPwithTHEworld

Originally posted by catwhoknowsplusone
Jesus is coming to save this world.

That means Jesus with the approval of His Father.

Or else the scripture writers are liars - probably.

In which case, we will be blanked out, hopefully quickly, by our own ignorant race, who have been intent on destroying the planet, and each other, from the word go.

Sigh.

YES! JESUS is coming to a town near you!
when Jesus get's here he's going to wonder why he sees so many people wearing accessories of him nailed to the cross with thorns wrapped on his head instead of wearing accessories of him with a smiling face or something that would bring joy or happiness into ones soul.

Buddy Christ!

As was mentioned above, the planet is fine. The question should really be 'is there hope of a brighter future for humanity'.

There is always hope.

Not everything has gotten worse and the things that are most broken can be fixed if we shout loudly enough.

First thing on my list would be an assault on the advertising industry.

-Make it illegal to digitally enhance images used for advertising.
-Make targeted advertising and tracking cookies illegal
-Make mail shots illegal

The above list could be larger and better thought out but the gist of it is there. Our society is being damaged and debased by brainwashing. Our children are subjected to this programming from day one. Our society is saturated with it.

I am an atheist and oppose organised religion. I'm content that the church is on the wane. However if you remove religious brainwashing and allow it to be replaced by corporate brainwashing (all that matters is beauty fame and wealth) you are trading one sickness for another.

I believe this is at the heart of a lot of our problems. Reign in the advertising we wade through and teach in school what our society considers moral/immoral. Removing religion is not an excuse for walking away from issues of morality. Of course that requires it to be defined which would require first a national debate on our societies morals in the 21st century.