The Illusion of Choice
“I voted”. I saw that update coming up a lot the other day on
Facebook at election day, neatly put on a red/blue/white button. What is
the underlying message of someone who posts that? To show that one is
an upstanding American Citizen doing the “right thing” by executing
one’s right to vote? To feel good about oneself? To entice others to
vote?
What strikes me as curious is that most of the people who had the “I
voted” update never really post anything relevant to what deeper issues
this country and the world faces in order to help spread awareness and
understanding which could actually result in true change. Just this one
day, all of a sudden: “I voted”. Voted what? who? why? Of course I’m not
implying that Facebook posts and updates are a real life reflection of
what people do or don’t do, but it still is an interesting observation.
I’m also not saying that people don’t have the right intention. But as
the saying goes, “the path to hell is paved with good intentions”. In a
ponerized
society with a corrupt political system, good intention, hope and
voting don’t result in positive change, but merely wishful thinking and
denial.
Obama’s election in 2008 should have taught that lesson, but many
people still seem to be mesmerized and hypnotized by his persona, hype
and slogans that they can’t see him for who he is: a
corporate puppet
and just as big of a liar as his predecessor, if not worse. The last
two years speak for themselves as he supports the same agendas as Bush,
most of all
the phony war on terror.
How can it be that the masses are so easily duped? It didn’t come as a
surprise as I wrote in my article two years ago when he got “elected”:
The men behind Barack Obama: Hope and Reality
“President Obama does one thing, and Brand Obama gets
you to believe another. This is the essence of successful advertising –
you buy or do what the advertiser wants, because of how they make you
feel. He’s a marketing dream, but like Calvin Klein or
Benetton, he is a brand that promises something special, something
exciting almost risqué, as if he might be radical. As if he might enact
change. He makes people feel good, he’s a postmodern man with no
political baggage, and all that’s fake.”
- John Pilger
In regards to the latest election there is something else I noticed.
I’ve seen more posts on Facebook about Prop.19 to legalize Marijuana (or
not) here in California in the last days than posts on the anniversary
of 9/11 to expose the biggest lie of the new millennium. A lie that has
cost more lives and affects the world and us more than the issue about
pot being legal or not. I’m not against pot being legalized, but it is
interesting to see where people’s attention and focus is.
So some of you have voted. May I ask you what you expected by casting
your vote, besides focusing on propositions? That your favorite party
gets more seats in the senate/house? Which side did you choose: left,
right, blue or red or maybe some “independent” liberal party? What do
you expect is going to change by casting your vote once or every two and
four years?
Let me ask another way. What do you do the rest of the year? Where do
you get your information from? How do you educate yourself about what
is going on? What are you telling or would you tell your children and
kids in general? What do you speak out about, when are you silent, what
do you ignore? Do you really know who and what you support by voting? Do
you question what you are being told, what you have learned in school
and what society, official culture, government and the mainstream media
is trying to make you believe?
Just some questions and food for thought. Questions I ask myself all
the time. I’m not saying that any of you are not doing their best in
their own ways and lives to make this world a better place. Most
people’s intention and heart is in the right place, but maybe there is
more to consider, something we haven’t honestly looked at?
“The American left is a phantom. It
is conjured up by the right-wing to tag Barack Obama as a socialist and
used by the liberal class to justify its complacency and lethargy. It
diverts attention from corporate power. It perpetuates the myth of a
democratic system that is influenced by the votes of citizens, political
platforms and the work of legislators. It keeps the world neatly
divided into a left and a right. The phantom left functions as a
convenient scapegoat. The right-wing blames it for moral degeneration
and fiscal chaos. The liberal class uses it to call for ‘moderation.’
The corporations that control mass communications conjure up the phantom
of a left. They blame the phantom for our debacle. And they get us to
speak in absurdities.” – Chris Hedges
There are no free elections in this country. There hasn’t been in a
long time. The Voting System is a fraud sold to the public to give them
the illusion of choice. The same goes for the two-party set-up.
Democrats and Republicans. Back and forth. Two sides of the same coin.
Despite popular belief we actually don’t live in a democracy anymore.
People are so caught up in this left/right tunnel vision that they don’t
see how they’re being duped and played with.
Brent Kopenhaver Jr. also gives insight in his article “
Your Vote Doesn’t count“, addressing some major issues and pointing out:
“Elections are nonsense. Not only are they nonsense –
they serve to maintain an illusion that we still live in a free,
democratic society.”
The political system is an illusion to keep people in bondage. Most
people fight to defend the very beliefs which are established by the
controllers to keep them enslaved, just like Morpheus said in “The
Matrix”:
“You have to understand, most of these people are not
ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly
dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it“
What I hear at times when I bring up the issue of control and manipulation is:
“But I’m not enslaved, I’m free and can do what I want. That’s the beauty of this great land of freedom!”
Enslavement in this day and age is not by force or martial law. It’s by
the control of consciousness, by implementing beliefs and desires,
forming your mind and behaviors to act and do a certain way, making you
believe you are “free” and essentially keeping you complacent and
distracted from Truth and the real issues this world faces. It certainly
is not man-made Global Warming (one of those implemented beliefs to
control/distract the masses) which so many Liberals like to focus on
these days. Being “environmental conscious”, “green”, striving towards
self-sustainability, permaculture, recycling, composting, driving a
“Hybrid” car or planting veggies is not enough if we want true change.
There are more pressing issues that cry for our attention and awareness.
Sometimes when I mention these points I’m being called a “conspiracy
nut” and ridiculed by the ones who have “faith” in the system and
believe themselves to be aware and conscious “good Americans” because
they act with good intention and “love” when they cast their vote.
However, there is no Love where there is no Truth. There is also no Love
where there is Wishful Thinking. Love comes from Knowledge and
Understanding, to see the world as it is and to see oneself as one is,
not as one likes it to be.
“Give these people a voting day every year, so they
have the illusion of meaningless choice. Meaningless choice, so we go
like slaves and say “I voted”. The limits of debate in this country are
established before the debate even begins and everyone else is
marginalized and made to be seen as “communists” or some sort of
disloyal person…and now it’s conspiracy [theorists]. You see they made
that something that shouldn’t be even entertained for a minute that
powerful people might get together and have a plan. Doesn’t happen.
You’re a nut case! You’re a conspiracy buff!”- Geroge Carlin
The illusion of National Identification and Patriotism is also
something that many people are chained to. As Krishnamurti said
“Patriotism is a Disease”. It keeps us separated just like religious
identification and belief. The leaders of this country and the world
couldn’t care less about America and other nations. These beliefs are
just part of the circus show to keep people confined. What rules the
world are Transnational Corporations and other interests. Wars are also
not fought for National Securities or Patriotism, but the lie of
“Patriotism” (with its emotional attachment of “Pride”) is being sold to
the masses to follow without questioning.
“Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use
first to shrink-wrap people’s brains and then as ceremonial shrouds to
bury the dead.” – Arundhati Roy
There is much information available to show the truth in these
matters that need to be exposed before anything will change. Everything
else is justre-arranging the surface or like staring at the shadows on
the wall in
Plato’s allegory of The Cave.
Be it the futility of voting, corporate take-over (also called
Fascism),
the 9/11 inside Job, Israel’s influence on America’s politic and
Zionism in general, especially how it affects the Media, The Global
Warming Agenda and the most underestimated topic of all: Psychopathy in
Power and Political Ponerology. Political figures and even every day
people who have no conscience (by birth, not through upbringing or
conditioning) and who do not feel or think like me or you do, no
feelings for empathy, compassion, love or remorse. However, they can
pretend and act “as IF”. The effects of Psychopathy on Society and the
world is underrated and hardly understood, mostly even ignored because
people want to believe in the “good” of all people. After all, “we’re
all one and we just need to recognize that and focus on “love” “, as it
is proclaimed by many “New Age” folks. Yes, we are all one, but we are
not the same and some people have a different inner “wiring” than others
that is not due to environmental influences or psychological
disposition. We’re not talking about serial killers or convicted
murderers, but successful charismatic Individuals that can be found in
all parts of life, even under Liberals, the New Age and Conscious
Movements of today. This has nothing to do about “us vs. them”, but
understanding how complex humanity actually is, what we choose to
believe/wish for and what we avoid to look at and confront, within and
without. Check out these links for more on that:
- The Mask of Sanity
- Reflections on Political Ponerology
- Political Ponerology
Too many people hold the idea that psychopaths are
essentially killers or convicts. The general public hasn’t been educated
to see beyond the social stereotypes to understand that psychopaths can
be entrepreneurs, politicians, CEOs and other successful individuals
who may never see the inside of a prison.” – Dr. Robert Hare
This is just skimming the surface. There is more information,
articles, essays, books, videos and research that examine each of the
points I mentioned in-depth, much of it what others and I post on FB all
the time. But who will actually make time and look into it? This is the
age of fast food information, of twitter and quick Facebook updates, of
texting, ADD and short attention spans. People are too busy with all
kinds of trivialities in their lives. Most of them can’t be even
bothered to THINK and many are too concerned with themselves to keep an
eye on the world. I know life is not easy at times and we do need to
take care of ourselves. There is much to do, but “having no time” to
look into these matters seems to be a quick excuse these days,
especially considering how they affect us and the world at large on a
daily basis. Truth can’t be spoon-fed, nor will it be on Oprah anytime
soon or neatly packaged in a five min. youtube clip. It is up to each of
us to make an effort to seek Truth and speak out about it, even if it
contradicts with our cherished long-held beliefs.
I had people saying that these “conspiracies” are “unwarranted
claims”, but the same people do not look into the evidence and research
that is out there and so debunk something they haven’t even looked into
sincerely. There is an unconscious psychological protective mechanism
that prevents people to face certain truths about the world and
essentially about themselves, because the Truth will shatter much of
what they believe in and they’d have to adjust their lives accordingly,
most of all admitting to themselves that they have been believing in
lies. Of course there is also the question of what “others” may think,
peer pressure, friends, family, colleagues and so on. People don’t want
to “rock the boat”. This is how the “matrix” protects itself and the
“sheeple police the sheeple”, so no ones steps out of line. But in the
end only Truth will truly set us free and help us to embrace a brighter
future for ourselves and our children. Denial and Avoidance will
essentially backfire as it is already.
“The scientific discourse misses the fact that the
ability to deny is an amazing human phenomenon, a product of sheer
complexity of our emotional, linguistic, moral and intellectual lives.
Denial is a complex unconscious defense mechanism for coping with guilt,
anxiety and other disturbing emotions aroused by reality.” – Stanley
Cohen
There is another issue that come with voting in a corrupted system
and believing in lies. On a deeper level (metaphysically speaking), by
voting and by identifying yourself with a party (left or right) you
actually give validity to the corrupt system, two-party set-up and
essentially your “permission” to keep it in place. In a sense you
actually give up your “free will” by believing in lies (taking the false
for the true and the true for the false) and supporting them with your
“vote”. It’s how the “matrix” works and keeps itself in place: By the
consensus of the people believing in it and supporting it through their
actions and beliefs. No matter how good a lie sounds, how good it feels
or what “positive” effect it may have (wishful thinking), there are
metaphysical repercussions that affect everyone and the whole world
“negatively” and actually feed
entropy,
essentially keeping the false system and control in place by giving it
“energy”, regardless if the people who support/believe lies (unknowingly
or not) are very loving, positive and mean well. In a sense by voting
and buying into the illusion of “free choice” people tend to do more
“harm” than any “good”. The exact opposite of what we’re being told
(“Rock the Vote!”) and have been conditioned to believe. Obviously it’s
not about just not voting and doing nothing. It’s about gaining
Knowledge and educating ourselves and see the “fraud” and the lies for
what they are. Then we Know what to DO and most importantly what NOT to
do. The more people engage in seeking Truth and work together in that
regard, the better the chance that reality (as a Whole) will change for
the “better”, because we DO create our own reality but it’s not as
simple as portrayed in the many distorted New Age “You Create Your Own
Reality” bits. This is a topic on its own, getting more into the realm
of Esoterica, Quantum Mechanics and Metaphysics. This article touches
upon that issue a little bit:
Order Out of Chaos
“Illusion, thinking it is reality, takes reality for illusion” – Boris Mouravieff, Gnosis
One of the questions I’ve been asked is what do I suggest we DO if we don’t vote?
Well, what an interesting question, which reflects how we’ve been
conditioned with basically only two options to choose from (left or
right). I’m in no position to tell anyone what to do. I can give some
suggestions and food for thought, but eventually the drive to seek to
truth and act upon it, living life beyond personal interests but with
awareness of the bigger picture needs to come from oneself.
Having said that, here are some suggestions:
1. The most important part is to gain Self-Knowledge and work on oneself to become a better person and “
be the change“. I touched upon that in the blog “
Know Thyself“.
Self-Knowledge and Self-Work is also needed to truly understand the
world “out there”. We are all works in process and all there is are
lesson, but there needs to be effort to cut through our conditioning. It
doesn’t happen by itself. It’s about conscious evolution.
“The change must begin with the human being, not with
the outward structure. The human being is confused, the human being is
conditioned. He believes, and therefore there is a contradiction in
himself. He is really, deeply confused and if he wants to change the
social structure, the change from confusion only breeds more confusion.
Whereas, if he could bring about clarity within himself, and from that
clarity act, then such an action is really a deep psychological
revolution. That revolution is absolutely necessary.” ~Jiddu
Krishnamurti
2. Educate yourself and seek Information and Knowledge outside the
realm of official culture and mainstream media. Question everything! A
very good news site I can highly recommend to check out daily is
Signs Of the Times . Objective investigative Journalism with contributions from a global network. Probably the best news site on the web.
3. Turn off your TV. As a matter of fact, get rid of it. Create a
meditation space there instead. This article gives some insight of how
watching TV modifies and programs (literally) our behaviors, desires,
beliefs and even is detrimental to your health:
Want Better Health? Stop Watching Television…For Good .
Take care of your health with exercise, yoga,
qi gong, meditation, massage,
breathwork,
healthy diet (stay away from gluten, wheat, dairy, sugar), spending
time in nature, etc… . The body and mind are one. What you eat and how
you live has an effect on how you think and feel.
4. Network and talk about these topics to friends and family or new
people you meet. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Awareness is the first
step to change, Of course it is not about preaching or forcing one’s
view on another, but about raising Awareness and “pushing the envelope”,
spreading some “seeds” here and there if appropriate. There is a time
to talk and a time to be silent, but not falling into Complacency,
Conformity, Self-Importance, Anger or Rage. Meet on a regular basis with
a group of like-minded people, so you can get feedback and keep each
other “awake”, discussing these issues, creating community based on
Truth, Knowledge and essentially Love. Together we’re stronger.
“Cowardice asks the question:”Is it safe”?
Expediency asks the question:”Is it politic”?
Vanity asks the question:”Is it popular?”
But conscience asks the question:”Is it right?”
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular
but one must take it because one’s conscience tells one what is right.”
- Martin Luther King
5. Blogging and using Social Networks to spread awareness and
information. Facebook and other sites can be great tools to raise
awareness and network beyond just talking about oneself, how much you
love life or what you had for breakfast. We can keep each other informed
and provide better and more insightful news than the mainstream media.
These are just some suggestions. More can be done and each of us
should look deeply into oneself, of how one is being honest with
oneself, others and the world at large. Everyone can do something to
raise awareness and make this world a better place, each according to
his/her unique talents that go beyond immediate self-gratification or
self-interest that keeps one in a subjective tunnel vision. However this
also entail questioning what we believe to be true or not and not
mistake objectivity for negativity or wishful thinking for positivity.
The future is not set in stone. It all depends on each of us. The
more people wake up to truth and see the world as it is, not as we
“like” it to be, the better for all. Awareness creates change, not
simply “positive thinking”, visualizing or meditating on “peace.
Providing solutions without first getting a better understanding of
ourselves and what is truly going on in the world can be self-defeating
in the long run. Discernment is needed and separating truth from lies,
within and without. This higher awareness then results in action that
will have lasting positive results and not just change of “appearances”.
There is much we’ll have to come to terms with before true change can
happen. Let’s not miss the opportunity during this “Time of
Transition”. There is work to do, but it’s what we signed up for.