It is a terrible blow to the ego to admit we are covertly and overtly manipulated or influenced by anything other than our own mind. We wish to 'believe' we are rational, logical and independent thinkers who act in our own best interest all the time. Unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth.
Sadly we will remain under the control of the very thing we reject as manipulating us for as long as we resist fully accepting the knowledge and understanding that much of what we consider original and critical thought is little more than repackaged and personalized propaganda and cultural beliefs. We cannot overcome that which we deny is present in the first place.
The purpose of the following article is not to rub our faces in our own inadequacy or futility. Rather it is presented to help us understand one simple fact, that everywhere we turn we are surrounded by controlling memes and propaganda. The way forward is to fully recognize where we have been and then embrace personal responsibility to change the path we presently walk.
It is beyond the comprehension and understanding of nearly all of 'us' (myself included) to fully appreciate how much of what we perceive and believe to be 'reality' is nothing more than a trance or illusion, albeit an extremely persistent one. It was with this thought in mind that I came across this quote in an article I am re-posting here on TIF.
"In the contemporary world what counts is the goal. To reconnect with the Earth and the Sky what matters is the present, not the destination. Trance or shamanic states of consciousness have to do with the present and with getting out of the most dangerous trance: our conditioning and daily conventions."
I needed to read this article three times before all it had to offer began to sink in and soak my mind and body. Resist the urge to skim it and instead kick back and read it several times for the pure pleasure of knowing such knowledge.
If you accept the premise 'You are what you eat', meaning ultimately you are physically composed of what you consume....good and bad.....then it stands to reason you are what you think, meaning your reality is composed of what you consume and thereby think and/or believe.....good and bad.
As the image of the deeply, and beautifully, eroded rock in the image above demonstrates, the slow drip and steady wind of social, political and economic conditioning and propaganda can break down the hardest substances. Our only defense is to be forever mindful of who and what we are....and what we consume.
It is with this thought in mind that I present a blast from the past by Neil Kramer from back in July of 2008, an oldie but goodie if you will.
