Professor J,
Are you up for a little meandering? Bits of your last
post sounded Toynbee-esque. So this week I have a few questions. Toynbee
thought in terms of civilizations as opposed to nations per se, so
while we are discussing these issues that Hedges tackles in the last
chapter we've been applying them strictly to the good ole US of A. Are
we wrong to do that, given how interconnected our various systems are in
the new global economy?
Are these national problems or Western civilization problems? To
my mind much of it seems entangled (though to varying degrees) but we
are certainly the ring leader of the circus.
If Toynbee
thought that civilizations died not by murder, but by suicide then I think
he would have found Empire of Illusion interesting reading about just
how we are going about it:
"We are diverted by spectacle
and pseudo-events. we are fed illusions. We are given comforting
myths--the core of popular culture--that exalt our nation and ourselves,
even though ours is a time of collapse, and moral and political
squalor. We are bombarded with useless trivia and celebrity gossip..."
What do you think he would say that we should do immediately to
avoid the whole thing going over the cliff we are barreling toward? If he
didn't believe we were just locked into predestined cyclical history and he thought we could take action to change the outcome headed our way if continue on the present course, then that gives one (dare I say it?)
hope. :) He once compared America to a "large friendly dog" but I wonder how many people around the world might think of other descriptions that are far less endearing, now.
Ha! No answers this week; just questions. That seems oddly familiar somehow. ;)
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Economics IS The Control
Yes, Madame,
Yes!
Unexamined (even
unaware) selves, disdain, and unconcern: We modern-day Romans are following the
cut-out pattern to civilizational doom near perfectly. Add to the irony that our general underlying
system’s yearnings, like Rome’s, will likely survive us. Rome was gone many, many scores of years, but
still the peoples of Europe longed for all that it had been—even for its
return---and tried to incorporate many elements into their own societies.
But when Rome
in the West was gone, it was gone. It
wasn’t coming back. Utter dissolution and dissolving of its people ensured
that. Don’t expect to go to Rome today
and find anyone who actually has the characteristics of those on the busts in
the museums.
But then
again, as you and Hedges intimate, narcissists and sociopaths tend to
self-destruct, don’t they?
As Hedges so
glumly has to tell us, our march of folly and rise of the corporatist state was
warned about—even predicted with remarkable accuracy at times—by a number of
people (he lists them on p. 146). “This
generation of writers remembered what had been lost. They saw the intrinsic values that were being
dismantled. The culture they sought to protect has largely been
obliterated. During the descent, our
media and universities, extension of corporate and mass culture, proved intellectually
and morally useless.” We instead bought—lock, stock, and nearly every bit of
the barrel---“the idea that all change was a form of progress.” (146)
Sheldon Wolin,
in his book, Democracy Incorporated,
described our system of true power in America as inverted totalitarianism.
That is, not one centered on some popular leader or celebrity, but an anonymous
corporate state. A structure that “purports
to cherish democracy, patriotism, and the Constitution while manipulating
internal levers to subvert and thwart democratic institutions.” Sure, the candidates of the political system are elected by the votes of citizens (those that 1) clear the
hurdles to vote, and 2) actually find the time and desire to do so), but the
candidates are beholden to corporations and billionaires for the funds to
compete. And these are waiting with
lobbyists to dictate to the elected what WILL be legislated. The corporate media—that controls the vast
majority of what we see or hear, and certainly shade any discussions—will hardly
remark on this phenomenon, and even when they do, will imply that nothing can
be done about it. Then they will move on
to the latest non-issue and celebrity meaninglessness. (146)
In this
inverted totalitarianism, economics controls the political system. The public is manipulated rather than engaged
in policy discussions of significance.
What few “discussions” that take place are shouting matches and political
jockeying for advantage, not an earnest process for true consensus and best
solutions. The power of the state is
used to silence or enfeeble most opposition that could seriously challenge the
inversion.
And military
intervention and war—once a subject so serious it brought shudders to both
statesmen and the everyday citizen—becomes casual. And these are wars essentially initiated by
us, the “democracy” that the system feeds its 1984ish Proles the propaganda that we want peace while the rest of
the world apparently only wants to force us into war. War is not only profitable business, but it
weakens the power of the federal government to take action against corporate
and plutocratic power.
Fortunately, a
still large portion of the population refuses to take war so lightly. We will see if they can make their voices
heard AND felt.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
A Textbook Case
Professor J,
Throughout this book, but most particularly in this final chapter, drifts an underlying but crucial point. Americans have a monumental problem looking at anything from a point of view other than their own, both as a nation and as individuals. The rest of the world is doing it wrong (defined as a way other than our own) yet we seem completely oblivious to the evidence around us that we have run off our own antiquated track somewhere and are now headed toward a washed out bridge in our outdated rail cars.
On p. 151, Hedges quotes from The Limits of Power:
"The Big Lies are the truths that remain unspoken: that freedom has an underside; that nations, like households must ultimately live within their means; that history's purpose, the subject of so many confident pronouncements, remains inscrutable. Above all, there is this: power is finite, politicians pass over matters such as these in silence. As a consequence, the absence of self-awareness that forms such an enduring element of the American character persists. (Emphasis mine)
The inability to see anything from another point of view or empathize deeply that Hedges alludes to throughout this work reminded me of some of the dominant traits of narcissists and sociopaths. I looked up the behaviors associated with those disorders. Well, let's just say the similarities are interesting. Here is the *list of sociopath symptoms and traits:
Hedges takes the "military-industrial establishment" to task at length in this chapter. I'm going to leave the lion's share of the commentary on that subject to you for obvious reasons. But when reading this list of symptoms of narcissism I thought about how Ron Paul is vilified by many every time he attempts to make the connection between our behavior in dealing with nations around the world and how we weaken our own security by refusing to talk, by placing meaningless embargoes, and then eventually engaging in military action to get our way (or perhaps more accurately someone's way). Which without question apparently is the right way. His question about why "nothing is off the table" (code for the nuclear option) except talking (!) seems so rational. Too rational and reasonable for a nation awash in illusions of one kind and another. If the public has qualms about it the media is sure to be able to package and sell it in a way that will make it seem not only necessary, but good. Then we add to that the immense waste involved in some of the systems developed that "offer little more than a psychological security blanket for fearful Americans who want to feel protected and safe." A fear that is fed both by a system that benefits from it and by an alarmingly narrow world view, and more often than not, an actual disdain for other people, cultures, and religions. And increasingly, history.
See list above again...
*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition,
Throughout this book, but most particularly in this final chapter, drifts an underlying but crucial point. Americans have a monumental problem looking at anything from a point of view other than their own, both as a nation and as individuals. The rest of the world is doing it wrong (defined as a way other than our own) yet we seem completely oblivious to the evidence around us that we have run off our own antiquated track somewhere and are now headed toward a washed out bridge in our outdated rail cars.
On p. 151, Hedges quotes from The Limits of Power:
"The Big Lies are the truths that remain unspoken: that freedom has an underside; that nations, like households must ultimately live within their means; that history's purpose, the subject of so many confident pronouncements, remains inscrutable. Above all, there is this: power is finite, politicians pass over matters such as these in silence. As a consequence, the absence of self-awareness that forms such an enduring element of the American character persists. (Emphasis mine)
The inability to see anything from another point of view or empathize deeply that Hedges alludes to throughout this work reminded me of some of the dominant traits of narcissists and sociopaths. I looked up the behaviors associated with those disorders. Well, let's just say the similarities are interesting. Here is the *list of sociopath symptoms and traits:
- Displays heightened levels of deceitfulness in dealings with others, which involves lying, conning others without remorse, or even using aliases
- Inability to abide by the social norms and thus violating law
- Displays aggressiveness and often tends to get into assaults and physical fights
- Displays complete lack of empathy for others and their situation for which they are responsible
- Displays no feelings or shallow feelings
- Displays impulsive behavior which is indicated by the inability to plan for the future
- Displays no concern for safety of others around them or self
- Inability to sustain a consistent behavior that stems mainly from irresponsibility especially at work place or in other dealings
- Displays promiscuous behavior
Hedges takes the "military-industrial establishment" to task at length in this chapter. I'm going to leave the lion's share of the commentary on that subject to you for obvious reasons. But when reading this list of symptoms of narcissism I thought about how Ron Paul is vilified by many every time he attempts to make the connection between our behavior in dealing with nations around the world and how we weaken our own security by refusing to talk, by placing meaningless embargoes, and then eventually engaging in military action to get our way (or perhaps more accurately someone's way). Which without question apparently is the right way. His question about why "nothing is off the table" (code for the nuclear option) except talking (!) seems so rational. Too rational and reasonable for a nation awash in illusions of one kind and another. If the public has qualms about it the media is sure to be able to package and sell it in a way that will make it seem not only necessary, but good. Then we add to that the immense waste involved in some of the systems developed that "offer little more than a psychological security blanket for fearful Americans who want to feel protected and safe." A fear that is fed both by a system that benefits from it and by an alarmingly narrow world view, and more often than not, an actual disdain for other people, cultures, and religions. And increasingly, history.
See list above again...
*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition,
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Romerica Cracks
Madame,
Historian Maier might have also pointed
out that Rome too followed the same pattern.
After a time, the once immensely productive Italian peninsula produced
relatively little and became a consumer, a net importer, with large and
continuous trade deficits. But the
Romans didn’t think they need be that concerned, even when the economic
strength was shifting to the East. After
all, the Romans reasoned, they (the Romans) were good businessmen, with
international operations, and besides they were Rome, the sole superpower!
The historical absurdity being repeated would
be comical—if it weren’t so tragic.
Your observations are canny. I would add there’s an intrinsic feeling of
being less vulnerable when you make something yourself.
While we divert ourselves, albeit
pleasantly, in “March Madness” (which is just a magnified form of the madness
we have nearly year round), we become unwitting serfs, with fewer and fewer
attaining livable wages (itself a subject of great depth not going into
here). The results of our increasingly
decrepit society are all around us, if we face the reality: “Our infrastructure—roads,
bridges, sewers, airports, trains, mass transit—is overburdened, outdated, and
in dismal repair.” (Prof’s Note: And often the wrong kind, wrong design, and
wrong assumptions!) China is constantly
opening a new mass transit system; Europeans (nasty socialistic pukes!) often
have no need of cars because of theirs.
What do we do have? A rail system
that is so “antiquated and inefficient (it) cannot maintain its lumbering cars
and aging tracks.” And broken pipes,
potholes, overwhelmed sewage systems (See Lester Brown’s book from my blog),
schools physically falling apart, a for-profit health care system that forces
Americans to spend more and get less than their industrialized contemporaries,
and that causes half of all American bankruptcies from unable-to-be-paid
medical bills. (144)
We (again—except for Israel—why aren’t
others?) are itching for war with Iran, instead of learning from history and
seeking to truly understand its culture, its goals, and the true nature of the “threat,”
let alone its internal possibilities for change (this road seem
familiar?). We ramp up militarism at the
drop of a hat; we spend more than all the other militaries of the earth
combined. Home foreclosures, job losses,
bank and financial firm failures and bailouts, poverty, infrastructure decay, the
hundreds of Bifftowns and Pottersvilles emerging—all just examples directly
(although not fully, to be sure) related to the hollowing out we do to
ourselves by our costly and often futile interventions abroad with such an
incredibly expensive military force.
Only our embrace of illusion, our ready willingness to be diverted by constantly
changing vaporous “issues” of the moment, keeps our “leaders” from being “exposed
as a group of mortals waving a sword at a tidal wave.” (145)
Hedges says that “at no period in
America history has our democracy been in such peril or the possibility of
totalitarianism as real. Our way of life
is over…Our children will never have the standard of living we had. This is the
bleak future. This is reality. There is
little President Obama can do to stop it.
It has been decades in the making.
It cannot be undone with…(trillions) in bailout money. Nor will it be solved by clinging to the
illusions of the past.”
I just finished reading “Battle Hymn of
the Tiger Mother.” It has many things we
could discuss sometime, but a few things are relevant to this point of the discussion. The author, a Chinese-American, remarks that
American children are “pampered and decadent like the Romans when their empire
fell.” Even a review of the book made
the connections:
“The analogy of child rearing to our
national situation is clear enough: just as American parents are too concerned
with ‘self esteem’ without basing self-esteem on an actual accomplishment…so
our entire culture operates on some notion of natural rights that is no longer
realistic. Chua’s point is that a
delusional culture based on unearned self-esteem can’t for long be a realistic
player in global competition for influence, power, and resources. Is it possible that we should mind our Tiger
Mother?” The New York Review of Books
When Hedges asks whether we will “radically
transform our system to one that protects the ordinary citizen and fosters the
common good, that defies the corporate state, or will we employ the brutality
and technology of our internal security and surveillance apparatus to crush all
dissent?” (145), he’s asking a defining one.
Jury’s still out on that one, but we
have so much promise, so many tools and transformations that have been made
that are POSITIVE, it only makes our effortless failure all the more tragically
agonizing!
Hmmm. Seems I took just a bit over my breath of wind. :)
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Seeds of Change
Professor Morpheus, ;)
I knew you were going to need those yielded paragraphs!
Yes, the historical references that aren't mined for lessons to be learned are the equivalent of books that are left unread. It doesn't matter much that they exist if the lessons go unheeded and ignored. (Clearly, I'm not using enough qualifiers. ;))
Historian Charles Maier is quoted by Hedges on p. 150 as saying that the decline of the "American empire" began when we shifted from an "empire of production to one of consumption."
How many people do you know who actually make anything, as their job? I know very few. Everyone seems to be selling goods and services or products made elsewhere. It's intriguing that at the same time we've moved from making things as an national occupation or having to make things that we use domestically, the craft industry has exploded. There is something being satisfied there. We are meant to be creative and productive in a way that modern life has little real use for. My guess is that it is an underlying and overlooked stress for many. So we've taken up those former necessary tasks as hobbies to fill the void left by our overly convenient lifestyle. There seems to be some intrinsic satisfaction in the ability to create something or produce something even if there isn't an actual need for it.
I can't help but notice some of these trends and wonder if there isn't some hope glimmering on the horizon. I read an article today about the rift between two different camps of gardeners. Traditional gardeners garden mainly for aesthetics and have no qualms about using whatever chemicals are needed to maintain landscapes that are carefully manicured. Younger gardeners, who tend to be advocates for organic gardening, non toxic pest control and a natural looking landscapes, are taking those traditionalists to task for their environmentally unfriendly (and what many of them see as shallow) ways. For all the advertising and cultural nonsense that this generation has grown up with, many of them are taking a longer view of things in all sorts of new ways, and thinking about the impact of their actions.
On page 149 Hedges writes: "If protesters are characterized as cranks or fringe groups, if their voices are never heard, the state will have little trouble suppressing local protests, as happened during the Democratic and Republican conventions." I doubt he was talking about the early TEA Party protests, but he could have been if you recall how those were covered in the media. His words seem prophetic however, in light of the way the Occupy movement was reported on, and subsequently treated by local authorities. You would have thought both groups were full of people with ultra extreme ideas who liked to wear funny costumes. It was disconcerting to see some of the more colorful characters be featured on ALL the networks. ("Corporate media control everything we read, watch, or hear. They impose a bland uniformity of opinion." [146])
It is very interesting to read the predictions of the author, and those he quotes , about what they thought would happen to the current administration. In another election year (as if they ever stop now) we are once again reminded of the grueling nature of campaigning and how hard the process is on individuals and their families. One can't help but wonder how many decent, honest people with good ideas and a desire to make things better wouldn't think of politics because of the personal costs. The financial costs mean that those people couldn't launch a viable run (sometimes even for local office) because the amount of money now needed is overwhelming.
"Political candidates are elected in popular votes by citizens, but must raise staggering amounts of corporate funds to compete." (146)
Hedges has brought so much together in this last chapter, trying to focus on one thing feels like adult ADD on crack. (I mean, you know, I'm guessing...lol)
I knew you were going to need those yielded paragraphs!
Yes, the historical references that aren't mined for lessons to be learned are the equivalent of books that are left unread. It doesn't matter much that they exist if the lessons go unheeded and ignored. (Clearly, I'm not using enough qualifiers. ;))
Historian Charles Maier is quoted by Hedges on p. 150 as saying that the decline of the "American empire" began when we shifted from an "empire of production to one of consumption."
How many people do you know who actually make anything, as their job? I know very few. Everyone seems to be selling goods and services or products made elsewhere. It's intriguing that at the same time we've moved from making things as an national occupation or having to make things that we use domestically, the craft industry has exploded. There is something being satisfied there. We are meant to be creative and productive in a way that modern life has little real use for. My guess is that it is an underlying and overlooked stress for many. So we've taken up those former necessary tasks as hobbies to fill the void left by our overly convenient lifestyle. There seems to be some intrinsic satisfaction in the ability to create something or produce something even if there isn't an actual need for it.
I can't help but notice some of these trends and wonder if there isn't some hope glimmering on the horizon. I read an article today about the rift between two different camps of gardeners. Traditional gardeners garden mainly for aesthetics and have no qualms about using whatever chemicals are needed to maintain landscapes that are carefully manicured. Younger gardeners, who tend to be advocates for organic gardening, non toxic pest control and a natural looking landscapes, are taking those traditionalists to task for their environmentally unfriendly (and what many of them see as shallow) ways. For all the advertising and cultural nonsense that this generation has grown up with, many of them are taking a longer view of things in all sorts of new ways, and thinking about the impact of their actions.
On page 149 Hedges writes: "If protesters are characterized as cranks or fringe groups, if their voices are never heard, the state will have little trouble suppressing local protests, as happened during the Democratic and Republican conventions." I doubt he was talking about the early TEA Party protests, but he could have been if you recall how those were covered in the media. His words seem prophetic however, in light of the way the Occupy movement was reported on, and subsequently treated by local authorities. You would have thought both groups were full of people with ultra extreme ideas who liked to wear funny costumes. It was disconcerting to see some of the more colorful characters be featured on ALL the networks. ("Corporate media control everything we read, watch, or hear. They impose a bland uniformity of opinion." [146])
It is very interesting to read the predictions of the author, and those he quotes , about what they thought would happen to the current administration. In another election year (as if they ever stop now) we are once again reminded of the grueling nature of campaigning and how hard the process is on individuals and their families. One can't help but wonder how many decent, honest people with good ideas and a desire to make things better wouldn't think of politics because of the personal costs. The financial costs mean that those people couldn't launch a viable run (sometimes even for local office) because the amount of money now needed is overwhelming.
"Political candidates are elected in popular votes by citizens, but must raise staggering amounts of corporate funds to compete." (146)
Hedges has brought so much together in this last chapter, trying to focus on one thing feels like adult ADD on crack. (I mean, you know, I'm guessing...lol)
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Returneth From Rambling, To Ramble
Madame Gracious,
You have shown us how clever are the
manipulators! The very ones they weaken
and subjugate they then call on to turn against those who might seek to improve
their position! The trick—perfected by
the propaganda and misinformation/disinformation/deception/deflection/diversion
bureaus of intelligence agencies, political offices, and corporations—is to
insert some truth, particularly one that resonates emotionally, and then infuse
the rest of the mono-message with irrelevant, contradicting, confusing, or
misleading tsunamis of “information.”
Santorum had a point, which he didn’t care to make but just use to
misdirect. The point—that there are
viable and good options besides college, which is true—was swallowed up by the
cynical manipulation for attempted political advantage. How our democracy suffers. Little is being demanded from either purveyor
or receiver! We remain “passive, mesmerized by the enticing shadows on the wall,
assured our tickets to success, prosperity, and happiness are waiting around
the corner.” (142)
Oh, Madame, we have the historical
references for much. We just either are
ignorant of them (often willfully, even exultingly), or don’t value them, have
no ability to process them, or even take all the wrong lessons from them!
We have yet to transform this
materialistic, consuming, sell, sell, sell, planned obsolescence, and obsessed with
constantly new/latest/updated brand of capitalism into something more
spiritually, emotionally, physically, environmentally, financially, and
societal-ly sustainable.
I agree with you on everything you have
written since I was away (if you require smelling salts at this point, I
understand, lol). And yes, Hedges would
make Socrates proud. Well, as proud as
Socrates could be of anyone, I suppose. :)
We have, in Hedges’s words, a government
“stripped of any real sovereignty…and we continue to place our faith in a
phantom economy, one characterized by fraud and lies, which sustains the
wealthiest…” We have a “corporate power
that holds the government hostage…purports to defend freedom, which it defines
as the free market, and liberty, which it defines as the liberty to exploit.” When the “house of cards collapsed…these
corporations needed to fleece the taxpayers (Prof’s situational synonym:
suckers) to survive. Making that process
even more insidious, the real sources of power remain [largely] hidden [and
unaccountable]. Those who run our
largest corporations are largely anonymous to the mass of the citizens…and they
have the means to hide and to divert us from examining the decaying structures
they have created.” (143)
Because we have been conditioned to
react UNTHINKINGLY and wholly emotionally, the public is unable to learn
warnings from those whose names are spit like epithets:
Names like Marx, Engels, Lenin. Because we have been conditioned to embrace
capitalism WITHOUT QUESTION and to dismiss EVERYTHING ever uttered by those
three gentlemen who so severely critiqued capitalism. Since much or most of what they advocated
turned out badly (at least in the forms that developed or were perverted), we
are steered away from their warnings (even when they can heard in political
science, history, or philosophy, as they have been forcibly muted). Hedges reminds us, however: “As Karl Marx
understood, capitalism when it is unleashed from government and regulatory
control is a revolutionary force.” (143)
Again, dear readers, who would want us
to not know the man’s words, to not realize that?
We are fond of condemning those around
the globe who are ignorant of their own religious texts or history, or who we otherwise
feel remain “backward.” Yet how much do
we really know about our capitalism, which has many of the marks of religiosity? And how can we be sure of what we know if we
do not even know what the classic critics have said about it? Indeed, if we hate and react emotionally to
things we have only been TOLD are the case but never read for ourselves, the
title of the best selling book should be revised to YOU, PAWN or YOU, SERF, or
YOU, SLAVE.
Lather, rinse, repeat. Socrates would not be very impressed at our “progress”
in 2500 years.
Thank you for yielding back the balance
of your unused paragraphs! I apparently needed them after all this time away! :)
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Searching for Wisdom
Professor Ramble {Take it however you will ;)}
While I'm sure our readers are waiting faithfully for your return, I do have one or two comments to make about this chapter. I AM going to be brief in an effort not to overwhelm you when you get a chance to unpack and reengage. As it might be hard for you to be the master of brevity you might hope to be after such a long silence, I am rolling over my unused paragraphs to you this week! :)
But first I'm sharing a link about Socrates and the wisdom of questioning those in authority, Socrates on Self-Confidence.
The great philosopher believed that we tend to trust those in authority far too much. We are too easily swayed by the opinions of others. It's interesting, as this video points out, that he had quite the advantage. Namely that he could get to, and question those in power. A luxury we can only imagine in such a large and populous nation. The more forms of communication we have the more those in powerful positions seem to use them to evade or deflect. An author who is willing to write a book which holds those questions, and the individuals they should be asked of up for public display and discussion is a treasure indeed. Mr. Hedges, Socrates would be proud!
Now. Feel free to ramble, Professor! :)
While I'm sure our readers are waiting faithfully for your return, I do have one or two comments to make about this chapter. I AM going to be brief in an effort not to overwhelm you when you get a chance to unpack and reengage. As it might be hard for you to be the master of brevity you might hope to be after such a long silence, I am rolling over my unused paragraphs to you this week! :)
But first I'm sharing a link about Socrates and the wisdom of questioning those in authority, Socrates on Self-Confidence.
The great philosopher believed that we tend to trust those in authority far too much. We are too easily swayed by the opinions of others. It's interesting, as this video points out, that he had quite the advantage. Namely that he could get to, and question those in power. A luxury we can only imagine in such a large and populous nation. The more forms of communication we have the more those in powerful positions seem to use them to evade or deflect. An author who is willing to write a book which holds those questions, and the individuals they should be asked of up for public display and discussion is a treasure indeed. Mr. Hedges, Socrates would be proud!
Now. Feel free to ramble, Professor! :)
Monday, March 5, 2012
Daydream Believer
Dear Reader,
Surprise! Welcome to our redesigned blog! We've given it a makeover in an attempt to make it faster for you to load and easier for you to get around with fewer distractions.
It's Monday and I'm sure you were hoping to read a brilliant post by our resident professor but he's off someplace sunny and warm...working. You are disappointed, I know. I can't say I blame you. Never fear, he'll return soon to regale us with his insightful commentary on the final chapter of this book. (No pressure, Prof!)
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This week
the universe, the music industry, and Youtube seemed to conspire to
inspire this post. Have you ever had that happen? There are times when
God seems to be sprinkling bits of crumbled mortar down on you hoping
you will catch on to what He's saying without having to shove over the
wall. (I'm familiar with the brick wall method from painful experience.) Early in the week Professor J posted a link called The High Price of Materialism. Mid week Davy Jones passed away, and a day or so later I read an article called Top Five Regrets of the Dying.
"Our profligate consumption is finished." (145)
When I watched The High Price of Materialism, I thought of this quote. When Hedges wrote this in 2009 the financial picture was bleak and apparent. It seemed that at last priorities might shift. The quest for a luxurious lifestyle might be put aside for prudence and a new kind of security. A security that comes with freedom from treating our wants as needs. Perhaps some have learned their fearful lesson well, but as the Dow topped 13,000 recently the mania displayed tells us that old thinking dies hard. As the video points out our conspicuous consumption is bad for our spiritual and emotional well being, our society, and the environment, yet we persist in our materialistic habits.
"We started borrowing to maintain a lifestyle we could no longer afford." (151)
We trade peace of mind for the insecurity that comes with debt as individuals, as families, and as a nation. We've allowed advertising to keep us perpetually discontent. If we were ever really satisfied with what we have and felt good about ourselves, if we felt loved and whole, if we "esteemed others better than ourselves" we could release our grasping, greedy fists and allow our palms to open into the realization that maybe, just maybe...we have enough. Maybe we ARE enough. Are we even expressing gratitude for what we DO have? All great spiritual teaching recognizes the need for us to be content...to stop striving for the futile. Our culture struggles mightily with this. Advertisers have a great stake in sweeping back any feelings of true fulfillment. What can you sell to a contented person?
"We eat corporate food. We buy corporate clothes. We drive corporate cars. We buy our fuel from corporations. We borrow from, invest our retirement savings with, and take out college loans with corporations and corporate banks. We are entertained, informed, and bombarded with advertising from corporations." (162)
While one of last year's catch phrases was "Occupy Wall Street" what more often happens is that Madison Avenue occupies our minds. We haven't even sold them that real estate. We've allowed them to be squatters by not being mindful of our choices. What do you say we reclaim that territory? What if we were to occupy contentment? Wonder? Gratitude? You'll notice that having more stuff didn't make the list of things people regretted as they neared death. How little would it cost you to do some of the things on that list? Expressing your true feelings and staying in touch with friends...what less important things are we letting crowd out those? In yoga at the beginning of our practice we set an intent for the session, some small goal maybe only known to us. How much more important to set an intent for our lives so we can minimize those regrets at the end.
I guess by now you are wondering how the death of the vintage pop idol Davy Jones fits into all this. It's because "Daydream Believer" has been running through my head all week.
"Oh and our good times start and end without dollar one to spend.
How much, baby do we really need?"
Surprise! Welcome to our redesigned blog! We've given it a makeover in an attempt to make it faster for you to load and easier for you to get around with fewer distractions.
It's Monday and I'm sure you were hoping to read a brilliant post by our resident professor but he's off someplace sunny and warm...working. You are disappointed, I know. I can't say I blame you. Never fear, he'll return soon to regale us with his insightful commentary on the final chapter of this book. (No pressure, Prof!)
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This week
the universe, the music industry, and Youtube seemed to conspire to
inspire this post. Have you ever had that happen? There are times when
God seems to be sprinkling bits of crumbled mortar down on you hoping
you will catch on to what He's saying without having to shove over the
wall. (I'm familiar with the brick wall method from painful experience.) Early in the week Professor J posted a link called The High Price of Materialism. Mid week Davy Jones passed away, and a day or so later I read an article called Top Five Regrets of the Dying. "Our profligate consumption is finished." (145)
When I watched The High Price of Materialism, I thought of this quote. When Hedges wrote this in 2009 the financial picture was bleak and apparent. It seemed that at last priorities might shift. The quest for a luxurious lifestyle might be put aside for prudence and a new kind of security. A security that comes with freedom from treating our wants as needs. Perhaps some have learned their fearful lesson well, but as the Dow topped 13,000 recently the mania displayed tells us that old thinking dies hard. As the video points out our conspicuous consumption is bad for our spiritual and emotional well being, our society, and the environment, yet we persist in our materialistic habits.
"We started borrowing to maintain a lifestyle we could no longer afford." (151)
We trade peace of mind for the insecurity that comes with debt as individuals, as families, and as a nation. We've allowed advertising to keep us perpetually discontent. If we were ever really satisfied with what we have and felt good about ourselves, if we felt loved and whole, if we "esteemed others better than ourselves" we could release our grasping, greedy fists and allow our palms to open into the realization that maybe, just maybe...we have enough. Maybe we ARE enough. Are we even expressing gratitude for what we DO have? All great spiritual teaching recognizes the need for us to be content...to stop striving for the futile. Our culture struggles mightily with this. Advertisers have a great stake in sweeping back any feelings of true fulfillment. What can you sell to a contented person?
"We eat corporate food. We buy corporate clothes. We drive corporate cars. We buy our fuel from corporations. We borrow from, invest our retirement savings with, and take out college loans with corporations and corporate banks. We are entertained, informed, and bombarded with advertising from corporations." (162)
While one of last year's catch phrases was "Occupy Wall Street" what more often happens is that Madison Avenue occupies our minds. We haven't even sold them that real estate. We've allowed them to be squatters by not being mindful of our choices. What do you say we reclaim that territory? What if we were to occupy contentment? Wonder? Gratitude? You'll notice that having more stuff didn't make the list of things people regretted as they neared death. How little would it cost you to do some of the things on that list? Expressing your true feelings and staying in touch with friends...what less important things are we letting crowd out those? In yoga at the beginning of our practice we set an intent for the session, some small goal maybe only known to us. How much more important to set an intent for our lives so we can minimize those regrets at the end.
I guess by now you are wondering how the death of the vintage pop idol Davy Jones fits into all this. It's because "Daydream Believer" has been running through my head all week.
"Oh and our good times start and end without dollar one to spend.
How much, baby do we really need?"
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