Notes from an "alternate universe": Introduction to the New Physical Dreamworld | |
Chaol
(OP) User ID: 24697767 Germany 06/24/2013 01:32 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | The powers in the old physicality are doing their best to control the internet. The internet is our gateway into the new physicality because it creates new relationships with practically everything in our perspective. More abstract relationships. There are now an endless variety of ways to do anything, and an endless variety of ways that something can be represented because of these networked technologies. It was only a few years ago that the State and Church wanted to control how the bible was read and interpreted. They did not want people reading for themselves. They wanted to control the relationships. When the people have greater access to information their ability to form relationships (with everything else) increases. So by trying to control the internet and the free flow of information your current perspective (the old physicality) is working against the new reality. By "spying" on information regarding your current physical state is trying to gather, categorize, analyze, report and, thus, manage your relationships to control your access into the new physicality. This is the narrative of what is happening now. It is not "the end of the world" but it certainly is the end of this physicality and the introduction of another. Let's work together to see how we can understand and manage this transition. |
U3
User ID: 9834739 United States 06/24/2013 02:00 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I'm ready for this discussion. I was just speaking with someone about this today. (Did you read my mind or did I read yours? Heh!) What's our next step? It seems to me it's time to be proactive. I'm just not sure in what way. I would guess looking at our resistances and dealing with them is a good approach. How do we become better aware of our resistances since they are hidden. It is obvious to me this physicality is being propped up and has been for quite some time. There are many considerations about the transition, since everything is affected....and I might add, everything needs to be affected. So much of it is a disaster. The majority of us have lost the ability to raise our own food, for one thing. It also seems to me, small communities of people, who are working together, teaching and learning a more earth-based lifestyle, would be advantageous. Thank you for the thread. Last Edited by ERE3 on 06/24/2013 03:10 AM "We are the music makers. And we are the dreamers of dreams." Willy Wonka |
Chaol
(OP) User ID: 24697767 Germany 06/24/2013 03:31 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I'm ready for this discussion. I was just speaking with someone about this today. (Did you read my mind or did I read yours? Heh!) What's our next step? It seems to me it's time to be proactive. I'm just not sure in what way. I would guess looking at our resistances and dealing with them is a good approach. How do we become better aware of our resistances since they are hidden. It is obvious to me this physicality is being propped up and has been for quite some time. There are many considerations about the transition, since everything is affected....and I might add, everything needs to be affected. So much of it is a disaster. The majority of us have lost the ability to raise our own food, for one thing. It also seems to me, small communities of people, who are working together, teaching and learning a more earth-based lifestyle, would be advantageous. Thank you for the thread. I think recent events have given us a clue as to the many ways in which our reality is manipulated by these forces.* It is up to us what we want to do with this information. Now that our reality is more exposed, what does it mean? As was said at the beginning of 2012 here Thread: Notes from an "alternate universe". Introduction to a new way of thinking. (Page 74) "2012 is when the lights come on, and the actors begin to be exposed for what they are." What we are seeing is our reality being exposed that will make sense to our subconscious. It is the narrative of us finding out about our reality. The "actors" are being exposed because we are finding out that we are the actors. Our perspective is our own. We ignore the parts that aren't pretty, but this is showing us that we are everything in our perspective. Alas, our perspective is us. When we continue along the same path even though we are aware of what is happening and do nothing, I think in a way we are allowing our reality to be controlled. (*Here I'm not speaking of forces outside of your perspective, because it's a part of your perspective that is doing the controlling in this way.) |
U3
User ID: 9834739 United States 06/24/2013 04:45 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I'm ready for this discussion. I was just speaking with someone about this today. (Did you read my mind or did I read yours? Heh!) What's our next step? It seems to me it's time to be proactive. I'm just not sure in what way. I would guess looking at our resistances and dealing with them is a good approach. How do we become better aware of our resistances since they are hidden. It is obvious to me this physicality is being propped up and has been for quite some time. There are many considerations about the transition, since everything is affected....and I might add, everything needs to be affected. So much of it is a disaster. The majority of us have lost the ability to raise our own food, for one thing. It also seems to me, small communities of people, who are working together, teaching and learning a more earth-based lifestyle, would be advantageous. Thank you for the thread. I think recent events have given us a clue as to the many ways in which our reality is manipulated by these forces.* It is up to us what we want to do with this information. Now that our reality is more exposed, what does it mean? As was said at the beginning of 2012 here Thread: Notes from an "alternate universe". Introduction to a new way of thinking. (Page 74) "2012 is when the lights come on, and the actors begin to be exposed for what they are." What we are seeing is our reality being exposed that will make sense to our subconscious. It is the narrative of us finding out about our reality. The "actors" are being exposed because we are finding out that we are the actors. Our perspective is our own. We ignore the parts that aren't pretty, but this is showing us that we are everything in our perspective. Alas, our perspective is us. When we continue along the same path even though we are aware of what is happening and do nothing, I think in a way we are allowing our reality to be controlled. (*Here I'm not speaking of forces outside of your perspective, because it's a part of your perspective that is doing the controlling in this way.) I understand it's my perception so I'm the actors. This doesn't seem to change anything, though. I don't care to continue on the same path and just watch my reality being controlled, either. I think it's time to do something, I'm just not sure what that is. "We are the music makers. And we are the dreamers of dreams." Willy Wonka |
Chaol
(OP) User ID: 24697767 Germany 06/24/2013 07:06 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I understand it's my perception so I'm the actors. This doesn't seem to change anything, though. I don't care to continue on the same path and just watch my reality being controlled, either. I think it's time to do something, I'm just not sure what that is. Quoting: U3 What if understanding is different from what we think? Let's take another example and say that we know how a pencil works. We then think that we should be able to make a pencil because we believe that we understand it. But most of us would not be able to make a pencil, even though we believe we understand what a pencil is and how it works or where the different parts come from. So it may be the same with reality. We "understand" that what we experience is our perspective but this does not seem to help us control our experience or manipulate our reality. We may be familiar with the idea and be able to grasp the concept but not have a working understanding of how it is done. Fortunately, though, we don't need to understand something in order to change it. You don't need to understand pencils in order to make use of them, make a better pencil, or create a new writing device altogether. I think the idea with this is that we see what as happening as internal rather than external. That it is not happening to us but it is us (or at least represents a change that is happening in our perspective). If the curtain is rising and we see the stage for what it is then we are slowly but surely becoming more aware of the 'wizard' behind the whole production. We may be unaware of the change directly even while our reality is dramatically changing. As we become more aware of the actors (and ourselves) the whole production starts breaking down. So it may not be an apparent change with how you interact with your reality but there may be an apparent change with how different aspects of your reality interact with each other. |
Chaol
(OP) User ID: 24697767 Germany 06/24/2013 07:15 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Here's an interesting blog about how there is an internet "reformation" happening now, at [link to www.thedailybell.com] Some choice quotes: "The Gutenberg press allowed readers to examine source material by making the sources available. This was the revolutionary act. The Renaissance emphasized conclusions derived from that fundamental inspiration. The Reformation in its way emphasized sources too." and "All across the world, the modern Internet Reformation is beginning to reshape the way people relate to power in the modern age. While it is not so obvious as during the era of the Gutenberg press, there is formal doctrine accepted by Western societies that is beginning to shatter. That formal doctrine may be termed regulatory democracy and it has been leavened with numerous assumptions that on closer inspection turn out not to be true. It is the Internet itself that allows for information to spread that undermines the various precepts of regulatory democracy." |
Marshwiggle
User ID: 41990694 United Kingdom 06/24/2013 07:31 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Hi, Friends Thank you, Chaol, for opening up the discussion, all fresh and new :) Because I didn't grow up with the Internet, I can remember easily the reality without it and how its presence has changed my ideas of what is possible - things I only dreamt of as a child are now logical. I feel close to people I have never met, people I know only through a collection of digital data, but they are real to me. My son made a best friend through online gaming. They have never met in the physical but are very close. Those ideas would have been unconceivable to me when I was growing up. |
Chaol
(OP) User ID: 24697767 Germany 06/24/2013 07:47 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Control the flow of information, and you control the reality that the information comprises. Control how words are defined and you can control how they're interpreted. Governments typically seek to do both, but are now quite interested in controlling your information and how your words are defined. An easy example are the terms "freedom fighters" or "rebels". If your cause is aligned with my interests I have only to define (or redefine) what you represent in order to control how others interact with you or think of you. It does not need to be true in order to be effective. Once I have related you with something it is difficult to unrelate it once others have made the association. The ability to define words and concepts and popularize them is the ability to manipulate entire realities. Why were UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) unpopular with the public until they were renamed "drones"? How does a meat compound that is popular and had been accepted for many years suddenly become unpopular when someone associates the term "pink slime" with it? When one country goes to war and calls it a fight for freedom or democracy, why is this accepted? Want a new law passed? Find a way to make it "about the children", or come up with an innocent-sounding acronym. People don't like "Total Information Awareness"? Rename it something nicer, like CISPA. Are you beginning to see that the power of words and language is actually the power to define relationships? This is how we will transition successfully to the new physicality. By redefining what has been defined 'for' us, or by relating things together that we want less of in our reality. You can redefine your reality by redefining the relationships that make up your reality. Take what you don't want in your reality and change the representation. It is not enough to call persons or finance companies who lend at high interest rates "loan sharks", for example. We must use their methods in the same way in order for it to be just as effective. When an interest wants to control the narrative, they work on the extreme. The flashlight in the street was not forgotten or accidentally dropped by someone. It is a terror threat or a suspicious package. Is the NSA spying on citizens worldwide or involved in the killing of young cancer patients or, better yet, a massive worldwide identity fraud ring? Is the US Constitution being repealed or are you being "freedom raped"? Would people respond differently to GMO foods if a less-savory term was popularized for what it is? The above are just examples to get you thinking of how you can begin to take control of your reality. Please let us know if you can think of anything else, or have any other comments. |
Marshwiggle
User ID: 41990694 United Kingdom 06/24/2013 08:03 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
thedude2888
User ID: 39445207 United States 06/24/2013 08:39 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Ambra User ID: 42246556 Italy 06/24/2013 09:46 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Hi Marshwiggle! I was about to ask the same, then refreshed the page. Also, Chaol, could you please explain why "loan sharks" is not enough? It is a popularized term, with a negative connotation. What about "needless suckers" instead? If they are not needed, they will obliterate into extinction. There you go, it's popularized now, because I posted it online! The examples you give, use common words from a language we are familiar with to express a concept. What about the coming up with completely new words that have no meaning to us, to associate a concept (like Old Chaol mentioned?). Is that different, in that it's for "personal" use only? |
MutantMessiah
User ID: 11481360 United States 06/24/2013 10:04 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Chaol, it's been proposed that "making our way out of the west" may not be an option for much longer and that the infamous "Powers That Be" have the firmest grip "here" in the "west". Since the dreamworld is already "here" and the veil is lifted, need it play out as something "undesirable"? I had a chat with U3 yesterday about the ushering in of the dreamworld and that it may be assumed that in order for the existing structures to "let go", there may have to be something akin to the "absolute" collapse of the western world (similar to what may have been seen in the beta testing, in Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, etc...). I don't (personally and perhaps naively) think such a scenario is necessary. As you allude to, in your posts within this thread, the power comes from the representations used. Use what is perceived as "someone else's" representations and you make their representations more relative. If we are to experience the perspective we (personally) desire, need we do anything more than use our own representations and allow them to interact with the aspects of perspective that we see as "obsolete"(for lack of a better term)? As I see it, the "firm grip" we see in the "western world" is as a result of our personal "firm grip" on what we've come to value. We and "TBTB" are not "wrong" for wanting to retain our relevance. It seems only natural that a lie would defend itself, pulling everything else into oblivion with it, if only to have it never revealed as a lie. Since everything is "illusory" is it not all a "lie"? The "dream" is here, already. Our "physically" based perspective is a subset of it. We've bought into this "western" system and it's become "self conscious" and "insecure" (the precursor traits of a school yard bully). If we were able to render "it" secure, council it and nudge it in the direction of "self awareness" instead of "self conscious", maybe it'd wake up. If we are to ponder how this would be possible, we need only look at what you propose in your OP: 1) We experience everything via our perspective 2) Everything is a representation of something else. (We cannot perceive of reality directly, and we cannot know of anything beyond our perception.) 3) Something has value not by itself but in relation to something else. 4) Perspective is made up entirely of the relationships between these representations. We cannot perceive of these representations directly (because they are illusions) but only of the relationships. 5) Everything in our perspective is us. But different parts of our perspective may be more relative or less relative. The values that are most relative are our bodies. 6) we can manage (and control) our perspective by managing the relationships we have with the things in our perspective 7) we can make and use tools (such as language or other mental constructions) to manage these relationships and, thus, change our reality 8) other things in our perspective such as our life, family, friends, objects, society, government, etc., can influence the relationships we have with anything else because they exist in the same field of relativity and in regards to the new physicality, our position is that: 9) this particular physical reality is breaking down because the relationships between representations are changing due to excess rigidity. In its place is a new physical reality that has a stronger relationships with what we call the dreamworld (as our dreamworld relationships are more fluid and flexible). 10) because most values in our perspective are entwined with the old physicality and are being pulled in a new direction, there will be lots of resistance. This resistance is what is becoming more obvious in our reality. There is a "huge" contrast between what you propose in 1-8 and what is foretold in 9 and 10. In 1-8 we're advised that we can, if we so choose, take the "reins" and drive perspective in the direction we intend. In 9 and 10, all choice is lost and we're told that the legacy systems that propped up our perspective are breaking down. Would we not be able to take advantage of 1-8 to ensure 9-10 occur in a way more relative to something desired? I like to think that's exactly what you're doing. Seeing a possibility for interaction and applying a logic that will allow troubleshooting of the breakdown. If that is indeed what you're looking to accomplish... then I think I will wait to make my next point until more have had the opportunity to interact with your representations here. Thanks. Consider the possibility that you order yourself into being from chaos... You do this, always, in all ways. This "ordering" has resulted in the possibilities you're experiencing, here, now. In each experience you've ever had, more and more of "this" reality is generated logically from your previous experience. Your observation of this unfolding of order and chaos is reality. |
2FishOn
User ID: 9047030 United States 06/24/2013 10:08 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Marshwiggle
User ID: 41990694 United Kingdom 06/24/2013 12:05 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Hi Marshwiggle! I was about to ask the same, then refreshed the page. Hello, old friend :) What I wanted to be clear about is, whether Chaol means change the representation to another representation OR change the value / meaning of the existing representation. |
U3
User ID: 9834739 United States 06/24/2013 12:54 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I understand it's my perception so I'm the actors. This doesn't seem to change anything, though. I don't care to continue on the same path and just watch my reality being controlled, either. I think it's time to do something, I'm just not sure what that is. Quoting: U3 What if understanding is different from what we think? Let's take another example and say that we know how a pencil works. We then think that we should be able to make a pencil because we believe that we understand it. But most of us would not be able to make a pencil, even though we believe we understand what a pencil is and how it works or where the different parts come from. So it may be the same with reality. We "understand" that what we experience is our perspective but this does not seem to help us control our experience or manipulate our reality. We may be familiar with the idea and be able to grasp the concept but not have a working understanding of how it is done. Fortunately, though, we don't need to understand something in order to change it. You don't need to understand pencils in order to make use of them, make a better pencil, or create a new writing device altogether. I think the idea with this is that we see what as happening as internal rather than external. That it is not happening to us but it is us (or at least represents a change that is happening in our perspective). If the curtain is rising and we see the stage for what it is then we are slowly but surely becoming more aware of the 'wizard' behind the whole production. We may be unaware of the change directly even while our reality is dramatically changing. As we become more aware of the actors (and ourselves) the whole production starts breaking down. So it may not be an apparent change with how you interact with your reality but there may be an apparent change with how different aspects of your reality interact with each other. There are 2 ways I am trying internal change to see a different perspective. One is to let go of resistance and the other is using a Genius to see an awakening. Both require focus on nothing-in-particular. Chaol has called this time a battle of perspective. I have done my best not to interact with apocalyptic scenarios. The only place I run across these scenarios is via the internet. Otherwise, in the rest of my life (waking and dreamtime), it is not a factor. Since the internet seems to be the determining factor in everything, why not see it as assisting in a smooth transition? Last Edited by ERE3 on 06/24/2013 01:36 PM "We are the music makers. And we are the dreamers of dreams." Willy Wonka |
U3
User ID: 9834739 United States 06/24/2013 01:09 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Here's an interesting blog about how there is an internet "reformation" happening now, at [link to www.thedailybell.com] Quoting: Chaol Some choice quotes: "The Gutenberg press allowed readers to examine source material by making the sources available. This was the revolutionary act. The Renaissance emphasized conclusions derived from that fundamental inspiration. The Reformation in its way emphasized sources too." and "All across the world, the modern Internet Reformation is beginning to reshape the way people relate to power in the modern age. While it is not so obvious as during the era of the Gutenberg press, there is formal doctrine accepted by Western societies that is beginning to shatter. That formal doctrine may be termed regulatory democracy and it has been leavened with numerous assumptions that on closer inspection turn out not to be true. It is the Internet itself that allows for information to spread that undermines the various precepts of regulatory democracy." This article is a partial view of the impact of the internet. According to the video I linked, the internet is ushering in right-brain (or the goddess), receptiveness. And, if you look at the generations from Boomers to Gen Y, you can see the impact of the internet. Think of the great things on the internet: Ted Talks, YouTube videos for self-help, creativity etc:, threads like these and I've read about the discussion forums the younger generations are interacting on. They have a whole different focus. They know each person is a teacher at times and a student other other times. And, internet has the potential for growth exponentially! Last Edited by ERE3 on 06/24/2013 01:32 PM "We are the music makers. And we are the dreamers of dreams." Willy Wonka |
U3
User ID: 9834739 United States 06/24/2013 01:58 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Control the flow of information, and you control the reality that the information comprises. Quoting: Chaol Control how words are defined and you can control how they're interpreted. Governments typically seek to do both, but are now quite interested in controlling your information and how your words are defined. An easy example are the terms "freedom fighters" or "rebels". If your cause is aligned with my interests I have only to define (or redefine) what you represent in order to control how others interact with you or think of you. It does not need to be true in order to be effective. Once I have related you with something it is difficult to unrelate it once others have made the association. The ability to define words and concepts and popularize them is the ability to manipulate entire realities. So what, I circulate a bunch of new meme's? Set it up with a Genius so they spread rapidly? This is how we will transition successfully to the new physicality. By redefining what has been defined 'for' us, or by relating things together that we want less of in our reality. Quoting: Chaol I already do this for myself but now you are saying to also do something outwardly. I don't mind. I'd like to see things take off to a smooth transition. We could start listing the new definitions here....then start making meme's to pass around the internet. "We are the music makers. And we are the dreamers of dreams." Willy Wonka |
U3
User ID: 9834739 United States 06/24/2013 02:04 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Control the flow of information, and you control the reality that the information comprises. Quoting: Chaol Control how words are defined and you can control how they're interpreted. Governments typically seek to do both, but are now quite interested in controlling your information and how your words are defined. An easy example are the terms "freedom fighters" or "rebels". If your cause is aligned with my interests I have only to define (or redefine) what you represent in order to control how others interact with you or think of you. It does not need to be true in order to be effective. Once I have related you with something it is difficult to unrelate it once others have made the association. The ability to define words and concepts and popularize them is the ability to manipulate entire realities. Why were UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) unpopular with the public until they were renamed "drones"? How does a meat compound that is popular and had been accepted for many years suddenly become unpopular when someone associates the term "pink slime" with it? When one country goes to war and calls it a fight for freedom or democracy, why is this accepted? Want a new law passed? Find a way to make it "about the children", or come up with an innocent-sounding acronym. People don't like "Total Information Awareness"? Rename it something nicer, like CISPA. Are you beginning to see that the power of words and language is actually the power to define relationships? This is how we will transition successfully to the new physicality. By redefining what has been defined 'for' us, or by relating things together that we want less of in our reality. You can redefine your reality by redefining the relationships that make up your reality. Take what you don't want in your reality and change the representation. It is not enough to call persons or finance companies who lend at high interest rates "loan sharks", for example. We must use their methods in the same way in order for it to be just as effective. When an interest wants to control the narrative, they work on the extreme. The flashlight in the street was not forgotten or accidentally dropped by someone. It is a terror threat or a suspicious package. Is the NSA spying on citizens worldwide or involved in the killing of young cancer patients or, better yet, a massive worldwide identity fraud ring? Is the US Constitution being repealed or are you being "freedom raped"? Would people respond differently to GMO foods if a less-savory term was popularized for what it is? The above are just examples to get you thinking of how you can begin to take control of your reality. Please let us know if you can think of anything else, or have any other comments. Just posted this on Facebook and I was immediately asked what to do, which surprised me. I said to redefine words and spread then around like meme's. I gave an example....instead of GMO....FTKI...Foods That Kill from the Inside! "We are the music makers. And we are the dreamers of dreams." Willy Wonka |
lok User ID: 39964291 United States 06/24/2013 03:25 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
U3
User ID: 9834739 United States 06/24/2013 05:25 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Ambra User ID: 42270101 Italy 06/24/2013 06:13 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Hi Marshwiggle! I was about to ask the same, then refreshed the page. Hello, old friend :) What I wanted to be clear about is, whether Chaol means change the representation to another representation OR change the value / meaning of the existing representation. Right, same here. Because his post was about the power of words and language, perhaps it's about changing the meaning of the existing representation. It's good to have a practical example, though. |
Maradam
User ID: 42271172 United Kingdom 06/24/2013 06:22 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Choal User ID: 22731409 United States 06/24/2013 06:32 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
MutantMessiah
User ID: 11481360 United States 06/24/2013 08:59 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Mmm veal. Consider the possibility that you order yourself into being from chaos... You do this, always, in all ways. This "ordering" has resulted in the possibilities you're experiencing, here, now. In each experience you've ever had, more and more of "this" reality is generated logically from your previous experience. Your observation of this unfolding of order and chaos is reality. |
VersionTwo
User ID: 24151591 United States 06/24/2013 09:28 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Chaol
(OP) User ID: 24697767 Germany 06/24/2013 09:31 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Hi, Friends Quoting: Marshwiggle Thank you, Chaol, for opening up the discussion, all fresh and new :) Because I didn't grow up with the Internet, I can remember easily the reality without it and how its presence has changed my ideas of what is possible - things I only dreamt of as a child are now logical. I feel close to people I have never met, people I know only through a collection of digital data, but they are real to me. My son made a best friend through online gaming. They have never met in the physical but are very close. Those ideas would have been unconceivable to me when I was growing up. I grew up with lots of technology, too, but I actually think it has an adverse effect up to a point. We use technology in language, for eating, for walking, and in just about every aspect of everyday life. But I think when it takes away from the things that makes us human then it's actually to our detriment. We know more people in distant corners of the globe but know less about the people around us. Family relationships are suffering. The nature of personal relationships has also changed, particularly because of Facebook. I am continuously astounded by how complicated friendship has become in just the past few years. We are more connected to others superficially but less connected with ourselves. Mental illness is said to be at an all-time high. We are at a point now where many prefer to interact with their devices over other people. Many of us often don't visit someone, or call to speak with them. We text them, or observe them objectively on Facebook. We have become abstract objects on a computer. People become less "personal", while devices become more personal. We can say that technological change has always required some sacrifices. Yes, the telegraph did the same thing. But the rate of societal change because of recent changes has accelerated dramatically. Kids aren't learning how to read and write as well as just as few years ago. There is a severe lack of ability to focus. The list goes on. The internet is overall quite beneficial, I think. But as a society we're letting technologies control us, rather than using it for what it is meant to be; tools to augment our own abilities. Perhaps recent events will remind us of this. Is a mobile device with GPS tracking, harmful antennas, and "always-on" social networking a tool to augment our own abilities or a means to commoditize us by corporate and government interests in a very impersonal way? Last Edited by Chaol on 06/24/2013 09:34 PM |
MutantMessiah
User ID: 11481360 United States 06/24/2013 10:08 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Hi, Friends Quoting: Marshwiggle Thank you, Chaol, for opening up the discussion, all fresh and new :) Because I didn't grow up with the Internet, I can remember easily the reality without it and how its presence has changed my ideas of what is possible - things I only dreamt of as a child are now logical. I feel close to people I have never met, people I know only through a collection of digital data, but they are real to me. My son made a best friend through online gaming. They have never met in the physical but are very close. Those ideas would have been unconceivable to me when I was growing up. I grew up with lots of technology, too, but I actually think it has an adverse effect up to a point. We use technology in language, for eating, for walking, and in just about every aspect of everyday life. But I think when it takes away from the things that makes us human then it's actually to our detriment. We know more people in distant corners of the globe but know less about the people around us. Family relationships are suffering. The nature of personal relationships has also changed, particularly because of Facebook. I am continuously astounded by how complicated friendship has become in just the past few years. We are more connected to others superficially but less connected with ourselves. Mental illness is said to be at an all-time high. We are at a point now where many prefer to interact with their devices over other people. Many of us often don't visit someone, or call to speak with them. We text them, or observe them objectively on Facebook. We have become abstract objects on a computer. People become less "personal", while devices become more personal. We can say that technological change has always required some sacrifices. Yes, the telegraph did the same thing. But the rate of societal change because of recent changes has accelerated dramatically. Kids aren't learning how to read and write as well as just as few years ago. There is a severe lack of ability to focus. The list goes on. The internet is overall quite beneficial, I think. But as a society we're letting technologies control us, rather than using it for what it is meant to be; tools to augment our own abilities. Perhaps recent events will remind us of this. Is a mobile device with GPS tracking, harmful antennas, and "always-on" social networking a tool to augment our own abilities or a means to commoditize us by corporate and government interests in a very impersonal way? Maybe it's both. It's a matter of perspective. One might consider all these little technological slaves/spies a benefit if seen in a different light. It's one thing to be unaware that we're being spied on, it's another to freely give information away as it benefits us. As in your teachings, technology now allows us to interact more with the representations we feel most akin to. "Like" or "Rate" something and you'll find more of it freely provided to you. It's when we're unaware that information is being collected that we are in danger. When the fortune teller has access to our "facebook" and pretends it's from a divine source, we're cheated out of an experience of value. Some people drone through their day in a symbiotic relationship with their technology, saturated in an illusory world based on corporate interest. This is not a bad thing, it props up the corporate machine that allows people like me to eventually obtain better tech at the level I can afford (for now, assuming rare earth materials are as rare as noted). Sure there are problems with tech, like engineered obsolescence, secret spyware, hidden fees etc... but these are a reflection of the nature of humanity and will not cease to exist unless we change our "minds" first. Maybe we can find incremental opportunities for improvement? Odds are, as resources become more rare and cost increases, engineered obsolescence will be shunned into oblivion, spying will become "open data collection" and maybe hidden fees will evolve into a 1% global tax on all monetary transactions. From the other thread: snip Quoting: Chaol4) Most advanced countries use a type of democracy-enabling system that is hard to describe without going into detail*. Usually, every level of government utilizes this system to manage every aspect within it. It's not just for governments, however, but the entire population (in theory). We have councils, also, but these are run differently. The councils are made up of representatives from the population (a type of temporary elite). A great number of checks and balances exist at all levels of community and government. Every detail is measured, annotated, archived, discussed, etc. 5) Yes, we use money. It's pretty much the same as here except banks are not as private. Every "dollar" is tracked and taxed. There is no tax on income. When money goes from one place to an other it is taxed a very small percentage by the local government (and an even smaller percentage by the national government). This system is open and accessible by all so that you can, quite literally, see the history of your own money. It's quite transparent, but of course there are ways to work around the system. Most of our tax money goes to infrastructure so that it is free for all and a public utility. This would include the banking system, roads, utilities, really clean water, etc. Very, very basic housing is free. Healthy food is free. (If you want a steak, it'll cost you quite a bit.) We have crime, corruption, etc. But it is not usually the same as here nor as frequent. Only the most violent of criminals go to what you would call jail. Others just pay a type of social tax (not in money, however). It would be hard to commit crime when every detail of your life is surveilled, and pretty much everyone knows about it. We live in a complete surveillance society. But everyone is surveilled (everyone). We've pretty much changed the "neighborhood-watch" system along with the times. It's the only way to have a civil and respectable society. We generally trust each other and are much closer as a result. Last Edited by MutantMessiah on 06/24/2013 10:17 PM Consider the possibility that you order yourself into being from chaos... You do this, always, in all ways. This "ordering" has resulted in the possibilities you're experiencing, here, now. In each experience you've ever had, more and more of "this" reality is generated logically from your previous experience. Your observation of this unfolding of order and chaos is reality. |
VersionTwo
User ID: 24151591 United States 06/24/2013 10:15 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Chaol, you may like this book - [link to www.rushkoff.com] I'm only on the first chapter but it's already amazing. I think you might get a lot out of it. |
Chaol
(OP) User ID: 24697767 Germany 06/24/2013 10:46 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | example 1 Let's say you smoke but are looking to quit. Smoking to you may represent the action of walking out with your friends to 'grab a smoke', the hand gesture when you feel uncomfortable or awkward in a social setting, packing your cigarettes, or any number of things. The representation is not just the physical cigarette itself but all of its surrounding values, seen and unseen. Some of the way to change representations might now become obvious when we also consider associations. Instead of packing your cigarettes, why not nip them in a place that makes it funny to hold? Instead of going out to 'grab a smoke' why not say that you're going to go kill yourself or destroy your lungs? Holding it a different way could also change the representations. We "smoke" because of these representations and the value that they have in our perspective. It might be that you like the feeling, or it gives you a sense of identity, your body is just addicted to it, or a number of other reasons. When we change the way or ways it is represented in our perspective we are changing its value. example 2 To take another example, let's take "war". I've observed many people claim how they don't want war in their lives but are often a bit obsessed by it. They want to read articles and look at news about it, discuss how bad it is with others, watch movies about it, or are awed by the latest weaponry or are quick to visit an "air show". We can say that it's "hard to avoid" but is it really? When the representations of "war" are around you and we are willingly interacting with them then can it be said that "war" is not wanted? When we "hate war" but still want to hear how many soldiers died or what happened in a distant country that we'd never heard about 2 years prior, can we also say that we desire peace? When we are quicker to revolt against $10 million taxpayer dollars going to researching butterflies having sex but do not balk at an additional $100 billion going towards an endlessly-expanding military machine, does war need to be represented differently? We have a yearly "10 sexiest women" photo list but where is the yearly "10 realities of war" photo list? 1 name of someone dying from whatever (bonus for a cute picture) has more weight than an article about 15 nameless (and photo-less) kids dying from a military strike. As a society we support war when war-oriented stories are at the top of the most-viewed lists on news websites. When fraction of a second nipple exposure on television becomes more controversial than hundreds of thousands of civilians being killed, then we should know "peace" is not what we want. Since World War 2 there has been a war on civilians (comprising 90% of casualties). Where is the outrage in equal measure as the cancellation of a television show? We may want to think "war" represents something bad and undesirable for people. But what it may actually represent is something valuable and useful to us (to whatever degree). The military is representing war in a way that usually benefits them in the press, games, movies, images, etc. Why don't the people do the same if they say they don't want war? |
MutantMessiah
User ID: 11481360 United States 06/24/2013 10:49 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Chaol, you may like this book - Quoting: VersionTwo [link to www.rushkoff.com] I'm only on the first chapter but it's already amazing. I think you might get a lot out of it. Very cool. Thanks V2. Consider the possibility that you order yourself into being from chaos... You do this, always, in all ways. This "ordering" has resulted in the possibilities you're experiencing, here, now. In each experience you've ever had, more and more of "this" reality is generated logically from your previous experience. Your observation of this unfolding of order and chaos is reality. |