George Floyd's Death, Protests and Riots across the US

[Beau]

It's not unreasonable to think that pushing certain buttons is likely to trigger someone who is already in an agitated mood... You get anyone riled up (even Gandhi or Buddha), push certain buttons and I'm sure they'll be triggered too and probably go supernova... We're all human after all and we should take some responsibility for the state we put others in because no one is impervious to having their buttons pushed.

I understand your point, but that being said, the point of this forum and doing the Work is to be able to not let our buttons get pushed, to control our emotions, and to be able to step back and be objective during a discussion. It's not "invalidating" someone's POV by telling them something that is inherently true of all people. It's an attempt to get them to see things from outside their personal perspective.

We're trying to be better and smarter than the average person here, so perhaps it's not the best thing to argue for our limitations.

 

[SOTTREADER]

@Beau indeed, there's an element of facing heat within the work.

All heat though is not the same... There's a gentle flame and there's the raging heat from the centre of the sun. It's not unreasonable to expect that someone may have a reaction (reasonably so) if thrown into the sun.

Just saying, imagine the other way round if @trendsetter37 told either @bjorn or @Corvus that they were biased because they were white. I don't profess to hold a crystal ball but I'm certain things won't have gone well either that way round.

Not looking to say @trendsetter37 is right in what he was saying or that @bjorn or @Corvus were... Just saying as soon as buttons started getting pushed, the conversation was only ever going to go one way and sadly we'd never live to get to that point where a resolution was reached.

 

[Jenn]

Wow just catching up on the thread, things are heating up out there eh?! I read a fantastic article written by the Off Guardian see here:
The George Floyd Protests – 20 unanswered questions

Main points:

• Why did the video go viral and who made it go viral?
• Why is this death different? Why did this video suddenly get noticed, and not the dozens of other videos of police being brutally violent?
• Why, within mere days of the incident, did NIKE have a brand new ad endorsing the protests?
• Why are mass gatherings in the US, Berlin and London not ‘murder’ any more?
• Why are people on the streets are reporting stacks of loose bricks on street corners"
• Why are they promoting violence, when they have been saying for years that violence is "toxic masculinity" and hate speech is violence
• Why is the MSM endorsing violence running headlines like: “If violence isn’t the way to end racism in America, then what is?”.
• Why are they reporting “organizers” of the riots “encouraging kids to attack cops
• Why are police currently going of their way to make themselves look as bad as possible and to further incentivise this multi focal promotion of violence?
• Lastly, what do the rioters want? What is the goal that, when achieved, will signal everyone can go home?
• Violence, looting and riots won’t solve any of the political problems in America, but will cause more. So why are they being encouraged?

All in all, it serves as a distraction from COVID, Bill gates, vaccines and it gives the PTB a REAL reason to lock everyone in their houses!

 

[Beau]

Just saying, imagine the other way round if @trendsetter37 told either @bjorn or @Corvus that they were biased because they were white. I don't profess to hold a crystal ball but I'm certain things won't have gone well either that way round.

I can't say, but yeah it probably wasn't the most useful or considerate thing to say in the middle of a discussion surrounding the already incredibly delicate issue of racism, even if it was true. We don't want to invalidate someone's opinion because they exhibit bias.

 

[Anabell]

Reading through the comments brings the memory of Laura's Third Man from High Strangeness. Explaining the Third Man in the Wave, Laura said: our beliefs are formed in emotional situations of interactions with our parents and other authorities of our infancy and childhood. It is very frightening to even contemplate breaking free of this safe, inner environment.
I believe that now, more then ever we need to brake out of it and not get pulled in this craziness that it's being created.

 

[trendsetter37]

No, it was that it makes you biased. A big difference. We are all biased. There is no escaping it. There are a lot of things color our objectivity. Seems like it's not being unfair or judgmental for Corvus to say that, and that you would associate that statement with you being "blind," well it looks like you are emotionally triggered.



Wrong about what?

Fair point above and I agree. However, to clarify, my emotional reaction doesn't mean I'm wrong about using/reading statistics incorrectly to prove a point that's moot when discussing that both sides are arguing different sides of the same coin.

 

[Woodsman]

@Beau indeed, there's an element of facing heat within the work.

All heat though is not the same... There's a gentle flame and there's the raging heat from the centre of the sun. It's not unreasonable to expect that someone may have a reaction (reasonably so) if thrown into the sun.

Just saying, imagine the other way round if @trendsetter37 told either @bjorn or @Corvus that they were biased because they were white. I don't profess to hold a crystal ball but I'm certain things won't have gone well either that way round.

Not looking to say @trendsetter37 is right in what he was saying or that @bjorn or @Corvus were... Just saying as soon as buttons started getting pushed, the conversation was only ever going to go one way and sadly we'd never live to get to that point where a resolution was reached.

This is where the warriors separate from the.., not-warriors.

The job, as I understand the idea of doing "The Work", is to strive toward a baseline recognition that, "It's the soul that matters," (not the body, or the color of one's skin or trim of one's belly and thighs, etc. An aged soul is likely to have lived in a wide range of body types, male and female, after all. Many of us have been there, done that. When that truth sinks in, the idea of getting worked up over racial/identity tribalism naturally shrinks to an issue of low density awareness; to be worked with as appropriate, (you have to be in a culture to function), but increasingly becomes primarily an act of Controlled Folly.) -In order to dis-empower our mechanical natures, our programming, external string pulls, etc. To take control of our minds and our souls, to guide them into coherence.

There is a big difference between being deliberately hurtful in an argument and being a Warrior ruthlessly seeking to isolate truth.

One of the tools, which for a time found much application around here, worked like this: When it was sensed that people were losing their grip and slipping into programmed, ego-driven behavior, (what is now generally referred to by the internet as being, "Triggered"), observers would ask, "It might be time to offer your a mirror. Are you willing to undergo that process?" (Or words to this effect.) "May I offer you a mirror?"

At which point, upon acceptance, a critical examination of reactions is undergone, dissected to the best of the forum abilities. -It's not a perfect system; there is danger of a predatorial glee in pinning somebody down under the social microscope which is not dissimilar to a Twitter mob's behavior, and that needs to be recognized and managed, but for the most part things have worked out with positive results. I know I've benefited mightily, learning how to recognize and let go of sacred cows. I don't see as much of that work going on these days with newer members, possibly because the practice has fallen from being a newly discovered tool, (and thus less enthusiastically explored or even known about), and possibly because people are just generally better at being self-aware and don't need as much effort to hammer out the mechanical bits.

In any case...

By contrast, tiptoeing around people's "triggers" is a very SJW, "Safe Space" behavior, always avoiding the lessons necessary to isolate programs and to grow. Growth is often painful, and the non-warrior SJW type tends to far over-balance towards a mock version of external consideration, to the point that programs and 'trigger' points fester within people into full blown mental illness.

To paraphrase Jordan Peterson's observation, "Countless atrocities have been committed in the name of 'being nice'".

In any case, as Beau pointed out, to be here in the forum is to accept the terms of the Work. It's one of the things which separates this forum from virtually everywhere else on the web, and which makes it extremely valuable.

 

[trendsetter37]

I understand your point, but that being said, the point of this forum and doing the Work is to be able to not let our buttons get pushed, to control our emotions, and to be able to step back and be objective during a discussion. It's not "invalidating" someone's POV by telling them something that is inherently true of all people. It's an attempt to get them to see things from outside their personal perspective.

We're trying to be better and smarter than the average person here, so perhaps it's not the best thing to argue for our limitations.

Controlling emotions is not the same as not expressing them in a controlled manner. I think we should clarify what 'controlling' emotions means exactly. Emotions can still be useful energy if one understands that they inform the experiencer.

So yes, I agree but what you're saying seems like a blanket statement without pointing out what controlling means. Or does controlling mean the same thing in different situations?

 

[bjorb]

Yeah, it is weird. Saturday and Sunday there were protests about lockdowns, mandatory vaccinations and 5G and just like that, now it's George Floyd protests here in Australia too.

George Floyd protests are set to hit Sydney this week

The 'BLM (Black Lives Matter) & George Floyd Peaceful Protest Sydney' rally has been organised to take place at Hyde Park, in the CBD, on Wednesday at 5pm.

www.dailymail.co.uk

It's almost like someone flicked a switch.

Just when people started to talk about ''crazy conspiracy theories'' such as the microchip, NWO and more during the corona-crisis (at least that's what I noticed in my circle of friends) it indeed looks like someone flicked a switch and we find ourselves straight back in the culture war, only this time it's 1000x more extreme.

Well, at least the pandemic is over …

Democratic leaders and the media are now OK with people not social distancing. But only to destroy their own cities. Can it get even more crazier? I guess we find out soon enough.

 

[Laura]

I don't think it is helpful for anyone to just say "you are biased because _____" (whatever). IF there is a strong indication of bias, it can be said like this: "Everyone has biases, I have them, you have them, so let's try to set any aside. I'm black, you are white (or vice versa) so let's just talk to each other as souls that have experienced social conditioning in these bodies of ours and probably have different tendencies because of different genetics; but nothing we cannot overcome at the soul level."

Because, I can guarantee that each and every one of us has been incarnated as different ethnicities at least a time or two. And, as we have discussed before on another thread, "race" can be used only in the sense that the French use it for "breeds" - that is, groups that have been isolated genetically for a sufficient period of time to have any of a given number of characteristics enhanced. Otherwise, we are all members of the human race.

Myself, I'm something of a mongrel and I think that was necessary for my soul purposes. Some others are more purely whatever they are because of their history, ancestry, etc. But that doesn't matter because, in the end, it's all about the soul. The soul marries with the genetic configuration for its own reasons.

Just like with dog breeds, some are hunters, some are guarders, some are shepherds, some are retrievers, and many other variations. That's just what happens when inbreeding occurs and moreso when it is purposeful. In the same way, different human racial groups have different group characteristics. It should be noted that there are less differences between individuals of different groups than between the groups taken as a whole. It's a complex and fascinating subject and quite a few of us spent some time a year or so ago digging into that research.

That being said, we can't forget that about half the population of the planet is possibly Organic portal types and that percentage is probably consistent through all "races". Caucasians appear to have a higher percentage of psychopaths (though still small). Some differences between groups are a matter of culture, others are genetic; but then, isn't it possible that culture is developed because it serves genetics.

Our purpose with this forum has been to attract and gather the very best of all groups because we know that the "best souls" (if you can call it that) are deliberately scattered through all racial groups. It is necessary to have all different perspectives (and that includes those that are racially oriented) in order to assemble a 4 D soul group/family. For us, color is utterly irrelevant except insofar as it might help us to better understand the individual soul that is incarnated in a particular body of whatever race, color, ethnicity, religion, etc. Our aim is that all should be able to understand themselves and others in all permutations of humanity and to celebrate the diversity that makes up a creative whole. In the end, on the other side, these bodies that have provided lessons for us will fall away and we will all be light.

So all of you, please try to understand where another is coming from; walk a mile in his or her shoes, and also try to let it be known, out of consideration, what your own journey has been like.

 

[bjorb]

Those who riot in the name of George Floyd should take a step back and listen to what his brother has to say.

George Floyd’s Brother Condemns Violent Riots

“If his own family and blood are not doing it, then why are you?”

The brother of George Floyd has condemned the violent riots taking place across America, asserting, “My brother was about peace.”

Innumerable cities across the country have been hit with violence and looting in response to Floyd being killed by a police officer.

Despite efforts by some protest leaders to disavow violence, mob rule has taken over.

George Floyd’s brother appeared on video to condemn the violence.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1267397584206868482

“I have the spirit of my brother to go out and tell people, I’m outraged too, I feel sometimes I get angry I wanna bust some heads too, I wanna just go crazy,” said Floyd.

“But I’m here because my brother wasn’t about that, my brother was about peace,” he added, describing his brother as a “gentle giant.”

Telling rioters to channel their anger elsewhere, Floyd said the violence wasn’t necessary.

“If his own family and blood are not doing it, then why are you?” he asked.

“Why are you out here tearing up your community because when you finish and then you turn around and you wanna go buy something, you’ve torn it up, so now you’ve messed up your own living arrangements,” said Floyd.

He concluded by telling rioters to “relax” and agreed that the message of peacefully seeking justice message was being lost amidst the rioting.

 

[Beau]

Controlling emotions is not the same as not expressing them in a controlled manner. I think we should clarify what 'controlling' emotions means exactly. Emotions can still be useful energy if one understands that they inform the experiencer.

So yes, I agree but what you're saying seems like a blanket statement without pointing out what controlling means. Or does controlling mean the same thing in different situations?

Specifically, controlling negative emotions. On the forum we talk about "keeping them below the neck." It's not always going to happen, but the goal is to feel them but not let them take over. I think what you wrote about expressing them in a controlled manner is basically what I'm saying about keeping negative emotions below the neck.

 

[psychegram]

I'm sure it's a coincidence.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1267466698426327044

 

[Approaching Infinity]

@Beau indeed, there's an element of facing heat within the work.

All heat though is not the same... There's a gentle flame and there's the raging heat from the centre of the sun. It's not unreasonable to expect that someone may have a reaction (reasonably so) if thrown into the sun.

Just saying, imagine the other way round if @trendsetter37 told either @bjorn or @Corvus that they were biased because they were white. I don't profess to hold a crystal ball but I'm certain things won't have gone well either that way round.

Not looking to say @trendsetter37 is right in what he was saying or that @bjorn or @Corvus were... Just saying as soon as buttons started getting pushed, the conversation was only ever going to go one way and sadly we'd never live to get to that point where a resolution was reached.

I think this is a good point. There are certain things that when said, or said in a particular way, are likely to trigger someone. We should all be trying to take Bill and Ted's advice (inspired by Paul), to be excellent to each other. That is each of our responsibility. As for the heat, it's also important to keep in mind. There will be times when we fail - when we phrase something poorly, when our own biases color the expression of our thoughts, when we say something stupid, and when what we say isn't formulated in such a way as to put others at ease and come to a point of mutual understanding. In those situations, we also have a responsibility, depending on which side of the exchange we happen to be on. If we are the ones who have expressed ourselves poorly, or crossed a line of some sorts, it's our responsibility to try to see that - to see that we weren't putting ourselves in another's shoes. And if we're on the receiving end, triggered, we should try to see our reaction for what it is, and perhaps to attempt to see what the other person was struggling to communicate.

Controlling emotions is not the same as not expressing them in a controlled manner. I think we should clarify what 'controlling' emotions means exactly. Emotions can still be useful energy if one understands that they inform the experiencer.

So yes, I agree but what you're saying seems like a blanket statement without pointing out what controlling means. Or does controlling mean the same thing in different situations?

I may be wrong, but here's how I see it at the moment. There are degrees of what might be called "control" over emotions, or lack of it. I may be triggered by something and not even realize it. As a result, I will say something I later come to regret, because my emotions were running the show. This often leads to me 'lying' in various ways in attempt to prove my point, exaggerating support for my position, dismissing facts that make me uncomfortable or that I don't want to accept for whatever reason, etc.

Or, I may be triggered, realize I am triggered, and say so: "I'm really emotional after reading x right now, so my response may be colored by that." I may still do many of the things listed in the previous scenario, but at least with some awareness that I might be doing so.

Or, I may be triggered, realize I am triggered, and see clearly how that is, or isn't, coloring my response. In which case I might tell myself that I know my emotions are causing me not to think clearly, and that a certain response wouldn't be appropriate. Or I might be justified in my response, and compose a response that is fueled by that emotion, but not controlled by it. For example, if someone objectively insulted me, and it was not called for, I might tell them that: "That response was out of line." Or if someone gets something completely wrong - and I know they're wrong, not just think they're wrong - and their wrongness triggers me emotionally, I might try to state the facts as I know them to set the record straight. That's tricky though, because the very fact that I'm emotional about it might cause me to think I know when in fact I don't.

And lastly, hopefully, I will get to the point where I am not even triggered by something that would have triggered me in the past. I can say, "In the past, that would have sent me on a thought loop of epic proportions and I wouldn't have been able to recover for days." In this regard, I try to keep in mind the Stoics' advice about responding to insults, which was also expressed by Gurdjieff in the following terms:

“Take, for instance, self-love, which occupies almost half of our time and life. It someone (or something) has wounded our self-love from the outside, then not only at that moment but for a long time afterwards its momentum closes all the doors, and therefore shuts out life. Life is outside. When I am connected with outside, I live. If I live only within myself, it is not life. Everything lives thus. When I examine myself, I connect myself with the outside.”

“For instance, now I sit here. M. is here, and also K. – we live together. M. called me a fool – I am offended. K. gave me a scornful look. I am offended. I consider, I am hurt and shall not calm down and come to myself for a long time.”

After some explanations, he continues: “M. called me a fool. Why should I be offended? I don’t take offence, such things do not hurt me. Not because I have no self-love, maybe I have more self-love than anyone here. Maybe it is this very self-love that does not let me be offended.”

“I think, I reason in a way exactly the reverse of the usual way. He called me a fool. Must he necessarily be wise? He may himself be a fool or a lunatic. One cannot demand wisdom from a child. I cannot demand wisdom from him. His reasoning was foolish. Either someone has said something to him about me, or he formed his own foolish opinion that I am a fool – so much the worse for him. I know that I am not a fool, so it does not offend me. If a fool has called me a fool, I am not affected inside.”

“But if in a given instance I was a fool and am called a fool, I am not hurt because my task is not to be a fool … So he reminds me … I shall think about it and perhaps not act foolishly next time.”

And to relate this to the broader topic at hand, what we are seeing in riots and the mass psychosis of mob violence is the complete lack of an ability to see and control one's own emotions, IMO. It is letting the horses control one utterly and completely. So every bit of practice we get, and every effort we make to see ourselves more clearly and not let the horses control the carriage, can be seen as an inoculation against the possibility that any of us might, one day, lose our minds in a similar manner.

 

[aragorn]

Very well said!
Russian directors Egor Baranov, Nathalia Hencker amazingly summarize in a movie, what you just wrote.

The Russians have been famous about their inability to produce entertaining Hollywood-like movies in the past, but all that ended suddenly with their excellent masterpiece last year (must see), titled:
The Blackout (2019)

Watch it with Russian audio and English subtitles. It follows along the C's predictions about The End and adds a little of the film creators idea. Very well crafted story, full of turns and twists and I won't spoil it, since its excellent fun. Its not at all about any "Solar Flare Blackout" that the title implies. You won't guess, what will happen in this movie. Excellently done! Pretty much follows the C's predictions for the upcoming Roller Coaster Ride. It has "almost everything" the C's predicted. Well acted: it follows first an everyday "idyllic" near-future world, how life just goes-on... during the first 10 minutes, - cheesy-seeming, stereotypes-seeming - then the Normalcy of The World suddenly & drastically changes!

Then near the climax the words are given into the mouth of a major character in the movie, listing pretty much everything Gurdjieff and the C's said with cruel objectivity that gives chills to the viewer. Especially to us here, since we know the C's and G's teachings.

I don't usually have time to watch movies, and almost never find anything worth watching anyways, but this film got me curious. I tried to search for a site where I could rent it, but at least the English name 'The Blackout' didn't give any results. Is it possible to rent this on some Russian platform (with English subs)?