How is the World Going to End in 2012?

[Soluna]

Re: The last article of Laura

I wish I had something to give.

All I can give are my hopes, wishes, prayers and my heart.

I feel I have become more aware of the state of things, far too late. It saddens me to think of all of the people out there who are genuinely searching for truth - and for there to be so much misinformation, misdirection, and plain old pressure from all of the wrong sources. So many people do reach out, but grab on to the rotten root when falling off the cliff edge - because it 'looks' healthier.



As a side note : Coming from a family of 'Gamers', and knowing many of them through my family, I can say more of them are.. hardier than I suspected; more stubborn, more resilient and with more common sense than the average 9-5 'goes down the pub for a pint after work' kind of guy.
This could be a fallacy - It's probably naive of me to think that a few of these stronger individuals might be 'learning' some sort of survival skills from these games, should they be faced with similar circumstances in their own reality. There are a lot of scientific and knowledge based puzzle games out there.


I'm not saying they are on the right track - at all - and I realise it is far too late for people to make the necessary changes in the short term - but I like to hope that a few of these games may have snuck in some useful information to people, and those who may have just been lost, might use that information for the benefit of many in the future.

 

[Mrs. Peel]

Re: The last article of Laura

I just wanted to apologize if I came off too direct, 3D. I just doubted that there were any super rich people willing to give to SOTT.

Well, I actually agree with you. First off, IMO, most of the "super-rich" became that way not by being the type of person who cares about Truth (think the Kardashian Klan). Most readers have had experiences in their lives that pushed them to seek out answers, and I would guess if one grew up in such a cushy environment with everything handed to them, the only answers they are interested in are how much money do they have in the bank? ;)

In other words, perhaps "poverty" is good for the soul, where "rich" is good only for the body.

 

[Faith]

Re: The last article of Laura

Hello everyone :)

I just want to add my thoughts on this, because I must admit, recent articles have been quite shocking for me, especially this heart-piecing article about the apocalyptic prospects of mankind. It scared the frack out of me. It went right through me, made me feel like all remaining good was falling apart instantly, like being left behind, feeling guilty and ashamed, sentenced to decay and death, no matter what I have accomplished so far! As to the fund raising I gave what I could and I will do it again next month. So once again I was confronted with my personal fears, that try to overwhelm me like described in "The Teachings of Don Juan, p. 35.", where it reads:

"He slowly begins to learn - bit by bit at first, then in big chunks. And his thoughts soon clash. What he learns is never what he pictured, or imagined, and so he begins to be afraid. Learning is never what one expects. Every step of learning is a new task, and the fear the man is experiencing begins to mount mercilessly, unyieldingly. His purpose becomes a battlefield.

"And thus he has tumbled upon the first of his natural enemies: Fear! A terrible enemy - treacherous, and difficult to overcome. It remains concealed at every turn of the way, prowling, waiting. And if the man, terrified in its presence, runs away, his enemy will have put an end to his quest."

"What will happen to the man if he runs away in fear?"

"Nothing happens to him except that he will never learn. He will never become a man of knowledge. He will perhaps be a bully or a harmless, scared man; at any rate, he will be a defeated man. His first enemy will have put an end to his cravings."

"And what can he do to overcome fear?"

"The answer is very simple. He must not run away. He must defy his fear, and in spite of it he must take the next step in learning, and the next, and the next. He must be fully afraid, and yet he must not stop. That is the rule! And a moment will come when his first enemy retreats. The man begins to feel sure of himself. His intent becomes stronger. Learning is no longer a terrifying task. When this joyful moment comes, the man can say without hesitation that he has defeated his first natural enemy."

"Does it happen at once, don Juan, or little by little?"

"It happens little by little, and yet the fear is vanquished suddenly and fast."

But then that fear turned to defiance. I just can't let that happen, becoming a harmless, scared man, while everything I value goes to hell! Running away is not an option any more! On the contrary! I came to realize that it is more important to make myself useful, to work on myself, no matter how much time there is left, standing for what I am, holding up the values that are dear to me, being on the right track, helping the right people. I don't know if I gonna make it but I want to help that at least some of us do. It's that certain feeling, that drives me in situations like this, deep and compassionate. I feel a bond to nature, to the very part that those misguided scientists out there can hardly understand and I wish to get strong, to be able to protect that bond and everything that is whole. I must grow up as a real human!

Then I found this comment by pothillrat.

Surrender Not An Option

A couple of years ago, I found myself in a situation where I thought for sure that it was THE END for me. Right when I had almost given up, something inside of me, that LOVE feeling, took over me. And not only did I recover, I ended-up fighting back and realized they didn't have a chance.

Now that gives me hope and I won't drop it!

I have many dear friends, who seem to understand the illness of our time, who value naturalness and honesty. They just seem to be not fully aware of that. They are trapped in the mechanisms of denial as described in chapter four of Laura's 'High Strangeness', a book I was too afraid to read till the end! But I will make up leeway, face even that fear! It's so damn uncomfortable facing the truth, so I can understand the unaware concept of 'Running away' all too well, holding fast onto any comfortable lie that seems plausible! I believe there is a sleeping potential that can be awakened, that there are many people, who can be activated. If they were just a little closer to their feelings, if they could just feel a little more what they already know, that there is a threat right in front of them.

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/237784-How-did-no-one-notice-Hawaiian-musician-wearing-Occupy-with-Aloha-T-shirt-plays-45-minute-protest-song-in-front-of-Obama-and-other-world-leaders-
About this link: A popular Hawaiian singer used his performance at a dinner of world leaders hosted by President Barack Obama to voice his support for the 'Occupy' movement. Makana was enlisted to play a luau, or Hawaiian feast, for members of the Pacific Rim who had ...

When I showed a friend of mine this video, I asked him, why there are so few hero's out there and he sadly responded: “Because it takes a whole lot of guts to do it or lots of naturalness. Both die out slowly!” Another friend who resonates with me, feeling the taste of truth, doesn't dare to dig in more deeply, because he fears he couldn't go on with his life any longer, if he did. Everything would turn upside down and he's right! I can't blame him. But after being turned upside down, I began to grow little by little and life became more real with every little step: Not only the horrors but also the beauty of our world began to unfold. So I must find a way to get them breath the right way :P Now that's tricky! I got two of my friends considering it. And I am not that convincing, because I still haven't accomplished what is needed to be a shining example, a man of deed, like MLK. Those must have overcome the first enemy.

SAO :)

I think that in order for the common person to understand it all and be able to take part in a global transformation, it is enough for them to get to the level of the obyvatel. And that level is just basic common sense, basic reason, the foundation for anything else that follows. So the average person does not need to know anything about fields or consciousness or any esoteric concepts, as most of that can be distilled into modern psychological concepts, and even more basically, into simply common sense. It is not difficult to be an obyvatel for most people, probably even organic portals. It's actually the natural human state if we weren't conditioned and manipulated into having thought loops and subjectivity and beliefs/illusions about ourselves, about others, and the world. (...)

I often put myself too much under pressure, whenever I realize how much I don't know. I am resonating deeply with your whole post. Thank you again for your positive insights! They have helped me in the past and they are helping me now.

Thank you Laura for the wake-up-call

 

[Gertrudes]

Re: The last article of Laura

Put it another way - I take most readers of SOTT who didn't give because they just didn't think their little gift could make a difference. I bet if they suddenly win the lottery and have millions, they would almost certainly give a very appreciable amount because suddenly they will feel like they can actually make a difference. I can't imagine having millions and not immediately giving most of those millions to this group, and I know that most forum members and probably a good chunk of SOTT readers would feel this way too.

I'm not sure about this SAO. It is easy for us to imagine ourselves giving millions should we win the lottery, but I doubt that many of the average readers would do so. I may be wrong, but in any case I thinks that's important to try to see things through their eyes to get a clearer picture.

Truth is that by being on the forum and interacting the way we do, we gradually tend to "fuse" or thinking and how we perceive the world. That's simply one of the things that interacting does. Now many of sott readers are probably occasional visitors who have one foot on sott, and with that a vision of the world that greatly differs from the mainstream, and another foot set on their daily life affairs, their issues at work, at home (which we all have), the weekend parties, the TV, but who do little to try to change the way they live that other side of life by making it, one way or another, more congruent with what they learn on sott.
Which is all ok, each one shapes his/her own life the way he/she chooses, but within the context of the fundraiser, because these people are only half here and half there, their level of commitment is more likely to be low, which leaves much more room for distrust and disinterest when a request such as Laura's is put forward. And the same can probably happen with some (or many?) of the regular sott readers.

It is natural for us forum members to instantly comprehend what the chateau is going trough, we interact with them, often sharing very personal and deep issues, and that builds trust, and bonds. Sott readers, who are exclusively sott readers, don't benefit from that and thus, may see this whole issue through completely different lenses.

I'm sure many sott readers are also doing their best to help the chateau, but I think that a portion of the readers is simply more detached. They're perhaps a bit like Gurdjieff's man in between two stools.

 

[cassandra]

Re: The last article of Laura

The trouble is also that a lot of rich people, at least the ones I know, are terrible penny-pinchers.
As Laura said, the really rich ones want to take over. Sad.

 

[ScioAgapeOmnis]

Re: The last article of Laura

Gertrudes you make a good point, I may have been projecting there. I think to many of us what Laura and the group do is quite personal. We care for the cause of Truth sure, but we also have come to know and love this group, their genuineness, their determination, their care for humanity, their constant sacrifice of blood, sweat, tears, and willingness to bare their very soul. And this forum has a lot to do with it, but also the many writings that Laura and SOTT have put out over the years. Nothing they ever do is dispassionate, and through their personal writing and experiences we get to know them, start to relate to them (not just their cause, but them as human beings).

I think this is a good reason to not keep SOTT and the C's separate. I'd even say if it was possible to merge cassiopaea.org and SOTT somehow it might not be a bad thing. Cassiopaea.org is where you get to know Laura and her adventure in a very personal, very deep way. When you read SOTT, although there are a lot of editorials, it is still mostly a news gathering/sharing website, so most of what you read on SOTT (outside of the articles on the sides written by the team themselves) is from thousands of other sources, so it doesn't necessarily familiarize the reader with the people behind the work.

So perhaps people would be more willing to donate if they had more of an exposure to the people behind SOTT - so they could relate to them and care about them personally. I think that's why infomercials from charities about hungry African kids always use a host, they don't use a faceless narrator, and they don't just focus on the concept of hungry kids - they show you some of them, their names, what they do on a daily basis, who they are, etc. People like to have a personal connection to other people, it helps them develop empathy and care for those people when they are not faceless.

I wonder if it would be a good idea to make SOTT somehow more personal - where the SOTT editors are less like an anonymous group of editors (as may be seen by many SOTT readers who aren't part of this forum or reading Laura's other works), and more like people that you get to know individually? I'm not sure how that could be accomplished. One idea is to include the name (a pseudonym like on the forum might be fine) of the editor who publishes any given article. Maybe more pictures of the Chateau, more personal life stories, or more editorials that are not attributed to "SOTT Editors" but to an individual that people could get to know better.

Perhaps adding more comments to the stories posted, with the comment signed off by a particular editor, might help. I know Joe and Scotty have blogs, and those are awesome, and definitely help to get to know them better as people outside of just being a "SOTT Editor", etc. I know Laura talked about making SOTT more brutally honest, maybe including more C's sessions as comments on stories would help connect the C's with SOTT more.

Anyways just some thoughts. There is definitely something to this concept of "human interest stories" - people like to connect to other people's lives, experiences, feelings, etc. And when they feel that personal connection, they are more willing to help, osit.

And certainly it's important to protect the privacy of the editors. But this could be accomplished without violating this - kinda like we get to know some people on this forum without ever even knowing their true names, just by interacting with them, and having a constant pseudonym/avatar to associate with the person. And certainly some editors are more able to share their real names and some of the things that happen in the Chateau, etc. And when there are pictures included (like in Anart's latest article), it brings them even closer to home, it really helps humanize them.

Funny anecdote - when I showed the Knowledge and Being video, the Barcelona conference video, the EE video, and some other videos Laura made over the years to my brother, parents, and girlfriend at the time, they were all surprised at how "normal" and down to earth Laura was. I thought it was funny, I don't know what they were expecting to see and hear, but they were all pleasantly surprised at the fact that she is just a mom, a concerned and loving mom, who does chores, eats human food, and doesn't even levitate.

It somehow made them care about her as a person more, and as a result they were more willing to read more material from her, after establishing a positive impression of her as a human being, someone they could relate to and like. I thought that was interesting and so maybe establishing more of such a personal connection on SOTT (in whatever way is reasonable), may help. I think the SOTT report is a great stride towards that end!

 

[Gertrudes]

Re: The last article of Laura

Anyways just some thoughts. There is definitely something to this concept of "human interest stories" - people like to connect to other people's lives, experiences, feelings, etc. And when they feel that personal connection, they are more willing to help, osit.

Yes, I agree. Making it more personal could make a difference. But I'm still not sure of whether that would be enough to get people to trust and recognize the value of sott, and want to donate. Maybe it would, I really don't know....
The issue, as I am seeing it, is that the more of yourself you give, truly, the more that will ricochet back. On the forum we give ourselves by interacting. The interaction is one big key here, osit. It changes you, it changes the ones whom you interact with, so that in a healthy interaction you both gain. Not that you were expecting to gain, it just naturally happens.

If we were to, for example, add a few more personal details here and there on the sott page, people would likely begin to relate more, but without the giving from their side through interaction, there will still be a barrier because there is no bond. We got used to that bond so we tend, perhaps, to lose perception of its existence, and of how its strengthens our trust. But many readers don't have that.

I think this is a good reason to not keep SOTT and the C's separate. I'd even say if it was possible to merge cassiopaea.org and SOTT somehow it might not be a bad thing

Possibly. That could perhaps be an indirect link for readers to further join the forum, if it were in them to do so.

This reminds me of something else. In the fundraiser thread I made a suggestion, along with other members, of making the sott site payable at a symbolic fee. After reading a couple of other posts I realized that paying for knowledge would defeat Sott's purpose. However, having been thinking about it over the past days, I have come to see it differently, again. While I do agree with knowledge being free, I also think that we need to see how people are using the freely given knowledge, and whether the way people are using it isn't hurting the ones that give.

Also, and considering how giving within the forum happens more by sharing, versus giving within sott's website being more of a one way channel, wouldn't making the possibility of signing up for sott for a small monthly fee help balance this? It's just that right now it feels like there's a fountain continuously pouring and pouring, with all these thirsty people bumping against each other to get some, only the ground water is not limitless, and can dry...

I was thinking before that the site could possibly be made accessible by subscription (as suggested by another member). The subscription would ask for the member's basic details, plus give him two choices, subscribe for a symbolic monthly fee, or carry on without having to pay. The subscriber would still have a choice, but he would be more aware of that choice and ponder it with greater care.

 

[Third_Density_Resident]

Re: The last article of Laura

I have been hoping for some very rich donors, who have a conscience and who get great value from SOTT, to come through and donate. I know the Cs say that prayer can be useful in some circumstances, and I have been praying for such a thing to occur, even though in reality this action is probably not having much of an effect. (Certainly I can see that the suggestions given on the other forum for improving fundraising will be far more beneficial.)

I just wanted to apologize if I came off too direct, 3D. I just doubted that there were any super rich people willing to give to SOTT.

Fwiw, I think there may be a place for non anticipatory prayer (coupled with action) in all of this.

Perhaps I'm off and being a bit too optimistic but I actually think that we (those of us who don't have much) can actually do this. Exactly how this can occur, I don't know but as we keep networking and pushing to meet this goal (whether monetarily or through other efforts), I believe we can get there.

Thank you for your apology, although there was really no need. Being direct is necessary at this point in time. And you are right, as Laura confirmed, that there are no super-rich people willing to donate to SOTT for the reasons she stated. And what SAO said also kind of confirms it: By now, after well over a week, any rich person who was willing to donate would have already done so.

Right now I have a very good job and will continue to give "sizeable" donations to the team each month. It makes up for all the years I didn't have a good job and couldn't give much. However at times I wish I was a millionaire, or even someone who inherited a lot of money, so that I could get QFG/SOTT out of this mess in one "fell swoop"! But being wishful won't help matters at all, and in fact is just a waste of energy.

But I agree with you that non-anticipatory prayer, in concert with taking actions to get more people on our side, is a good approach. In addition to getting people to see the incredible gravity of the dire situation we are in, we also need people to overcome their feelings of "uselessness" due to not being able to give very much, as SAO discussed. It is so easy to fall into that trap of thinking, "well I can only afford $10, so there's no point in me giving anything because it'll make no difference".

 

[Samuel]

Re: The last article of Laura

I just want to thanks Laura for her last article. It is, for me, one of the most virulent and crude article that I ever read from her, the most acute and hard and vitriolic. I admire people that have the guts to tell things as they are and in this article, not very long, all the facts and truths of this world are there. I read the reactions of some readers in Facebook, it seems to me that many people are really out of touch of what is happening in this world. This is very sad, almost as sad as this world situation. Humanity is really in danger, because of this denial.

This article made me cry, not because of the reality of it, something in this article made me feel all the sufferance that awaits us because we are unable to see what is coming. I don't feel depress by it, just very sad. The words of Laura express my sentiments, my worries, the terrible vision I see, day by day, on our humanity.

Thank you very much.

All the people on the religious/in-love-with-the-military side of my family are completely asleep, totally immersed in right-wing, conservative rhetoric, cliches, and colloquialisms. You can't budge them one bit from this half-witted and moronic nonsense. For instance, here is a link to a YouTube video that I got the other day.

~http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=JVAhr4hZDJE&vq=medium#t=19

I responded to the sender, a nephew of mine:

It appears to me that this coalition of idiots that devised this video WOULD BE happy with Obama, as he is carrying on almost tit for tat the tradition of Bush: the subversion of our rights, the creation of more war, the “shipment of jobs” overseas, the trashing of our economy, the despoilment of our environment, et cetera, et cetera. My god, the cognitive dissonance in this video is higher than the two 9/11 towers brought down by the coalition of the Bush team. Do people have such short memories???????????? And, of course, the sheep, like those that created this video, can’t (evidently because they don’t have more than two neurons firing at any one time) connect the dots that would make it obvious that we DO NOT have any choice in this country; there is no such thing as democrats and republicans; our government, our nation, this America is a fascist system that has been co-opted by the elite, the big bankers, the multinational corporations that control everything. This democrat VS republican, Lxxxx, is just a game that they play with us; a game that, for the idiots and those that can’t think critically and make associations, creates the illusion that we are free, we have choices, et cetera. We don’t! Even though you may vote in the next national elections for a particular dimwit to be our president, your vote will NOT COUNT! Those in control will and probably already have decided who will be the next president, which country we will trash in the next war; what acts of terrorism will be fabricated to demonize a particular culture/nation; and, so on............................!!!!!

 

[mcb]

Re: The last article of Laura

All the people on the religious/in-love-with-the-military side of my family are completely asleep, totally immersed in right-wing, conservative rhetoric, cliches, and colloquialisms. You can't budge them one bit from this half-witted and moronic nonsense...

Within a family, individuals can be dragged along by the group mentality, even if if they do see flaws in it. I believe the book The Authoritarians at least touches on this point. My main reference is my personal experience growing up. It is not healthy, and it can be dangerous to let one's true feelings be known while trapped in an oppressive family environment.

Don't just write off everyone. People can "budge" if there is an inner capacity to do so, and the desire and the opportunity. It's not your place to try to budge them, though. You can offer support to the extent that it is wanted and requested, if you have done enough work on yourself to be be able to see and act appropriately.

My own experience also suggests that when we look at a situation such as you describe, it can offer a mirror into our own lives. It's not an exact mirror; it applies where it applies. But examining someone else's "problem" can offer valuable messages about and insights into our own behavior.

When something strikes you about another person's behavior (and it doesn't have to be "bad") you can ask yourself "what is my message to this person." You can then transform the message to first person and see how it might apply to you. At the very least it is an interesting process.

 

[Andrian]

Re: The last article of Laura

thank you all for your input,it was very helpful, useful and informative to read,reading the article written by Laura i was touched and can say that for me it was a powerful message and a very important one,i understand that and will be glad to donate a little next week(unfortunately i didn't received yet the salary for this month).I realize that how Laura,the forum and Sott team has helped me a lot this will be the least i can to do to thank them for all their help that gave to all of us and at the same time i realize that how Laura and team's work has helped me so will help others if,only if get some help ,a little from each other.This pressure under which is Sott team right now i think and this is just a thought, maybe is a test by the divine cosmic mind? This critical situation in order to surpass it necessitates the help and contribution from majority of the people who are not ignorant who understands the importance to spread the truth at this very crucial times in our existence,contributing means staying altogether united,one for another, in front of the great danger that is lurking behind the corner,i think that by this critical situation in which is unfortunately Laura,Sott team,and the forum right now at this very moment if we will manage to surpass it all together ,this will be a proof that there is a chance for all of us(1,2,3-rd density and our sweet home Big Blue Marble) to make it in confronting the events that are very near.So, maybe is a wishful thinking from my part but i don't expect a rich and wealthy contributor and like other members have said we don't need them even if the amount of funding right now is low,this is our task,our test our quest.Thank you all,Laura and Team and the forum which is for me too like the second home,even if i'm not visiting it regularly,still always is and you are present in my heart.

 

[Palinurus]

Re: The last article of Laura

Yes, I agree. Making it more personal could make a difference. But I'm still not sure of whether that would be enough to get people to trust and recognize the value of sott, and want to donate. Maybe it would, I really don't know....
The issue, as I am seeing it, is that the more of yourself you give, truly, the more that will ricochet back. On the forum we give ourselves by interacting. The interaction is one big key here, osit. It changes you, it changes the ones whom you interact with, so that in a healthy interaction you both gain. Not that you were expecting to gain, it just naturally happens.

If we were to, for example, add a few more personal details here and there on the sott page, people would likely begin to relate more, but without the giving from their side through interaction, there will still be a barrier because there is no bond. We got used to that bond so we tend, perhaps, to lose perception of its existence, and of how its strengthens our trust. But many readers don't have that.

Quote from: SAO
I think this is a good reason to not keep SOTT and the C's separate. I'd even say if it was possible to merge cassiopaea.org and SOTT somehow
it might not be a bad thing

Possibly. That could perhaps be an indirect link for readers to further join the forum, if it were in them to do so.

It seems to me that the current fundraiser has revealed that quite a few assumptions about the readership of SotT are lacking objectivity and appear not to be matching the realities on the ground. The readership seems to lack a real personal bond with the site and with those that fill it with articles and commentary. Furthermore, the economic and financial situation of the readership seems to have greatly deteriorated since the last fundraiser around the Pepin/HBI affair. That could be a possible explanation for the slow going of the fundraiser as such.

But I surmise there are deeper processes going on.

From what I've gathered around me I got the impression that most readers of the site are participating in the finding and spreading of Truth in other ways than financially backing the site and the crew. They 'work' with what they find at SotT by posting on their Facebook pages, by sending direct links to people they perceive possibly interested in a specific subject material, by talking about what they have read with colleagues and friends, by visiting Occupy venues and spreading materials there, by relaying content on their blogs, and so on. All definitely useful activities imho. Maybe even of more importance than donating money and leaving it at that.

Additionally I've got the impression that a sense of urgency and the realization that there are several nearby deadlines menacing the chateau crew have not sufficiently come across within the readership. The potential court cases seem to be a bit nebulous at this time and to not have the immediate threat around them as the Pepin/HBI case had. Maybe the current problems even have a lesser appeal as such in themselves, I just don't know for sure yet.

Remedies are hard to come by, it seems. The more acute stumbling block seems to be the perceived 'top down' approach of the site: SotT is mainly preoccupied with carrying the relevant news items and commentaries than with exercising perception management or stimulating bonding activities. It might therefore be a good idea to get an overview of hard statistics concerning the readership. It might also help to design a questionnaire to get more info from the readership about what they expect from SotT in the long run. There could even be made an 'ideabox' available on the site's homepage where the readership could easily make suggestions for subjects or whatever. And so on. I'm just thinking out loud here and don't pretend to have any definite answers to this current problem.

For some reason or another I'm just a bit more optimistic than several other posters about the eventual outcome of this current turmoil and the manageability of the whole process - but that could only be me...and I might well be mistaken in this gut feeling. FWIW.

 

[HowToBe]

Re: The last article of Laura

I would also like to thank Laura for this article. It provided a rather strong shock for me, and the information in the "Redirect" thread helped me to process that shock via writing each evening. This has had a powerful effect in helping me to make a choice that I had not really been able to make until now; to really choose to improve myself in an active and methodical way, and to start seriously developing my will, which has been pretty weak.

Long story short, I'm not sure when or if I would have reached this point without that article to "shake me up". For that I am very thankful. My family has donated twice, and I hope we can give more soon.

 

[MikaelYosef]

Re: The last article of Laura

Anyway, his remark that I reported in that thread, I believe, was that people who don't wake up deserve to die, to be culled from the gene pool. I was very offended by this remark because I have always felt that there are lots of people who simply can't "wake up" the way we talk about it, but they still deserve to be treated decently.

I think that's an important point. I'm certain there are many potentials out there who are unable to wake up due to their social status or personal circumstances. If a single parent is looking after their kids, working three jobs and struggling just to make ends meet - with very little time or energy to devote to anything else - I don't think searching for higher knowledge would be on their high priority list. Similarly for someone living an 'easy' life where the hardest decision they have to make each day is what breakfast cereal they're going to choose to eat - there wouldn't be anything provoking them to search for a higher truth either.

It's easy to judge others and shake our heads at the world from the peanut gallery - but for most of us here, there is a reason we found this place. I suspect it's a combination of a catalytic life experience and the financial/social/political freedom to dedicate some time in searching for answers. When a future shock comes, it would be wise to look out for those who snap awake quickly and offer a hand if they are looking for one.

 

[Laura]

Re: The last article of Laura

Anyway, his remark that I reported in that thread, I believe, was that people who don't wake up deserve to die, to be culled from the gene pool. I was very offended by this remark because I have always felt that there are lots of people who simply can't "wake up" the way we talk about it, but they still deserve to be treated decently.

I think that's an important point. I'm certain there are many potentials out there who are unable to wake up due to their social status or personal circumstances. If a single parent is looking after their kids, working three jobs and struggling just to make ends meet - with very little time or energy to devote to anything else - I don't think searching for higher knowledge would be on their high priority list. Similarly for someone living an 'easy' life where the hardest decision they have to make each day is what breakfast cereal they're going to choose to eat - there wouldn't be anything provoking them to search for a higher truth either.

Exactly. And those people are in such situations because pathology rules the world. It's like the prodigal son who went to the "resident of the foreign country" to ask for help, and is put to work tending the pigs and living in a pigsty. A person does not have to be a genius or a philosopher to have value. Heck, society would find itself in a pretty sorry state if garbage men just refused to take their trash anymore. So why don't garbage men get a decent, living wage? If they have a talented child, why isn't that child - a human resource for ALL of society - given opportunities to not have to be a garbage man himself? There are certainly plenty of people perfectly happy to pick up the trash if they can have a roof over their head, decent food, and some time off for recreation.

Genetic recombination means that you never know who is going to be born where or in what milieu. There are sons of kings who were unfit to even be garbage collectors, and children of farmers who could have been rocket scientists. Not always, of course, but humanity does itself a great disservice by not creating a social system that optimizes its gifts, and controls its pathologies.

It's easy to judge others and shake our heads at the world from the peanut gallery - but for most of us here, there is a reason we found this place. I suspect it's a combination of a catalytic life experience and the financial/social/political freedom to dedicate some time in searching for answers. When a future shock comes, it would be wise to look out for those who snap awake quickly and offer a hand if they are looking for one.

Yes. And that is why, despite our weariness, despite feeling hopeless a lot of the time, we keep on putting one foot in front of the other...