Thursday 25 December 2008

What's going on?!

If you've been following the mass media news, planet Earth seems like a very hot and scary place. The “war on terror” is never ending, the biggest economic recession in history is being predicted with vast job losses, crime is on the rise, health and education aren't in good shape, there's a looming energy (oil) shortage and the environment is about to eject us from the planet any time now if we don't get our asses in gear. What a mess!

However, if you're fortunate enough (or maybe not) to get your information from the biggest encyclopaedia in the history of humankind, the internet, you probably have a very different picture of what's going on in the world today. Amongst the ever growing array of independent news sources, blogs, social networks, “conspiracy” websites and, most importantly, documentaries, there's a taste for everyone's tongue, most of which free of charge.

The Bad News

But after researching, what some call, “conspiracies” for a while your world view is probably as (or even more) depressing as the poor fellow who watches the BBC news every day or reads his country's top newspaper. After watching a few dozen documentaries, you've learned that:
  • lots of influential people who actually affect your life are known to be part of secret societies, such as the Freemasons, Skull & Bones, or The Bilderberg Group, and you wonder why the rest of the world isn't invited to the party!

  • investigative journalism is an illusion and that mass media are having a huge orgy with governments and global corporations, manipulating the public opinion to fit the agendas of their elite friends.

  • corporations will do anything to increase their profits, often at the cost of their employees or the environment. And it's usually the biggest brands who have little or no ethical values.

  • secret services have always worked under cover to topple the leaders of countries that did not support the views of the imperialistic countries they represent. And, when successful, they've replaced such leaders with their own puppets.

  • democracy is a farce even in what we call “first” world countries.

  • false flag operations are nothing new (this is when a country attacks itself and blames it on someone else as a pretext to start a war or pass a bunch of laws that would be otherwise rejected by a large majority).

  • 9/11 couldn't have been carried out as it did without inside help, either governmental or covert, from within the US. And thus the long term “war on terror” is simply a fabricated excuse to erase human rights and civil liberties.

  • unethical, inhumane and harmful activities, such as waging war and trading arms, are some of the most profitable industries.

  • not only was the current economic system designed to be unstable and corrupt, but many economic collapses have been carefully orchestrated by the global bankers in an attempt to bring societies to their knees. This further centralises their power, facilitating a long term plan for a single world currency.

  • you're unsure if global warming really exists due to carbon dioxide emissions or if it's related to the cycles of the sun spots, since hot and cold ages have always existed on Earth, even before humans showed up.

  • health is just another business, so food is purposelessly loaded with all sorts of harmful chemicals in order to feed the highly profitable and influential pharmaceutical industry. This also explains why “incurable” diseases like AIDS and cancer do not yet have cost-effective treatments.

  • Monsanto and genetically modified foods give you the creeps, and don't understand why GM-supporters ignore the dangers of seed patenting, health problems and the threat of contamination of our precious biodiversity. Do people realise that once released into nature it's practically impossible to recall GMOs?!

  • jet contrails have, in the last couple of decades, mysteriously changed in chemistry and, instead of fading away in about 30 seconds like they used to, now often (but not always!) persist and form hazy yellowish clouds. But no one is looking up!

  • HAARP is a very intriguing technology. Can it really manipulate the weather and create catastrophes that appear to be natural as is claimed?

  • some weird and unexplainable stuff gets captured by NASA's cameras on a regular basis and we hear nothing about it. The Roswell accident and others were real and a few countries have retrieved and managed to back-engineer extra-terrestrial technology. This explains the huge technological boost of the past half century or so.

  • energy isn't as scarce as we're led to believe. New forms of energy were discovered (or back-engineered) a long time ago, maybe as far back as Tesla's era. Zero point energy and over-unity autonomous devices are kept under wraps because energy independence would mean the death of the oil companies, the nuclear industry and the energy grid itself - not to mention the beginning of true human freedom.

  • our freedoms are being eroded day by day and no one seems to notice.

  • all of the above are part of an agenda by the elite to create a New World Order. This would mean a single world government with one currency where all world citizens have chips implanted under their skin to interact with every facet of society.

  • Oh, and then there's 2012, which according to many is the end of the world... as we know it.

  • And many many other “conspiracies”, which I am sure I have missed right now.

At this point it almost seems pointless to live. You don't believe everything you've heard, but the percentage you do believe is enough to make you realise the world is very different from the picture the mass media paints every single day.

Most people continue to wake up and live each day as they always have. This may be a coping mechanism, or they may believe in a higher plan, or simply not care – life's too short to focus on serious issues. Still others want to do something but feel powerless. These are such huge issues so what can one person do? A few courageous ones go on a preaching mission trying to save as many souls as possible before the end of the world, but often end up being ignored or, worse, ridiculed by their “friends”.

So, where is the good news?

The Good News

Usually good news gets little to no attention in the mass media. Ever wondered why that is? If you find an answer I'd love to hear it. It may be hard to believe, I know, but there is some good news:

  • there's a growing movement of people who are aware of the problems and are willing to do something to fix them, especially among younger generations.

  • this movement is forcing an increasing corporate concern about ethical values and a lot of ethical companies are being born. From ethical banks to organic food stores, it's becoming easier to match your values with your actions.

  • open source software is gaining terrain in the largely monopolized software industry.

  • free energy devices are being worked on by independent researchers and groups.

  • eco-villages are sprouting up all over the world as people want to either get more in touch with the Earth, be more self-sufficient and develop a sustainable way of life. Some even have their own currencies.

  • a balanced raw food diet can reverse what Western medicine considers as incurable diseases, such as diabetes. Shocking I know, who knew that you are what you eat!

  • quantum physicists are discovering that everything is made of energy, including that illusion which we perceive as solid matter.

  • studies on meditation reveal that the power of our thoughts affects reality. If this is the case, what could happen if we all started focusing on what we want instead of what we don't want or are afraid of?

  • our genes are affected by our beliefs.

  • permaculture can turn deserts into fertile food forests and provide abundant food while restoring soil, water and ecosystems balance.

  • mushrooms could save the world!

  • and, finally, now we know how it feels to have a stroke!

The list isn't as long as the bad news but it's not a bad start considering how long we've been aware of the problems. Great, so now that we've hopefully raised morale a bit, let's look at some of the solutions we have currently at our disposal.

Every Choice is a Vote

It is my belief that only a change of consciousness can bring about long term change. Similar mentalities will only create similar problems, time after time. As Gandhi said “be the change you want to see in the world”. It may sound like a cliché, I know, but one thing we know for sure we can change is ourselves, both mentally and physically. Why not start there? Let's take personal responsibility for the choices in our life; let's lead by example.

It's unproductive to worry about what may or may not happen in the future. Instead we can focus on the things we can change right now. Every choice we make in our everyday lives affects the world in one way or another. There are many things we can do.

If there's something, such as a system, that we do not like, let's support an alternative system that makes the current one obsolete. If such a system does not yet exist, create one. Since money rules the world, let's vote with our money. Before buying something try to find out what it took to produce it. Buy those products that you want to support. There's no point complaining about globalisation if you drink coke, wear Nikes or eat food that has travelled half way around the world. Or campaign for animal rights if you eat meat or wear leather. If you don't agree with the whole Western way of living become as self-sufficient as possible. If you're aware of the the unsustainability of conventional farming, the dangers of genetically modified organisms, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides then support organic food. Learn about permaculture.

And the changes don't just take place on the outside. It would be hypocritical to expect truth from our politicians, if we aren't truthful to ourselves and those around us. It's unproductive to be part of the anti-war movement if we still think aggressively, such as shouting at the guy who just cut us off in traffic.

Some of these personal changes may seen insignificant or difficult to achieve. But if we really want to be change agents, it's crucial that we to stop looking for other people to fix our problems and start taking responsibility for our own actions.

The world is changing whether we want it or not. It always has and always will. We can allow others to change it for us or we can choose to change it ourselves... consciously.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello there, what a wonderful read on Sunday morning!

I highly enjoyed it -it's great you talked about Both the bad and the good, and most importantly- the solutions and actions one can take! A very wholesome article :) Great job!!

Mariya

cc'd said...

Excellent post. Your thoughts are eloquently explained, but tragic in their worry.

cc'd

twist said...

nice post! :)

e-motion said...

Thanks, I'm in total agreement except for the fact that I love my meat! Great post in any case, sums it all up nicely!

Ant... said...

Thanks e-motion. I didn't mean to make it sound like we shouldn't eat meat. In fact, choosing consciously which meat we eat may have an equally positive impact as giving it up completelly. The point is that I tried to give examples of contradictions between our values and our choices. That's all : )

Isis said...

Aloha, well done!
You present the beauty and the ugly quite nicely.
I'll be back for more.