in which I begin by sharing a link and end up writing a novel ;-)
Today I want to share a link to a fascinating article. Yes, another one of Charles Eisenstein's essays; I'm afraid I may have become a bit of a fan. ;-P This is a brand new one, though, and it gave me some valuable insights into the huge ideological "war" that seems to be raging across the US (and global, to some extent) media and the entire cultural landscape these days. Because I am somewhat allergic to politics, I tend to feel lost in the nuances of various popular controversies, puzzling over why on earth some people say or believe the things they do. So I am always grateful for a balanced, detached, thought-provoking explanation. And Charles seems to be really good at that. That's what drew me to his writing in the first place. His ability to step back from the polarization and offer a different perspective: not from "somewhere in the middle", but from OUTSIDE the entire dichotomy. Seeing the flaws, the blind spots and the "hidden gems" on either side. As well as delivering a hopeful message at the end, despite some really uncomfortable conclusions along the way. He really gave me a lot to process... and so I feel the need to quote a few choice bits. But first, here's he entire text:
https://charleseisenstein.org/essays/from-qanons-dark-mirror-hope/
Now for the uncomfortable conclusions. He basically starts out with a rather grim vision of the future that seems inevitable - unless we, as a society, collectively take a breath and examine the sources of our respective convictions, seeing the humanity in our apparent "enemies" and honestly searching for common ground. Here are the two "grim possibilities" he envisions: (1) In a few years a new and more formidable demagogue will arise to channel the repressed forces [= Trump supporters and other right wing groups] toward a fascist coup. (2) A neoliberal corporatocracy, costumed in the garb of progressive values, will consolidate its already well-developed powers of surveillance, censorship, and control to establish a techno-totalitarian state that will attempt to repress those forces forever. But then he also says this: (1) I believe that the blind spots both sides share are more significant, and more dangerous, than their disagreements, and (2) Beneath the conflict is a hidden unity that will emerge when all parties humbly try to understand the other.
So I've been chewing on that. And then there's this: Cults, armies, and police states depend on the control of information. As warring parties weaponize facts, we learn to discount all sources of information. We wonder what agenda lies behind a given “fact.” Knowing that narrative warriors select, distort, or invent facts, the canny citizen tends to ask “Who said it?” before asking “What did they say?” and then to disbelieve what they said if it serves a disagreeable party or purpose. In such circumstances, how is any conversation possible?
The routine mendacity of politicians over the last few decades has desolated the civic commons, once a rich domain of broad agreements about what is real, what is important, and what is legitimate. We can’t blame only the politicians of course. From corporate PR campaigns to intelligence agency psy-ops, from internet censorship to government secret programs, we are awash in lies, deception, secrets, half-truths, spin, fraud, and manipulation. No wonder we are so prone to believe in conspiracies. Their building blocks are everywhere.
And this: In my youth it was the conservatives who were the main instigators of censorship, burning Beatles albums, removing evolution from science textbooks, suppressing sexuality in literature. They were also the main manufacturers of consent, manipulating the media to maintain a state of constant war. Now it is the “left” who has most enthusiastically taken up the weapons of information warfare, with its deplatforming campaigns, cancel culture, and suppression of dissent. I put “left” in quotation marks because the actual left was the first victim of the new censorship, which began with the demotion of socialist and anti-war websites in Google search and social media. Facebook and Google still suppress this type of website by giving weight in their algorithms to “authoritative sources”; that is, the voice of the authorities. Now the ranks of the censored expand to include alternative medicine sites, vaccine skeptics, critics of 5G technology, and dissenters from Covid-19 public health policy.
Surely, some of those censored are purveying false information; just as surely, not all of it is false. True or false, the suppressed viewpoints have one thing in common - they clash with the narratives and interests of established corporate and political powers. Properly speaking, opposition to those powers defines the left, not the right. It is as if we are approaching a political pole reversal. As with reversal of earth’s magnetic poles, considerable chaos precedes such a realignment. It hasn’t happened yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years the Republican Party becomes the party of the poor and working class, while the Democratic Party becomes the chief representative of the elites, Wall Street, large corporations, and the military-industrial complex.
Bingo. This is precisely why I am no longer comfortable calling myself a "leftie". Neither end of the political spectrum resonates with me, to be honest. I need a "third option". One in which independent thinking and skepticism towards SOME official institutions, media and/or public policies isn't automatically labelled as some kind of willful ignorance, "quackery" (which is, I guess, the official term for anything diverging even slightly from conventional mainstream medicine), or, you know, fascism. This is painful to me on a very personal level. Anti-Semitism disturbs me deeply. So it feels like a slap to the face to be thrown into the same bag with some right-wing extremists just for saying that SOME vaccines and pharmaceuticals cause more harm than good, or that I want nothing to do with 5G. Not that I would even dare say those things on most public forums... but I see other people say them, and I see the instant assumptions that are being made about those people, and it hurts. So thank you, Charles, for understanding that "black" and "white" aren't the only colors out there.
And speaking of colors, here's another excerpt: One reason that cults and conspiracy theories are so compelling is that they gather threads snipped away from official reality and weave them into another fabric. Some of those threads may have been snipped because they are simply untrue, and have no place in anyone’s reality. Others may have been snipped because they clash with the color scheme of the main fabric; that is, they disturb reigning institutions and paradigms. These are the threads we must weave into any tapestry of meaning that could be a satisfying successor to today’s dominant political narratives.
What I am saying is that some of the claims that weave through the conspiracy narrative merit attention. The delusional nature of the narrative does not invalidate all of its threads, and we should not dismiss everything conspiracy theorists say just because they said it - especially when our information gatekeepers malign and suppress genuine dissent as conspiracy theories, disinformation, and Russian propaganda.
Starting in 2017, the US government issued a series of disclosures of numerous UFO sightings by trained military observers, sometimes accompanied by video. Basically, it confirmed a theory that it and the mainstream media had for decades vigorously ridiculed as the province of cranks, crackpots, and conspiracy theorists.
Yeah... the UFO's. Imagine that. :-D I am reminded of a certain progressive politician and former presidential candidate (Dennis Kucinich), whose name I remember only because he was vocally supported by Viggo. I seem to recall that what discredited him in the eyes of a lot of people was that he purportedly "believed in aliens". What a nutcase, right? Only another nutcase (like Viggo) would vote for someone like that, right? Well... that's what I mean about dismissing all "conspiracy theories" en masse, as if they were all the same and equally invalid. Anyway... enough said on THAT one. Here's the essay's conclusion:
Dehumanization is a primary weapon of war (making the enemy despicable), just as it is the template of racism, sexism, and the reduction of all that is sacred. It is precisely the opposite of what is needed if we are ever to pull together.
For cliches about solidarity, unity, coherence, and reconciliation to become real, we have to look into the dark mirror of all we judge. We have to learn to draw meaning from a new story that isn’t about triumph over the Other. We have to put down the lenses of judgment and ideology, to see with new eyes the people and information our stories had banished. That is how we will forge an unstoppable populism. Let the unlearning begin.
So yes, I am in the midst of my own "unlearning" and redefinition. Feel free to either follow along or blithely ignore it - just know that my search for inner (and outer) truth might sometimes lead to expressing "unpopular" opinions. And since this is my personal journal, you can either take it or leave it. That is all.
In other news, I watched another strange film on MUBI - a Spanish fantasy/sci-fi from 1989, called Moon Child. Starring... Lisa Gerrard. Yes, the same Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance (who also did the music score for the film). I had no idea she ever acted in a movie. Some aspects of the story are a bit problematic (the protagonist is a white orphan boy who believes that he must travel to Africa in order to fulfil a prophecy, according to which a certain black tribe will accept him as their god) - but the acting is good, and visually it is very well done. Definitely worth seeing - if only for Lisa's delightful weirdness. :-P
I also signed up for a free trial of Gaia TV - "the world’s largest conscious media platform", featuring educational materials and documentaries on topics ranging from ancient mysteries to the latest quantum science. Because I clearly didn't have enough on my plate, and needed to provide myself with additional mental stimulation. *headdesk* They lured me in with the new season of their series on Mystery Teachings, which is all about the Tarot. I mean... how could I resist? I haven't even touched my Tarot cards in I don't know how many weeks... but apparently I need to watch an entire series on Major Arcana archetypes. Then I will proceed to educate myself on Atlantis, astral projection and a ton of other controversial matters (including alien abductions, of course). Because that's just how I roll. Venus in Aquarius, remember? And a Gemini Moon. Must Know Everything about all the weird stuff out there, LOL. Does that mean I believe anything I see? Ahaha nope. But I will take anything under consideration, because it is HEALTHY to explore alternate versions of reality (as in, diverging from mainstream media - whether that be Fox News or MSNBC). And then I will decide what makes the most sense, based on my own intuitive discernment. Not on what this or that person said, because they are an unquestionable authority on this or that. There's no such thing anymore. Everything's in flux - like a brilliant, beautiful caleidoscope. A glorious chaos, out of which a new world will emerge. It's hella scary, at times. But there's no turning back. And the only way forward is to be true to yourself. If no label fits you, live without one - or create your own. I'm a supporter of a new cultural landscape in which the current political divisions become obsolete. In which people seek to understand the root causes of problems and find solutions, instead of pointing accusatory fingers at whatever scapegoat-du-jour has been presented as a target for their frustrations. Just like Charles said in the essay quoted above, we need to look in the dark mirror within ourselves first. What really bothers me about this or that person's beliefs, and why? What may I be projecting onto them, perhaps? How can I relate to them, despite our differences, and help them see that, deep down, we all really want the same thing? A safe, fair and beautiful world to live in? I wonder if politicians ever ask themselves those questions. Judging by the ridiculous mess we're in, they probably don't. But change is coming - and it will come from people who know they want a different world, a new narrative that is only now being written. One of fairness, openness and compassion. One in which there is no need for extremism of any kind, because everyone feels valued and included. Sounds utopian, right? Well... that's how I roll. And this is the Age of Aquarius, beginning right now. All kinds of things that have been suppressed, for all kinds of reasons, are coming to light - and it can be a lot to take in. Some of us prefer to keep our eyes closed, stick our fingers in our ears and chant "lalalalala" in the hopes that all the uncomfortable stuff will just go away. But you can only do that for so long. And if you are alive now, in a human body, that means you chose to be here for a specific karmic lesson - which can only be revealed through taking an honest look at yourself and the world around you. Unless you prefer to repeat the same lesson in your next incarnation - which, most likely, we have all done, as well. I know I must have gone through a lot of those karmic repetitions, myself, because I can be stubborn and resistant like nobody's business (I also have Saturn in Taurus). But I also feel that I am finished with that now, and ready to move forward, just in time for this new era. So I can't help feeling just a little bit of frustration that not everyone is on the same page, just yet. That is all. ;-)
https://charleseisenstein.org/essays/from-qanons-dark-mirror-hope/
Now for the uncomfortable conclusions. He basically starts out with a rather grim vision of the future that seems inevitable - unless we, as a society, collectively take a breath and examine the sources of our respective convictions, seeing the humanity in our apparent "enemies" and honestly searching for common ground. Here are the two "grim possibilities" he envisions: (1) In a few years a new and more formidable demagogue will arise to channel the repressed forces [= Trump supporters and other right wing groups] toward a fascist coup. (2) A neoliberal corporatocracy, costumed in the garb of progressive values, will consolidate its already well-developed powers of surveillance, censorship, and control to establish a techno-totalitarian state that will attempt to repress those forces forever. But then he also says this: (1) I believe that the blind spots both sides share are more significant, and more dangerous, than their disagreements, and (2) Beneath the conflict is a hidden unity that will emerge when all parties humbly try to understand the other.
So I've been chewing on that. And then there's this: Cults, armies, and police states depend on the control of information. As warring parties weaponize facts, we learn to discount all sources of information. We wonder what agenda lies behind a given “fact.” Knowing that narrative warriors select, distort, or invent facts, the canny citizen tends to ask “Who said it?” before asking “What did they say?” and then to disbelieve what they said if it serves a disagreeable party or purpose. In such circumstances, how is any conversation possible?
The routine mendacity of politicians over the last few decades has desolated the civic commons, once a rich domain of broad agreements about what is real, what is important, and what is legitimate. We can’t blame only the politicians of course. From corporate PR campaigns to intelligence agency psy-ops, from internet censorship to government secret programs, we are awash in lies, deception, secrets, half-truths, spin, fraud, and manipulation. No wonder we are so prone to believe in conspiracies. Their building blocks are everywhere.
And this: In my youth it was the conservatives who were the main instigators of censorship, burning Beatles albums, removing evolution from science textbooks, suppressing sexuality in literature. They were also the main manufacturers of consent, manipulating the media to maintain a state of constant war. Now it is the “left” who has most enthusiastically taken up the weapons of information warfare, with its deplatforming campaigns, cancel culture, and suppression of dissent. I put “left” in quotation marks because the actual left was the first victim of the new censorship, which began with the demotion of socialist and anti-war websites in Google search and social media. Facebook and Google still suppress this type of website by giving weight in their algorithms to “authoritative sources”; that is, the voice of the authorities. Now the ranks of the censored expand to include alternative medicine sites, vaccine skeptics, critics of 5G technology, and dissenters from Covid-19 public health policy.
Surely, some of those censored are purveying false information; just as surely, not all of it is false. True or false, the suppressed viewpoints have one thing in common - they clash with the narratives and interests of established corporate and political powers. Properly speaking, opposition to those powers defines the left, not the right. It is as if we are approaching a political pole reversal. As with reversal of earth’s magnetic poles, considerable chaos precedes such a realignment. It hasn’t happened yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years the Republican Party becomes the party of the poor and working class, while the Democratic Party becomes the chief representative of the elites, Wall Street, large corporations, and the military-industrial complex.
Bingo. This is precisely why I am no longer comfortable calling myself a "leftie". Neither end of the political spectrum resonates with me, to be honest. I need a "third option". One in which independent thinking and skepticism towards SOME official institutions, media and/or public policies isn't automatically labelled as some kind of willful ignorance, "quackery" (which is, I guess, the official term for anything diverging even slightly from conventional mainstream medicine), or, you know, fascism. This is painful to me on a very personal level. Anti-Semitism disturbs me deeply. So it feels like a slap to the face to be thrown into the same bag with some right-wing extremists just for saying that SOME vaccines and pharmaceuticals cause more harm than good, or that I want nothing to do with 5G. Not that I would even dare say those things on most public forums... but I see other people say them, and I see the instant assumptions that are being made about those people, and it hurts. So thank you, Charles, for understanding that "black" and "white" aren't the only colors out there.
And speaking of colors, here's another excerpt: One reason that cults and conspiracy theories are so compelling is that they gather threads snipped away from official reality and weave them into another fabric. Some of those threads may have been snipped because they are simply untrue, and have no place in anyone’s reality. Others may have been snipped because they clash with the color scheme of the main fabric; that is, they disturb reigning institutions and paradigms. These are the threads we must weave into any tapestry of meaning that could be a satisfying successor to today’s dominant political narratives.
What I am saying is that some of the claims that weave through the conspiracy narrative merit attention. The delusional nature of the narrative does not invalidate all of its threads, and we should not dismiss everything conspiracy theorists say just because they said it - especially when our information gatekeepers malign and suppress genuine dissent as conspiracy theories, disinformation, and Russian propaganda.
Starting in 2017, the US government issued a series of disclosures of numerous UFO sightings by trained military observers, sometimes accompanied by video. Basically, it confirmed a theory that it and the mainstream media had for decades vigorously ridiculed as the province of cranks, crackpots, and conspiracy theorists.
Yeah... the UFO's. Imagine that. :-D I am reminded of a certain progressive politician and former presidential candidate (Dennis Kucinich), whose name I remember only because he was vocally supported by Viggo. I seem to recall that what discredited him in the eyes of a lot of people was that he purportedly "believed in aliens". What a nutcase, right? Only another nutcase (like Viggo) would vote for someone like that, right? Well... that's what I mean about dismissing all "conspiracy theories" en masse, as if they were all the same and equally invalid. Anyway... enough said on THAT one. Here's the essay's conclusion:
Dehumanization is a primary weapon of war (making the enemy despicable), just as it is the template of racism, sexism, and the reduction of all that is sacred. It is precisely the opposite of what is needed if we are ever to pull together.
For cliches about solidarity, unity, coherence, and reconciliation to become real, we have to look into the dark mirror of all we judge. We have to learn to draw meaning from a new story that isn’t about triumph over the Other. We have to put down the lenses of judgment and ideology, to see with new eyes the people and information our stories had banished. That is how we will forge an unstoppable populism. Let the unlearning begin.
So yes, I am in the midst of my own "unlearning" and redefinition. Feel free to either follow along or blithely ignore it - just know that my search for inner (and outer) truth might sometimes lead to expressing "unpopular" opinions. And since this is my personal journal, you can either take it or leave it. That is all.
In other news, I watched another strange film on MUBI - a Spanish fantasy/sci-fi from 1989, called Moon Child. Starring... Lisa Gerrard. Yes, the same Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance (who also did the music score for the film). I had no idea she ever acted in a movie. Some aspects of the story are a bit problematic (the protagonist is a white orphan boy who believes that he must travel to Africa in order to fulfil a prophecy, according to which a certain black tribe will accept him as their god) - but the acting is good, and visually it is very well done. Definitely worth seeing - if only for Lisa's delightful weirdness. :-P
I also signed up for a free trial of Gaia TV - "the world’s largest conscious media platform", featuring educational materials and documentaries on topics ranging from ancient mysteries to the latest quantum science. Because I clearly didn't have enough on my plate, and needed to provide myself with additional mental stimulation. *headdesk* They lured me in with the new season of their series on Mystery Teachings, which is all about the Tarot. I mean... how could I resist? I haven't even touched my Tarot cards in I don't know how many weeks... but apparently I need to watch an entire series on Major Arcana archetypes. Then I will proceed to educate myself on Atlantis, astral projection and a ton of other controversial matters (including alien abductions, of course). Because that's just how I roll. Venus in Aquarius, remember? And a Gemini Moon. Must Know Everything about all the weird stuff out there, LOL. Does that mean I believe anything I see? Ahaha nope. But I will take anything under consideration, because it is HEALTHY to explore alternate versions of reality (as in, diverging from mainstream media - whether that be Fox News or MSNBC). And then I will decide what makes the most sense, based on my own intuitive discernment. Not on what this or that person said, because they are an unquestionable authority on this or that. There's no such thing anymore. Everything's in flux - like a brilliant, beautiful caleidoscope. A glorious chaos, out of which a new world will emerge. It's hella scary, at times. But there's no turning back. And the only way forward is to be true to yourself. If no label fits you, live without one - or create your own. I'm a supporter of a new cultural landscape in which the current political divisions become obsolete. In which people seek to understand the root causes of problems and find solutions, instead of pointing accusatory fingers at whatever scapegoat-du-jour has been presented as a target for their frustrations. Just like Charles said in the essay quoted above, we need to look in the dark mirror within ourselves first. What really bothers me about this or that person's beliefs, and why? What may I be projecting onto them, perhaps? How can I relate to them, despite our differences, and help them see that, deep down, we all really want the same thing? A safe, fair and beautiful world to live in? I wonder if politicians ever ask themselves those questions. Judging by the ridiculous mess we're in, they probably don't. But change is coming - and it will come from people who know they want a different world, a new narrative that is only now being written. One of fairness, openness and compassion. One in which there is no need for extremism of any kind, because everyone feels valued and included. Sounds utopian, right? Well... that's how I roll. And this is the Age of Aquarius, beginning right now. All kinds of things that have been suppressed, for all kinds of reasons, are coming to light - and it can be a lot to take in. Some of us prefer to keep our eyes closed, stick our fingers in our ears and chant "lalalalala" in the hopes that all the uncomfortable stuff will just go away. But you can only do that for so long. And if you are alive now, in a human body, that means you chose to be here for a specific karmic lesson - which can only be revealed through taking an honest look at yourself and the world around you. Unless you prefer to repeat the same lesson in your next incarnation - which, most likely, we have all done, as well. I know I must have gone through a lot of those karmic repetitions, myself, because I can be stubborn and resistant like nobody's business (I also have Saturn in Taurus). But I also feel that I am finished with that now, and ready to move forward, just in time for this new era. So I can't help feeling just a little bit of frustration that not everyone is on the same page, just yet. That is all. ;-)