Beware of the monster state

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Clemsy
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Beware of the monster state

Post by Clemsy »

Interesting article from an Indian website. LINK
Whenever and wherever there is a decline in rule of law, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of lawlessness, at that time I descend Myself. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of law, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.

Bhagwad Gita, Chapter 4, Texts 7&8

Once upon a time, not so long ago, the celebrated American scholar, writer and teacher Joseph Campbell made a telling comment in his soul-hugging conversation with eminent television journalist Bill Moyers.

That conversation, filmed through 1985 and ’86 at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch and later at the Museum of Natural History in New York, ran into eight episodes and subsequently became the subject of a best-selling paperback, “The Power of Myth”. Campbell, then an octogenarian with a 360-degree take on life, said, “Man should never be at the service of society, society should be at the service of Man.”

Cut to the last day of the last year of the first decade of first century of the third millennium of the Christian Era. December 31, 2010. And you run Campbell’s famous lines through your mind. Was he indeed telling the truth, then? And, if he was, does that truth ring a louder bell now?
There's lots more.
Give me stories before I go mad! ~Andreas

CarmelaBear
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Post by CarmelaBear »

I was perusing the unanswered posts and found this from over three years ago. Though our system in America is not the same as in India, we experience a similar issue with respect to the threat of becoming robots in service to a system instead of using the system to "attain human purposes".

In education, the system forces teachers to teach to the test and ignore obvious economic inequities to perform impossible feats of imparting skills to an underserved population of young people with their own overriding concerns and imminent distractions.

In health care, the insurance companies, that exist to make a profit, are in charge of making the ultimate medical decisions for individuals and doctors, literally placing corporate profit ahead of health and well-being.

The American system of governance is also corrupt, but in a different way than in India. Here, the biggest corporations have taken over control of our legislative system, our administrative bureaucracy, our courts, our military, our religious institutions, and nearly every sector of society. Look at what the cattle and tobacco companies have done to us. Check out what the biggest fossil fuel industries are doing to humanity. It is the law. We designed our own difficulties, like lambs to the slaughter.

Our Darth Vader or Dark Father is a corporate system for a few overbearing control freaks who have everybody from the president to the teachers and doctors and ministers eating out of their hands.

Reminds me of a campaign slogan from yesteryear:
It's the system, stupid.
We are now being led, like lemmings, to install yet another puppet to make the ladies happy over the latest symbolic victory in the White House sweepstakes. We are headed toward a robot vote for a Big Business Hawk with her hands in the till, who has biblical knowledge of the corporate system of governance.

Oh, joy.
~

JamesN.
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Post by JamesN. »

Hey Clemsy.

This was another interesting part of the article that I thought helped outline and define much of this issue:
When you take such an overarching view across historical timespan, Campbell’s end comment that “society should be in the service of Man” acquires a different meaning. And you understand and accept the loot as an unintended consequence of noble public service by perfectly honourable people bent on doing maximum social good.

You get a glimpse of that in Campbell’s interpretation of Lucas’ Star War epic. “The fact that the evil power is not identified with any specific nation on earth (in our instant case with any specific political party or grouping) means you’ve got an abstract power, which represents a principle, not a specific historical situation. The story has to do with an operation of principles, not of this nation (or party) against that. The monster masks that are put on people in Star Wars represent the real monster force in the world.”

Campbell goes on to warn that Darth Vader, the Star Wars’ villain, has not developed his humanity. “He is a robot. He’s a bureaucrat, living not in terms of himself, but in terms of an imposed system. This is the threat to our lives that we all face today. Is the system going to flatten you out and deny you your humanity, or are you going to be able to make use of the system to the attainment of human purposes?”

How do we answer that question?
Although the dilemma facing mankind today I think is far more multi-faceted than just " abuse of power " because obviously you have things like environmental concerns to deal with; I think in " Power of Myth " as I recall he answers part of this question by saying: ( " You participate ! " ) And by that I think he means in engaging through the process of the " Hero's Path " you realize and integrate " that which you inwardly are " and by means of " The Return " participate " with your gift " joyfully in the sorrows of the world ". What avenue one takes in addressing this is up to the individual choice. ( However of course ); this is going to depend on the individual circumstances. Loosely interpreted; I believe this was at least part of what Joe was referring to. ( Nice article BTW! ) :)
What do I know? - Michael de Montaigne

CarmelaBear
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Post by CarmelaBear »

I like the way the author drew wisdom from the words of Campbell. He was able to apply the principles to a complex situation.

In our country, bribes are the exception. I'm sure they exist, of course, but I have never come close to experiencing the phenomenon. I heard rumors, but that's it.

The ethics are not my greatest concern, because it depends on the circumstances. I wonder if that is sometimes the only way to get things done in India. I remember how poorly paid individuals could be bribed during the great wars, and giving bribes might be one's only hope for survival.

~

JamesN.
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Post by JamesN. »

Hey mythical friends.

I would encourage paying very close attention to the themes running through this short video. It is not necessarily what you think. Towards the last few minutes another realization begins to emerge and mix in with several of the issues that this documentary illustrates. And how any one person perceives another human being as different than themselves may also have something to do with how one frames any issue. ( The monster state may also lie within as well as without. )


http://screen.yahoo.com/new-york-times/ ... 30949.html
“The fact that the evil power is not identified with any specific nation on earth (in our instant case with any specific political party or grouping) means you’ve got an abstract power, which represents a principle, not a specific historical situation.
The story has to do with an operation of principles, not of this nation (or party) against that. The monster masks that are put on people in Star Wars represent the real monster force in the world.”
This is the threat to our lives that we all face today. Is the system going to flatten you out and deny you your humanity, or are you going to be able to make use of the system to the attainment of human purposes?”

How do we answer that question?
What do I know? - Michael de Montaigne

CarmelaBear
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Post by CarmelaBear »

Extremist Tea Party v. The Majority of Voters :twisted:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/opini ... 40124&_r=0

:cry:

JamesN.
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Post by JamesN. »

Hey folks. Although it's been awhile since this thread has been in use; I came across this article about the Koch brothers that might help to illustrate some of the dangers that too much money in the hands of anyone can have. ( King Midas found this out; although a children's fairy tale may seem somewhat out-of-touch in this instance. ) It's something I think to keep in mind though when considering why the negative effects of politics are so difficult to deal with and campaign election finance reform never quite seems to be fully realized.

http://news.yahoo.com/koch-101-basics-b ... 29026.html

Abuse of wealth and it's negative exercise of control is an old story; and one can also say that the issue of money and power are relative. But one can also think about that comparison in relationship to how it negatively impacts others from the spread of it's contamination of toxicity and the results that it produces. :idea:
What do I know? - Michael de Montaigne

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