There have been several occasions in my lifetime when I have found myself in the presence of some red faced, very angry person yelling at me about some political issue or another. Indeed, there was a time in my life where I might have become just as red faced and yelled back. In fact, such an occurrence could possibly happen today if I was to be caught off guard or in some emotional moment when such a conversation comes up. Let's face it, people just get real emotional when it comes to politics. They get these ideas in their heads and they're so enamored by them that it becomes inconceivable that someone else could have a different view on things. Some people even become zealots about their politics, just like some do about religions.
When discussing politics, I feel it is important to have an idea about what you are trying to accomplish. Many people who engage in such a conversation will be mulling things over in their heads trying to find some kind of logic in the actions of politicians. This can be an exercise in futility, but people do like to think that those entrusted with public office are somehow looking out for the best interests of everyone they are supposed to represent. So, if you are like me, you are trying to win a heart and mind if you strike up a conversation or engage yourself in such an activity. When someone asks a question or offers his opinion, it becomes an opportunity to get that person to think about freedom.
So, with this in mind, that you are trying to convince someone of the validity of your point of view, there are a few rules I think everyone should follow. First and foremost, be respectful! Remember that it's not mere politics your talking about, it's someone's deep belief, it's as strong as a religion and when you point out flaws in the system it seems to people with these deeply held beliefs that you are attacking their very essence. Since they were young they've been taught in government schools that they should look to government for the answers to society's woes. To say otherwise to them is blasphemy. It's sacrilege. The way to open the door to their mind is to be respectful of their beliefs. If you in any way, shape or form express disrespect for that point of view, they will slam the door shut and enter defensive mode.
So often I hear a conversation such as this:
"I think so and so should do such and such to solve this issue."
To which there is this response:
"That's stupid! So and so is a blah blah and whomever should do this and that."
That really is no way to start a conversation. One person just called the other's idea stupid. It may well be stupid, but to put it so bluntly may be injurious to the other and create a situation where he closes his mind to the other's ideas. Besides, the second speaker in the above example doesn't know how stupid his idea is going to sound to the first. In fact the whole conversation can quickly evolve into a "You're stupid," "No, you're stupid" situation. Nothing has been accomplished except that two people have fomented anger against each other, perhaps put a wedge in a friendship, and created an environment for hatred to flourish. There are those who would claim this is what the political elite want, that it is an important part of their divide and conquer strategy, and perhaps those people are right.
This brings me to the second rule I would like to discuss, avoid name calling at all costs. Nothing turns off a mind faster than name calling. Nothing is more counter productive. If you want to call my ideas crazy, I don't want to talk to you anymore. I you want to call me crazy, I don't even want to see you anymore. I certainly don't want to hear your ideas. I certainly don't want to consider anything you have to say as legitimate. My mindset is going to be turned to an "I'll show you who's crazy" attitude. Even if you have proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that your point of view is correct, or the truth, or whatever, I'm going to be loathe to ever admit that, at least publicly, because your name calling has created in me a certain dislike toward you.
Name calling will only serve to cut you off from potential allies. If you think about it, just because someone's ideas on one issue might seem crazy or stupid to you, doesn't mean you disagree on all issues. It is said that politics make strange bedfellows and that's because sometimes even the most opposite of people find some issue that they can agree upon. I realize that it is often hard to show respect for an idea you have utter contempt for. I know that sometimes it is difficult to hold one's tongue when someone strikes one as an idiot. God knows I don't expect everyone to go out there and keep every political conversation civil. Politics, by its very nature, is emotional, not reasonable. It is important, however, in my humble opinion, to try to remain civil.
Perhaps some kind of approach like this could work:
"I think so and so should do such and such to solve this issue."
To which one responds:
"Well, that's an interesting idea, but have you ever thought about it this way..,"
Or, "I see where you're coming from, but here's another angle to consider..,"
A third rule to consider is don't be condescending. This is perhaps the most difficult behavior to overcome. It is something that I've been accused of and a character flaw I need to address. No one likes a know it all. No one likes to be made a fool of. Sarcasm can be funny, but it can also be hurtful. I know many of you might be thinking "But you use sarcasm and a condescending tone often in your writings," and you'd be right. When I do so in my writings, however, the target is usually someone who has put themselves out there to public scrutiny or even someone who is not named. This is quite different from a public display where one might be verbally defending himself. It is very likely that someone who is so enamored with the statist point of view that he would write or blog about it will never change his point of view. In a verbal discussion, particularly in a public venue, the last thing one wants to do is create an enemy who is dug in to defend his point of view.
I realize it can be difficult to change one's approach to political discourse. God knows I was so poor at doing so that I turned to writing in an effort to avoid a verbal exchange. Still, with practice and a little bit of information at your fingertips, it is not that difficult to keep political conversations just that, conversations, instead of having them devolve into shouting matches. I suppose it can be summed up in two words, be courteous. At least do your best to remain courteous. Try not to insult others, and try to be empathetic.
Try to be the bigger man (or woman). If a person is so emotionally attached to his political beliefs that he resorts to name calling and screaming, just bite your tongue and walk away. You are the adult, he is the childish bully. Give up on that person and any others who may have witnessed that exchange will likely respect you more for it.
I know that for some of you this may sound like common sense. In fact, this may be good advice not only when talking about politics, but when conversing with anyone about anything. The point is, often times these practices are already taken into consideration when discussing other facets of life, but they are somehow forgotten when talking politics. That is why one should remember these basic manners when the subject comes up. It also helps if you already know who has a proclivity to become loud and boisterous so that person can be avoided. If you're lucky, everyone else will also avoid them when politics are discussed and they will get the hint. You, on the other hand, should want to nurture a reputation of being one who listens and offers sensible alternative views when it comes to political discourse.
As I said earlier, people who worship the state will always look to the political class to solve problems, even their own personal problems. This is due to how they've been programmed by many influences we've all grown up with. These influences are subtle and quite pervasive in every day life. This makes it even more difficult to change the hearts and minds that are needed to get the numbers to help create a voluntary society. The few of us who have been able to shake the programming and see the tyranny need to be respectable and likeable in order to become an influence in another's life to juxtapose against the more harmful statist influences.
In a movie I recently saw called "The Hunger Games" one of the characters tells another that in order to survive she needs to get people to like her. There is wisdom in that advice. The more people who like you, the more likely they are to adopt at least some of your ideas. These ideas do, however, need to make sense to them. Now that I've outlined a few behaviors that will get them to actually listen to your point of view, I'd like to point out a few general stances that can be made to support the freedom point of view. I will write about those in part 2.
This was by no means meant to be an all inclusive list, but what I felt were some of the most important things to keep in mind. My hope is that it may help us all achieve a more peaceful society through civil discourse.
My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.
I am proud to announce the release of my book "The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade trilogy" as an ebook. Here is a list of my works by Matthew Wayne at different web retailers for your convenience. "The Edge of Sanity" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Diesel. "The Ouijiers" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Diesel. Here are links to my book "The Blessings of Freedom, Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" serialized version: Chapter 1. Chapter 2. I thank you for your support.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
What if Everyone Voted for Ron Paul?
What if everyone voted for Ron Paul? I think that would be a good thing. I think that would show the establishment that, indeed, freedom is important to each and every one of us. I think it would show that we all do care about shrinking the government. I think that would show that we all wish for the Constitution to be obeyed, as many of those who take an oath to it have not done for ages. I think it would show that honesty and principle are important to the voters and they look for such attributes in their politicians. But I wonder, if everyone voted for Ron Paul, would we even know it? Well, of course if everybody voted for him, I don't think there'd be a problem because that would mean that the current power elite had admitted the error of their ways and were willing to let go of their control of things in favor of letting everyone run their own lives. I doubt very much that will happen.
It is the establishment controllers who are afraid of Ron Paul. It is they who are afraid of losing their power. It is they who are afraid of freedom and the principles that built this nation. They aren't about to admit failure, no matter how glaring that failure is. So what if everyone except the establishment elite voted for Ron Paul? What would happen then? Would they even let us know?
I think that if that many people voted for Ron Paul, they'd have to acknowledge it. If everywhere we went we were seeing Ron Paul bumper stickers and hearing "Yeah! Ron Paul!" and having conversations about freedom versus tyranny and how the recent unconstitutional laws passed need to be repealed and how the Federal Reserve System needs to be ended, I think if that were the case the powers that be would have to relent and we'd hear that Ron Paul barely beat out his statist competitors.
They'd downplay it as much as they possibly could and try not to show on their establishment owned television stations the millions celebrating. Instead, the talking heads and establishment paid pundits would come on and discuss how much damage Ron Paul's ideas will do to the economy. They'd show rooms filled with disappointed Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum supporters trying to maximize their influence as they did so in an effort to make it look like many more people actually agreed with those guys than do in reality. They don't like it when their guys are defeated. Plans B and C would be rolled out as they would do their best to discredit honesty, principle and the free market.
So, what if a majority of Republican voters were to vote for Ron Paul in some Republican primary, or even in a caucus? What if a couple entire states cast more votes for Ron Paul than any other candidate? Do you think we would know? Not if the power establishment could help it. Do you think the Republican establishment would want any of the zombies to know that these ideas are getting more popular and actually make sense and have great merit? No way. I imagine that they're pissed that Ron Paul even gets to take a place in the debates. I imagine that they're angry that anyone who didn't meet their approval and play their games is getting any type of attention at all.
The election fraud is becoming more evident. Here's a nice short video to watch. Something exactly like that actually happened to me when I went to vote. I had to fill out the ballot twice and it still didn't take, so I had to drop it in the box. They said my vote would count. Yeah, right. The Republican establishment is running scared. It looks to them that if Ron Paul wins, they will no longer be able to ride on the gravy train. They won't be able to. They'll actually have to do real work and produce something of real worth in the real world if freedom should break out. Of course the establishment doesn't want that.
What if Ron Paul really is winning? What if he really is getting more delegates than the other candidates? What if Ron Paul supporters really are using the rules and regulations as set up by the Republican Party to wrest the nomination away from their globalist chosen ones? What if Ron Paul supporters want so much to inject real issues and a real discussion as to what's really going on in the world into the political discourse that they're willing to go great lengths against great odds to see this through? This video might be a little hard to watch, but it shows just how the establishment plans on handling such an event. It seems as if Ron Paul has become enemy #1 of the GOP. The Republican Party is using all the tricks in their books and breaking their own rules to keep Ron Paul from winning.
The neocons are losing their grip. The people have seen through their lies and now understand they are just as much about big government as the Democrats. More and more people are learning about freedom and what it truly means. More and more people are beginning to say, "Hey, I just want to be left alone too." The poor, pathetic Republican leadership can't see that Ron Paul as a candidate would save their party and restore the principles that made America great. They'd rather bow down to the will of their authoritarian, globalist masters and do whatever is necessary to keep the truth about Ron Paul's popularity buried and make sure their anointed candidate is nominated. Though I feel sorry for such brainwashed sycophants, I would still like to see them investigated and their fraud exposed.
What if Ron Paul supporters don't give up and his popularity continues to swell? Well, they haven't given up so far, I don't see why they should now. It is up to you in the local provinces to take over those levers and to restore honesty and principle to the election mechanisms there. It is up to you to make sure that the process is wrested away from the big government types so that the voice of those who want smaller, constitutionally limited government is heard loud and clear.
Remember, this r3VOLution was really never about Ron Paul. He is not a cult of personality, unlike the other Republican candidates. He is not a narcissistic control freak like most politicians. This election is not about feeding his ego. That's what makes him so refreshing. In addition to everything else he stands for, he is probably one of the humblest men to have held office in a long time. No, the r3VOLution is about restoring individual freedom. Whether Ron Paul is elected or not, it is quite important that the establishment come to the understanding that the common folk just want to be left alone to run their own lives. It is important to let them know that we see through their tricks and we know what their game is. It is important that the establishment politicians come to realize that freedom is popular, and it is time we held their feet to the fire and made them deliver on the promise of America to safeguard individual freedoms. It is time we made them keep their oaths of office to honor the Constitution. What if we were able to do just that?
My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.
I am proud to announce the release of my book "The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade trilogy" as an ebook. Here is a list of my works by Matthew Wayne at different web retailers for your convenience. "The Edge of Sanity" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Diesel. "The Ouijiers" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Diesel. Here are links to my book "The Blessings of Freedom, Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" serialized version: Chapter 1. Chapter 2. I thank you for your support.
It is the establishment controllers who are afraid of Ron Paul. It is they who are afraid of losing their power. It is they who are afraid of freedom and the principles that built this nation. They aren't about to admit failure, no matter how glaring that failure is. So what if everyone except the establishment elite voted for Ron Paul? What would happen then? Would they even let us know?
I think that if that many people voted for Ron Paul, they'd have to acknowledge it. If everywhere we went we were seeing Ron Paul bumper stickers and hearing "Yeah! Ron Paul!" and having conversations about freedom versus tyranny and how the recent unconstitutional laws passed need to be repealed and how the Federal Reserve System needs to be ended, I think if that were the case the powers that be would have to relent and we'd hear that Ron Paul barely beat out his statist competitors.
They'd downplay it as much as they possibly could and try not to show on their establishment owned television stations the millions celebrating. Instead, the talking heads and establishment paid pundits would come on and discuss how much damage Ron Paul's ideas will do to the economy. They'd show rooms filled with disappointed Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum supporters trying to maximize their influence as they did so in an effort to make it look like many more people actually agreed with those guys than do in reality. They don't like it when their guys are defeated. Plans B and C would be rolled out as they would do their best to discredit honesty, principle and the free market.
So, what if a majority of Republican voters were to vote for Ron Paul in some Republican primary, or even in a caucus? What if a couple entire states cast more votes for Ron Paul than any other candidate? Do you think we would know? Not if the power establishment could help it. Do you think the Republican establishment would want any of the zombies to know that these ideas are getting more popular and actually make sense and have great merit? No way. I imagine that they're pissed that Ron Paul even gets to take a place in the debates. I imagine that they're angry that anyone who didn't meet their approval and play their games is getting any type of attention at all.
The election fraud is becoming more evident. Here's a nice short video to watch. Something exactly like that actually happened to me when I went to vote. I had to fill out the ballot twice and it still didn't take, so I had to drop it in the box. They said my vote would count. Yeah, right. The Republican establishment is running scared. It looks to them that if Ron Paul wins, they will no longer be able to ride on the gravy train. They won't be able to. They'll actually have to do real work and produce something of real worth in the real world if freedom should break out. Of course the establishment doesn't want that.
What if Ron Paul really is winning? What if he really is getting more delegates than the other candidates? What if Ron Paul supporters really are using the rules and regulations as set up by the Republican Party to wrest the nomination away from their globalist chosen ones? What if Ron Paul supporters want so much to inject real issues and a real discussion as to what's really going on in the world into the political discourse that they're willing to go great lengths against great odds to see this through? This video might be a little hard to watch, but it shows just how the establishment plans on handling such an event. It seems as if Ron Paul has become enemy #1 of the GOP. The Republican Party is using all the tricks in their books and breaking their own rules to keep Ron Paul from winning.
The neocons are losing their grip. The people have seen through their lies and now understand they are just as much about big government as the Democrats. More and more people are learning about freedom and what it truly means. More and more people are beginning to say, "Hey, I just want to be left alone too." The poor, pathetic Republican leadership can't see that Ron Paul as a candidate would save their party and restore the principles that made America great. They'd rather bow down to the will of their authoritarian, globalist masters and do whatever is necessary to keep the truth about Ron Paul's popularity buried and make sure their anointed candidate is nominated. Though I feel sorry for such brainwashed sycophants, I would still like to see them investigated and their fraud exposed.
What if Ron Paul supporters don't give up and his popularity continues to swell? Well, they haven't given up so far, I don't see why they should now. It is up to you in the local provinces to take over those levers and to restore honesty and principle to the election mechanisms there. It is up to you to make sure that the process is wrested away from the big government types so that the voice of those who want smaller, constitutionally limited government is heard loud and clear.
Remember, this r3VOLution was really never about Ron Paul. He is not a cult of personality, unlike the other Republican candidates. He is not a narcissistic control freak like most politicians. This election is not about feeding his ego. That's what makes him so refreshing. In addition to everything else he stands for, he is probably one of the humblest men to have held office in a long time. No, the r3VOLution is about restoring individual freedom. Whether Ron Paul is elected or not, it is quite important that the establishment come to the understanding that the common folk just want to be left alone to run their own lives. It is important to let them know that we see through their tricks and we know what their game is. It is important that the establishment politicians come to realize that freedom is popular, and it is time we held their feet to the fire and made them deliver on the promise of America to safeguard individual freedoms. It is time we made them keep their oaths of office to honor the Constitution. What if we were able to do just that?
My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.
I am proud to announce the release of my book "The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade trilogy" as an ebook. Here is a list of my works by Matthew Wayne at different web retailers for your convenience. "The Edge of Sanity" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Diesel. "The Ouijiers" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Diesel. Here are links to my book "The Blessings of Freedom, Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" serialized version: Chapter 1. Chapter 2. I thank you for your support.
Consciousness as Plasma and Software
I'd like to take a moment to step into the realm of pure speculation. Since time immemorial mankind has pondered his own consciousness. I wonder if even tens of millions of years ago, in a time when bizarre animals walked the earth, if some of these were able to ponder the deep questions of spirituality and wonder where they came from and why they existed. Indeed, one can see a certain intelligence in higher level mammals we keep around as pets as they try to communicate to us their needs and their emotions. What, exactly, is consciousness? What is mind? Is there such a thing as the soul? These are questions whose answers have eluded mankind in his physical form (the only form we can be certain of) since forever. Unfortunately, I don't think that modern science is open minded enough to always ask the right questions or look for the answers in the right places.
The universe, as it is, appears to be made up of energy and matter. As living beings, we are made of matter. As living beings, we need energy to keep going, to survive. As human beings, we use matter and energy to accomplish goals and create things, hence changing the universe around us. We have left our mark on this world more than any other creature we are aware of. We can understand much about the physical world we live in, yet there is much that still eludes us. There is much about energy and matter we do not understand. It is a large universe and the vibrations we can sense with any of our five physical senses are quite limited.
For the purpose of this essay, I define consciousness as the state of being aware, both of self and of the universe one interacts with. There are many scientists who claim that consciousness is the function of physical matter, especially the brain. If they are arguing against the existence of a soul, they will argue that when the body ceases to function and support the brain, then the consciousness of that person (or being) also ceases to exist. The universe has therefore lost something magnificent and unique forever. I don't believe this is so. I think that the consciousness of a person continues on even after his physical form ceases to function on this plane of existence.
Let's take a quick look at what we call plasma. While there is much that has been discovered about it and its varying forms, there is much we don't know about plasma. Plasma is a fourth form of matter. It is highly unstable. The other three forms are solids, liquids, and gases. We see plasma manifest as fire, lightning, solar activity, et. al. It seems to me to be a transitional phase between matter and energy, a conduit, as it were, between the two. Plasma usually gives off some form of radiation as it flashes in and out of existence, usually heat and light. Yet there is plasma that exists at levels we cannot see or feel, just as there is an infinity of frequencies of energy we cannot sense with these physical bodies. Indeed, even the machines we build to detect these wavelengths are limited in their ability to do so.
So, one might ask, how is it that consciousness can be plasma? Well, if plasma can be considered a transitional phenomenon, we can take a look at its function when interfacing with the brain, an instrument we all carry around with us in our heads. Electrical impulses are stimulating the neurons which cause us to understand what's going on in the world around us. Electric impulses flash through the material that is the brain and cause it to function. We use these same electrical impulses to control the actions of our body that interact with the physical world. In this way there is a constant flow of plasma inside our body which is converting matter to energy acting upon the inner workings of our bodies and through our bodies acting upon the universe outside of it.
It seems to me that the workings of the mind go beyond the physical nature of the brain. There's just something more to it than the physical inputs known as senses. My dreams prove this to me. I can, for instance, experience flying while I've never done that before. I can experience places I've never seen before and later see pictures which confirm what I've seen. I have used my dreams to help craft the fantastic stories that I write. While you may not have had the same type of experiences or you may not hold the same views as I and so you make other excuses, this is enough to serve as proof in my mind.
I think the soul is a form of plasma. It is the spark of life that inhabits the physical body so that it can better experience the physical world. It carries the memories of past lives and collects the memories of this life so that it can learn the lessons needed to help it progress in another dimension, perhaps to help one better understand one's own divinity. I'm not certain as to how this is done, but one possibility is that these memories are stored inside the vibrations of the soul, encoded in the frequencies it resonates.
To help better visualize how this is possible, think of a neon light. The gas inside it is a form of plasma. The glass on the outside forms the shape of the plasma as it flows between the nodes. The slight variations in brightness occur because of variations in frequency. The body is like the glass of the neon light. The soul is like the gas inside. The variations in frequency manifest in a number of ways inside the body. The soul could be contained in a small spherical form when the vehicle it occupies wears out. This is the most efficient form in nature.
I consider the mind to be more like software. This is the program that is used by the human being to help define how it will interact with the universe it finds itself in. This program can change as the universe changes. As the universe becomes more hostile the software will become more defensive. As the universe becomes less hostile the software will become more cooperative. As the universe becomes more complex, the reasoning ability might improve. As it becomes less manufactured and more natural, the emotional ability to feel for the natural world might improve.
Put mind and soul together and we get consciousness. We become aware that we exist. We realize a way to interact with other things that also exist on the same plane we do. We try to manipulate the other things to bring pleasure and joy to ourselves. We try to avoid contact with things that cause us pain, sadness, or some other kind of stress. We seek to bring happiness to ourselves while at the same time others are trying to manipulate the universe to their liking which may bring displeasure to others, either inadvertently or purposely.
Add this consciousness to a physical body and something amazing happens. The brain becomes a hardwired computer for the consciousness. The body becomes a tool for manipulating the physical world using brain, spirit and mind. Of course it takes time to learn to use the brain and body effectively. This, by the way, is true of modern robots that are being created. They have to change their software as they learn to interact with the world. AI is becoming extremely sophisticated. Amazingly so. It's still no match for the power of the human brain, however. I don't think artificial intelligence will ever be a match for the human brain until or unless biological material is used and someone figures out how to add a soul and an ethereal mind to the mix.
There is, of course, no proof to any of what I've outlined here. It is all conjecture on my part. It is a belief system. Besides, I have no idea how I would go about trying to prove these hypotheses nor do I have the equipment or the funding should any be necessary. I will leave it up to others who might be interested to do this. Besides, I think there is evidence for what I believe out there, but I leave it up to the reader to discover it. I think a lot of evidence for the metaphysical is accepted or rejected due to the preconceptions of most people anyway. I give the most credence to my own personal experiences that I've had over the course of my lifetime. I imagine most people do. My mind remains open to other possibilities and experiences.
My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.
I am proud to announce the release of my book "The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade trilogy" as an ebook. Here is a list of my works by Matthew Wayne at different web retailers for your convenience. "The Edge of Sanity" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Diesel. "The Ouijiers" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Diesel. Here are links to my book "The Blessings of Freedom, Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" serialized version: Chapter 1. Chapter 2. I thank you for your support.
The universe, as it is, appears to be made up of energy and matter. As living beings, we are made of matter. As living beings, we need energy to keep going, to survive. As human beings, we use matter and energy to accomplish goals and create things, hence changing the universe around us. We have left our mark on this world more than any other creature we are aware of. We can understand much about the physical world we live in, yet there is much that still eludes us. There is much about energy and matter we do not understand. It is a large universe and the vibrations we can sense with any of our five physical senses are quite limited.
For the purpose of this essay, I define consciousness as the state of being aware, both of self and of the universe one interacts with. There are many scientists who claim that consciousness is the function of physical matter, especially the brain. If they are arguing against the existence of a soul, they will argue that when the body ceases to function and support the brain, then the consciousness of that person (or being) also ceases to exist. The universe has therefore lost something magnificent and unique forever. I don't believe this is so. I think that the consciousness of a person continues on even after his physical form ceases to function on this plane of existence.
Let's take a quick look at what we call plasma. While there is much that has been discovered about it and its varying forms, there is much we don't know about plasma. Plasma is a fourth form of matter. It is highly unstable. The other three forms are solids, liquids, and gases. We see plasma manifest as fire, lightning, solar activity, et. al. It seems to me to be a transitional phase between matter and energy, a conduit, as it were, between the two. Plasma usually gives off some form of radiation as it flashes in and out of existence, usually heat and light. Yet there is plasma that exists at levels we cannot see or feel, just as there is an infinity of frequencies of energy we cannot sense with these physical bodies. Indeed, even the machines we build to detect these wavelengths are limited in their ability to do so.
So, one might ask, how is it that consciousness can be plasma? Well, if plasma can be considered a transitional phenomenon, we can take a look at its function when interfacing with the brain, an instrument we all carry around with us in our heads. Electrical impulses are stimulating the neurons which cause us to understand what's going on in the world around us. Electric impulses flash through the material that is the brain and cause it to function. We use these same electrical impulses to control the actions of our body that interact with the physical world. In this way there is a constant flow of plasma inside our body which is converting matter to energy acting upon the inner workings of our bodies and through our bodies acting upon the universe outside of it.
It seems to me that the workings of the mind go beyond the physical nature of the brain. There's just something more to it than the physical inputs known as senses. My dreams prove this to me. I can, for instance, experience flying while I've never done that before. I can experience places I've never seen before and later see pictures which confirm what I've seen. I have used my dreams to help craft the fantastic stories that I write. While you may not have had the same type of experiences or you may not hold the same views as I and so you make other excuses, this is enough to serve as proof in my mind.
I think the soul is a form of plasma. It is the spark of life that inhabits the physical body so that it can better experience the physical world. It carries the memories of past lives and collects the memories of this life so that it can learn the lessons needed to help it progress in another dimension, perhaps to help one better understand one's own divinity. I'm not certain as to how this is done, but one possibility is that these memories are stored inside the vibrations of the soul, encoded in the frequencies it resonates.
To help better visualize how this is possible, think of a neon light. The gas inside it is a form of plasma. The glass on the outside forms the shape of the plasma as it flows between the nodes. The slight variations in brightness occur because of variations in frequency. The body is like the glass of the neon light. The soul is like the gas inside. The variations in frequency manifest in a number of ways inside the body. The soul could be contained in a small spherical form when the vehicle it occupies wears out. This is the most efficient form in nature.
I consider the mind to be more like software. This is the program that is used by the human being to help define how it will interact with the universe it finds itself in. This program can change as the universe changes. As the universe becomes more hostile the software will become more defensive. As the universe becomes less hostile the software will become more cooperative. As the universe becomes more complex, the reasoning ability might improve. As it becomes less manufactured and more natural, the emotional ability to feel for the natural world might improve.
Put mind and soul together and we get consciousness. We become aware that we exist. We realize a way to interact with other things that also exist on the same plane we do. We try to manipulate the other things to bring pleasure and joy to ourselves. We try to avoid contact with things that cause us pain, sadness, or some other kind of stress. We seek to bring happiness to ourselves while at the same time others are trying to manipulate the universe to their liking which may bring displeasure to others, either inadvertently or purposely.
Add this consciousness to a physical body and something amazing happens. The brain becomes a hardwired computer for the consciousness. The body becomes a tool for manipulating the physical world using brain, spirit and mind. Of course it takes time to learn to use the brain and body effectively. This, by the way, is true of modern robots that are being created. They have to change their software as they learn to interact with the world. AI is becoming extremely sophisticated. Amazingly so. It's still no match for the power of the human brain, however. I don't think artificial intelligence will ever be a match for the human brain until or unless biological material is used and someone figures out how to add a soul and an ethereal mind to the mix.
There is, of course, no proof to any of what I've outlined here. It is all conjecture on my part. It is a belief system. Besides, I have no idea how I would go about trying to prove these hypotheses nor do I have the equipment or the funding should any be necessary. I will leave it up to others who might be interested to do this. Besides, I think there is evidence for what I believe out there, but I leave it up to the reader to discover it. I think a lot of evidence for the metaphysical is accepted or rejected due to the preconceptions of most people anyway. I give the most credence to my own personal experiences that I've had over the course of my lifetime. I imagine most people do. My mind remains open to other possibilities and experiences.
My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.
I am proud to announce the release of my book "The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade trilogy" as an ebook. Here is a list of my works by Matthew Wayne at different web retailers for your convenience. "The Edge of Sanity" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Diesel. "The Ouijiers" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Diesel. Here are links to my book "The Blessings of Freedom, Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" serialized version: Chapter 1. Chapter 2. I thank you for your support.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Groping, Power Grabbing TSA Scam
The TSA has become a poster child for government intrusion and ineptitude. It really is one of the worst excuses for a government program ever created. I've seen people refer to the TSA as anything from Thousands Standing Around to Total Sexual Assault. I have one of my own, Truly Scamming America. The only agency I can think of that is more hated by Americans would be the IRS. Yet there are still those who apologize for this horrendous boondoggle. There are still those who believe the hype and propaganda that helped bring about the agency in the first place. Perhaps for them there is no help. Perhaps they will always pray at the foot of the gigantic holy owl known as the federal government. Perhaps there are some people who will always wish to be enslaved, who need to be told what to do or they would be lost. I can only hope that one day they will come to understand their true power and the pride liberation brings.
I think that many people have problems with the TSA. I know of at least a couple of people that would have flown somewhere a few times in the past couple of years, but they've decided to drive or to not travel at all because of the TSA. If I know a couple, I could only imagine the thousands of others I don't know who feel the same way. I know that tourism to the United States is way down because of how travelers are treated by the TSA. Not too many people from Europe want to come here to vacation anymore. Most people probably couldn't care less about this, but there are many in tourist areas whose livelihoods are directly affected because of this.
There are plenty of people who have to travel by airplane, however, and these people have continued to clamp their mouths shut and go along to get along. They grumble and complain quietly, but they do little to stop the abuse because they feel they have no other choice. The establishment media continues to showcase the few who shrug their shoulders and claim we need to submit to authority to maintain our security. They ignore the mostly silent grumblers and portray the active dissenters as a few crybabies who may perhaps have mental issues. As time goes on, however, it is the dissenters who have been shown to be correct and the establishment that is proving itself to be inept bullies that couldn't care less about security, human rights, or any principles that made this nation great and help us all to prosper.
The TSA could only exist as a government creation. It would not survive in the free market. If the airlines were responsible for providing for passengers' security, the ones providing TSA style security would likely soon find themselves losing costumers to airlines that provided less intrusive and more effective security practices. But it's not just about providing security, it is about control and teaching people to be obedient. It's a big scam designed to make a population that has a history of freedom and independence accept the dictates of a ruling class. As has been reported in the news, TSA style security, as inept and poorly received as it has been, is expanding to other venues and even to sporting events. The mission creep is undeniable.
Providing security, even crappy, low level security is big business. Much of that business has gone to people and businesses with political connections. Billions are spent, all of it wasteful. Take a look at this simple chart created by onlinecriminaljusticedegree.com. It is straightforward and easy to understand. This shows just how wasteful they've been and how completely worthless they are. If you look into the facts and study sources other than those with conflicts of interest and you still somehow believe the TSA is necessary and doing a good job, I'd have to wonder about you.
Someone's in denial here. It's either the people who still trust that the government is working for them and keeping us safe, or it's the government itself. Either the people are in denial and believe that the TSA is doing a good job and keeping us safe, or the TSA is in denial and believes that most people appreciate the job they are doing. Either way, the denial needs to end. Either the people need to admit that the TSA is a total failure and security needs to be provided and paid for by the airlines, or the TSA needs to admit that the silence of those who go along to get along does not equate to consent and that the majority of people think they're too heavy handed and intrusive.
So what if the body scanners manage to take naked pictures of people like we dreamed those x-ray glasses in the back of magazines would do when we were kids? We're all adults here, right? We've all seen penises, breasts and vaginas before, right? I mean, it's no big deal if they see yours, as long as we're all kept safe, right? Besides, they promised to just look at the bluish, shadowy, negative type pictures, right? They promised not to save any of the pictures, right? And if someday these images manage to find their way onto the Internet and we all get to see what you look like naked, it's no big deal. We're all adults and professionals, so there'd be no reason to be embarrassed.
As for the radiation, there's nothing to be concerned about. They just raised the amount of radiation units your body can handle, so everything's fine. You're exposed to less radiation than when you fly, at least according to government sources. You believe them, don't you? And don't worry about the TSA agents who sit by those radiation cookers all day long, they have great insurance. I'm sure they'll be covered, that is if they can prove that the naked body scanners caused the maladies they come down with later in life.
Government doesn't care. The facts come out and they don't care, they simply ignore the facts or make up their own. People protest and they don't care. They're voted out of office and they don't care. Nothing changes. They're making their money. They're in power, even behind the scenes. They've got their monopoly privilege and they're not giving it up. They've created the TSA, and I believe other alphabet agencies, not because they care about protecting you as they want you to believe, but as a scam to justify breaking the law that is the Constitution of the United States of America. They've created it as a justification to violate your rights. They've created it to control and manipulate your emotions so that you will submit to their demands. You stay scared and they stay powerful.
I don't mean to make it sound hopeless. In fact, I think that every act of defiance brings new hope. I think that every new jab at the TSA weakens them. I think every time some person or group points out their flaws it takes away a little more of their legitimacy. I hope that the political pressure to end the TSA remains high. I hope the protests continue. The TSA shows the seedy underbelly of what a police state looks like and what an out of control, centralized, representative republic can become if allowed to escape the bonds of the laws that are supposed to chain it down and limit it. I hope to see plenty of people out protesting this year, both for the Occupy groups and for the Tea Partiers. I hope to see both groups promoting their freedom aspects and shunning their collectivist views.
My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.
I am proud to announce the release of my book "The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade trilogy" as an ebook. Here is a list of my works by Matthew Wayne at different web retailers for your convenience. "The Edge of Sanity" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Diesel. "The Ouijiers" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Diesel. Here are links to my book "The Blessings of Freedom, Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" serialized version: Chapter 1. Chapter 2. I thank you for your support.
I think that many people have problems with the TSA. I know of at least a couple of people that would have flown somewhere a few times in the past couple of years, but they've decided to drive or to not travel at all because of the TSA. If I know a couple, I could only imagine the thousands of others I don't know who feel the same way. I know that tourism to the United States is way down because of how travelers are treated by the TSA. Not too many people from Europe want to come here to vacation anymore. Most people probably couldn't care less about this, but there are many in tourist areas whose livelihoods are directly affected because of this.
There are plenty of people who have to travel by airplane, however, and these people have continued to clamp their mouths shut and go along to get along. They grumble and complain quietly, but they do little to stop the abuse because they feel they have no other choice. The establishment media continues to showcase the few who shrug their shoulders and claim we need to submit to authority to maintain our security. They ignore the mostly silent grumblers and portray the active dissenters as a few crybabies who may perhaps have mental issues. As time goes on, however, it is the dissenters who have been shown to be correct and the establishment that is proving itself to be inept bullies that couldn't care less about security, human rights, or any principles that made this nation great and help us all to prosper.
The TSA could only exist as a government creation. It would not survive in the free market. If the airlines were responsible for providing for passengers' security, the ones providing TSA style security would likely soon find themselves losing costumers to airlines that provided less intrusive and more effective security practices. But it's not just about providing security, it is about control and teaching people to be obedient. It's a big scam designed to make a population that has a history of freedom and independence accept the dictates of a ruling class. As has been reported in the news, TSA style security, as inept and poorly received as it has been, is expanding to other venues and even to sporting events. The mission creep is undeniable.
Providing security, even crappy, low level security is big business. Much of that business has gone to people and businesses with political connections. Billions are spent, all of it wasteful. Take a look at this simple chart created by onlinecriminaljusticedegree.com. It is straightforward and easy to understand. This shows just how wasteful they've been and how completely worthless they are. If you look into the facts and study sources other than those with conflicts of interest and you still somehow believe the TSA is necessary and doing a good job, I'd have to wonder about you.
Someone's in denial here. It's either the people who still trust that the government is working for them and keeping us safe, or it's the government itself. Either the people are in denial and believe that the TSA is doing a good job and keeping us safe, or the TSA is in denial and believes that most people appreciate the job they are doing. Either way, the denial needs to end. Either the people need to admit that the TSA is a total failure and security needs to be provided and paid for by the airlines, or the TSA needs to admit that the silence of those who go along to get along does not equate to consent and that the majority of people think they're too heavy handed and intrusive.
So what if the body scanners manage to take naked pictures of people like we dreamed those x-ray glasses in the back of magazines would do when we were kids? We're all adults here, right? We've all seen penises, breasts and vaginas before, right? I mean, it's no big deal if they see yours, as long as we're all kept safe, right? Besides, they promised to just look at the bluish, shadowy, negative type pictures, right? They promised not to save any of the pictures, right? And if someday these images manage to find their way onto the Internet and we all get to see what you look like naked, it's no big deal. We're all adults and professionals, so there'd be no reason to be embarrassed.
As for the radiation, there's nothing to be concerned about. They just raised the amount of radiation units your body can handle, so everything's fine. You're exposed to less radiation than when you fly, at least according to government sources. You believe them, don't you? And don't worry about the TSA agents who sit by those radiation cookers all day long, they have great insurance. I'm sure they'll be covered, that is if they can prove that the naked body scanners caused the maladies they come down with later in life.
Government doesn't care. The facts come out and they don't care, they simply ignore the facts or make up their own. People protest and they don't care. They're voted out of office and they don't care. Nothing changes. They're making their money. They're in power, even behind the scenes. They've got their monopoly privilege and they're not giving it up. They've created the TSA, and I believe other alphabet agencies, not because they care about protecting you as they want you to believe, but as a scam to justify breaking the law that is the Constitution of the United States of America. They've created it as a justification to violate your rights. They've created it to control and manipulate your emotions so that you will submit to their demands. You stay scared and they stay powerful.
I don't mean to make it sound hopeless. In fact, I think that every act of defiance brings new hope. I think that every new jab at the TSA weakens them. I think every time some person or group points out their flaws it takes away a little more of their legitimacy. I hope that the political pressure to end the TSA remains high. I hope the protests continue. The TSA shows the seedy underbelly of what a police state looks like and what an out of control, centralized, representative republic can become if allowed to escape the bonds of the laws that are supposed to chain it down and limit it. I hope to see plenty of people out protesting this year, both for the Occupy groups and for the Tea Partiers. I hope to see both groups promoting their freedom aspects and shunning their collectivist views.
My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.
I am proud to announce the release of my book "The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade trilogy" as an ebook. Here is a list of my works by Matthew Wayne at different web retailers for your convenience. "The Edge of Sanity" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Diesel. "The Ouijiers" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Diesel. Here are links to my book "The Blessings of Freedom, Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" serialized version: Chapter 1. Chapter 2. I thank you for your support.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The Harmful Influence of Politics on Everyday Life
It may seem to many of you that I like writing about politics. When I think back on it, I find myself thinking that actually, I don't. I can think of so many better things to write about and I've shown this by my work as a novelist. I'd much rather be writing adventures and working with fiction than expressing my opinions on the political happenings in this nation and the world. The problem is, as I discovered long ago, politics doesn't want to leave me alone. It wants to seep into every aspect of my life. It wants to micromanage my personal decisions. It wants to tell me what I can eat, what I can and can't put into my body, what medications and medical procedures I can and can't use, what businesses I can and can't open, how I must operate a business when I open it, what I must accept as money from any given costumer, who I can and can't marry, how I can travel, etc. They keep their hands in my pockets and their eyes on all my activities. In short, politics wants to control my actions from cradle to grave and make sure they get a piece of everything I produce during my time here on earth.
I write about politics because I felt compelled to do so when I started in 2006. The world had changed greatly and our society was headed down a dark and dangerous path. I had to do something. I could no longer just go through life with my head hung, mumbling and complaining and pretending I had no real power, even though that's what I felt like. Since that time things have gotten worse if you go by what the federal government has become, but they've gotten better if you go by how the people have reacted and how they've realized that something is very wrong. There is a huge problem however, in my opinion, in the solutions that continue to be proffered by the establishment. It seems to me that their solutions treat symptoms and never cure the disease.
I took a trip to Florida not long ago to visit family. My 19 year old daughter came along with me. She hates when I talk about government, so whenever possible I try to avoid the subject when she's around. I try to avoid speaking about it in general because I don't like getting into arguments and I find I can write out my feelings better than I can vocalize them.
My brother in law, however, brought up the subject in a round about way. He owns a heating, ventilation and air conditioning business down in Florida. He was telling me about new laws that require him to put the thermostat at a lower level for handicapped people, even in units on upper floors where handicapped people are extremely unlikely to live, even though many handicapped people don't live alone, and even though such placement increases the likelihood that some older, non handicapped person can now harm themselves because they have to bend over to look at and/or adjust the thermostat. He brought the subject up not because he wanted to talk about politics or government, but because it directly impacted his life and showed just how arrogant government can be with their "one size fits all" solutions to problems that aren't really even that big of a deal.
The next day, my daughter expressed concern about my brother in law being uncaring and told me she liked the concern shown for handicapped people. She felt that if non handicapped people didn't like it than they could live elsewhere. I tried to explain to her that all new multi unit buildings were required to have the lower thermostats and that everyone would have to live with that because government had taken choice away. She got mad at me for bringing government into the conversation. I was stunned and told her that she had brought it up, not me. She didn't see it that way. She somehow failed to connect the fact that laws come from government, that politics are simply an argument over who to point government guns at. The discussion ended immediately and I tried to quickly think of a more innocuous subject to talk about.
Herein lies the problem. Government puts its tentacles into just about everybody's everyday life, yet niceties prevent us from talking about it. I've seen posts on social networks insulting Republicans and others insulting Democrats. These are usually posted by people who identify with the party that is not being insulted. How do you think that makes people feel? Don't you think people will get angry when they're insulted? Don't you think they'll react with vitriolic insults of their own? Don't you think this will simply turn off the reasoning aspect of the human mind and turn on the reactive emotional side? Certainly this is no way to go about trying to change people's points of view.
Anger stems from fear. Fear is the mind killer. These are the weapons the establishment uses to maintain its control. There seems to be an infinite number of ways they can implement these emotions. Mostly they seem to use the party system. They present good ideologies in certain aspects to attract a certain type of person and then tyrannical ideologies in other aspects to anger a different type. That's how they polarize people. That's how they remove reason and empathy from the debate.
For instance, Democrats or liberals are supposed to be for freedom in personal affairs, but they wish to demonize and regulate businesses. Republicans are supposed to be for freedom in business affairs, but they wish to regulate personal choice more and supposedly are war mongering and law enforcement oriented. All wish for more security in some form because they fear insecurity. This is approaching life from a fear based perspective. As a result, we are more concerned with differences rather than similarities. This ends up in Democrats tyrannizing the business aspect of our lives while Republicans tyrannize the personal aspects of our lives. Personal freedoms and choices shrink while government intrusion and tyranny grows. I want freedom and choices to grow while big government tyranny and intrusion shrinks.
Choosing between Democrat and Republican is like choosing a poison or a cancer. One kills quickly and is not so painful while the other is painful but allows you to live longer. Which do you choose? Neither is a good choice. Either way you get sick and die. I want to have the choice where I am healthy and live a long, happy life. I want to choose not taking the poison. I want to chose other than the two choices presented to us by the establishment. But people get so emotional invested in these parties, in the positive aspects of these ideologies, that they can't see the negative and argue vehemently when such things are pointed out.
The problem with government is that it is force. While I will admit that I believe there are situations that might arise where such a force is necessary to protect individuals, those situations are few and far between. They certainly don't arise when one is making a personal choice for his own life. They certainly don't arise when one is doing business on a voluntary basis with another. The only times such force might be necessary, in my humble opinion, is when such a force needs to be brought to bear against a corporation or government that can also command such force.
People get upset with others who express strong opinions on government because of this force. Let's face it, when someone points a gun at you, you're likely going to get upset. That's what government is, a gun, a threat of force, a coercive way to get people to behave in a manner in which they do not wish to behave or to prevent them from engaging in behaviors they wish to engage in. While many people might not realize it or don't think of it like this, when one has a debate about politics often times it's a debate about who to point the gun at. Democrats often times want to point the gun at people who simply want to run their own businesses. Republicans often want to point the gun at people who believe government is some kind of charity there to help the poor and downtrodden. Neither group deserves to have guns pointed at them. Both groups will go on the defensive when they feel threatened.
Many people don't think of government in such terms. They believe those who have been elected to office to be legitimate and have the attitude that the words they write as laws should be unquestionably obeyed. Those who are savvy and who have figured out that government is force can use this knowledge and the attitude of the many to manipulate the populace to their own benefit. I believe, in fact, that this is what has happened. It started long ago, when royalty ruled as feudal lords, and has progressed through time. It has become hidden and sophisticated to keep the general populace in the dark.
While it can be debated whether or not this has happened purposely by design or organically as a function of an elite trying to hold onto power while the common folk try to empower themselves, the effect is the same. People of good intentions attempt to use the guns of government to force others to act in certain ways while those on top of the heap become wealthier and more empowered. Until enough people realize that we are being played, the ploy will work, the elite will control the masses, and we can expect to be treated as obedient slaves rather than sovereign human beings.
As long as we approach politics from an angry, fearful perspective, we will continue to do harm to our society and our future. As long as we continue to propagate a forceful institution instead of a more voluntary and tolerant system people who get their hands on the handles of power will try to use it to their own benefit and to the detriment of others. If this is left unchecked long enough the system becomes corrupt to the core and atrocities can be committed. The founding fathers of our nation created laws meant to prevent this as set forth in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. These documents have been ignored for too long by those who seek power over this American nation. It is time to start enforcing the spirit of the laws that made this nation great.
Moreover, in an effort to help mankind grow and prosper as a species, I think that the more individuals who approach politics from a loving, caring perspective, the better. I'm not talking about a perspective where a sweet smile and a "please" is applied to the end of the gun, I'm talking about an empathetic perspective where the gun is taken out of the picture. The best way to keep people from becoming corrupt is to take away the vehicle that takes them there. The best way to keep anger and fear out of your life is to remove the threats that can be leveled against you. The founding documents need to be enforced against those who would disregard their sage advice. Power needs to be given back to the people. The rights of the individual need to be honored by government. In this way we can reclaim our morality, our respect, our prosperity, and our humanity. In this way we can begin to heal.
My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.
I am proud to announce the release of my book "The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade trilogy" as an ebook. Here is a list of my works by Matthew Wayne at different web retailers for your convenience. "The Edge of Sanity" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Diesel. "The Ouijiers" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Diesel. Here are links to my book "The Blessings of Freedom, Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" serialized version: Chapter 1. Chapter 2. I thank you for your support.
I write about politics because I felt compelled to do so when I started in 2006. The world had changed greatly and our society was headed down a dark and dangerous path. I had to do something. I could no longer just go through life with my head hung, mumbling and complaining and pretending I had no real power, even though that's what I felt like. Since that time things have gotten worse if you go by what the federal government has become, but they've gotten better if you go by how the people have reacted and how they've realized that something is very wrong. There is a huge problem however, in my opinion, in the solutions that continue to be proffered by the establishment. It seems to me that their solutions treat symptoms and never cure the disease.
I took a trip to Florida not long ago to visit family. My 19 year old daughter came along with me. She hates when I talk about government, so whenever possible I try to avoid the subject when she's around. I try to avoid speaking about it in general because I don't like getting into arguments and I find I can write out my feelings better than I can vocalize them.
My brother in law, however, brought up the subject in a round about way. He owns a heating, ventilation and air conditioning business down in Florida. He was telling me about new laws that require him to put the thermostat at a lower level for handicapped people, even in units on upper floors where handicapped people are extremely unlikely to live, even though many handicapped people don't live alone, and even though such placement increases the likelihood that some older, non handicapped person can now harm themselves because they have to bend over to look at and/or adjust the thermostat. He brought the subject up not because he wanted to talk about politics or government, but because it directly impacted his life and showed just how arrogant government can be with their "one size fits all" solutions to problems that aren't really even that big of a deal.
The next day, my daughter expressed concern about my brother in law being uncaring and told me she liked the concern shown for handicapped people. She felt that if non handicapped people didn't like it than they could live elsewhere. I tried to explain to her that all new multi unit buildings were required to have the lower thermostats and that everyone would have to live with that because government had taken choice away. She got mad at me for bringing government into the conversation. I was stunned and told her that she had brought it up, not me. She didn't see it that way. She somehow failed to connect the fact that laws come from government, that politics are simply an argument over who to point government guns at. The discussion ended immediately and I tried to quickly think of a more innocuous subject to talk about.
Herein lies the problem. Government puts its tentacles into just about everybody's everyday life, yet niceties prevent us from talking about it. I've seen posts on social networks insulting Republicans and others insulting Democrats. These are usually posted by people who identify with the party that is not being insulted. How do you think that makes people feel? Don't you think people will get angry when they're insulted? Don't you think they'll react with vitriolic insults of their own? Don't you think this will simply turn off the reasoning aspect of the human mind and turn on the reactive emotional side? Certainly this is no way to go about trying to change people's points of view.
Anger stems from fear. Fear is the mind killer. These are the weapons the establishment uses to maintain its control. There seems to be an infinite number of ways they can implement these emotions. Mostly they seem to use the party system. They present good ideologies in certain aspects to attract a certain type of person and then tyrannical ideologies in other aspects to anger a different type. That's how they polarize people. That's how they remove reason and empathy from the debate.
For instance, Democrats or liberals are supposed to be for freedom in personal affairs, but they wish to demonize and regulate businesses. Republicans are supposed to be for freedom in business affairs, but they wish to regulate personal choice more and supposedly are war mongering and law enforcement oriented. All wish for more security in some form because they fear insecurity. This is approaching life from a fear based perspective. As a result, we are more concerned with differences rather than similarities. This ends up in Democrats tyrannizing the business aspect of our lives while Republicans tyrannize the personal aspects of our lives. Personal freedoms and choices shrink while government intrusion and tyranny grows. I want freedom and choices to grow while big government tyranny and intrusion shrinks.
Choosing between Democrat and Republican is like choosing a poison or a cancer. One kills quickly and is not so painful while the other is painful but allows you to live longer. Which do you choose? Neither is a good choice. Either way you get sick and die. I want to have the choice where I am healthy and live a long, happy life. I want to choose not taking the poison. I want to chose other than the two choices presented to us by the establishment. But people get so emotional invested in these parties, in the positive aspects of these ideologies, that they can't see the negative and argue vehemently when such things are pointed out.
The problem with government is that it is force. While I will admit that I believe there are situations that might arise where such a force is necessary to protect individuals, those situations are few and far between. They certainly don't arise when one is making a personal choice for his own life. They certainly don't arise when one is doing business on a voluntary basis with another. The only times such force might be necessary, in my humble opinion, is when such a force needs to be brought to bear against a corporation or government that can also command such force.
People get upset with others who express strong opinions on government because of this force. Let's face it, when someone points a gun at you, you're likely going to get upset. That's what government is, a gun, a threat of force, a coercive way to get people to behave in a manner in which they do not wish to behave or to prevent them from engaging in behaviors they wish to engage in. While many people might not realize it or don't think of it like this, when one has a debate about politics often times it's a debate about who to point the gun at. Democrats often times want to point the gun at people who simply want to run their own businesses. Republicans often want to point the gun at people who believe government is some kind of charity there to help the poor and downtrodden. Neither group deserves to have guns pointed at them. Both groups will go on the defensive when they feel threatened.
Many people don't think of government in such terms. They believe those who have been elected to office to be legitimate and have the attitude that the words they write as laws should be unquestionably obeyed. Those who are savvy and who have figured out that government is force can use this knowledge and the attitude of the many to manipulate the populace to their own benefit. I believe, in fact, that this is what has happened. It started long ago, when royalty ruled as feudal lords, and has progressed through time. It has become hidden and sophisticated to keep the general populace in the dark.
While it can be debated whether or not this has happened purposely by design or organically as a function of an elite trying to hold onto power while the common folk try to empower themselves, the effect is the same. People of good intentions attempt to use the guns of government to force others to act in certain ways while those on top of the heap become wealthier and more empowered. Until enough people realize that we are being played, the ploy will work, the elite will control the masses, and we can expect to be treated as obedient slaves rather than sovereign human beings.
As long as we approach politics from an angry, fearful perspective, we will continue to do harm to our society and our future. As long as we continue to propagate a forceful institution instead of a more voluntary and tolerant system people who get their hands on the handles of power will try to use it to their own benefit and to the detriment of others. If this is left unchecked long enough the system becomes corrupt to the core and atrocities can be committed. The founding fathers of our nation created laws meant to prevent this as set forth in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. These documents have been ignored for too long by those who seek power over this American nation. It is time to start enforcing the spirit of the laws that made this nation great.
Moreover, in an effort to help mankind grow and prosper as a species, I think that the more individuals who approach politics from a loving, caring perspective, the better. I'm not talking about a perspective where a sweet smile and a "please" is applied to the end of the gun, I'm talking about an empathetic perspective where the gun is taken out of the picture. The best way to keep people from becoming corrupt is to take away the vehicle that takes them there. The best way to keep anger and fear out of your life is to remove the threats that can be leveled against you. The founding documents need to be enforced against those who would disregard their sage advice. Power needs to be given back to the people. The rights of the individual need to be honored by government. In this way we can reclaim our morality, our respect, our prosperity, and our humanity. In this way we can begin to heal.
My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.
I am proud to announce the release of my book "The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade trilogy" as an ebook. Here is a list of my works by Matthew Wayne at different web retailers for your convenience. "The Edge of Sanity" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Diesel. "The Ouijiers" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Diesel. Here are links to my book "The Blessings of Freedom, Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" serialized version: Chapter 1. Chapter 2. I thank you for your support.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Energy Independence and Disempowering the Mob
In these economically tough times, it might not be a bad idea to think outside the box when it comes to saving money. In fact, I wonder if wandering away from the principles this country was founded upon hasn't proven to be our downfall. These principles were pulled outside the box long ago and the box given to us by big government controlled by multi national corporate interests became very comfortable. I believe they felt we would completely forget about the "quaint" ways of our forefathers and succumb completely to their domination if they made us comfortable enough. I believe we really missed the boat in a lot of ways, but that's okay, there's always another boat scheduled to leave port at some point in time.
We have become a nation dependent upon many "biggies." We depend on big government for too many things to count. We depend on big agri to keep the shelves filled in our grocery stores. We depend on big finance to provide us with currency and credit to finance lifestyles we can't really afford. We depend on big pharma to provide us with medications to improve or extend our lives. We depend on big oil to provide us with cheap energy. We depend on these things and others and we put our trust in these institutions. Many invest so much emotional energy into depending upon and trusting in these institutions that when they are exposed to the truth they don't want to hear it and refuse to believe it.
There are ways to break your dependence on all these institutions and more. The problem is, many of these solutions aren't necessarily easy, yet. That's how these institutions work, they rope you in with promises of "cheap and easy" and then put the whammy on you when you become dependent on them. It's kind of like drugs, alcohol or smoking, in order to quit you have to really want it. You have to really bend your will toward achieving your goal. Otherwise, it is too easy to slip back into dependency. Excuses are a dime a dozen, and I'm not talking about a pre 1964 silver dime, I'm talking about the extremely cheap dimes of today. Sometimes, breaking dependence can be very difficult, but the pride and self esteem that one instills inside one's self when they break dependence and learn to live in a truly free manner is likely well worth the effort.
When one talks about energy independence, one often discusses the cost of such a venture. One often hears figures thrown around in kilowatts created per hour and how solar or wind power is not worth the cost because fossil fuels or nuclear power is so much cheaper. I am very leery about such claims. Here's a little experiment for you if you've been living in your house for ten years or more. Take a look at your electric bill. Now see if you can find your bill from ten years ago, the same month if possible. Have the rates gone up? By how much? Can you remember when the rates were raised? If you can figure out how much you've spent on energy over the last ten years, could you have bought a system that would have taken you off the grid for that amount or less? If not, how many more years until you reach that amount? What if there is another rate hike?
There are a lot of variables when you try to figure this out. It's not always as simple as the cost of kilowatts per hour as set today. But even if the established system can provide you with energy for much less than the cost of an off the grid system, there are quite a few other things you should take into consideration. For one thing, I don't know about you, but the house I used to live in used to have the power knocked out quite often, at least once a year, sometimes for two or three days and possibly as long as a week. Finally, we went out and got a gas powered generator to at least keep our sump pump, water pump and refrigerators going.
That cost about $400. It was for local emergencies only, however. I certainly wouldn't want to have to keep it going for more than maybe a week. Then there's the question, what if there's a wide spread disaster? What if the power is off for hundreds of miles around? What if a massive solar flare goes off and the whole grid goes down for a month or more? What if we can't get gasoline to run our generators? What then?
That's why I advocate energy independence. That's why I think every house should be powered with solar panels and wind generators hooked into a rechargeable bank of batteries. I know that the energy companies want to keep us dependent on them for our power. They want to keep that money flowing into their coffers. If they had their way no one would be allowed to have power except through their wires. I believe there are technologies that will provide cheap or free energy to the masses that are hidden because of this reason. Until such technologies are released, we must take what is available on the market. Right now, that seems to be solar and wind.
Right now, as things stand, there have been tremendous improvements in performance, materials and price in solar power. Wind power has also improved, but unfortunately many municipalities won't allow the towers in neighborhoods and smaller, more visibly pleasing units remain elusive. A determined consumer would be able to find solutions to becoming energy independent if they so wished. These solutions might not be perfect, they might not get you completely off the grid, but the more people that seek energy independence, the more likely it will be that the marketplace will come up with better, cheaper, more complete systems to meet that demand.
At the very least, for the purpose of disaster preparedness, one should have an emergency solar generator to power necessities such as water pumps, sump pumps and refrigerators in the wake of a major disaster such as a category 5 hurricane or a direct hit from an X class solar flare that knocks out the power grid. Equipped with such a device, you might end up enjoying potable water, toilets that flush, a dry basement and food that isn't rotting while your neighbors have to depend on unreliable government agencies or have to drive dozens or hundreds of miles to find gasoline to power their noisy generators days after a disaster has struck. Who knows, in the wake of an even wider spread disaster, such a device might save the lives of those in your family.
Watch for costs to keep rising. As the cost of power goes up, your investment looks more and more intelligent. What if the costs double, or triple. With the ongoing problems in the world's financial sector, the economy looks as uncertain as ever. The establishment news wants you to believe that everything is rosy, but looking about the real world that view is very difficult to accept. Those at the top have the jitters. An attack on Iran, be it American or Israeli led, could be catastrophic. Just the threatening postures taken on all sides has led to increases in the price of oil. It is perhaps time to put the cost comparisons in the back seat and to ask yourself how much the extra security would be worth to you.
The establishment does not want you to be independent. The mob of established corporate interests want to continue to use big government to help keep you dependent on them so that they can continue to collect their monthly tributes. They don't even want you trying to learn more about recent advancements in residential power collectors. They will keep pumping out the propaganda and misinformation as long as they feel they can prevent you from seeking energy independence. It is up to you to dig deeper and figure out for yourself whether such systems are right for you or not because those who control the system now certainly aren't going to help you figure out how to stop paying them. By becoming energy independent and getting off the grid, you at least disempower a portion of the mob and empower yourself.
Hopefully no disaster ever strikes. Hopefully the worst case scenarios remain at bay. Still, as time goes by, we need to make ourselves independent of big government and corporations if we are to live free. We need to find ways to power our homes so that our fates aren't dependent upon the skills of others. The question is, are you going to be one of the first, or are you going to wait on others to take the first steps, perhaps waiting until it's too late. The choice is yours to make.
If you like my writings, I am asking for your help. Please visit my website szandorblestman.com to see my archived articles and help support me by making a donation. I am also pleased to announce the release of "The Edge of Sanity" by Matthew Wayne. It is also available for the Kobo Vox, at Barnes and Noble and at Diesel. The download for this book is only $2.99. I have also released "The Ouijiers" at smashwords.com. The download is also $2.99, but you can get the first 20% of both books free. "The Ouijiers" is also available for the Kobo Vox and Diesel.
I am working on a book. The working title is "The Blessings of Freedom: Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century." I am offering this work as a serial for those who are interested and can't wait for the book to come out. I hope to publish a chapter every couple of weeks or so. I will offer the chapters for sale exclusively at smashwords.com as I finish them. The price is $0.99 for each chapter as it comes out. Here is the link to Chapter 1: "The Blessings of Freedom: Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" Chapter 1. Here is the link to Chapter 2: The Blessings of Freedom: Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" Chapter 2 Keep an eye out as further chapters will be announced as they come out. I wish to thank everyone in advance for their support in this endeavor.
We have become a nation dependent upon many "biggies." We depend on big government for too many things to count. We depend on big agri to keep the shelves filled in our grocery stores. We depend on big finance to provide us with currency and credit to finance lifestyles we can't really afford. We depend on big pharma to provide us with medications to improve or extend our lives. We depend on big oil to provide us with cheap energy. We depend on these things and others and we put our trust in these institutions. Many invest so much emotional energy into depending upon and trusting in these institutions that when they are exposed to the truth they don't want to hear it and refuse to believe it.
There are ways to break your dependence on all these institutions and more. The problem is, many of these solutions aren't necessarily easy, yet. That's how these institutions work, they rope you in with promises of "cheap and easy" and then put the whammy on you when you become dependent on them. It's kind of like drugs, alcohol or smoking, in order to quit you have to really want it. You have to really bend your will toward achieving your goal. Otherwise, it is too easy to slip back into dependency. Excuses are a dime a dozen, and I'm not talking about a pre 1964 silver dime, I'm talking about the extremely cheap dimes of today. Sometimes, breaking dependence can be very difficult, but the pride and self esteem that one instills inside one's self when they break dependence and learn to live in a truly free manner is likely well worth the effort.
When one talks about energy independence, one often discusses the cost of such a venture. One often hears figures thrown around in kilowatts created per hour and how solar or wind power is not worth the cost because fossil fuels or nuclear power is so much cheaper. I am very leery about such claims. Here's a little experiment for you if you've been living in your house for ten years or more. Take a look at your electric bill. Now see if you can find your bill from ten years ago, the same month if possible. Have the rates gone up? By how much? Can you remember when the rates were raised? If you can figure out how much you've spent on energy over the last ten years, could you have bought a system that would have taken you off the grid for that amount or less? If not, how many more years until you reach that amount? What if there is another rate hike?
There are a lot of variables when you try to figure this out. It's not always as simple as the cost of kilowatts per hour as set today. But even if the established system can provide you with energy for much less than the cost of an off the grid system, there are quite a few other things you should take into consideration. For one thing, I don't know about you, but the house I used to live in used to have the power knocked out quite often, at least once a year, sometimes for two or three days and possibly as long as a week. Finally, we went out and got a gas powered generator to at least keep our sump pump, water pump and refrigerators going.
That cost about $400. It was for local emergencies only, however. I certainly wouldn't want to have to keep it going for more than maybe a week. Then there's the question, what if there's a wide spread disaster? What if the power is off for hundreds of miles around? What if a massive solar flare goes off and the whole grid goes down for a month or more? What if we can't get gasoline to run our generators? What then?
That's why I advocate energy independence. That's why I think every house should be powered with solar panels and wind generators hooked into a rechargeable bank of batteries. I know that the energy companies want to keep us dependent on them for our power. They want to keep that money flowing into their coffers. If they had their way no one would be allowed to have power except through their wires. I believe there are technologies that will provide cheap or free energy to the masses that are hidden because of this reason. Until such technologies are released, we must take what is available on the market. Right now, that seems to be solar and wind.
Right now, as things stand, there have been tremendous improvements in performance, materials and price in solar power. Wind power has also improved, but unfortunately many municipalities won't allow the towers in neighborhoods and smaller, more visibly pleasing units remain elusive. A determined consumer would be able to find solutions to becoming energy independent if they so wished. These solutions might not be perfect, they might not get you completely off the grid, but the more people that seek energy independence, the more likely it will be that the marketplace will come up with better, cheaper, more complete systems to meet that demand.
At the very least, for the purpose of disaster preparedness, one should have an emergency solar generator to power necessities such as water pumps, sump pumps and refrigerators in the wake of a major disaster such as a category 5 hurricane or a direct hit from an X class solar flare that knocks out the power grid. Equipped with such a device, you might end up enjoying potable water, toilets that flush, a dry basement and food that isn't rotting while your neighbors have to depend on unreliable government agencies or have to drive dozens or hundreds of miles to find gasoline to power their noisy generators days after a disaster has struck. Who knows, in the wake of an even wider spread disaster, such a device might save the lives of those in your family.
Watch for costs to keep rising. As the cost of power goes up, your investment looks more and more intelligent. What if the costs double, or triple. With the ongoing problems in the world's financial sector, the economy looks as uncertain as ever. The establishment news wants you to believe that everything is rosy, but looking about the real world that view is very difficult to accept. Those at the top have the jitters. An attack on Iran, be it American or Israeli led, could be catastrophic. Just the threatening postures taken on all sides has led to increases in the price of oil. It is perhaps time to put the cost comparisons in the back seat and to ask yourself how much the extra security would be worth to you.
The establishment does not want you to be independent. The mob of established corporate interests want to continue to use big government to help keep you dependent on them so that they can continue to collect their monthly tributes. They don't even want you trying to learn more about recent advancements in residential power collectors. They will keep pumping out the propaganda and misinformation as long as they feel they can prevent you from seeking energy independence. It is up to you to dig deeper and figure out for yourself whether such systems are right for you or not because those who control the system now certainly aren't going to help you figure out how to stop paying them. By becoming energy independent and getting off the grid, you at least disempower a portion of the mob and empower yourself.
Hopefully no disaster ever strikes. Hopefully the worst case scenarios remain at bay. Still, as time goes by, we need to make ourselves independent of big government and corporations if we are to live free. We need to find ways to power our homes so that our fates aren't dependent upon the skills of others. The question is, are you going to be one of the first, or are you going to wait on others to take the first steps, perhaps waiting until it's too late. The choice is yours to make.
If you like my writings, I am asking for your help. Please visit my website szandorblestman.com to see my archived articles and help support me by making a donation. I am also pleased to announce the release of "The Edge of Sanity" by Matthew Wayne. It is also available for the Kobo Vox, at Barnes and Noble and at Diesel. The download for this book is only $2.99. I have also released "The Ouijiers" at smashwords.com. The download is also $2.99, but you can get the first 20% of both books free. "The Ouijiers" is also available for the Kobo Vox and Diesel.
I am working on a book. The working title is "The Blessings of Freedom: Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century." I am offering this work as a serial for those who are interested and can't wait for the book to come out. I hope to publish a chapter every couple of weeks or so. I will offer the chapters for sale exclusively at smashwords.com as I finish them. The price is $0.99 for each chapter as it comes out. Here is the link to Chapter 1: "The Blessings of Freedom: Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" Chapter 1. Here is the link to Chapter 2: The Blessings of Freedom: Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" Chapter 2 Keep an eye out as further chapters will be announced as they come out. I wish to thank everyone in advance for their support in this endeavor.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The Ring of Power and the World Economy
"One ring to rule them all
One ring to find them
One ring to bring them all
And in the darkness bind them."
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
I cut my fantasy reading teeth on "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" when I read the books way back when I was in the 7th grade. These might seem like difficult books for a 7th grader to read, but I was a voracious reader and these books posed a challenge both to my comprehension of the English language and my imagination. It took the making of the movies, excellently done under the direction of Peter Jackson I might add, and perhaps a more adult point of view, to really consider the parallels between this fantastic tale of good versus evil and modern economics and politics.
The ring of power, for those who do not know, was a magic ring created by Sauron to control all the other rings of power which had been produced in Middle Earth. The rings of power gave the bearers the strength to rule over their peoples, (elves, men and dwarves) but the one ring gave Sauron the power to rule over the minds of the bearers of the other rings. When the ring was cut from Sauron's finger in the war against the last alliance, (between elves and men) Sauron lost his form, but a great part of his malicious spirit remained with the ring.
The ring of power easily corrupts the hearts of men. One who would desire to do good, who would desire to bring order and coordination for the greater good, would end up spreading chaos and destruction. It derived its power from hatred and fear. It made men and mortal creatures despair and could therefore make them quiver and quake and bow before the bearer of the one ring. Of course, the wearer of the ring of power becomes very arrogant and when he is challenged his anger seethes. The anger is used to destroy and that is how good intentions bring about destruction.
In this world we may not have rings of power, but we do have powerful corporate entities. Those who rule over these corporations have the means to rule over many people and influence much in political matters. Some of the most powerful corporations involve the energy, pharmaceuticals and weapons sectors. There are also very influential corporations in the communications, information, transportation, agricultural and chemical sectors. These corporate interests have been known to form alliances and cartels to maintain their power and influence. They have tied in to many industries of lesser influence, but they wield their "rings of power" over their business sectors with great zeal and have turned governments into their enforcement arms to make sure their will is done.
There is a corporate interest that rules over all other corporations. It uses its awesome power to bring them all together and in darkness bind them, so to speak. That corporate interest is the banking sector. The ring it wears is the ring of currency control. It is the power of monopoly over the commodity called legal tender. The central banks of the world have come together to form an economy of debt, and they have indebted even the largest of corporations and the greatest of governments using their ability to force common folk and businesses to accept their paper, to artificially set interest rates, and to lay claim to properties, commodities and other real wealth they never earned through default. The Federal Reserve System of the United States of America is the most powerful of these central banks. It wields the might of this ring of power without regard to the harm it might be doing the good people of the world.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's work, Sauron becomes impotent when his ring of power is unmade. This is done by throwing the ring into the volcano where it was created. One way the monopoly of currency can be unmade is to throw it into the volcano of big government where it was created. An audit of its wealth can show us where all our money has gone. It will show us just how much control the central banks exercise over corporate interests, particularly in the financial sector. This, along with the repeal of legal tender laws, would set up an environment of growth where the multitude determines the directions of markets. It would set up an economy much more stable than what a few wealthy elite can come up with. It would set up an economy where your voice is important, for you would be voting with your dollar which is worth something, not your vote which is worth less than the machines which count votes.
Reversing the damage that has been done by central banking might seem like a daunting task at first, there will be some pain and the elite who run them will want to twist the knife, but we must be brave. The economic landscape would likely look bleak for a time, but soon those who wish to profit in the new economic environment will plant the seeds which will grow new green shoots. The world of the free market will be a world where what you have is owned by you, not the bank. You won't have to worry about losing your home should you lose your job. It will likely be a world where you will be protected not by a huge central government full of greedy politicians working for corporate interests and trying to take advantage of the least influential common folk, but by a community of individuals who care for their fellow human beings and wish to see all prosper in a stable economic environment.
There are a couple of important lessons we can take from "The Lord of the Rings" that seem incredibly difficult for mankind to learn. The first is that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The second is that in order to rid the world of tyranny, the power the tyrant wields must be neutralized. The power the modern day tyrant wields is the monopoly power over currency. A big central government will do its best to protect those with this power as they benefit from such power. But the little folk can still triumph. With a little education the true nature of the Federal Reserve as a privately owned central bank can be exposed. A multitude of voices raised for a singular purpose cannot be ignored even by the most corrupt politician. End the Fed.
If you like my writings, I am asking for your help. Please visit my website szandorblestman.com to see my archived articles and help support me by making a donation. I am also pleased to announce the release of my novel entitled "The Edge of Sanity."by Matthew Wayne. It is also available for the Kobo Vox, at Barnes and Noble and at Diesel. The download for this book is only $2.99. I have also released "The Ouijiers" at smashwords.com. The download is $2.99, but you can get the first 20% free.
I am working on a book. The working title is "The Blessings of Freedom: Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century." I am going to offer this work as a serial for those who are interested and can't wait for the book to come out. I hope to publish a chapter every couple of weeks or so. I will offer the chapters for sale exclusively at smashwords.com as I finish them. The price is $0.99 for each chapter as it comes out. Here is the link to Chapter 1: "The Blessings of Freedom: Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" Chapter 1. There is a bonus as the Introduction to the book is included with this download. Keep an eye out as further chapters will be announced as they come out. I wish to thank everyone in advance for their support in this endeavor.
One ring to find them
One ring to bring them all
And in the darkness bind them."
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
I cut my fantasy reading teeth on "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" when I read the books way back when I was in the 7th grade. These might seem like difficult books for a 7th grader to read, but I was a voracious reader and these books posed a challenge both to my comprehension of the English language and my imagination. It took the making of the movies, excellently done under the direction of Peter Jackson I might add, and perhaps a more adult point of view, to really consider the parallels between this fantastic tale of good versus evil and modern economics and politics.
The ring of power, for those who do not know, was a magic ring created by Sauron to control all the other rings of power which had been produced in Middle Earth. The rings of power gave the bearers the strength to rule over their peoples, (elves, men and dwarves) but the one ring gave Sauron the power to rule over the minds of the bearers of the other rings. When the ring was cut from Sauron's finger in the war against the last alliance, (between elves and men) Sauron lost his form, but a great part of his malicious spirit remained with the ring.
The ring of power easily corrupts the hearts of men. One who would desire to do good, who would desire to bring order and coordination for the greater good, would end up spreading chaos and destruction. It derived its power from hatred and fear. It made men and mortal creatures despair and could therefore make them quiver and quake and bow before the bearer of the one ring. Of course, the wearer of the ring of power becomes very arrogant and when he is challenged his anger seethes. The anger is used to destroy and that is how good intentions bring about destruction.
In this world we may not have rings of power, but we do have powerful corporate entities. Those who rule over these corporations have the means to rule over many people and influence much in political matters. Some of the most powerful corporations involve the energy, pharmaceuticals and weapons sectors. There are also very influential corporations in the communications, information, transportation, agricultural and chemical sectors. These corporate interests have been known to form alliances and cartels to maintain their power and influence. They have tied in to many industries of lesser influence, but they wield their "rings of power" over their business sectors with great zeal and have turned governments into their enforcement arms to make sure their will is done.
There is a corporate interest that rules over all other corporations. It uses its awesome power to bring them all together and in darkness bind them, so to speak. That corporate interest is the banking sector. The ring it wears is the ring of currency control. It is the power of monopoly over the commodity called legal tender. The central banks of the world have come together to form an economy of debt, and they have indebted even the largest of corporations and the greatest of governments using their ability to force common folk and businesses to accept their paper, to artificially set interest rates, and to lay claim to properties, commodities and other real wealth they never earned through default. The Federal Reserve System of the United States of America is the most powerful of these central banks. It wields the might of this ring of power without regard to the harm it might be doing the good people of the world.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's work, Sauron becomes impotent when his ring of power is unmade. This is done by throwing the ring into the volcano where it was created. One way the monopoly of currency can be unmade is to throw it into the volcano of big government where it was created. An audit of its wealth can show us where all our money has gone. It will show us just how much control the central banks exercise over corporate interests, particularly in the financial sector. This, along with the repeal of legal tender laws, would set up an environment of growth where the multitude determines the directions of markets. It would set up an economy much more stable than what a few wealthy elite can come up with. It would set up an economy where your voice is important, for you would be voting with your dollar which is worth something, not your vote which is worth less than the machines which count votes.
Reversing the damage that has been done by central banking might seem like a daunting task at first, there will be some pain and the elite who run them will want to twist the knife, but we must be brave. The economic landscape would likely look bleak for a time, but soon those who wish to profit in the new economic environment will plant the seeds which will grow new green shoots. The world of the free market will be a world where what you have is owned by you, not the bank. You won't have to worry about losing your home should you lose your job. It will likely be a world where you will be protected not by a huge central government full of greedy politicians working for corporate interests and trying to take advantage of the least influential common folk, but by a community of individuals who care for their fellow human beings and wish to see all prosper in a stable economic environment.
There are a couple of important lessons we can take from "The Lord of the Rings" that seem incredibly difficult for mankind to learn. The first is that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The second is that in order to rid the world of tyranny, the power the tyrant wields must be neutralized. The power the modern day tyrant wields is the monopoly power over currency. A big central government will do its best to protect those with this power as they benefit from such power. But the little folk can still triumph. With a little education the true nature of the Federal Reserve as a privately owned central bank can be exposed. A multitude of voices raised for a singular purpose cannot be ignored even by the most corrupt politician. End the Fed.
If you like my writings, I am asking for your help. Please visit my website szandorblestman.com to see my archived articles and help support me by making a donation. I am also pleased to announce the release of my novel entitled "The Edge of Sanity."by Matthew Wayne. It is also available for the Kobo Vox, at Barnes and Noble and at Diesel. The download for this book is only $2.99. I have also released "The Ouijiers" at smashwords.com. The download is $2.99, but you can get the first 20% free.
I am working on a book. The working title is "The Blessings of Freedom: Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century." I am going to offer this work as a serial for those who are interested and can't wait for the book to come out. I hope to publish a chapter every couple of weeks or so. I will offer the chapters for sale exclusively at smashwords.com as I finish them. The price is $0.99 for each chapter as it comes out. Here is the link to Chapter 1: "The Blessings of Freedom: Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" Chapter 1. There is a bonus as the Introduction to the book is included with this download. Keep an eye out as further chapters will be announced as they come out. I wish to thank everyone in advance for their support in this endeavor.
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