Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Cosmic Forces and Terrestrial Farces (3.11.10)

We live in a world of forces.

Duh. What an insipid way to start a post.

No, wait. I don't just mean physical forces, but mental forces, spiritual forces, and even "wealth forces." For example, at American Digest there is a quote from the Adam Smith Institute to the effect that there are no causes of poverty, being that it is obviously the "natural condition." There are no wealthy animals. Poverty "is the rest state, that which happens when you don't do anything. If you want to experience poverty, just do nothing and it will come. To ask what causes poverty is like asking what causes cold in the universe; it is the absence of energy. Similarly poverty is the absence of wealth. For most of humanity's existence on this planet, poverty has been the norm, the natural condition."

Poverty just is. It doesn't become an actual force until the left takes over and begins to magically "create poverty" with bad ideas. There are no wealthy animals, and human wealth only began to exist on a widespread scale in the past couple of hundred years. There are forces that result in wealth, such as human creativity, initiative, vision, risk, etc: "We should ask what are the causes of wealth and try to recreate and reproduce them. When you ask the wrong question, 'What causes poverty,' you end up with wrong answers.... Instead of trying to take wealth away from rich people and redistribute it, we should be seeking to implement the conditions in which as many people as possible can join in the wealth-creating process for themselves." Thus, the first law of wealth is "get off your ass." The second is "get the government off your ass."

In the mental realm, truth is a force. In fact, it is without question the most important force. Some people -- mostly aging hippies and addle-brained youths, who represent the two main constituencies of the left, wacktivists and hedonists -- will tell you that love is the most important force, but love is a derivative of Truth, not vice versa. I do not worship "the God of love" unless he is first the God of Truth, for who besides a leftist would worship a lovely liar like Marx or Obama?

Hmm, I read something to this effect just the other day.... Where was it.... Yes, here it is, by you-know-who, Mr. Gnosis-all: "God is 'Light' before He is 'Heat,' if it may be so expressed; gnosis 'precedes' love, or rather, love 'follows' gnosis, since the latter includes love after its own fashion...." Schuon goes on to explain that "one can love something false, without love ceasing to be what it is; but one cannot 'know' the false in a similar way, that is to say knowledge cannot be under illusion as to its object without ceasing to be what it is; error always implies a privation of knowledge, whereas sin does not imply a privation of will."

Although the lie -- being a privation -- has no "absolute" existence, it does represent a potent "counter-force" on the horizontal plane. In fact, if you think about it for even a moment, it has possibly had an even greater impact and influence on the world than truth. Or at the very least, it is a constant battle. Truth is always embattled on all sides, just as light is surrounded by darkness. Only by positing something "fundamentally wrong" with humans can you explain their constant attraction to the Lie. The bigger they are, the harder we fall.

You'd think it would be uncontroversial to utter a simple truth, but you'd be wrong, wouldn't you? I am reminded of Obama's shamelessly opportunistic and manipulative "dialogue about race," when the whole reason we cannot say anything useful or productive about race is that the left will brand you as racist if you do. It seems that to carry Truth is to pick up a cross and paint a target on one's back.

Animals cannot lie. While they can have certain naturally selected mechanisms of deception, they certainly cannot live a lie. But living a lie is in the normal course of events for human beings. Someone said that language was given to man so as to conceal his thoughts. Interestingly, this problem is fully recognized in scripture, as the very first conversations recorded in the Bible are lies. The serpent lies to the woman, the woman transmits the lie to the man, and the man lies about it to God, and then a rebellious angel leaks it to the Times. The very emergence of self-consciousness seems to be inseparable from lying.

So lying is absolutely fundamental to human existence, a fact that wasn't systematized until the early 20th century, in the works of Freud (the good Freud) and his followers. In particular, the psychoanalyst W.R. Bion developed a sophisticated epistemology showing how a vital lie is at the basis of most all forms of psychopathology (at least those that aren't mainly genetic and/or biochemical). Once the lie is in place, it causes the psyche to enter a sort of parallel universe, for it constructs itself on the foundations of that initial falsehood.

A mind parasite is essentially an internalized lie that takes on a pseudo-life of its own. I believe the term is an accurate one, for it is meant to convey the idea that a vital lie that lodges itself in the psyche is not static, but takes on the characteristics of the host, so to speak. I remember once discussing this with my analyst. I don't remember the exact context of the problem I was whining about, but he said words to the effect of, "What do you expect? It's as smart as you are."

In other words, the mind parasite has available to it all of the elaborate machinery of the mind. Therefore, it can easily justify itself, elaborate itself, gang up on the truth, intimidate healthier parts of the psyche. It's like a dictator who uses legitimate means to come to power, but then corruptly uses all of the levers of power to stay there and eliminate opponents.

Those who are in thrall to the lie are by definition slaves. While they may enjoy a subjective sense of freedom, it is an illusion. In fact, they have forfeited their freedom and are attached to a monstrous demon that they have generated out of their own psychic substance, in the same way that a spider weaves a web out of its own body.

Think of a vivid example that is readily at hand -- the Islamists. Is it not obvious that they are absolutely enslaved by artificial beings of their own creation? And that they want everyone else to be enslaved by the same demon? Does this not demonstrate the insane power of demons?

There are personal mind parasites and collective mind parasites. Many cultures revolve entirely around monstrous entities that have been engendered by whole communities, such as the Aztec. Here again, it would be wrong to say that the Aztec had a "bloodthirsty god" -- rather, it clearly had them. Thousands upon thousands of human beings sacrificed to satisfy this god's appetite for human blood, elaborate mechanisms set up to supply fresh bodies, the heart of the sacrificial victim cut out by the officiating priest who would himself take a bite out of it while it was still beating. A whole society of Jeffrey Dahmers trying desperately to allay anxiety by vampirically ingesting the life force of others. The Islamists are just the latest idition of this unconscious anti-religion. But you undoubtedly know some people in your own life who do the same thing -- hungry ghosts who "feed" on the spirit or blog of others.

In all times and in all places, human beings have looked for ways to objectify and worship their self-created demons. This is preferable to having them run around loose in one's own psyche. Take again the example of the Islamist. How would one even begin to tell him: "you have a persecutory entity inside of you that your life revolves around. You have placed it outside of yourself so as to make your life bearable, for it conceals a truth that is too painful to endure."

To a large extent, this dynamic is at the heart of more mundane politics as well. For those who do not experience George Bush as a demon, it is almost impossible to understand those who do, any more than we can really understand the motivations of the Aztec. The collective mind parasite has a grammar and logic all its own, inaccessible to all but initiates into the Lie.

You don't actually want to get that close to an intoxicating Lie of that magnitude. It's not safe. Better to observe it from a respectful distance. Otherwise, you will find yourself pulled down into a false world of counter-lying rather than simple truth. You cannot create an artificial "good demon,” which is what secular leftists are trying to do when they aren't creating bad ones. Those who criticize my "negativity" probably think I am engaging in the former -- heatedly countering the lie -- when I am calmly engaged in the latter -- simply affirming the truth that is and has always been. This is the inner meaning of "resist not evil." Resist it in the wrong way, and you come into its orbit.

For as old Anonymous points out, a demon operates through a combination of will and imagination. You may think of perverse will as the male principle and perverse imagination as the female principle. Together they beget the demon child that then controls the parents, taking over both will and imagination. C onsider how so much art and academic nonsense is nothing more than the elaboration of the perverse imagination -- ideological superstructures giving cover to lies of various magnitude. Think of how much "activism" is simply the angry agitation of the perverse will, just the punitive hedonism of a corrupt superego.

This is the inner meaning of "you shall not make for yourself a graven image," for Truth is a living thing, a Being, that cannot be reduced to the idolatrous systems of men, especially corrupted men who do not honor Truth to begin with. Most modern and postmodern ideologies and philosophies are opiates of elites too sophisticated for such powerful pneumaceuticals as Truth.

And this is the inner meaning of "honor your father and mother”: not rebelling against received truth and tradition in an adolescent manner, especially before you are even mature enough to understand what it means. But the Obamaniacs will always be with us in one form or another.

28 comments:

Lisa said...

Wow, Bob, you clearly demonstrate how the articulation of Truth is like it's consequence, Love. Each day you feel and think it can't get much better, but then tomorrow begins and it really is better. Great post today, it was a pleasure to read, thanks.

QP said...

What Lisa Said™!
***

Today's latest find revealing Operation Collective Mind Parasite
at work ->

A bizarre answer in which the extremism of Hamas and Hezbollah is equated with extremism you can find even in Oregon.

Who knew, hey Walt? -o.o-

Anonymous said...

Hey, sorry for the sidetrack...but I'm feeling drawn towards trying to understand Whitehead's philosophy a little more...any recommendations on how to begin? I'm not afraid of starting with the comic book version...

Thank you.

QP said...

Just in case, not all OC readers stop by our Oregonian's website [Froth from Walt] here's a link I left there today, that reveals one country's leader's powerful way of thwarting aggressive, CMP's.

walt said...

Aside to QP-

Your link quoted Obama's man saying re Oregon: "So there's craziness all over the place."

I would only add: especially in Oregon!

Gecko said...

Ditto what Lisa said. Thanks, Bob, hope you are feeling better.

Anonymous said...

>>You don't actually want to get that close to an intoxicating Lie of that magnitude. It's not safe<<

There is a small cadre of souls evidently destined to frontline combat with the Lie. These are souls who are able to expose themselves to the Lie while maintaining their spiritual sangfroid, but I don't doubt it's a terrible strain.

For example, the FBI people who specialize in hunting down serial killers - and even these folks are relieved after a year of duty.

Then there are exorcist priests of the Vatican. I can't even comprehend what that exposure to the Lie is like and I don't want to.

I doff my propeller beanie to these folks.

mushroom said...

I used to spend a lot of time hanging out with preachers of various denominations ($5, $10, $20, etc). Demon possession and the presence of demons was a common topic. Bob's explanations here are the most enlightening I have heard.

Jesus routinely ordered demons to shut up and leave. Perhaps they are eloquent. The ones I've dealt with can certainly be convincing -- subtle , you know, nuanced.

Anonymous said...

Good stuff Bob.


"God is 'Light' before He is 'Heat,'"

I just realized that agni shares the same root as gnosis--uh.

"The serpent lies to the woman, the woman transmits the lie to the man, and the man lies about it to God,"

Ok, I'm not saying I'm right on this, but I've been under the impression that the serpent never really lied. Mythologically speaking, before the fall there was not enough being, or consciousness, to even be aware of death. Whereas, after the fall, there was the entrance and decent of an awareness, and therefore, of death, which had really been the case all along. So this part-- "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil," really happened as the serpent said it would, and it was rather Eve who started the first lie when she said "the serpent deceived me, and I ate," when what the serpent was really guilty of was not explained the fine print, or the consequences and the burden that the light would be once it was brought into their lives. From then on, because of the increased light working in humanity, it seems that the bulk of the lies are from the natural byproduct of life-suppression ("The very emergence of self-consciousness seems to be inseparable from lying."), agni burning as it did when the darkness that surrounded them was lite up; the increased light reciprocated an increased darkness, just as if were we to actually have a religious experience, an opening or expansiveness, a dark night of the soul might follow as one becomes aware of the newly found constriction/deprivation in ones life.

Another thing I wanted to maybe get some opinions on, that is, extreme cases of possession, like this one. I can hardly imagine how imagination and will could whirlwind so violently in a persons life; and I don't know that psychoanalysis can even explain cases like this...Bob?

I don't know. It's as if her fear of the devil became so great that that the healthy ego almost completely dissociated and externalized (she supposable had a vision of the virgin Mary near the end), and placed devils (fear) inside where they really became autonomous, albeit, false entities.

Great post today!

Anonymous said...

It seems that since the advent of the internet and other alternative media, the normally "sympathetic to all things Marxist media" are in a bit of a quandry. They are unable to conceal their lies and the lies of the politicians they support. There is beginning to be a competition between the two medium to get the "scoop" ever since Drudge scooped them on Monica-gate and reported a story they were sitting on.
Recently, ABC was out in front of the Wracist Wright story as CBS is now exposing Hillary for her repeated lies about being under sniper fire on a trip to Bosnia, a trip taken with those same CBS journalists.
In the past, those stories would have gone unreported. It would have taken decades to do the research on the lies and come out with a book which by the time of publication was old news.
With the advent of the new media, any politicians attempt to appear of mythological status, be it being named for Sir Edmond Hillary, six years before anyone even knew who he was, to being the "raceless uniter" who has spent the last 20 years of his adult life consorting with some of the country's worst race-baiting bigots, all media, even the elites who in the past have been complicit with politicians of their particular persuasion (progressive, neo-marxist, Lib), are beginning to slowly turn to becoming the ones who get the story out first since it will be reported by someone eventually. In my mind, that can only be a good thing, a first step in the remote possibility that we might begin to get semi-honest politians, if we do our part and vote the bumiest out of office.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the most common form of "demon" possession is certainly that of the mind parasite. These can establish themselves on the astral level, so to speak, as independent, half-life entities. In this sense, I suppose those people of the cloth who cavalierly chatter about demon possession are right.

There is the rare case (though not as rare as it used to be) when something wholly superatural enters the picture - that's when the trained excorcists are called in, as well they should be because this is a concentration of oppression on a different scale. This is ground-zero, archetypal oppression.

In this case, yeah, the demon(s) may be "nuanced" up to a point, but eventually they drop the pretense and let roar full bore.

Anyway, it's not something most have to be concerned with whereas we all have to deal with head parasites, to one degree or another. I sometimes think that the occasional cases of truly supernatural possession are allowed to occur simply to remind us that metaphysical evil, archetypal evil does exist, and to demonstrate to us that the stakes involved in living the earthly life are rather high.

Anonymous said...

How can one identify one's own mind parasites? I worry that mine, having seized the reins of power so to speak, easily evade my higher self's attempts to find and purge them.

Where can one best start to battle against the MP's?

Anonymous said...

"astral level, so to speak, as independent, half-life entities"

I haven't done too much research on the topic, but it would have to be a formation of mental substance from above, or rather, deep below, the normal range of perception. It's like death talking; like if in the process of mental substance breaking down a finite formation somehow became externalized and was given the "freedom of the town," and it would seem that the natural reaction of the engendered (from the unknown) being would be the rebellion and hate the ultimate subject from which it was created, since it is literally alive within death, so to speak.

Anonymous said...

anonymous, I'd start with self-attentiveness, self-awareness.

Periodically, take time to see what's floating around in your head. It's amazing how people can go about all day with a, say, bitterness or anger brewing just under the surface and they're not really aware of it - even though they're essentially slaves to these negative emotions.

After a while, maybe larger behavior patterns might be revealed to you, repetitive things, etc., but self-awareness is the place to start. Sounds very simple, but it has the advantage of actually working.

And of course do so in a prayerful state of mind.

Van Harvey said...

"Thus, the first law of wealth is "get off your ass." The second is "get the government off your ass." "

There's a bumper sticker in there somewhere!

(ehm... I did't mean... uhm...never mind)

Anonymous said...

Superb post today, Bob.
The outing of Obama's racist reverend may just end up smashing some of the wall of political correctness that has kept the truth penned up for so very long.
If American racism is the force keeping, say, inner city blacks wallowing in hopelessness and poverty, it stands to reason that absent that racism, most of those people would be successful, and thrive. There must be, then, some other place where American racism isn't a factor, and those disadvantaged souls would do better. Where?
The truth is- there is nowhere on the planet, and no time in the history of the human race, where any individual who has a little ambition, and a decent work ethic stands a better chance of success than in contemporary America. That's why so many people are trying to get here.
If you can't make it here, you aren't going to do any better anywhere else.
But it's not about race. I'm sure we've all known someone who never made it because the [fill in the blank] was out to get him. The cards were stacked. The game was rigged. And patronizing that kind of victimhood- feeding it with sympathy is like giving free dope to a junkie. Evil.

JWM

Anonymous said...

here is an interesting twist on the ritual sacrifice...

http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Comment_and_Analysis/10199724.html

Anonymous said...

St. Francis of Assisi refered to his body as his brother ass...perhaps it could be applied to those mind parasites Bob writes of...Assisi = Ass is I??

Anonymous said...

Bob wrote: "...I do not worship "the God of love" unless he is first the God of Truth..."

God is Truth and Spirit and should be worshiped as such.

Anonymous said...

"For example, the FBI people who specialize in hunting down serial killers - and even these folks are relieved after a year of duty."

Reminds me of the Al Pacino film "Cruising"...kind of like getting too close to a black hole where the gravitational pull is so great that "your light" gets sucked in...

Anonymous said...

Bob, I agree with you 98.2% of the time, but your liberal bashing (and Obama bashing in particular) is only partially correct. Sure, these leftist secular humanists are missing half the story in regards to interiority structures, but they're at least pushing some edge in exteriority systems. It's not perfect, but it is part of the evolving spirit's need to express itself. In regards to Obama in particular, he is not as left as you may think. I read his book and have talked with people that know him. He may truly the first integral (a la Wilber) candidate. I get the polemical need to lambaste extreme mind parasites that emanate from the left, but ironically they have their roots on the right. One ideal was built on the other.

Gagdad Bob said...

Respectfully, Obama has the most far left voting record of 100 senators, and is the long time spiritual disciple of a deplorably racist, anti-Semitic, anti-American, paranoid, conspiracy-mongering kook who helps to keep blacks down with his bigoted hate speech that uproots them from reality and encourages victimology. What's the upside? What is "integral" about this?

Anonymous said...

"In regards to Obama in particular, he is not as left as you may think."...huh?


Behind the Obama story is a very liberal left voting record. Here are some key votes and positions from Obama:

· Voted against extending the Bush tax cuts on capital gains and dividends.

· Voted against permanently repealing the Death Tax. (Called the cuts a "Paris Hilton" tax break for "billionaire heirs and heiresses") · Voted against CAFTA.

· Voted YES on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25.

· Opposed the lifting of $0.54 per gallon tariff on cheaper Brazillian ethanol. Said, "ethanol imports are neither necessary nor a practical response to current gasoline prices."

· Voted against the bankruptcy abuse bill.

· Opposes privatizing Social Security

· Voted against drilling in ANWR.

· Voted against confirmation of Sam Alito AND John Roberts as chief justice.

· Voted against extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision.

· Opposed any bans on partial birth abortions.


yep...not so liberal...

IrOnY RaGeD said...

"Battle not with monsters lest ye become one; for when you look into the Abyss, the Abyss looks into you"
-Nietzsche

Sorry, just kinda reminded me of this quote, which always reminds me of this:

"God is dead" -Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is dead" -God

Gagdad Bob said...

Anon:

The fact is, if you foolishly reduce "integral" to meaning some sort of squishy middle area between "left and right" -- which Obama clearly does not inhabit -- you should support McCain, who has actually cosponsored many important (but in my opinion, misguided) bills with liberals.

IrOnY RaGeD said...

Oh and by the way, another great post Bob!

Anonymous said...

"But it's not about race. I'm sure we've all known someone who never made it because the [fill in the blank] was out to get him. The cards were stacked. The game was rigged. And patronizing that kind of victimhood- feeding it with sympathy is like giving free dope to a junkie. Evil."

Yes, that is one of the main premises by which Satan, the Supreme Mind Parasite, the King of Lies, derives his power; IT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S FAULT. Someone else's fault that I'm the way I am or I am where I am. If I'm a junkie in a gutter, someone else put me there by selling me the heroin, by not giving my school system enough money, by cutting funding to the entitlements that could have helped me, etc, etc, etc. It's Whitey's fault. It's Consertavives' fault. It's America's fault. It's Mom and Dad's fault, my teacher's fault, the police's fault, on and on ad nauseum. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Great Lie exposed. It's the Lie that Adam uttered (she gave it to me), that Cain uttered (am I my brother's keeper?), and that has ruled various parts of this planet at one time or another. It's the Lie that gave Hitler power over 80 million people (it's the Jews', communists, and Gypsies' faults), and Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot their power (it's capitalists' fault). When that mind parasite gains power over an entire nation, the floogates of horror are unleashed, and millions of the innocent pay the price. Iran, North Korea, Gaza and many other places are under its thrall as we speak.

Pacifists and New Agers attempt to do an end run around this parasite by simply saying "its nobody's fault, why not just sing coombaya and hold hands and have a love circle?". This of course negates the assigning of TRUE blame, such as that of Hitler for starting WWII, Stalin for the deaths of 50 million Russians, Iran for the deaths of American Soldiers, etc, even the blame of criminals for their crimes, a la the ACLU. All of which simply empowers the parasite more by enabling it rather that doing battle with it by exposing it and turning people away from it and towards the Truth, which is the only way to defeat it. The Truth will indeed set us free; the Lie will continue to enslave. When we see the Truth, we can be enabled to know where blame really belongs (often with ourselves), and only then can we be empowered to live in the Truth.

Anonymous said...

Amen, brother tsebring, AMEN!

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