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| We've been bamboozled. |
We've been bamboozled into giving power over to an out of control system. It's a game, and most of us have lost.
Scientist Carl Sagan knew that when we give our power away, we almost never get it back. Lending our support to the consumer scam is a good example. Now it is a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut, and it continues to suck the power from both people and the Earth.
"One of the saddest lessons of history is this", warned Sagan: "If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. Them bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken."
Living to shop, rather than shopping to live, has usurped our power. We should want it back, but we have been taken and don't even notice that it is gone. And has been for a very long time.
One way we can regain our power, tear it away from those that lie for fun and profit, is to speak the truth about the way things are, for Sagan also said, "If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth."
When we quit rejecting the truth about our profligate lifestyles and the repercussions they have for the whole globe, the whole thing starts to crumble. We see through the lies and we destroy that which holds power over our better judgment.
We realize it doesn't have to be this way.
The Truth About The Consumer Bamboozlement
1. We have been trained since birth to want things we do not need, and wouldn't ever want if it weren't for the high pressure tactics used against us.
2. We would be happier with less work, less stuff, and more freedom to live the simple lives we really desire.
3. It is not about you being happy, or content. The system is not for your benefit. It is foisted upon us so that major players can take your power. And your money. And your life, cradle to grave.
4. It is not the only way to do things, and it has not always been this way. At the most, only the past 300 years have been focused on getting you to give away your money and your life so a small group can carry out a global coup and enslave everyone.
5. Of those years, only about the past 60 have been about having extreme consumption as The Goal in life.
6. Most people on the planet do not partake in shopping for pleasure, but big business will not be satisfied until everyone is participating. The planet will collapse far before that ever happens.
7. It feels great to not buy anything, and quit being bamboozled and exploited by the taking advantage of our baser emotions and desires.
2. We would be happier with less work, less stuff, and more freedom to live the simple lives we really desire.
3. It is not about you being happy, or content. The system is not for your benefit. It is foisted upon us so that major players can take your power. And your money. And your life, cradle to grave.
4. It is not the only way to do things, and it has not always been this way. At the most, only the past 300 years have been focused on getting you to give away your money and your life so a small group can carry out a global coup and enslave everyone.
5. Of those years, only about the past 60 have been about having extreme consumption as The Goal in life.
6. Most people on the planet do not partake in shopping for pleasure, but big business will not be satisfied until everyone is participating. The planet will collapse far before that ever happens.
7. It feels great to not buy anything, and quit being bamboozled and exploited by the taking advantage of our baser emotions and desires.
This blog always makes me think and I enjoy every post.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I watched a English Bob hangout on YouTube and the benefits of Linux was discussed with regard to freedom from being tracked or your data being mined. There is no advertising targeted at Linux users. Linux proves why open source is better and works. People working together and creating an operating system that leads the corporate offerings far behind. The reason why Linux is more widely adopted is that it doesn't manipulate the market. It is definitely better than any commercial alternative.
Never really had an interest in shopping or consuming.
Well I'm off to teach by boy to install Peppermint Linux.
Peace
Alex
Alex,
DeleteYou are a rare breed, indeed. Most people do not want to be made to think. Especially about reducing flagrant lifestyles.
Linda and I always look forward to your comments for the same reason - you give us (and the NBA family) a lot to think about, and we learn a lot in the process. We like thinking and learning. What else is there?
I am not very computer literate, but reducing the amount we are being tracked by the authorities can only be a good thing. I want them out of my head, my computer, and my life.
Thanks for your kind words. This a rare blog, as people don't think about these things as a general rule.
DeleteOne thing I recently found out is that I had no previous interest in is these television talent singing shows. I'm now watching the Chinese versions and it does make them more watchable as you can pick up a lot of language. The media is in general very boring. I now watch a lot of stuff in Chinese as it makes it a bit more interesting.
All the best,
Alex
Nobody likes to be exploited, once we really become aware it is time to make decisions. If someone have needs make somebody filthy rich then what we can do.Saffron
ReplyDeleteSaffron,
DeleteAwareness can be both a blessing and a curse. Once awareness sets in, behaviour change must follow lest we become the victims of our own cognitive dissonance. Changing behaviour is difficult, but ultimately liberating.
No one needs to be filthy rich, ever. The mindless pursuit of wealth is surely a mental disorder induced by our messed up competitive world. Past a certain modest amount, more money does nothing for our overall happiness. But it sure does have many negative effects on people and the planet.
Bamboozled is such a great word.
ReplyDeleteHi Marla (without the Miss),
DeleteI like to shout out, "We've been bamboozled!" over and over. Eventually it becomes funny, then sad, then funny again.
Have started and stopped a comment a couple times. First wanted to claim that I had not been bamboozled...yeah, right. Of course I have. But seems mine is in the area that I feel I MUST keep working, even part time at a job I don't really like, since that is what I am supposed to do. Even though we have the money that I could quit (my partner already retired - smart guy), I feel I must keep working. But...there is hope. With your help, my partner's help, my own thinking, I feel less and less like I must work and that I can step out of that darn rat race and enjoy life, simply. Thanks for everything. - Mary
ReplyDelete