Materialism

Materialism

From those who are concerned with such matters… we have often herd the lament that we live in a materialistic society. It implies that material goods and possessions are more important to us than justice or integrity.

If materialism is indeed on the Wrong Path… how did we get there? And… what is the cause… the Source… of materialism? Let’s examine it!

We can observe that all the material goods that we value… have been produced by the “hand of Man”. Houses… cars… TV’s… computers… stereos are all products of Human Labor. Furthermore… we can rightly say that… they all belong to the order of Man!

Because Man has selected… Greed… Domination… and Advantage… to be the central values of his movement… the entire Human order has been thus organized around these destructive principles. Therefore… whatever he creates is always confined to be within the walls of this harmful framework.

Everything that Man produces existed in his mind first. Bridges… cars… roads… computers… and guns… all existed in the consciousness of Man before showing up as material objects in the physical world. All the material objects that we desire… purchase… and collect… are invariably of the order of Man… and have emerged from the human mind. What we value… what we seek to own… all belongs to the Human Order.

We have… by our own choice of values… locked ourselves within the destructive order of Man. By choosing Materialism and “the More”… we also choose Greed and Unsustainability… and become helplessly entrenched within the Illusion… and the devastating order of Man.

The order of Man completely dismisses the Natural Order and takes any Intelligence there as being accidental and insignificant. By devaluing Nature… we inescapably devalue Nature’s values of Love and Harmony… and with it… all that Nature produces.

Furthermore… by limiting ourselves to the Human Order… we value instead… Dominance… Greed… and only that which the “hand of man” produces. Materialism is only the first hint of the hideous face that lies behind the mask of Western “Progress” and “Respectability”.

Labor and Wealth

Labor and Wealth

There was an interesting bumper sticker that read… “Labor creates all wealth”. What does one say? Does this pro-labor statement contain any Truth? Let’s examine it.

In the order of Man where Nature’s raw materials are considered “free” and “there for the taking”… then any added value… or “real wealth”… is taken to be only what the hand of Man has contributed. Then… strictly from and within this human assumption… this quote could make perfectly good sense! So… within the Illusion created by Man… this statement WOULD have all the appearances of “truth”.

Natural Order… on the other hand… is the greater Order… and lies outside Man’s Illusion. Within this higher Order… we see that true Wealth is produced naturally and automatically by the infinite Forces of Nature. Nature’s majesty is indeed Free… to be used harmoniously with our Mother Earth… and all her living ecosystems.

It is only when Nature’s Bounty begins to be used for Greed and Advantage… instead of Harmony with the Sacred Whole… that the true crimes of Human existence… come into being. It is inescapable that once we fail to appreciate the wondrous Gift of Life bestowed upon us… and slip into Illusion… that the suffering begins.

Within the Natural Order… all the environmental and World’s problems… are obvious and their causes perfectly clear. For those locked into the Illusion of the Human Order… however… these problems form such a perplexing dilemma… that we are happy to hand them over to the Authorities… the ones more knowledgeable on the bewildering predicament. Unfortunately… these same “experts” are also the same people who are causing… and profiting from… the problems! And… it is exactly the response from us they were hoping for!!

Those that seek Personal Gain and Advantage would have the rest of us believe in the Illusion… that the Human order is the real form of wealth… while they secretly stockpile all of Nature’s wealth... the so-called “natural resources”... into their own coffers. They steal all the real wealth that Nature produces under the unnatural guise of “ownership”. In this way… the rich can take what was meant for all to share… and fence it in for themselves… leaving for the rest of us only the Illusion of Man made goods.

By convincing us that Nature is free and meant for us to use (calling them “natural resources”)… they then guarantee their own wealth by taking charge of the Sacred land and ecosystems of Mother Earth. They begin the charade by placing the real wealth in their own pocket. The tree… for example… is worked into a board… sold to us… and then we are told that it is only the Human labor that matters. In this shell game… we now see the board as a human creation… and render Nature’s role as immaterial and insignificant!

We have been conditioned to accept the Human order as the only real order. It is only what Man produces that is important… and is the only “wealth”. Cities are thus created that are entirely human designs powered by… and dependent on… unnatural energy. Here the human order prevails… and Nature is crowded out with the “progress” of Man. We learn to seek our food in supermarkets… drive automobiles… and entertain ourselves with TV’s. Our entire lives are then lived within this artificial order. Here the Illusion is complete!

The unnatural world of Human order becomes our “reality”… and is the Illusion we are born into. It is the illusion that… by the time we are old enough to think for ourselves… we have already accepted as our “reality”. It is this Illusion that we then call “truth”. It is also the Illusion according to which we make all our decisions and order our lives. Furthermore… it is the same Illusion that we then teach and pass on to our children!

In this way… the gullible and unsuspecting masses are herded into our unnatural cities where… like a stage play… it can be made to appear that the fabricated and artificial order of Man is all important… and the only “reality”. After all… our lives now completely depend on it for our needs and survival! In this “Matrix”… in this artificial “bubble of reality”… all the human crimes and suffering are made to appear “natural”.

Only when we can break free of this pervasive Illusion can we see the World as it really is. Only then can we see the wonders and Harmony of Creation itself. Only then can we come to know our Creator.

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Unsustainable Living

Unsustainable Living

If one were asked to find what best represented and symbolized the unsustainable society of Man… one could easily choose… METAL. Why? … Because it is the use of metal that has enabled Man to act out his Domination over the Natural World.

Chemistry… money… or unnatural energy could also have been selected… but Metal seems to best capture the Essence of Domination from its most primitive roots. Metal has allowed Man… from the earliest times… to rip into our Mother Earth… and to forcibly extract from her the baubles that we value more than Love or Harmony!

Metal has also allowed Farming to replace Gathering as the normal method of feeding ourselves. The Gatherer would depend on Nature to provide for his or her needs. Farming… especially commercial farming… imposes our will over the ecosystem and the Intelligent forces of Nature.

Chain saws… automobiles… knives… swords… bullets… guns… bombs… prison cells… have allowed Man to extend his love of Domination… Greed… and Violence… into the Natural World… and upon our Brothers and Sisters. Metal… in the form of knives and bullets… easily penetrate the living form… maiming and killing. It is sad that this form of Violence has captured the human fancy more than any other… and has become the very foundation of our society… upon which all else that we have built depends.

The routine horror of the blade in the slaughterhouse… the butchery… has become the standard way of eating… and “living”… in our False Society. What is more… we have willingly accepted all of this! We have accepted… embraced… and exalted… the way of the blade… and take great pleasure in our savoring of Violence.

All the human crimes against Nature… the cutting of the trees… the extraction industries… indeed the entire Industrial Revolution… all that is profane… has been made readily available to us through our love affair with the blade. Nothing represents the Wrong Path… the enticement to destruction… more than METAL. The entire unsustainable society has been built with… and rests upon… this… "the devil’s favorite tool!"

As an aside… and indeed the insight that prompted this particular writing… is the seemingly innocent fork which regularly appears at our meals. Its ability to stab and render helpless any recalcitrant morsel that defies our impatient gullet… has won our unanimous approval and reverence!

It has been wisely said that we are killing ourselves… mouthful by mouthful… with our knife and fork. How important these utensils have become in allowing us to eat the flesh of animals. The Violence of our new day is set before us along with our breakfast plate… and we impatiently… and enthusiastically… partake! Let the day begin!!

In a truly harmonious world… we see that the knife and fork would be totally unnecessary. In Nature… all is simple. The animals do not need knives and forks! The natural foods do not require such formidable weapons to attack them. An apple… an orange… a banana… berries… a carrot… all can be eaten with just our hands!

In this light… it is seen as interesting that our False Society… with its ungodly foods… would deem the knife and fork as necessary parts of “genteel etiquette”… and decry the use of eating with one’s hands as a sign of barbarism! Ahh… within the Illusion… all is right!! Indeed… once on the Wrong Path… only the continuation of Wrong is made to appear acceptable… and “right”.

Violence

Violence

We have accepted Violence as a way of life. Today… our whole society is built around it. It has become our Culture… and our Tradition. We have learned to accept it… and justify it. We have been conditioned to it from an early age… and now… our Daily Life embraces… and participates… in its destructive movement. Violence is deeply ingrained in us… down to our very core… and has become the very Essence of who we are.

We have accepted War… the routine killing of other human beings… as “natural” and necessary. We see Violence as the correct answer… the proper response… to all our problems and disagreements. Furthermore… our confused and corrupt society justifies and defends this destructive way of living.

Our movies depict… over and over again… how our hero defeats the “bad guy” using force and brutality. He ultimately meets their Violence… with even greater Violence… and we applaud the bloody victory. Violence is the only way we know.

We are Violent and competitive in our dealings with others and aggressive with our words. Our anger and intent to dominate… to subdue… harm… or defeat another is also an outcome of the Violence we carry within us.

We see everything as a battle… that we must win… or lose. Our whole aim is to Dominate in whatever we do. We MUST WIN! … Otherwise… we are a “loser”. We know no other way.

Accordingly… we approach Nature with the very same state of mind. We approach it… not with respect… but with the intent to subdue and Dominate. We approach the Whole of Nature… with the slash of iron and the hand of Violence. We do not look upon Nature’s Intelligence and Harmony as something immensely Sacred. Instead… we look through the filter of Self-interest. We look only for our own benefit and advantage. Furthermore… once in our sights… we become diligent and ruthless to secure this benefit and advantage… for ourselves!

We meet Nature… as a patriarch… an emperor… a deity. Our relationship with her is based on Dominance… and not service. With Violence at our center… we can have no proper relationship with Nature. We cannot be of service to the Whole… when we are at war with all of the parts.

Until we can subdue the Violence… which resides in each of us… we must remain at odds with the Harmony of Gaia and her interconnected ecosystems. Furthermore… we must then remain in conflict with all other human beings.

Violence is NOT an inescapable part of human nature. It is always a CHOICE that we all possess. If we look deeply into our own consciousness… we can see that we could be friendly… co-operative… and loving as easily as we are selfish and aggressive. The CHOICE is up to us… up to each and every one of us.

Right Consciousness… is all-important. To have Peace and Harmony in the OUTER world… we must first have it in the INNER. If it is there at our very core… in the inner workings of our own particular consciousness… then we can make the co-operative… the loving… the compassionate choice. And… most importantly… WE are the only ones that can put it there.

Is it possible to eliminate the Violence within us… the Violence that is controlling our destructive behavior? Let us see.

First we must see… as a Fact… and ACKNOWLEDGE… that we ARE Violent. For… we can only change “What is”… and can NEVER change… “What is not”… which is only a fantasy of imagination.

If we are Violent… yet claim to be Compassionate… we are living a lie. We have created for ourselves a satisfying illusion… a pleasing image of ourselves… to replace the Truth of what we are. Then the Truth becomes covered over. Our Violence is denied. We become hypocrites… and learn to befriend the lie.

To perceive the Violence that is within us… is a major insight. Most do not even notice it… let alone acknowledge it. After all… we have been conditioned to Violence our entire lives… in innumerable ways. Our Society incessantly tells us… Violence is “natural”… it is just the way it is! Furthermore… all of those around us… including our leaders… and even the one they would have us call “God”… all condone it!!

Thus, Violence is explained away. It is justified by our Authorities… encouraged by the media… and defended by God!

How does Violence originate? It comes about when we lose sight of the Sacred Whole… when we fail to see that we are an essential part of the Sacred Harmony. Violence comes about when we then substitute the ultimate importance and superiority of the “Me” over all-else.

When we no longer see the Sacred Whole… all we have left … are the separate fragments. The seemingly only logical purpose that life then holds for us is to elevate our fragment… our “Me”… over all the others. In this way… Self-interest then necessarily becomes the only logical choice… the prime motivation… and the center of all movement.

We are so entrenched in the ways of Violence… that we fail to see the Truth… the very Truth of Violence. We fail to see that… Violence begets Violence. We fail to Understand that… what is brought about by Violence… must be maintained by Violence!

The fact that the Violence of war is the officially accepted means to bring about Peace reflects our deep conditioning to this illogical behavior.

“One cannot come to a right end through a wrong means” - J. Krishnamurti

Violence can only create more Violence. Violence can never bring about Peace. The mind that accepts Violence… IS Violence… and can never bring about a state of NONVIOLENCE.

Violence and the “Me” belong to the same destructive movement… the movement of Division. This movement is completely False and disruptive. It is a LIE… and cannot coexist with Truth… or the Harmony of the Sacred Whole. Violence and Compassion cannot coexist. Thus… we are clearly then… either in the one stream or the other.

Consequently… the “Me” can NEVER come to Compassion… or to Truth. For… they only exist… in the other stream! Hence… within the False… there can only be conflict… and Violence. Within THAT stream… there is no other way. Within the stream of the False… Violence is all there is. Conflict and Violence are part of the very fabric… the very structure… of the False. Consequently… through THAT filter… through those eyes… it indeed ALL appears to be “natural”.

Only in Silence… only in the negation of the “Me”… is there Truth… Harmony… and Intelligence. Only in the movement of Harmony… only in THAT stream… is there the absence of Violence in the human consciousness. Once there is the negation of Violence… then a whole new consciousness comes into being… where Intelligence reigns. And… where Love… becomes the inherent and natural source of Intelligence.