As individuals, we receive information in many different ways. Our eyes gather visual data as we continually look around ourselves throughout the day. While we are reasonably aware of our surroundings, there are many details that we overlook. We also experience viscosity, in which particular items stand out more than others.
Studies in perception reveal that the human eye can be fooled. Illusions of depth will stop a baby from crawling. Well-designed art can appear to flip back and forth between subjects, such as a drawing that looks like both a candlestick and two faces. When questioned about details of an event, observers often tell different stories, each insisting their truth. What we think we see and what is really there are different due to our unique perception.
Our eyes also receive information about subjects that are not within our visual field. By reading the letters on a page, ideas and concepts are transferred quickly. Every time you read a newspaper, scan a web page, or digest a book, you are accepting information that affects your knowledge. Using a belief system that has been developing all of your life, the scanned information is interpreted, sorted and stored. While some material is discarded, the majority of what we read, see and hear reaches our internal database.
How do we distinguish between what is true and what is not true? Children are trained to identify truth and fiction by considering the source of information. If the story is from a newspaper or televised news show, it is true. If the story is from a book, it may or may not be true. If the story is from a cartoon or comic book, it is definitely untrue. While we learn to distinguish between fact and fiction, our morals and beliefs are influenced by all sources of input. When Batman said it was a good thing to brush my teeth I accepted his advice, even knowing that the suggestion really came from Adam West and a scriptwriter.
So basically I have learned that all legitimate news is true, and that the suggestions of fictional characters can also be true. The problem is that none of it is true. Everything published has the objective of influence. Every news story has a slant; every quotation contains the beliefs of a speaker or writer. While we accept the facts of each story, we also tend to accept the mood of presentation. What we read in the news directly influences our beliefs and behavior.
What if the news we read is not true? The Internet reveals a difference between mainstream news and underground news. There are many theories about 911 conspiracies that aren’t mentioned in mainstream media, and some of them are shockingly convincing. But are they true? Is the news true? Can we believe what we read? And knowing about modern film technology, can we even believe what we see?
During World War II, the French Resistance continued an underground rebellion while maintaining a peaceful surface. Formed into small groups referred to as ‘maquis’, the Resistance shared information and influenced thought through the circulation of underground newspapers. Today we have the Internet, a means of quickly publishing anything. Just remember that determining the truth is up to you, and there are many sources attempting to manipulate your perceptions.
Copyright 2007 Glenn Stewart Coles
Friday, May 18, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain
The first in a series of American street riots happened on Mayday, 2007 in MacArthur Park. Once known for the lyric in this article’s title, the park in Los Angeles has a new image after police met a large group protesting immigration laws. Video shows the armored line moving forward, swinging batons and shooting rubber bullets. The line even pushed reporters and camera-people, and the mission to disperse was successful. In the aftermath we discuss these actions that currently define who we are.
This was not the first riot in Los Angeles. This was not the first time that LA police have been filmed beating people. This was not the first riot in America, nor the first example of police reacting with force. We have also seen similar occurrences around the world. However, this event could indicate change in our social order, and we could experience more.
We all know that the world is in a difficult situation. While some of us realize that the common enemy is ourselves, others expend energy making weapons and fighting. Eventually the need for survival will overcome the need to fight, and our species could learn things the hard way. In the meantime our planet is shifting, and humanity is required to shift with it.
For many, these shifts will be disturbing. When food supplies diminish, many will respond with anger and desperation. When the economic system collapses, many will refuse to cooperate with authorities, claiming ownership of their possessions. When our dependence upon the infrastructure is revealed by its absence, many will feel lost.
It is important to recognize that these shifts are beneficial to humanity and the development of our species. A power structure has developed that feeds itself by consuming resources. One of the key resources consumed is the effort of others, and the machines that run the world have many names. Governments, corporations, military forces and their opponents are all involved in a struggle to control the world. While many individuals live in peace, the world is at war.
Willingly or not, those who live in peace feed the machine that continues the wars. Most countries have military forces in action somewhere on the globe. While most who have Internet live in comparative peace, around the world there are many children who have witnessed violent death. Around the world there are many without food, water or shelter. Of six billion inhabitants, only a fortunate few live in comfort.
The secret of our salvation lies in recognition of the contrasts offered to us, and a restatement of our desires. If we want everyone in the world to have food, we must figure out a nutritious diet that can be easily created. By adapting our bodily needs to nutritional rather than psychological desires, there will be enough for everyone and all can be healthy. If we want to survive beyond the oil-age, we must commit to expending our remaining resources on the creation of an infrastructure that allows a perpetual symbiotic relationship with our planet.
Change can be difficult for any individual. For most of us, there are some habits that seem to hang on forever. We know what we should do to improve, but each year goes by and we stay the same. When attempting to introduce dramatic change to a group, acceptance can be more difficult to achieve. While change may sweep through when the majority accepts new practices, innovative ideas often meet resistance. However, to paraphrase Gandhi, ‘the truth is the truth, no matter how many people are saying it.’
We have passed the peak of the Oil Age, and each coming year will see diminishing resources. Do we expend our energy on conflict, or do we create a paradise where all can live in peace and harmony? The lightworkers know the choice to make, and it will take our love and hope to overcome fear and desperation. The path is open, and we continue to create…
This was not the first riot in Los Angeles. This was not the first time that LA police have been filmed beating people. This was not the first riot in America, nor the first example of police reacting with force. We have also seen similar occurrences around the world. However, this event could indicate change in our social order, and we could experience more.
We all know that the world is in a difficult situation. While some of us realize that the common enemy is ourselves, others expend energy making weapons and fighting. Eventually the need for survival will overcome the need to fight, and our species could learn things the hard way. In the meantime our planet is shifting, and humanity is required to shift with it.
For many, these shifts will be disturbing. When food supplies diminish, many will respond with anger and desperation. When the economic system collapses, many will refuse to cooperate with authorities, claiming ownership of their possessions. When our dependence upon the infrastructure is revealed by its absence, many will feel lost.
It is important to recognize that these shifts are beneficial to humanity and the development of our species. A power structure has developed that feeds itself by consuming resources. One of the key resources consumed is the effort of others, and the machines that run the world have many names. Governments, corporations, military forces and their opponents are all involved in a struggle to control the world. While many individuals live in peace, the world is at war.
Willingly or not, those who live in peace feed the machine that continues the wars. Most countries have military forces in action somewhere on the globe. While most who have Internet live in comparative peace, around the world there are many children who have witnessed violent death. Around the world there are many without food, water or shelter. Of six billion inhabitants, only a fortunate few live in comfort.
The secret of our salvation lies in recognition of the contrasts offered to us, and a restatement of our desires. If we want everyone in the world to have food, we must figure out a nutritious diet that can be easily created. By adapting our bodily needs to nutritional rather than psychological desires, there will be enough for everyone and all can be healthy. If we want to survive beyond the oil-age, we must commit to expending our remaining resources on the creation of an infrastructure that allows a perpetual symbiotic relationship with our planet.
Change can be difficult for any individual. For most of us, there are some habits that seem to hang on forever. We know what we should do to improve, but each year goes by and we stay the same. When attempting to introduce dramatic change to a group, acceptance can be more difficult to achieve. While change may sweep through when the majority accepts new practices, innovative ideas often meet resistance. However, to paraphrase Gandhi, ‘the truth is the truth, no matter how many people are saying it.’
We have passed the peak of the Oil Age, and each coming year will see diminishing resources. Do we expend our energy on conflict, or do we create a paradise where all can live in peace and harmony? The lightworkers know the choice to make, and it will take our love and hope to overcome fear and desperation. The path is open, and we continue to create…
Lightworkers
There is a new breed of human that is populating our species. We have been around for centuries, and again we are called. We are the same as everyone, and yet we are different. We have always recognized our uniqueness, and yet it is now that the lightworkers awaken.
The way of the lightworker is not easy, and yet it is through lightworkers that humanity realizes it’s greatest hope. The lightworker has two goals: to bring light where there is dark, and to continually improve one’s self and ability to carry the light.
On the surface, light work is indicative of various human emotions and behaviors. Compassion, generosity, kindness, and nurturing are all ultimately the result of love. The lightworker helps rather than hinders, heals instead of harms. In fact, many lightworkers are already healers, and many are women.
There are many things that are not defined for lightworkers. For example, though I carry certain moral and ethical beliefs, there are others whose beliefs are just as valid. There are also those who allow their moral beliefs to bring darkness into the world. Therefore, moral belief alone cannot be the measurement of light work.
It is not religious belief that defines light work; in fact there are many who create darkness in the name of their religion. Lightworkers do not all pray to the same god; in fact some pray to many gods while others pray to none. Light work involves faith beyond religion.
The world is changing, and there is a lot going on. In every corner of the globe there are lightworkers holding their balance and helping others move in a positive direction. Lightworkers bring love wherever they go, and their resonance has influence beyond their comprehension. Stand forth and carry the light! The world can be changed, and it begins with you.
Copyright 2004 Glenn Stewart Coles
Weekly Inspirations by Glenn Stewart Coles
is a free weekly newsletter available by e-mail.
To subscribe, please go to http://www.glennstewartcoles.com/subscribe.html,
or check out the archive at http://www.glennstewartcoles.com/archive1.html.
The way of the lightworker is not easy, and yet it is through lightworkers that humanity realizes it’s greatest hope. The lightworker has two goals: to bring light where there is dark, and to continually improve one’s self and ability to carry the light.
On the surface, light work is indicative of various human emotions and behaviors. Compassion, generosity, kindness, and nurturing are all ultimately the result of love. The lightworker helps rather than hinders, heals instead of harms. In fact, many lightworkers are already healers, and many are women.
There are many things that are not defined for lightworkers. For example, though I carry certain moral and ethical beliefs, there are others whose beliefs are just as valid. There are also those who allow their moral beliefs to bring darkness into the world. Therefore, moral belief alone cannot be the measurement of light work.
It is not religious belief that defines light work; in fact there are many who create darkness in the name of their religion. Lightworkers do not all pray to the same god; in fact some pray to many gods while others pray to none. Light work involves faith beyond religion.
The world is changing, and there is a lot going on. In every corner of the globe there are lightworkers holding their balance and helping others move in a positive direction. Lightworkers bring love wherever they go, and their resonance has influence beyond their comprehension. Stand forth and carry the light! The world can be changed, and it begins with you.
Copyright 2004 Glenn Stewart Coles
Weekly Inspirations by Glenn Stewart Coles
is a free weekly newsletter available by e-mail.
To subscribe, please go to http://www.glennstewartcoles.com/subscribe.html,
or check out the archive at http://www.glennstewartcoles.com/archive1.html.
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