cindyj
Jedi
Lately I've been thinking through a lot of ideas, many resulting from the fine work you have done posting articles and forum discussions on your site. Thank you so much! It seemed high time I share my stream-of-consciousness thinking with you all, in case there was anything of value to somebody out there.
On the Role of Popular Culture: Children's Literature, Fairytales and Mythology to Teach about Psychopaths
It seems there have always been caring, knowledgeable people among us to warn us about the untrustworthy and compassionless among us. Often depicted as ogres, witches, and monsters, other times as cruel authority figures, still we see the same basic representation of evil in these stories (my apologies to misrepresented pagans out there!). Think of tales like "Hansel and Gretel". Or more recently, the Harry Potter series. Another good example: "A Series of Unfortunate Events" really hit it on the head, as the books became darker and darker, revealing layers of hidden conspiracies by psychopaths/OPs. Not only did they introduce psychopathic characters, but showed how and why other seemingly normal characters could themselves join "the dark side". (Ponerology in practice)
It's not a far leap from these stories to see similar happenings in our current day-to-day lives if we make the connections, even as children. My 8-year-old is more perceptive in this regard then many of my adult acquaintances, and I can see why. As adults, we tend to distance ourselves from the realities around us when we busy ourselves with daily objectives, working to make ends meet, etc. I have seen people so caught up in the work cycle, they have no time/inclination/energy left to even wonder or care about what is going on around us. It makes me wonder if that isn't the point of work to begin with? Give a guy the ability to purchase a bunch of stuff, house, car, kids, etc. and suddenly he's in over his head, so he works and works and works and buys and buys and buys ... the whole debt/wage-slave cycle most people are stuck in. The frightening thing is, there are statistics to suggest that most everybody in the U.S. is in debt-- Americans on average have a negative savings rate! And given the recent and continuing fall of house prices, we've basically created a whole slew of people who can be manipulated because of their debt. Not good!
So, what does today's Everyman do at the end of a hard work day? Watch TV? Likely. Are there any stories on television right now to remind him of the necessity to be watchful or mindful or concerned? I don't know. Perhaps some of you could answer that (I don't have a television anymore). Even so, doesn't watching shows where everything ends satisfactorily keep us from acknowledging our own potential in helping things to change in real life? If we sit back passively and let everything get done by other people, we can just cheer them on from the sidelines, right? So when/how do we reconnect with our personal accountability? I'm not sure we can get there just by consuming popular media. Maybe?
On Planning Ahead
In another forum discussion recently, the topic of "what to do" came up with regard to making future plans, where to live, etc. before "the Wave" or whatever comes. What follows are some steps I have personally taken over the last few years. They may not be possible or desirable for everybody (each of us has a personal path to follow), but they are things to consider:
1 - Get Out of Debt
2 - Learn about Permaculture
3 - Live Among Others Similarly Concerned/Kindred Spirits
4 - Be Prepared to Offer Skills, Services
To protect my family, I also chose to leave the States. I have no idea if this will ultimately make a difference, but I feel more sane living in Canada right now. In the off-chance we survive whatever happens, we will need to share our skills to help each other. The Permaculture Principle of Cooperation states: "Cooperation, not competition, is the very basis of existing life systems and of future survival."
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts
When I think of cooperation, I think of energy exchange. A visual example I can always recall is one having to do with ducks swimming in a cold pond during winter. Have you ever noticed how water birds often swim together forming circles? I am not a biologist, but my guess is they do this to keep each other warm. By swimming in a circle they follow a path they each make in the warmth of their respective bodies. I don't know if this is true, but it seems this exchange of energy benefits all of them. There are so many examples of this kind of exchange happening in nature. We too, mutually benefit when we exchange labor, for instance. "I'll help you build your house, if you come and help me build mine." Sure, I could use all of my time and resources to build my own house, but if I help my neighbor and he helps me, we benefit from each other's knowledge and skills, we keep each other motivated, we have each other's companionship, etc. Much more is exchanged of value than the actual building activity itself. And this exchange will benefit both for those 94% that are not psychopaths.
Here is what Bill Mollison (co-creator of the Permaculture movement) had to say about the circumstances leading him to formulate his ideas and actions, which really resonated with me:
".. Until I was about 28, I lived in a sort of dream. I spent most of my time in the bush or on the sea. I fished, I hunted for my living. It wasn't until the 1950s that I noticed large parts of the system in which I lived were disappearing. Fish stocks started to collapse. Seaweed around the shorelines had thinned out. Large patches of the forest began to die. I hadn't realised until then that I had become very fond of them, that I was in love with my country.
"After many years as a scientist with the CSIRO Wildlife Survey Section and with the Tasmanian Inland Fisheries Department, I began to protest against the political and industrial systems I saw were killing us and the world around us. But I soon decided that it was no good persisting with opposition that in the end achieved nothing. I withdrew from society for two years; I did not want to oppose anything ever again and waste my time. I wanted to come back only with something very positive, something that would allow us all to exist without the wholesale collapse of biological systems..."
(from the Preface of "Introduction to Permaculture" by Bill Mollison with Reny Mia Slay, Tagari Publications)
I absolutely believe in the necessity of the work being done by activists such as Cindy Sheehan, Rachel Corrie, and many others, because they have truly raised general awareness of injustice and tyranny. But for those of us not on the front lines, we all have our part to play, even if we just start by communicating concern and care for those around us. Children completely flip out if you tell them things are really bad out there; adults are not much different. So it might be best to just be ready when questions get asked; have knowledge to fall back upon; be able to step up to do what is necessary. Prepare to become a hero, if you dare.
On the Role of Popular Culture: Children's Literature, Fairytales and Mythology to Teach about Psychopaths
It seems there have always been caring, knowledgeable people among us to warn us about the untrustworthy and compassionless among us. Often depicted as ogres, witches, and monsters, other times as cruel authority figures, still we see the same basic representation of evil in these stories (my apologies to misrepresented pagans out there!). Think of tales like "Hansel and Gretel". Or more recently, the Harry Potter series. Another good example: "A Series of Unfortunate Events" really hit it on the head, as the books became darker and darker, revealing layers of hidden conspiracies by psychopaths/OPs. Not only did they introduce psychopathic characters, but showed how and why other seemingly normal characters could themselves join "the dark side". (Ponerology in practice)
It's not a far leap from these stories to see similar happenings in our current day-to-day lives if we make the connections, even as children. My 8-year-old is more perceptive in this regard then many of my adult acquaintances, and I can see why. As adults, we tend to distance ourselves from the realities around us when we busy ourselves with daily objectives, working to make ends meet, etc. I have seen people so caught up in the work cycle, they have no time/inclination/energy left to even wonder or care about what is going on around us. It makes me wonder if that isn't the point of work to begin with? Give a guy the ability to purchase a bunch of stuff, house, car, kids, etc. and suddenly he's in over his head, so he works and works and works and buys and buys and buys ... the whole debt/wage-slave cycle most people are stuck in. The frightening thing is, there are statistics to suggest that most everybody in the U.S. is in debt-- Americans on average have a negative savings rate! And given the recent and continuing fall of house prices, we've basically created a whole slew of people who can be manipulated because of their debt. Not good!
So, what does today's Everyman do at the end of a hard work day? Watch TV? Likely. Are there any stories on television right now to remind him of the necessity to be watchful or mindful or concerned? I don't know. Perhaps some of you could answer that (I don't have a television anymore). Even so, doesn't watching shows where everything ends satisfactorily keep us from acknowledging our own potential in helping things to change in real life? If we sit back passively and let everything get done by other people, we can just cheer them on from the sidelines, right? So when/how do we reconnect with our personal accountability? I'm not sure we can get there just by consuming popular media. Maybe?
On Planning Ahead
In another forum discussion recently, the topic of "what to do" came up with regard to making future plans, where to live, etc. before "the Wave" or whatever comes. What follows are some steps I have personally taken over the last few years. They may not be possible or desirable for everybody (each of us has a personal path to follow), but they are things to consider:
1 - Get Out of Debt
2 - Learn about Permaculture
3 - Live Among Others Similarly Concerned/Kindred Spirits
4 - Be Prepared to Offer Skills, Services
To protect my family, I also chose to leave the States. I have no idea if this will ultimately make a difference, but I feel more sane living in Canada right now. In the off-chance we survive whatever happens, we will need to share our skills to help each other. The Permaculture Principle of Cooperation states: "Cooperation, not competition, is the very basis of existing life systems and of future survival."
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts
When I think of cooperation, I think of energy exchange. A visual example I can always recall is one having to do with ducks swimming in a cold pond during winter. Have you ever noticed how water birds often swim together forming circles? I am not a biologist, but my guess is they do this to keep each other warm. By swimming in a circle they follow a path they each make in the warmth of their respective bodies. I don't know if this is true, but it seems this exchange of energy benefits all of them. There are so many examples of this kind of exchange happening in nature. We too, mutually benefit when we exchange labor, for instance. "I'll help you build your house, if you come and help me build mine." Sure, I could use all of my time and resources to build my own house, but if I help my neighbor and he helps me, we benefit from each other's knowledge and skills, we keep each other motivated, we have each other's companionship, etc. Much more is exchanged of value than the actual building activity itself. And this exchange will benefit both for those 94% that are not psychopaths.
Here is what Bill Mollison (co-creator of the Permaculture movement) had to say about the circumstances leading him to formulate his ideas and actions, which really resonated with me:
".. Until I was about 28, I lived in a sort of dream. I spent most of my time in the bush or on the sea. I fished, I hunted for my living. It wasn't until the 1950s that I noticed large parts of the system in which I lived were disappearing. Fish stocks started to collapse. Seaweed around the shorelines had thinned out. Large patches of the forest began to die. I hadn't realised until then that I had become very fond of them, that I was in love with my country.
"After many years as a scientist with the CSIRO Wildlife Survey Section and with the Tasmanian Inland Fisheries Department, I began to protest against the political and industrial systems I saw were killing us and the world around us. But I soon decided that it was no good persisting with opposition that in the end achieved nothing. I withdrew from society for two years; I did not want to oppose anything ever again and waste my time. I wanted to come back only with something very positive, something that would allow us all to exist without the wholesale collapse of biological systems..."
(from the Preface of "Introduction to Permaculture" by Bill Mollison with Reny Mia Slay, Tagari Publications)
I absolutely believe in the necessity of the work being done by activists such as Cindy Sheehan, Rachel Corrie, and many others, because they have truly raised general awareness of injustice and tyranny. But for those of us not on the front lines, we all have our part to play, even if we just start by communicating concern and care for those around us. Children completely flip out if you tell them things are really bad out there; adults are not much different. So it might be best to just be ready when questions get asked; have knowledge to fall back upon; be able to step up to do what is necessary. Prepare to become a hero, if you dare.
