Reality Is As It Appears

(A response to: theclueexpress and wolfydanny)

Is reality as it appears?
Or is it all just smoke and mirrors?
An elaborate con job.
Are humans the most intelligent being in the universe,
or just the most gullible;
fools who see only what they want and believe only what they see.

Is the human race the epitome of Thomas?
Who, doubting, only believed in what he could see and touch for himself?
Or have we been duped? Is there a hidden element behind a veil – untouchable, un-viewable and unknowable by what we perceive as reality, yet real non-the-less?

If so, how can we avoid being deceived by this universal “sleight of hand” that keeps our eyes glued to the reality of a physical plaything science calls the universe; while all the while, the master magician religion calls God, pulls the strings behind our backs?

Do we continue to be children, easily deceived by the glittering playthings of empirical reality or do we finally step back and say whoa, something’s not right here, and refuse to be further duped?

Do we examine that feeling that we have often gotten through-out the ages; that uncomfortable feeling that we learned a long time ago to wrap in another comfortable reality and call it religion?

That gut feeling, often entertained between waking and sleeping, that there is something we just aren’t getting; something missing; something about how everything we see is just so perfect, like a stage show rehearsed many times. That, somehow, we are the playthings or audience of the gods, ignorantly watching as life and the universal show goes on.

Certainly we try to describe it with science, but even with science there is a bit of faith involved because we just don’t quite get the whole picture. We can almost taste that final scientific equation that explains everything perfectly, but we just can't quite get it. But how can we? Until we say, no more, how can we get the full measure of the truth that can set us free and allow us to finally discover the man behind the curtain pulling the levers and learn the rules to become our own masters?

Does it really get us any closer to the truth to just close our eyes and say he doesn't exist? Are we inherently frightened of the dark as when we were children? This denial of God sounds like the reaction of a hurt and frighten child hiding under the blankets with his eyes tightly closed to expel an uncomfortable reality.

Empirical Realism is the religion of the slave who was conned a very long time ago by a "snake" in a “garden” and lost sight of who he is, or was before he was deceived, and duped into the servitude of a physical reality. We are still mesmerized by the apple.
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The Politics of Economy:

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Today the world's economy is falling to pieces. Whether you are in New York, Tokyo, Guangdong, Warsaw, Ar Riyad or Lagos you are going to feel the effect more or less.

The economy of the world makes me rich, I’m happy; lets kids in Tokyo watch animae all night long, they are happy; gives the worker in Guangdong money to send home to his family, he’s happy; allows the people of Warsaw to drink espresso in a beautiful city, they are happy; helps the mother’s of Ar Riyad buy expensive new designer Burkas and gives the kids of Lagos the chance to have shoes. Everyone is happy. Right? Hmm …

The earth looks like a garbage heap, the oceans look like a sewer. And the child’s shoes in Lagos DO NOT compare to the animae night clubs in Tokyo. Is it fair? Do you care? Can it continue? How will it end? If your brother has an ice cream cone and he won’t share with you, what do you do? What do we do?

Which is the Political Model for Economic Stability, Mutual Benefit and Co-Prosperity; Equitable to All Members of the Human Race as well as Non-Detrimental to the Earth?

1. The "Capitalist" Model
2. The "Marxist" Model
3. The "Islamic" Model
4. The “Socialist” Model
5. The “Tribal” Model
6. An “Unnamed” Model

I – What do I do? What do I get?
Me – Who takes care of me?
You – What do you do? What do you get; Who takes care of you?
They – What do they get; What do they do? What do I lose?
We – What do we get; What do we do?
Us – Who takes care of us? Do I suffer for the benefit of us?
Them – How does the earth benefit?


Situations:
There is a toothbrush in the bathroom; you walk in without a toothbrush. You need to brush your teeth. Do you use the toothbrush? Why? Why not?

You borrow the company car. It has half a tank of gas. You use it to do company business. You bring the car back. It is empty. Do you put gas in the car? Why? Why not?

You come home. You are hungry. There is a cookie on the table. Do you eat it? Why? Why not?

There is an empty house. You are homeless. Do you move in? Why? Why not?

There is a bicycle. You need to go a long distance. Do you take it? Why? Why not?

Your family is starving, there is food in the store. You have no money. What do you do?

You lost your job, your wife and children are waiting for you at home. What do you do?

Someone lost their wallet. It has no money in it. What do you do?
Someone lost their wallet. It has a lot money in it. What do you do?

If you were raised in any other Economic model above, would your answers be different for each model?

Are the ethics of each model different? Is any model better or worse, more or less selfish?

Which model do you want to live in?

Consider:
If you came from a family with two kids, everyone would get an equal share available at the dinner table - and eat well. Everyone would have clothes - and probably nice clothes.

On the other hand, if your family had eight kids, would any of the children starve? "Oh don't worry about Mikey there in the corner, we don't have enough food so we decided he should starve."

Probably, everyone in the family would be at the dinner table, sharing a bit less food and still have clothes to wear, though not the best.

Now think of that family on the world scale.

IF there were one billion people, we might live well, like the family of four; but as there are 7? billion and growing, we are more like the family of 10.

So, decide, which of your brothers or sisters sits in the corner and starves as we drain the ocean of tuna to eat our sashimi?

Which is impossible - sharing or starving?


A Few References:
Markets, Politics, and Globalization
The Coolie Speaks (Who are the modern "Coolies"? Hint: They live in and around Nagoya and speak Portuguese.)
Ecological Chemistry in Pollution Research and Sustainable Development There really is a connection. (That's why you shouldn't shit on the floor)
Alfonso Hernandez Valdez Bottom Line: Don't steal food from the store by yourself - bring a friend. In fact, bring a lot of friends.
The Politics of Economy Cooperation with China Don't Tease the Panda, cute yes, but it DOES bite!
Islamic Fundamentalism Since 1945

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Back to the Basics

Congratulations!

President Barack Hussein Obama II
44th President of the United States and
First Lady Michelle Robinson Obama

God Bless the United States
and all who protect, stand with
and support the vision of a
Great Nation of dreams fulfilled !!

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Change ?

What will be the "Milestones" of an Obama presidency?

1. Nationalization of the banks and oil refineries
2. 70% top tax rate - credit and finance markets will collapse
3. Small business will layoff 50% of their workers
4. 20% unemployment in the cities
5. "Civilian military" to put people to work
6. Nationalized health care.
7. "poor" people will receive free housing - price controls
8. American military will withdraw from foriegn countries
9. Russia will take back Soviet Era territory
10. America dollar will become nearly worthless
11. There will be food riots and gas/heating oil shortages
12. Chinese unrest because of export collapse.

Obama may be the president. Who will then save us? The last time, Roosevelt had a world war...

Change you can believe in!

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Fair and Balanced: Getting the "News" in America

The conventions are over. American politics moves on and it seems that the country is split down the middle.

The thing that impressed me the most was the vocal expressions of dissent and affirmation by – everybody.

America is the best place to hold an election. I couldn’t even imagine the goings on in Denver and St. Paul being replayed on the streets of most nations.That was the good part.

The bad part was that everyone had an opinion. I expect people to be opinionated but the news reporters turned out to be nothing more than shills and prostitutes for their respective candidates.

I have an opinion, we all have opinions, but I expect a news reporter to have some dignity and ethics about the profession. I don’t want them to give me their opinion of what happened – I can make up my own mind, thank you very much; but I would like them to tell me what actually happened.

American news reporters have become no more than walking gossip mongers. THey are so full of their own inflated opinion that I doubt if they could actually give a true picture of an event without adding biased language one way or the other.

So let’s see whose opinion the people believe. Watching the news is more like listening to a preacher in church than listening to a report from the town crier. Walter Cronkite is surely dead and Tim Russert of MSNBC has no replacement. Even Greta Van Susteren of FOXNEWS, a lawyer who one would think, familiar with the concept of ethics and decorum, could not help herself in declaring for one candidate. A judgeship is obviously not her goal.

Is it not possible for news reporters to be impartial – and cast their vote in the privacy of a booth rather than publicly, via running lips in a supposedly professional position? FOXNEWS: We report You decide? Obviously not. Rather: “We decide, We report.” Or maybe MSNBC: “My Side Not Both Countdown?” Or CNN: “Comments Not News.”

I give credit to FOXNEWS for trying. Their “pool camera” work at the Democratic Convention was excellent, while the CNN pool at the Republican Convention paled in comparison. It got better, I think even their peers complained. The problem I have with FOXNEWS is that their opinion makers were disguised as news people. Except for Mr Hannity who clearly, several times reminded people that he was not a news reporter. And then there is MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann who could not be called a reporter by any definition.

Does anybody know what is actually happening in America - or, just some gossip and opinion? I wonder.