Apparition of Jack

Alf is trying to find a parking spot

TIK is just one of countless grifters out there who’ve mistaken greed for wisdom. If there’s one thing I despise about current civilisation it’s the fact too many people attribute divine properties to money, rather than seeing it for the illusionary tool that it is.

As a shaman connected to the Earth, I have to deal with her rage and suffering in the face of his gross anthropocentric narcissism.

It’s round.

Whatever Biden’s family have done, Trump’s family have done 100 times worse. It’s not wrong to criticise Biden per se, but it’s deeply hypocritical to go after him and not the endless list of corrupt excesses Trump and other GOP families have committed.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/3/south-koreas-president-declares-emergency-martial-law What the hell is going on?

In the coming fight against Trumpism insanity, a lot of conservatives are going to end up completely baffled at the dark actions him and his administration are going to take, but because of their ideology - anything pro-democracy, holistic, pro-worker, pro-immigration rights etc will be seen as “leftist communism”, they will have no framework to support these things and instead double-down on their scapegoating and victim mentality. This is where Christian Democracy comes in - a political movement that is socially conservative, yet unlike the reckless Trumpist capitalism, is also deeply pro-worker, pro-human rights, pro-environment, etc. In the fight against Trumpism, these sorts of well-meaning conservatives with stage Green economics will be key in undermining its power. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_democracy?wprov=sfti1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Solidarity_Party?wprov=sfti1# Of course, in social issues like abortion, gay marriage etc they’re still far from progressive, but in the fight to preserve democracy we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. It’s much better if democracy and workers rights survive even if half of their voters oppose abortion, rather than letting right-wing authoritarianism and no one ends up with any rights.

Without making too many predictions about how Trump’s second term will go (I think we’re well beyond the realm of accurate political projections, lol), if he does start acting like Yeehaw Hitler, then here’s a great article on how to successfully resist authoritarianism, build resilience and find ways to feel joy and optimism even when the world around you is swirling: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/

Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian; what an enlightened, high-conscious leader who refused to harm animals 🥰

The problem isn’t progressivism, the problem is inequality. LA is one of the most unequal cities on earth, so no wonder there is so much urban decay.

Do you have any friends or connections that might help you move to a (relatively) safer place in the meantime @Mesopotamian? Even if just somewhere else in Iraq for now. Also, do you have any skills that might be favourable if you meet the right person? Even just something like photography or playing an instrument can help open the right doors. I guess I'm asking, do you have any ability to improve your security in the short-term, even if it's not a full solution? Being stuck in Iraq to living in Western Europe / America is a huge leap, so do you have any small-scale plans in the meantime to help you move in that direction further down the line?

Society is an illusion, but you won’t truly realise it’s an illusion unless you grow spiritually. Cultivating love and compassion is one of the key tenets of spiritual growth, so it makes perfect sense that you’d care about it while you’re still stuck in ego. And then, by the time you do evolve enough to see through it, you’ll radiate so much love and compassion that there’ll be no reason not to still care about it even after you’re finished.

Put down the bong, bro

Man, what a waste. JP clearly has a strong intuitive grasp of human psychology and motivations and yet he wastes his understanding on defending some decaying 20th century white liberalism. He could unlock so many secrets of the universe if he could look beyond his biases but alas he entangles himself in samsara due to his petty ego clashes. Sad.

It's a pretty fucked up topic and is a very poignant example of survival and stage red on steroids but the title is a bit insensitive tbh. It's not really a "production company" as if it were some sort of benign profit-seeking enterprise making human body parts.

Here’s a question - what does “freedom of speech” even mean? To me it’s a nonsense term than can be used to justify practically anything. Freedom from government censorship? You could argue that, but then that doesn’t explain why the government bans child porn or info on how to make bombs. These are forms of speech, after all. People hide behind the phrase to hide the fact their tongues are like snakes and their ideas are like poison.

@The Buddha you’re in a cult fam

@vizual the difference is left-wing fundamentalism is still more conscious, loving, non-violent and adaptable than right-wing fundamentalism. A few left-wing radicals might blow up an oil plant or cancel a celebrity for some remarks made 15 years ago - a few right-wing radicals will kill minorities and attempt a political coup to undermine democratic rights and implement a reactionary dictatorship. They are not the same.

@The Buddha lmao, what a load of bullshit

Maybe they have? In fact, there often is protests in SA etc for more freedom of the press etc. The problem is is that it’s still too early for a majority of people to want these things. There are people in these countries alive today who were born when these societies were still tribal nomads. That mindset isn’t so easily shifted, even in societies that experience rapid economic growth. Basically you’re jumping the gun. Yes these societies have become wealthy but only in the span of about 30 years are so. That’s nowhere near long enough for a solid tradition of liberalism to emerge. Give it a few more decades, especially as the young people are exposed to these ideas more, and you’ll see more people wanting democracy, etc.

Lol

This isn’t the right forum for this.

For what it’s worth, the Dalai Lama has received the vaccine and I believe Sadhguru has said people should take it.

How many New Age teachers talk about an eternal hell? Most of this sounds like hogwash. Author just projecting his own fears of Christianity onto a generally more holistic and uplifting religion. Fucking lol.

They did, actually. There were a number of fascist and authoritarian groups in the UK/US during that time period. Some even managed to gain some degree of support. They failed though due to the strength of democratic institutions and the peoples undesire for fascist governments. The economy might have been terrible but people still respected freedom of speech, the right to vote, etc. There was no need to give up democracy. This was unlike Germany and Italy which didn’t have strong cultures of democracy and were a lot more bitter from WWI.