The use of fear in propaganda is one of the oldest examples of persuasion known to man. “Do x (or don't do x) and y will surely happen. And we don't want y to happen, do we?” Part of the brain is effectively geared to respond to fear for the sake of personal safety. The use of propaganda is one way of exploiting this amygdala effect. Another way is physical or mental force, including humiliation and torture. During the coronavirus lockdown we have witnessed extensive use of fear propaganda on both sides of pertinent issues. Interestingly, for the first time in history, these are global issues that have seemingly nothing to do with politics, but with ostensibly with health. For reasons of their own, each side is using persuasive propaganda, including fear-based persuasion, to gain converts to their biased ideal. Both sides claim to have the best interest of humanity at heart. Sincerity is apparent on both sides – and so is deception to varying degrees.
The battle to win men's minds is as old as the idea of freewill. Why would someone want to persuade others by winning over their minds? Safety, prosperity, wealth, etc. all have a part to play – along with more sinister motives, such as power and control. Fear of loss is innate to the human condition, tied in closely with the natural race instinct to survive and thrive. Powerful fundamental forces are at work here. So, fear of loss of individual or collective life drives the urge to save life/lives. Fear has always been associated with threat - real or imagined. And since the advent of the idea of free will - has also included fear of deception. Nobody wishes to be deceived. Thus during the coronavirus lockdown seeking truth has been one of our main concerns - along with concerns over suppression of truth, which is tantamount to deception. Therefore, fear of being deceived has also been uppermost in mind - alongside fear of loss of life. And let's also throw in the other big one - fear of loss of freewill or personal liberty.
The word 'propaganda' does not necessarily have negative connotations. It literally means 'things to be propagated' or 'that which ought to be spread'. The root of the word is from Latin: 'propago' meaning 'young shoot'. We are reminded therefore of the natural human urge to 'go forth and multiply' as expressed so succinctly in stories about the creation of the world. Just as organisms have the innate urge to reproduce and spread themselves, so do ideas, and by extension ideals. Propaganda is, in effect, the organic way ideas are propagated - be it ideals of liberty and equality, manipulation masked as compliance with 'God', commercial advertising, good news to thrill the heart, Armageddon mentality, concerns over life-threatening viruses such as coronavirus, resistance to world totalitarianism, etc. Each in its way makes use of persuasion to gain converts, fear-inspiring or otherwise, each for its own purpose – seemingly good or evil.
During the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent lockdown we have been presented with two principle opposing ideals, each of which is rooted in the one idea of 'salvation' or saving the world. Fear of loss of life has naturally been high on the agenda. This fear has effectively driven both sides of a central argument, which could be epitomised as: to decide what is the most effective way of overcoming the enemy coronavirus. On the one side we have our ('God-given', if you subscribe to that idea) natural immunity, an innate healthcare system built into the bodymind organism. On the other we have the perceived need for human intervention - in the specific form of quarantine and vaccine. As a spin off to this concern we also have a further issue: free will, or the ability to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. In other words, we are presented with two opposing ideals: 1) for the sake of public health, to submit to extreme quarantining and vaccination and 2) also for the sake of humanity as a whole, to resist all attempts to impose a will on us other than our own.
The propaganda, or spread of ideas, on both sides of this issue has contained a roughly equal mix of two primary drives: 1) the urge above all to prosper and 2) fear of loss of life or constraint of freedom. As we entered the lockdown all those weeks ago, the issue became increasingly urgent. Now as the lockdown progressively lifts, hopefully these two aspects will move toward a natural harmony without resorting to civil disorder and martial law. Already we are seeing the seeds of this conflict sprouting. Whether it escalates into chaos and anarchy will depend partly on the determination of factions with motives other than altruistic, (those who could even ramp up fear propaganda to achieve their own ends), and partly on the capacity of astute individuals to wake up to a greater awareness themselves, and then courageously assist in alerting others. Whatever process proves necessary, let's pray that truth, personal healthcare and public welfare will all come together harmoniously - as democracy effectively proves its wherewithal to include the equal voice of all.
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I've never seen myself as political, let alone an activist, but as an ex-Jehovah's Witness I realise now I was part of a group that through its totally neutral political stand, it was often powerfully political. This became apparent during the time of Nazi fascism, and other dictatorial, draconian and military junta regimes in world history. Had I been living in any of those places during the last century, I would have been persecuted and maybe put to death for my faith. I was always proud to be identified as a Jehovah's Witness, and only left because I saw that we held only a small piece of a large jigsaw puzzle. I wasn't sure at the time what the piece was about, but have been keen to continue discovering the truth of that for the past two decades or so.
Having chosen to leave the 'safety' of my religious cradle in 1996, I have since walked my own spiritual path. However, it seems (surprisingly to me) I am still proud to carry the banner of my unique personal heritage. This now translates perfectly into: The 'God-given' right of every human being on earth to choose for themselves. This banner naturally forms a significant part of my 2020 Vision blog. I hope, through your engagement, you are stimulated to continue seeking your own unique gifts as the walking miracle of life you are.
Steve
]]>Bill Gates and Joseph Goebbels are/were ordinary human beings, just like you and I. Both of them visionaries in their own way; which is how I like to see myself - and possibly you do too? Vision is invariably related to a better world, an ideal in which the greater good exists for all – well-being, health, prosperity, etc. The huge difference between Gates and Goebbels, however, is how they would define the ‘all’. For Joseph, like his infamous associate Adolf Hitler, the ‘all’ did not include Jews, and even those it did include would never be seen as equals. Aryans were superior - no doubt about it. For Bill the story is very different. The Gates Foundation statement that ‘we see equal value in all lives’ leaves us in no doubt where he stands. Along with all other races, his vision would definitely include Jews!
What a person says and what he does can sometimes be quite different. A man must inevitably ‘put his money where his mouth is’, so to speak. Joseph Goebbels certainly did this. He passionately believed in the Nazi ideal with its blatant Antisemitism, and went on to become a major force in dissemination of party propaganda, as well as perpetrating major crimes against humanity. Bill Gates likewise has literally been putting his money where his mouth is - distributing substantial funding toward his superlative vision over the past decade. For this I both admire and respect his philanthropy and humanitarianism. Each of these men display an inordinate zeal and fervour for what they believe in. However, Gates has an all-inclusive vision; whereas Goebbels’ vision was exclusive. Personally, I love it when I'm included - and tend to suffer feeling excluded. So, if I had to choose between the two, I would definitely prefer Bill’s vision to Joseph’s! I know what exclusion feels like. After forty years in an exclusive religious faith, at the age of 43 I felt moved to leave. I was subsequently ex-communicated and have been shunned by that community ever since. I could easily have ended my life in the early months, so the question of inclusion is naturally close to my heart.
But even closer to my heart is the core value of freedom - the freedom to choose for oneself. Throughout my religious life, as a child from a tender age, through my teens and the following two decades as I raised a family, ‘choice’ was never on the menu. In its place was ‘requirement’. And it wasn't my parents or any other human authority figure, it was God himself who exacted so much from me. Or so I was led to believe. And if I didn't do what was required, then I would likely be out of favour when he called all his children to account, during the forthcoming fear-inspiring day of reckoning at Armageddon. This was far too scary for me to contemplate, so I always towed the line, willingly complying with everything a ‘good’ Jehovah's Witness should think, say and do. There was no room for feelings at all.
It actually felt as if I had made my choice, whereas in fact I had never been informed of any other option. I’m not complaining; in many ways it has served me, and shaped me into the human being I have become. But while it lasted, I totally identified myself with the movement. Had I lived in Germany during the holocaust, I would have been incarcerated in a concentration camp along with Jews, Gypsies and many who questioned the ethics of Nazism. I may even have been shot or beheaded for not voting; some Witnesses during the 30s were. Regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hitler had vowed: “this brood will be exterminated!” Why? Simply because their allegiance belonged elsewhere and he didn't like it. In other words, they were exercising their freedom of choice. Any timorous stand against a perverted ideology has to be an evolutionary plus for humanity.
There have always been perversions of ‘good intention’, and perhaps there always will be. It’s only when those concerned hold positions of power over others that serious problems arise. For millennia, power was derived through birthright - royalty and nobility. During the last century or so, power shifted more and more toward the common people, those whose vision could be expressed through the zealously passionate word. (Like his mentor Adolf Hitler, Goebbels would spend hours in front of the mirror, perfecting his oration skills.) But in recent decades an even subtler shift is taking place, one that has nothing to do with birthright and little to do with rhetoric. Loudly and clearly in today's world - money talks. Therefore, power currently lies primarily in the hands of the super-rich.
As we mature as human beings, the desire eventually arises to contribute to the world in a more meaningful way. It's a natural development of personal consciousness, as we grow toward our soul-purpose. We will tend to contribute the kind of things we believe in strongly. And with contribution comes a sense of fulfilment. Each one’s contribution goes toward making up the whole. All are invited to the world stage. The human race has thankfully evolved out of the strongly egocentric world of yesteryear – of Stalin, Hitler, Goebbels, et al. We have apparently left despotism way behind in the last century, and are quick to move against it, should it ever raise its ugly head. But are we still blinkered where the cataracts of fear obscure clarity?
Humanity has been drawing ever closer toward the One World ideal. We no longer live in fear of other nations and how they might oppress us, taking away our national, therefore personal freedom. The current coronavirus pandemic is demonstrating without doubt how far human beings can go in cooperation with each other, irrespective of national grouping. For the very first time in planetary history we have been facing a common enemy: the COVID-19 virus. Pooling resources, donating equipment and money, heartfelt appreciation, self-sacrificing spirit, etc. - all have suddenly become the order of the day. It seems we will never return to that smug complacency of the passing era. Everyone is saying that ‘life will never be the same again’. So, we are moving rapidly toward uncertain but exciting times, a new world order, the age of Aquarius, as we begin to feel the cleansing waters of change.
But what does the vision entail for you, for me, for the world? Does it breathe with expected human rights and freedom of choice in all the important areas affecting our individual lives? Are you aware for example, that had the US presidency gone to Hillary Clinton in the last election, it is likely there would soon follow mandatory laws regarding disease control affecting all citizens? Laws supposedly for the good of all, yet at the same time riding roughshod over the basic human right to choose? And are you further aware of the ongoing and future implications regarding disease control? According to Science Alert 18th April 2020: “The wealthy Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation called Wednesday for global cooperation to ready COVID-19 vaccines for 7 billion people, while offering an additional US$150 million toward developing therapeutics and treatments for the virus.” Those of us alive during the 1960s will remember the space race – the huge national programs to dominate outer space, to gain ascendancy, for fear of being overpowered. Now we have the race to dominate inner space – to find a ‘cure’ for the new common enemy. This time there seems to be more cooperation than competition, which is a marked improvement. But one thing remains obvious – the assumption that such measures are ‘required’ for humanity to survive and thrive is at best only an assumption.
There are many sincere, well-meaning philanthropists who believe wholeheartedly in the efficacy of certain procedures for the common good. There are also opportunists for whom money talks loud and clear. And there is a fine line between the two, which line can easily become diffused and blurred. And finally, there are others, like myself, who have an overarching belief in the efficacy of the human organism itself, to be supplemented only as a last resort by man’s interventions. (Read my poem No Stranger)
So, what do Joseph Goebbels and his partners in obvious crime have in common with Bill Gates and his partners in well-intentioned coercive enthusiasm? Read for yourself the ten simple clauses of the 1947 Nuremburg Code. Like the US founding fathers’ constitution of 1787, the code was drawn up by men of integrity, holding human dignity and freedom of choice as core values. Then ask yourself: What part of ‘informed consent’ could ever countenance the thought of ‘mandatory’? Yet this is the thrust of many advocates of the sought-after ‘cure’.
To quote Bill Gates himself: “As we look ahead in the next century, leaders will be those who empower others”. I, for one, sincerely hope his fidelity to this vision will strongly oppose any move toward ‘mandatory’ measures anywhere in the world. After all, how can you ever empower another by withholding information and removing their freedom to choose? His estimate of seven billion vaccinations leaves headroom for only half a billion or so who might have other ideas. Does he honestly believe only 6.66% of the world population - (yes that is the correct figure!) – would choose not to avail themselves of ‘the fastest vaccine ever’? Is he naively hoping for a basic world conversion to the efficacy of the ‘cure’? Or is he just throwing around the figure of 7 billion as a rough estimate for the whole populace? If this were so, the implications are far more conspiratorial and sinister than any opposing ‘conspiracy theory’.
So, on the one hand we are left to ponder the sad legacy of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels’ delusions of grandeur. And on the other we have Facebook taking down posts about how to boost your immune system through use of natural products. We have YouTube removing videos alerting us to the dangers inherent in certain vaccinations, as well as first hand testimonies of virology and epidemiology experts who don’t agree with mainstream views. And we have anyone wanting to help others make an informed choice by examining all possible evidence labelled as a ‘conspiracy theorist’, even having their accounts removed from public arenas.
This begs the question: Just how different is this to the holocaust of eight decades ago? Or from any other totalitarian and draconian regime? And how close might we be to the brink of world fascism, achieved through fear of a common enemy – a simple, albeit complex protein? During the insidious rise of Nazism, there were people who gave their lives for freedom of choice. Some were individuals with temerity, others part of a group consciousness. Let’s pray it won’t come to that extreme again, but the singular issue remains the same: Is truth worth more than the illusion of security? Upon this question alone hangs the next quantum leap in the evolution of humanity.
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‘Association’ for me has been traditionally important. The strict religious sect I found myself in for the first four decades of life placed a lot of emphasis on the need for regular association with fellow believers, in order to keep the faith. Coupled with an equal admonition that ‘bad associations spoil useful habits’ (2 Tim 3:16)
See how I still remember biblical chapter and verse, even after twenty-three years? Surely a demonstration of the strength of association in flying colours! My strict adherence to the mores of the sect has meant that, even after so long since leaving my religion, I still find myself locked into a tacit association in my mind.
But I’m now beginning to wonder - maybe there is something in this? In other words, where we choose to place ourselves – in association with which individuals, groups of people, what literature we read, media we engage with, etc – offers a huge potential for influencing and changing our experience in life. I remember when I was struggling financially for several years from 2008 onward, my association with financial gurus like T Harv Eker helped me tremendously in eventually bringing myself back on track - into alignment with the natural flow of money through my life. Would my fortunes have turned so noticeably, were it not for such association? I somehow doubt it.
After the liberating weekend seminar, I did the daily twenty-minute journaling and affirmation exercises diligently for three months, as prescribed. Then, as nothing significant happened, I did them all again for the following three months! And by the end of that period everything had begun to shift. Coincidence or cause and effect? Or just pure alignment with what was happening anyway? In other words, would it all have changed like it did, would the money have begun to flow, more than ever, if I’d done nothing? Who knows? All I know is that what I did – what I associated my mind with – seemed to have the positive effect I was seeking. And then I let it all go. Of course, because that’s what I do.
So now, again there is a state of being where I perceive the tide to be out, in regard to doing business. Can I place everything at the door of ‘Brexit uncertainty’ followed by ‘Coronavirus lockdown’? Maybe some if it – yes. But how much have I allowed my mind to dwell on the negative connotations of these phenomena surrounding me? Instead of encouraging an open curiosity in regard to how I might be able to counter these debilitating influences on my experience. Therein lies the rub. If I choose to associate with the downside, then my experience will no doubt be devoid of positivity. But should I deny what appears to be some kind of hold over my life, and push through regardless – then that too should demonstrate its own projection. It’s by paying this kind of attention to associations that, I believe, will influence and alter the path of my experience. In the words generally ascribed to the American innovator Henry Ford: ‘If you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right’. So, I think I’ll associate with ‘can’ – thank you.
]]>Know Thyself And Nothing More – Except Coronavirus
Dear Coronavirus, no use arguing -
You've got one over us this time!
Your latest upgrade is a dream -
Or a fuckin' mutant nightmare, depending
On one's viewpoint!
First you make us sweat, then rasp
Our throat dry. Then, should we draw
The short straw, suffocate life from
Malfunctioning lungs.
The fear of you has laid us low,
Not only of you, but also of the law -
Strange how paranoia spreads itself thick, like
Treacle across the nerves.
And why all this? Some perverse bid
For world domination? Or maybe
To teach earthlings a lesson? Yes,
I see sense in that!
You aren't such a fiend, my friend,
(Don't get me wrong – this is just me;
For millions you're the demon from hell - I
Cannot speak for them.)
But I, for one, wish to give thanks,
Although we've never met, for bringing me
To my knees. The very thought of you
Gives me dis-ease!
The things I normally tackle are small,
Providing small victory, but you -
Your microscopic invisibility makes you
Invincible; I concede!
Conceding to your greater power can only
Serve to strengthen me. Already
I feel more compassion, a refined sense of
Detached empathy.
I'm quickly learning what matters most -
And what does not. Which things I appreciate,
Especially Life, when others are
Losing theirs.
.
Already you have demonstrated
That my well-considered plans
Have fuck-all use amidst viral disorder -
The whirlpool drain.
To go with the flow is all I can do -
Lessons in Love; like when Diana
Was suddenly gone, and the nation wept and
The world wept with us.
If only we'd let ourselves bruise now,
The more easily we would heal!
Between each one of us and heaven lies
The chasm of what-ifs.
Re-evaluation awaits at the threshold,
At the foot of the mountain, the root
Of the tree of Life. There is nothing that
Cannot transcend itself.
- - - - - - -
You've quickly become the benchmark,
Against which I measure success: have I
Capacity to expand my breath, taking in
Even more Life?
You've taken my time in your palm and handed
It back neatly ironed, smoothed from
Every superfluous thing clogging
Up joy in my veins.
You toy with my circulation, my ability
To breathe, my appetite, my sense of well-being
In the world. You've brought fear onto the
Table where I eat.
Each day carries new responses from deeply
Guarded body memories, buoying me along,
Sometimes in backwater, sometimes rapids,
Always t'ward wholeness.
You've ushered me into a keen-edged life,
One in which things I do matter, not only
To me, but also the knock-on world - every
One held in trust.
I weep for the hopeless, children of lost
Causes, for those in a street named Despair,
Where every action turns upon whether or not
Survival is plausible.
I weep for guilty mothers, fucked over by lifetimes
Of dominator abuse, disabled by
An inordinate desire to compensate for
Perceived inadequacy.
I weep for strong men, whose suffering soul
Allows no vulnerability – the unthinkable
Act of giving in, when everything screams:
“Get a grip!”
I weep for those like me, who see all,
But remain helpless, forever nonplussed
To understand truth: that each one is tried
By their own desire.
- - - - - -
So you make us forget life as known,
Replacing it with renewed authenticity;
I cannot help but respect your insistence to
Take no bullshit!
In days you've restored quietude, hardly a vehicle
On the road, in the sky, or a passer-by,
As I sit spellbound by your magnificently
Wresting us t'ward peace.
Here at home I creep out of my shell,
Become more of what I know of myself -
Not the God-forsaken halfling, ramping up
Egocentric half-truths.
Already you've tutored me in self-belief,
In my allotment to share in restoring health
To a nation – no – to a race on the brink
Of self-annihilation.
Suddenly I must obey laws, heretofore
Unheard of laws, granting carte blanche
Liberty to conform for the sake of all -
For the sake of Community.
Suddenly I'm faced with deciding, whether to
Fear or to love, whether to perceive
Enemies – or friends I might possibly save -
By keeping my distance.
(In truth, I can never be certain whether
You and I have conspired, to make me
Become the bearer of ill, especially
To souls without hope.)
Thus you pull me up sharply! Is there
More room for mindfulness? Of my effect
On those I meet – more than their possible
Effect upon me?
(And how shall it be when the world spins
Onward, into a time when such respect
Transcends the need for self-protection,
Self-gratification?)
How perfectly you emphasise my condition:
That man is but a need - and a
Possibility. Only in relation to others does he
Learn to breathe.
Through fear you involve me in world affairs
In ways I've not wanted, peering more closely at
How far we have strayed, how flagrantly
We disregard Nature!
You are the essential kickback, Nature's
wake up call, following the long slumber of
Night-time reverie, where nothing mattered
More than moolah.
You bring a chill calm to the wind that would normally
Fill our sails, silencing the trumpets.
Into the inner room I retire, clutching a token
Of redemption -
How to act fearlessly in a world saturated
With sensation: the only question worthy
Of attention. To do it full justice, I
Enter the Gaian realm.
- - - - - - -
Oh, Great Mother Earth, what have we done?
Taken your perfect gifts, trampled them under
Heavy diamond-studded boots and
Laughed out loud!
In sack-cloth and ashes I repent on behalf
Of all those whose compelling need has driven
Them to grab, grab, grab! I am truly
Sorry for the error.
Before I'm done here, I shall see,
God-willing, the resplendent turn-around,
The “let's pull back to the drawing board”, “let's
get back to sanity!”
Sanitation is now incumbent on an insane world!
I marvel at how language teaches, where
Exhortation fails. There is a green hill far away,
Where peace is guaranteed.
Maybe in retrospect you will be seen
As the saviour we all needed, to bring
Cataclysmic redemption to a world
Grown too fat?
And maybe fearless fruit shall ripen,
Giving a taste of real Life, not the one
We've donated to everything but
Who we truly are.
“If truth could be told, so as to be understood,
It will be believed.” In Greek
'corona' means 'crown'; and there is a kingdom
In which we all share.
Steve Slimm
29/03/2020