For Fortunes sake.

The greatest failure of humanity is our unnerving arrogance in the presence of existence. Hubris as our ancient Greek ancestors called it. Is it that spark of confidence that strikes off a lucky break then grows and multiplies as we mount yet another successful enterprise upon yet another? The loftier one ascends into this egocentric addiction the more intense and solid seems the emotion. Icarus being the patron of blind ambition. The obvious and more clear example is that of a gambler. Unlike most peoples heart felt desire to win the lottery and be set free from a life of toil. The gambler thinks he/she is looking for that one big break, but is actually addicted to pleasure of winning. But it ends up being the emotional high which is coveted not the actual end that he/she is after. Ups are only good when they arise out of lows and lows are a necessary agent of evil to get oneself back up. Gambling is an exaggerated example of the emotional pattern of every humans day to day life. You stub your toe, you find ten bucks, you miss your bus, you run perfectly on time. The Romans gave this power to a goddess her name was Fortuna. Since life runs on relatively uncontrollable terms, we attribute positive and negative values to these experiences. Which only makes sense to us since the events cause both these reactions in us. Pain and suffering are bad; joy, happiness (painless experiences) are good. This is of course elementary. Yet why do we see certain things as good and others as bad? It would seem that other than physical pain, we are taught as children what is considered proper and what is wrong. Anthropology has shown us that these conceptions often differ from one culture to another. Which is of no surprise since cultures evolve from many different roots and are nurtured by a variety of influences. If this is so, then why are we so obsessed with universal ideals and morals (or more appropriately put"as being right")? If we all evolved separately in small tribal units, with differing languages and customs, how have we come to this point of assumed norms of behavior and custom? Well the answer is easy and painful, we are insecure with our place in the Universe thus desire to assimilate everything or destroy it. Making everything like us or extermination. We of course have some semblance of understanding ourselves and if everybody was like us we'd have no misunderstanding or confusion. Fear has driven humanity to all ends of the earth not wind, not oil. Since the beginning of recorded time we have killed and stolen from those who are different from us. The ten commandments were not proposed to ancient Hebrews as a Universal law but rather a tribal law. Meant to be practiced among themselves. When they entered the promised land they did not find that "Thou shalt not kill" applied to those who were already living there. Until the establishment of city states and then empires, universality was none existent. Your family was your tribe and your tribe was all you had to survive with. The ancient act of "prima nocturne", the practise of giving the first night of coitus with the bride to the Lord of the land (which was legalized rape) thus interbreeding with conquered people and never letting them forget that they were not free. This is but one example, the most popular have always been genocide or selling the conquered into slavery. Of course the conquerors must always have good Fortuna at their sides or they'd be the losers. Since the beginning of time we have either destroyed or been destroyed by other tribes (groups). It is the evolution of how one cultural pattern sucks up others and forces them to be like themselves. "Vae Victus" which means "Woe to the Vanquished", is a Roman saying and we as most of the world have copied their example ever since they ruled the Mediterranean. They too suffered from hubris, probably the greatest case on record and they eventually lost the favor of Fortuna and where overwhelmed by their enemies. Such an immense drama is the story of humanity. "Dog eat dog", destroy or be destroyed. The new role played by Fortuna in her modern day incarnation is of Justice, blindfolded and holding out a balance. We must be careful not to lose her good will, but of course justice has two sides and we can never be guaranteed of her favorable out come, unless we stack the deck...oh I mean the bench. I suppose that is what the state controlled media is all about. If the rabble ever woke up and saw what nonesense is being peddled as reality, there would be revolutions. But only food riots ever wake up the people. So let's wait and see how the future looks.

Things which are used.

So often I read about all sorts of solutions to reduce the carbon foot print. All kinds of new products (even Green clothing lines) that will lessen your pollution contribution. But the simple fact is that anything newly manufactured is going against this whole concept of green. The real problems people are having is not in finding low carbon producing products, but rather getting their heads around the idea of brand new. It should be listed among all the other offensive word/phrases of our culture. Not only is the actual process of creating the unneeded product an insult to the earths environment but this whole brain washing of the savior like qualities of the concept of "Brand New" is an insult to our intelligence and the idea of thinking for ones self. There is such an abundance of used clothing and many other perfectly good used products available that most of the manufactured crap is a tragic mis use of our energy and resources. Of course there are many things we require to be newly produced, but they are not the sort of things we buy just to satisfy low self esteem and boredom. If you really want to change the world, change the way you see it, change your mind, change your ideas of what new and brand new are. While you're doing this you'll probably save yourself hundreds maybe thousands of dollars in the process. "Green" has itself become a Brand name or tag in advertising and for that reason must be held up to the light. The corporations are savvy to trends now a days, so they will put on the sheep's skin and get you to give them your money in exchange for their ideas and conceptions of "Green", "Left", "Right", "Truth", anything you want they will sell you. So I say stop buying, stop being sheep to the slayers of your minds and free choice. I realized many years ago that we have been duped into thinking that many options equate many choices. This can be true, but only when the actual options are individual, that is separate choices. But how is choosing coke cola or pepsi or fanta much of an option when first of all they're all poisons and they represent nothing more than a select groups of ruling elitist corporations who are actually selling us the same things, just with different names. You may say that coke and pepsi are different tasting and you'd be right. But if that is the only choice you are ready to make, well you've been deceived as to what is important in this life. Diabetes causing beverages or foods are not choices, but rather addictions. The change in perspective is a personal one. As the person in Plato's cave who realizes that what she/he has been taught to see and think is not reality but a carefully controlled illusion, instituted by the puppet masters. It is key that the individual in their mind without coercion or manipulations finds their own personal path to this freedom. Don't be a sucker or a chump, be free without a price tag. You want to rebel, the only form of it that scares them is to stop spending on what they say you need. Deconstruct, un-learn, so that you can finally see who you really are without the insecurity and the fear of acceptance. You already are perfectly you. The Buddha was just a dude who realized this sort of thing and more. He was an absolute rebel, pulling his whole social structure apart and recreating a more egalitarian way. The idea is that thought can and will remake the world. So don't let the advertisers tell you what to think.

Buddha said:

• I consider the positions of kings and rulers as that of dust motes.


• I observe treasures of gold and gems as so many bricks and pebbles.


• I look upon the finest silken robes as tattered rags.


• I see myriad worlds of the universe as small seeds of fruit, and the greatest lake in India as a drop of oil upon my foot.


• I perceive the teachings of the world as the illusions of magicians.


• I discern the highest conception of emancipation as a golden brocade in a dream, and view the holy path of the illuminated ones as flowers appearing in one's eyes.


• I see meditation as a pillar of a mountain, nirvana as a nightmare of daytime.


• I look upon the judgments of right and wrong as the serpentine dance of a dragon, and the rise and fall of belief as traces left by the four seasons.