Robert Harris Brevig
With a compelling Foreword by Col. L. Fletcher Prouty, U.S.A.F. Ret."Foolproof "systems" don't take into account the ingenuity of fools."
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CHAPTER SEVEN
THE BOTTOM LINE
Whether we take the view that the conception and growth of the city-state may have resulted from "invasion and conquest" or the "crossroads theory" (merchant communities) one thing is obviously certain. That entity which is popularly, or unpopularly, referred to as the "system, or the "establishment" has, through its adopted genre of economics, spawned a condition of parasitic symbiosis among its constituents which has become the most significant factor of cohesion evidenced in modern western society.
It appears we may have been conditioned to believe a perversion of the aphorism, "Work is worship!" For if this is so, at least in the modern idiom, then it must also follow that "Money is God!" Because, if we examine the reality of our circumstances more closely and honestly, we find that the only reason we drive ourselves to work so hard is so we can make more money so we can have more, and service our inescapable descent into further debt.
The sad truth in this is that it makes about as much sense as placing bandages on a corpse. Work, in the modern context, is nothing more than enslavement....enslavement to a belief.
About one hundred forty years ago a man named Henry David Thoreau, in a single literary effort titled, WALDEN, wrote some truths which have echoed like thunder down through history. Let us see whether much has changed. He stated: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation."
"When I consider my neighbors, the farmers of Concord, who are at least as well off as the other classes, I find that for the most part they have been toiling twenty, thirty, or forty years, that they may become the real owners of their farms, which commonly they have inherited with encumbrances, or else bought with hired money (usury) - and we may regard one third of that toil as the cost of their houses - but commonly they have not paid for them yet. And when the farmer has got his house, he may not be the richer but the poorer for it, and it be the house that has got him."
"Almost any man knows how to earn money, but not one in a million knows how to spend it. If he had known so much as this, he would never have earned it."
We should now examine where these beliefs may originate. Are we born with them? Do we inherit them genetically? Do our ancestral relationships determine where they come from? Does our society or culture impose them on us? Are our beliefs conditioned into us by the educational system to which we have been subject?
There may be some truth in each of the above suggestions. The most relevant may well be the most recent influences, since they tend to modify our mental faculties the most significantly. We should give some consideration, then, to the possibility that we may be "trained" or conditioned to believe the way we do. This could mean that the thoughts that govern our attitudes and behavior are not really our own. They may have been introduced into our minds in quite a similar manner to which an electronic computer is programmed. A computer does what it is told to do. Are we any different?
If this is so, then we must consider the next question that might arise: At what point does the mind begin to take charge of itself? At what point does the mind question the beliefs it finds itself involuntarily filled with? More important still, at what point does the mind begin to reject the beliefs that do not work....that are not rooted in truth?
No one can tell precisely when this might occur but, fortunately, we can be assured that it does occur or these words would not appear upon these pages and you would not be reading them and feeling the "question" growing in your own mind. From this moment forward, it is only a matter of time and effort before your mind, the recipient of the ideas presented before you now, is witness to a different reality and is hopefully guided more confidently by truth.
It may be presumptuous, at this time, to begin leaping about in wild caprice at the possibility of being infused with such a liberating revelation, but I take it as an honor and a privilege to share its conception with you, however dim it may be at this moment. This, for the author at least, is one of those timeless, magical moments that is shared with another soul in the womb of eternity. With this profound thought in mind I salute you, the reader, and wish you God-speed in your quest for a greater awareness of what is real.
To return from this personal digression to our analysis, we may now begin to sense that we could be the victims of a deception that has had its design in some self-serving intelligence, well-intended or not, which is hidden from our normal perceptions.
In his famous essay on CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, Thoreau also had this to say: "I heartily accept the motto - That government is best which governs least." "This American government - what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity." "It is a sort of wooden gun to the people themselves; and, if ever they should use it in earnest as a real one against each other, it will surely split. But it is not the less necessary for this; for the people must have some complicated machinery or other, and hear its din, to satisfy that idea of government which they have. Governments show, thus, how successfully men can be imposed upon, even impose on themselves, for their own advantage." "How does it become a man to behave toward his American government today? I answer that he cannot, without disgrace, be associated with it." "All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to and to resist the government when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable." "Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? Men, generally, under a government such as this, think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them. They think that, if they should resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. It makes it worse. Why is it not more apt to anticipate and provide for reform? Why does it not cherish its wise minority? Why does it cry and resist before it is hurt? Why does it not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and
do better than it would have them?" "The authority of government even such as I am willing to submit to - for I will cheerfully obey those who know and can do better than I, and in many things even those who neither know nor can do so well - is still an impure one: to be strictly just, it must have the sanction and consent of the governed. It can have no pure right over my person and property but what I concede to it." "There will never be a really free and enlightened state, until the state comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly. I please myself with imagining a state at last which can afford to be just to all men, and to treat the individual with respect as a neighbor; which even would not think it inconsistent with its own repose, if a few were to live aloof from it, not meddling with it, nor embraced by it, who fulfilled all the duties of neighbors and fellowmen. A state which bore this kind of fruit, and suffered it to drop off as fast as it ripened, would prepare the way for a still more perfect and glorious state, which also I have imagined, but not yet anywhere seen."| * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
Having discovered the possibility of such a "deception", (well intended, or not) it may then be well for us to ask, what is "its" source and what are "its" real intentions? Where is "it" taking us? We are taught that we are free, but what does "it" teach us we are free of? Are we free of "it"? Are we free of the debt "it" encourages us to sink into? Are we free of the stress "it" imposes on us when we are forced to work ("worship") more strenuously to satisfy "its" insatiable demands? Are we free of the humdrum groove we find ourselves unwittingly trapped in when we submit to training ourselves for a life-time of performing some specialized task on "its" behalf?
Of course, we are conditioned to "believe" that we are doing all this for ourselves and we accept that we are free, because we are free of those things "it" tells us we are free of. We do not question our freedom or "its" authority over us until it is almost too late and we are thoroughly socialized (conditioned) and our life pattern is established. The die is cast, so to speak.
The "question", if one ever dares to address it, seems to erupt from the rumblings of underlying discontent, beginning at an unconscious, individual level, when it is found that happiness is not being realized in the manner we were taught it would. It then seems to spread by geometric progression, as we are presently witnessing, to the far reaches of society.
If this analogy somehow seems to fit the conditions facing us in society at present, what does it all mean? Where are we, as members of society, left with regard to "it"?
Firstly, if any of this should eventually prove to be true, it is this writer's contention that "it" will never be subdued by a massive rebellion or resistance in society. "It" will gradually dissolve as individual awareness grows and spreads slowly, cell by cell, person by person, until a gestalt is formed and society undergoes an organic transformation.
Let us examine for a moment, a phenomena described by the author and futurist, Ken Kesey, in his book, THE HUNDREDTH MONKEY.
While feeding monkeys sweet potatoes on a Japanese island several years ago, a group of scientists studying animal behavior observed that a particular young one found the sand adhering to the sweet potato distasteful. It then proceeded to wash the tuber before eating it. They also observed this young monkey teaching its mother this new trick it had learned, and she proceeded to do the same, occasionally teaching another member of the tribe the same trick. The scientists discovered that when a critical number of monkeys had learned this particular behavioral trait, all the monkeys in the tribe suddenly began exhibiting the same behavior - without being taught. It was further discovered that monkeys on other islands also began exhibiting this behavior almost spontaneously.
This discovery supports the notion that there is a point at which awareness spreads exponentially by geometric progression and becomes universal, as if by telepathy. It is now believed that this phenomena occurs within the human family as well.
Many of you who are now reading this will begin to sense a new responsibility and a new power within yourself when you begin to realize that you are becoming a part of this gestalt. You are becoming a member of a quiescent, but formidable and far-reaching, fellowship that exists, has its being and enjoys an awareness beyond the strictures imposed on the average human mentality. Once the veils have been parted, even for a moment, the process of liberation becomes almost a matter of course and involuntary.
It is like the proverbial moth and the flame. The Fellowship awaits like a giant magnet, and those who are ready and appropriately aligned can only resist with great difficulty and hardship to themselves. Truth is irresistible to the minds, the hearts and the souls that have their origins in it. To those who do not, it doesn't matter anyway. Their choice, as stated before, is made by not choosing.
However, to those of you who are aligned with truth and who are ready to choose liberation; to those of you with the eyes to see and the ears to hear where truth is embodied; to those of you who perceive, though dimly at first, the path and the way that is offered you; it is you the truth will set free.
Each of us must enter this path alone; but enter we must! When we begin to hear the sound and rhythm of our own footsteps upon this path we also begin to note the echoing footsteps of the vast army with whom we march in unison. We are not alone as we had thought. Quietly, almost imperceptibly at first, we inwardly sense an omnipotent camaraderie, reinforcement and purpose. More often than not, there will be little or no evidence outwardly that this is so. This sense is accompanied by an inner knowing and peace that surpasses understanding.
Suddenly one is able to gaze beyond the frenzied world that man has created for himself and his fellowmen, and perceive the reality of the natural world that lies just beyond his own insubstantial, vaporous glamor and illusory corruptions. This natural world remains intact and stable in spite of our thoughtless abrasions and toxic insults.
Oh, we may cause Her to belch and shiver uncomfortably from time to time, mostly to our own chagrin, no doubt, yet She remains loyal to Her purpose of sustaining our ignorant, unpenitent lives. Her dignity and nobility is so profoundly magnanimous that She neither expects nor receives the reverence and gratitude She deserves from us. But then, it may well be ourselves who will serve to be the irritant that facilitates the re-awakening of Gaea, Mother of the Titans. Perhaps the process of Her re-awakening is upon us already. Perhaps the Titans in our midst have already begun to rattle their swords in the impending presence of the intrepid and mysterious Olympians.
Remembering the ever present possibility that we may be our own worst enemy, we may also soon find that we are at war with ourselves. We must consider that the only logical rationale for being swept into war would be in the effort to assure our survival. Yet now we must also ask, how are we to survive a war against ourselves?
I would like to point out that this writer is not attempting to be cleverly facetious. Let us examine a little more deeply what is being implied and what possible ramifications could further result.
To do this, we must examine the popularly held hypothesis that man is a spiritual entity as well as a physical being, that is, a soul or higher self, and an ego or lower self. It is not this writer’s intention to argue whether man is configured thusly, or whether he is not at this point. History provides an endless, succession of great minds who have argued in favor of this point. For the purpose of our analogy I ask the reader to bear with me in this generally accepted assumption that he is as described.
The science of psychology as well as most religious disciplines today would support the notion that mans mind embodies three aspects. Bordering his waking, "conscious" mind he has a "sub-conscious" aspect which may correspond to his ego or lower, more primitive, nature. On the other hand, it is believed he has a "super-conscious" aspect which may correspond to his soul or higher, more divine, nature.
We should note here that the alleged "conscious" mind seems to have boundaries or limitations, somewhat like the divisions of color that appear in a spectrogram. Let us say that the lowest and darkest shade of color on this spectrogram represents the "sub-conscious" mind. The next or medium shade of color arising on this spectrogram represents the "conscious" mind. Above this the lightest shade of color appearing upon this spectrogram represents the commencement of the super-conscious mind. Let us say that how broad or how narrow the conscious mind may seem to be is determined by how effectively and deeply a person is able to penetrate the "sub-conscious" and/or the "super-conscious" aspects with the "conscious" mind. Thus, we seem either "narrow minded" or "broad minded" depending on how freely we are able to "cognizantly" access the full spectrum of our minds. Let us take note here, for later reference, that such a hypothesis suggests a "paradigm" of hierarchial or vertical orientation. We shall explore this further in another scenario.
Wouldn't it be interesting if some highly intelligent, self-serving, powerful elite discovered a means of keeping the minds of the masses restricted and attentive only to those particular desires and predispositions in their nature which, when emphasized and cultivated successfully, tend to facilitate their unconscious submission and better serves this "Power Elite's" ambitious purposes? To put it simply, by accepting this narrowed spectrum of awareness they have imposed by persuasion upon us, we have become their willing slaves.
Wouldn't it also be interesting if our present ethical, educational, economic and enterprise "systems" were designed in hierarchical fashion by some such "Power Elite" to serve just such a scenario?
Wouldn't it be even more interesting if such an unnatural confinement of his mind faculties went against the grain of man’s natural propensity to grow and expand his awareness? Is it possible that even now man's primal nature is beginning to ascend from the depths of his "sub-conscious" in an effort to gain more control of the "conscious" mind? Conversely, might it be possible that his divine nature is beginning to descend from the heights of his "super-conscious" to make its bid for more control of the "conscious" mind?
It would seem then that man’s "conscious" mind might become the scene of a battlefield between these warring extremes. The Titans of his lower nature battling with the Olympians of his higher nature to the death of one or the other. The victor and the vanquished!
When this battle within the self, for ultimate stewardship of the body and its personality, has run its course and the victor takes charge, the battle then issues forth from the inner realms of being and engages its adversaries in the outer physical domain. The victor, be it the lower primitive nature, or the higher divine nature finds himself residing in a world of other victorious and vanquished warriors. Some who seem primitive and evil and some who seem divine and good. Depending on which aspect of his own nature prevails, he will find himself vying, on the one hand, for control of his own space and the freedom to be himself, or on the other hand, he will be attempting to satisfy his greed and lust for wealth and/or power over others.
When in due course this great conflict in the world of man reaches its maximum intensity, we will be engaged, we are told, in the Battle of Armageddon, the final battle between good and evil.
If we are able to glean from this analysis whether there may be any possibility of truth behind it: How are we to assess the quality of our own being? How are we to recognize which aspect of our being is in charge? How are we to identify whether we are "Titans" or whether we are "Olympians"? Whether we are the good guys or the bad guys? Each of us has our happiness to pursue and our freedoms to defend. How well do I know myself? How intimate am I with this aspect which prevails as victor within the flesh and bones of myself?
It would be tragic if we "all" went to our deaths believing we were the good guys, while those who are easily put upon, who are neither moral or immoral, who are without anger or passion, but who are in all their attitudes and actions simply kind and gentle - I believe the word used is "meek" - "inherit the earth", as an old proverb suggests.
Inherit the earth? What sort of honor will this turn out to be? Where does this earth really fit in this speculative scenario? Is it the Elysian Fields, ultimate destination of the angelic Olympians, the Sons of God? Or, is it Dantes Inferno, hungrily awaiting the flesh of the Titans, the Sons of Belial? Or, is it somewhere betwixt and between? Is earth a gathering place between Heaven and Hell, a sort of crossroads between parallel, but divergent, universes where human souls choose their roles in the unfolding Universal Drama? Is conflict our destiny or will harmony prove to be the result of such chaos? What is the formula for Creation?
If my soul leaves earth because I am one of the "good guys", am I destined for a better future? Will I be engaging in higher enterprises? Will I find greater pleasure or will I simply suffer miserably confronting evil? If my soul departs this earth because I am one of the "bad guys", am I destined for a plight which is worse? Will my endeavors be coarse and despicable? Will I despise my lot more, or will I simply find great pleasure and joy engaging in evil endeavors? What are the true qualities of Heaven and Hell? Is it the destination of those who are unable or unwilling to partake in choosing decisively their own destiny, a storage place for residue, a catchment for chaff, a sort of limbo?
It is my belief these questions need to be asked. Many of the answers may be awaiting us in the not too distant future. Is our destiny already written into the book of fate or have we a choice? Perhaps the destiny of mankind is generally assured, but those of us who will participate in full awareness will do so of our own free volition. It might be anticipated with reasonable certainty that humanity in general has a future that is assured, but only those of us, in particular, who choose decisively in accordance with that destiny, will have any assurance of participating in that future.
Such a prophecy can be compared to monitoring patterns of automobile traffic at an intersection for a specified period of time. After a while, the observer will get a general idea of how many automobiles will go through the intersection, how many will turn left and how many will turn right within a given time. In other words, a pattern is noted and a fairly reliable estimate can be given of how many cars will do what. Yet, even within these fairly predictable parameters, no one can predict with absolute certainty which specific automobiles will do what. That is still left to the free-will and choice of the drivers of the automobiles.
Such an "uncertainty principle" might also be applied to the destiny of humanity. On the one hand we can be relatively certain that mankind does have a future, but, on the other hand, we cannot be certain who will choose to be part of that future. That choice is ultimately left up to the individual. This might also assist us in understanding another ancient aphorism: "The Lord helps those who help themselves."
What are we seeking to discover in such an analysis as this? What are we hoping will be revealed? What might be the bottom line? Many who read this will not see any relevance in such a bizarre approach to scientific examination. These ideas and allegories will have little meaning or value for those who, I venture, the dye is already cast.
But there will be some who will be approaching a crisis in their lives, and their perceptions will be nearing the threshold where the intellect must submit to the intuitive.
To these readers the message herein will appear as a coded set of guidelines, a ciphered treasure map showing the way to the ultimate treasure we are all destined to find, each in our own time, each in our own way.
The means, of course, is by cultivating the qualities of self-responsibility, self-reliance and self-realization as reflected in the immortal tradition found carefully inscribed in the lintel of the Delphic Oracle - "Man, Know Thyself!" The reward is liberation from the "world of man" and residence in the Kingdom of Heaven....here and now.
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All Written Materials Copyright 2000 Robert H. Brevig
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U.C.C. 1-207.4 U.C.C. 1-103.6,.7