Monday, February 15, 2016

Allegory of the Myopus and Leeries

Happy Presidents' Day! I hope you had the day off and a great week! Speaking of which, there is a White House petition about voting no confidence on Congressional Republicans and their obstructionist actions. They are paid to work for what they were elected for and they take our money and yet, they do not do their job. Whichever side you are on, we should all still expect they do their job and not do anything-but-their-job, as we have seen them do time and time again. Moving along.... I've said this before but... part of the problems we're seeing is no that one notices. Let me put it this way.... Substitution, Assimilation, Habituation. Substitution: We are lied to, changes are put into place. The further we get from the original lie the more ingrained and believable the lie becomes. Assimilation: Lies are told professing that things are getting better for the reasons and lies given previously but then as things degenerate further, other reasons are given and distractions are caused or dwelled upon when they happen ("Can't be having them think what we did caused it after all"), making it all much worse. Habituation: People become used to the status quo which is worse than it was before and now people believe the lies because of what they were told and sometimes in very little time it becomes hard to see what the truth once was and currently is. Then the people are told the fix is more of the same. Things continue to get worse, all while pointing the finger at those trying to now fix it but few can believe them or understand any longer. In fact it seems so far out of reality that the popular vote is for more of what is causing the issue. More, more, more, fix it, fix it, fix it, desperation, follow those who act like they know what they are doing because they act so self assured and oh I hope they are not lying to us. But that occurs less and less to even occur to many. Consider the story of the ridiculous thought. Or this short tale for clarification: "The Allegory of the Myopus and the Leeries". In a magical and far off land it becomes reported that people were beginning to DIE left and RIGHT. This frightened the people as their leaders told them to run for safety, that horrible things were approaching. "Run to the cliff! There is SAFETY there! No one will go over the edge. The edge is good! Trust us! We won't allow bad things! There is more freedom there. Pay no attention to how far from the cliff edge we all are over here on our Hillock!" The people running were the Myopus. Others screamed warnings as those running to "safety" fell off the cliff. Those few others who had stopped running and instead looked around, could see what was happening. Those few were the Leeries. They tried their best to tell the others to stop their advance to destruction. But those blindly running called the Leeries "brainwashed" and weak, socialists, communists, or even worse. They said they were people who wanted everything for free instead of running to the edge with everyone else. The edge which only seemed scary to the Leeries so they yell for people to stop. Or maybe the Leeries wanted the Myopus to die? Everyone knows the edge is where safety truly lies. Those on the Hillock continued shouting, "Run faster, get to the cliff!" All while they sucked down fine wines and grinned. Some of their underlings remained among the crowds doing their bidding and preaching the message. Those lesser types were protected by those on the Hillock. Others beneath them preached what is being preached to them by those between them and those upon the Hillock. Those in the middle were protected. But those below them reaped no benefits. 

Then even they too went over the edge with the masses of Myopus. No one heard any more from them. They were gone and simply no longer relevant. A few were very strong or simply lucky, and they survived. They didn't go over the cliff. They looked with disdain among the others, berating them all as weak and thus elevating themselves. They began to feel as important as those on the Hillock. Those who will only ever see them as they do all the rest. As those to be used and discarded. Traded and abused as mere capital. Still the masses continued to the edge of the cliff and many fell. Finally one day enough began to see that something wasn't adding up. Because this kind of thing cannot go on forever. Even those on the Hillock once knew that. Yet they too have been deluded and continued to believe themselves invincible. Eventually enough voices were raised and some began to take notice. That was when the crackdown on them really began. Through false laws, by removing them from society in various and obvious ways, they took their votes and their voices, and the dissent slowed to a trickle. The voices quieted. After a while though more voices are raised. Eventually a tipping point is hit until finally a couple of lone voices find themselves in position to take the lead. To convince others they can actually make change possible. They say: "You do not have to go over the cliff! You can simply throw those on the Hillock over the cliff instead. Once again the people can be happy!" Eventually through changes even those old and new up on the Hillock could be happy. But they could not see it. They fought even against their own best interests and that of all others. They could not see that they are not the only ones who were important. It was to be a long journey. They may have to build a fence to stop the people from continuing to go over the cliff. Some louder voices were raised. They pointed beyond the shores and said:
"Yes, yes! Build a wall but to keep those out because they are the problem, not us!" 
Many screamed out in joy because the answer was easy and an easy answer, even when it is wrong, is preferable to a real and more difficult answer that seems to them, to be impossible. A new thing becomes available. Many people begin to learn of possible alternate Truths and within those reside the old, the hidden and actual Truth. How does this all end? Well, it's never very pretty. Whenever you have someone in control and try to remove them, most especially if it's a monster or a vast and incorporated machine, they will fight more than ever as the removal begins and realization dawns that the end is near. Once they know there are only moments left, that is when the fighting will be the most horrible, the most damaging. When all stops are pulled out and attempts are made to try to damage anyone attempting to remove them from their perch upon their cherished Hillock. Possibly a scorched earth policy is adopted and then the real damage begins. All or nothing. Either they will have it all or no one will have anything. And yet, even though half of the people continue to believe their imposed and self imposed mass delusions, a light begins to shine out of the shadows. People previously unrealized are seen and more and more come to terms with what has been happening. With a great and mighty effort the now wiser people begin to push through the foolish and the ignorant, and against their best efforts they try to save them too. In the end they try to save the entire land and all who are living there. Because that is how it is done. That is how it should be. Finally even the foolish people come to realize they had made a great mistake. 

Many apologize, many give thanks to those who deserve it, but most cannot apologize. It is hard to admit that everything you have believed in has led you to your own demise. Even when others tried to warn you. It is hard to admit you did wrong, because you think that may destroy you in the future. And you may be right. Those who had saved everyone are much happier now. Of those who were on the Hillock, many were deposed. Then new ones from below took their places. Some have been replaced by their own children who now see the way things can be and who begin to appreciate that you do not need massive amounts more than you can ever use. Even though they will still have so much more than they can ever use. But that is capitalism. That is freedom. Freedom can be a great thing. It can also be a terrible thing in the wrong hands. Just like capitalism. Just like any pure thought, it can be abused when the wrong filters are put into place. Or the wrong people gain control or too much power. In a closed economy such as the world is, unlimited wealth has to be limited. It cannot be allowed to run rampant. That is not communism or socialism. That is reality. Finally people could see how vast wealth can lead to vast abuse. How that needs to be controlled for the benefit of those on the Hillock, as well as those far beneath them and any and all others. In order for those on the Hillock to be protected, they must protect those below them. All people must be protected but those who control the people. Therefore, the people must control the people. As their new life settled in, everyone was much happier. Some grumbled, but even they came to realize they were much safer now. After all, in everyone being safe, everyone is safe. In the meantime on yet another Hillock, one at which no one is looking, new people arise looking to bring back the old regime. It is an ancient story. A few of the secretly powerful are still around because no one ever knew about them; only those well known among the people. Many others are there still in place. Just as when a congress changes through term limitations, there are always those who remain from term, to term, to term. Running things behind the scenes. Those who are like the people, the Myopus and the Leeries and this is a good thing. Knowledge needs to be retained and to be passed on. When you have those who are upon the Hillock, or on a far bigger Hillock, one that no one is even aware of, who are supporting those who are wealthy and powerful and elected by no one other than their privilege, then there is no control, only desire, only their plans, only their actions for their purposes. What is that purpose one has to ask? But who can ask "what purpose" when few even know that purpose exists, or that those people exist, other than through the symptomatology of how things are running, and being run? It takes constant vigilance. It takes always fighting for the people to live well, over that of merely existing, or in supporting wealth, power, and control over the people. It takes living in and maintaining a country built to sustain the people... and not just the powerful.

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