venting about the negatives of modern culture

[entheogenic-gnosis]

Another day in Babylon...

I wonder why I have any compassion for people, nobody has any respect for one another, nobody has any respect for the environment, and selfishness is the key attribute glorified.

Materialism becomes a defining factor regarding nearly aspect of social functioning, it's encouraged in every way, most are amenable to this type of manipulation, they can be exploited by their desires...the Egyptians are said to have had an enslaved population build the pyramids, in the modern first world they have created slaves by exploitation of human desires.

Greed is encouraged, the first world culture encourages you to want as much as possible, and encourages others to hold those with massive amounts of material and luxury goods in high standings. It's encouraged to desire excessive material possessions.

Your defined as a person by your accumulation of material goods and dedication to the designated system.

If your not dependant on an employer and survive by other means, your severely looked down on.

Everything the first world promotes and encourages is the antithesis of whats just and right. Any spiritual tradition will be able to outline morally correct and just behaviors, and the first world promotes the opposite of all these traditions.

...and people love it, they love being greedy, materialistic, selfish, and gluttonous, they will look down on those who do not promote these values with snide condescending disdain...


I want nothing that the first world has to offer, from their high rise castles and skyscrapers to the desire for capitol and material gains, life becomes an effort to collect as much currency as possible, regardless of who gets hurt in the process. People are happy to live with more material goods than they will ever need and more money than they can even spend, while others are starving in the streets, the know every dollar they hoard is a dollar taken from someone who needs it, and they don't care...

vice media does a music show called "noisey", and the Miami and las Vegas episodes are perfect examples of what I'm talking about...senseless hedonistic Babylonian gluttony and excess, and it's seen as "the dream"

All the first world has is concrete buildings and needless products, all the people are greedy, materialistic, and selfish, they see anybody who has less than this as "losers", they have no respect fir nature or each other, no compassion, and they promote...

When I'm out in the beauty of nature, fresh air, clean streams, plants growing wild and free, the sun shining, this is the real first world...

We live at the end of a 1000 year binge on the philosophical position known as materialism
in its many guises and the basic message of materialism is that the world is what it appears
to be, a thing composed of matter and pretty much confined to its surface. For approximately
500 years the great era for the triumph of modern science materialism has had the field
all to itself, and its argument for its preeminence was the beautiful toys that it could create,
aircraft, railways, television, spacecraft; but that is a fools argument. And now at the
end of 500 years of the process of rational quote unquote scientific culture we are literally
at the end of our rope, reason and science and the practice of unbridled capitalism have
not delivered us into an angelic realm, quite thew contrary they have delivered about 3%
of us into an angelic realm completely overshadowed by guilt about the other 97% of the population who are eating it. It's not pretty picture modern civilization, most people in the world are quite miserable actually. It's as though nature is saying we are willing to place the entire planetary ecology in danger for approximately 50,000 years in order for the opportunity to be explored of language using technology expressing intelligence carrying all of life to the next level. And it's a terrifying enterprise, because apparently to carry life to the next level tremendous intellectual sophistication is required about the release and control of energy. The problem is that energy can be used to destroy as well as build. So as the human enterprise has moved toward greater and greater power and ability to manipulate the environment the stakes in
the cosmic game have risen, and now what we have have is approximately 100 billion dollars
sitting in the centre of the crap table and one roll of the dice more and we are either
going to win it or loose everything. What civilization is, is 6 billion people trying to make themselves happy by standing on each other's shoulders and kicking each other's teeth in. It's not a pleasant situation. And yet, you can stand back and look at this planet and see that we have the money, the power, the medical understanding, the scientific know-how, the love and the community to produce a kind of human paradise. But we are led by the least among us - the least intelligent,
the least noble, the least visionary. We are led by the least among us and we do not fight
back against the dehumanizing values that are handed down as control icons.
This is something, culture is not your friend. Culture is for other people's convenience
and the convenience of various institutions, churches, companies, tax collection schemes,
what have you. It is not your friend. It insults you. It disempowers you. It uses and abuses
you. None of us are well treated by culture.
Yet we glorify the creative potential of the individual, the rights of the individual.
We understand the felt-presence of experience is what is most important. But the culture
is a perversion. It fetishizes objects, creates consumer mania, it preaches endless forms
of false happiness, endless forms of false understanding in the form of squirrelly religions
and silly cults. It invites people to diminish themselves and dehumanize themselves by behaving
like machines - meme processors of memes passed down from Madison Avenue and Hollywood
All primates have dominance hierarchies, that simply means that the hard bodies long fanged
young male kick everyone else around, they control the females, the children, homosexuals,
the elderly everybody is taking orders from this dominance hierarchy, and this is true
way back into squirrel monkeys, its a generalized feature of primate behaviour, and it's an
aspect of our behaviour as we sit here It's a general-
ized feature of primate behavior. And it's an aspect of our behavior, as we
sit here. Women -- the feminine -- is not honored, the elderly are marginalized, homosexuals,
that whole issue. Many of our social and political ills stem from this
attitude. -terence mckenna

Yet, I still have compassion for these people...

I know that if I was on fire they would not take a piss on me to put me out, yet I still want to help these people...

I pray the modern first world will fall, I love the Rastafarian concept of Babylon. The Babylonians destroyed the first temple and enslaved God's people, forcing them to live by values and a culture that was antithetical to their ways, God s ways. The rasta applied this metaphor to modern first world culture...and while I'm not a rasta, I love that concept...

How long can this system sustain itself?

If the goal of humanity is to evolve interstellar travel, so we don't go extinct with resource depletion or our suns supernova, our currant system is still not furthering this goal, and this is the argument for the negatives of "progress", that these things must happen for the survival of our species, yet we are squandering our resources and looting the future, interstellar travel is going to become impossible due to gluttonous resource consumption and dedication of resources towards frivolous means...

One day maybe we will live with nature, but first Babylon must fall...

-eg

 

[anne halonium]

high rise castles and skyscrapers .

regardless of who gets hurt in the process.

we just say " the towers" or " home"
and, theres always casualties.
also, we prefer not to be so gloomy and doomy about treasure.

im always in the " get high , get laid, get paid", or," win big or die tryin" camp.
^anything less is against my religion.

 

[Praxis.]

To me it sounds like many of the things you're describing aren't exclusive to modern culture. Greed, materialism, and exploitation have been a part of most societies. Like you said, the Egyptian state enslaved its own people to build monuments for royalty.

How would you name the problem? What do you think are the root causes?

All the first world has is concrete buildings and needless products, all the people are greedy, materialistic, and selfish, they see anybody who has less than this as "losers", they have no respect fir nature or each other, no compassion, and they promote...

I'm as bummed about the world as the next person, but I don't think this is true. While I do think our culture has embraced a kind of collective apathy that's very self-destructive, I genuinely feel most people are navigating this world to the best of their ability. Simply put, the world that we're forced to live in necessitates exploitation at every level and just by simply existing in our culture I feel most people are forced to behave in a dysfunctional way. As a response, most people detach themselves and display indifference. I honestly feel like it's a healthy human response to the overwhelming amount of injustice we're exposed to, and forced to participate in, every single day. I see apathy as a defense mechanism of sorts.


For me, the line in the sand is drawn when those who have the opportunity to do so make the conscious decision not to overcome that indifference and apathy. We can be indifferent, we can complain, or we can put our energy towards building the kind of world that we want to live in. I don't think a lot of people understand the amount of power that they really have. If you want something better for yourself and for others, make it happen. Make a few phone calls, get some people together, and make a plan. Don't stop until you win. It really is as simple as that.

Things aren't gonna get any better if everyone wants to sit back and watch the system eat itself. Unless we are all pro-active in building our own future we will continue to see the same patterns repeat themselves.

 

[Chan]

I hear ya, EG.

I was gonna post this link the other day, but held off...your post brought it right back:

Neoliberalism sees competition as the defining characteristic of human relations. It redefines citizens as consumers, whose democratic choices are best exercised by buying and selling, a process that rewards merit and punishes inefficiency. It maintains that “the market” delivers benefits that could never be achieved by planning.

Attempts to limit competition are treated as inimical to liberty. Tax and regulation should be minimised, public services should be privatised. The organisation of labour and collective bargaining by trade unions are portrayed as market distortions that impede the formation of a natural hierarchy of winners and losers. Inequality is recast as virtuous: a reward for utility and a generator of wealth, which trickles down to enrich everyone. Efforts to create a more equal society are both counterproductive and morally corrosive. The market ensures that everyone gets what they deserve.

We internalise and reproduce its creeds. The rich persuade themselves that they acquired their wealth through merit, ignoring the advantages – such as education, inheritance and class – that may have helped to secure it. The poor begin to blame themselves for their failures, even when they can do little to change their circumstances.

Never mind structural unemployment: if you don’t have a job it’s because you are unenterprising. Never mind the impossible costs of housing: if your credit card is maxed out, you’re feckless and improvident. Never mind that your children no longer have a school playing field: if they get fat, it’s your fault. In a world governed by competition, those who fall behind become defined and self-defined as losers.

Among the results, as Paul Verhaeghe documents in his book What About Me? are epidemics of self-harm, eating disorders, depression, loneliness, performance anxiety and social phobia. Perhaps it’s unsurprising that Britain, in which neoliberal ideology has been most rigorously applied, is the loneliness capital of Europe. We are all neoliberals now.

Neoliberalism – the ideology at the root of all our problems

Financial meltdown, environmental disaster and even the rise of Donald Trump – neoliberalism has played its part in them all. Why has the left failed to come up with an alternative?

www.theguardian.com

Sign'o'the times, indeed.

RIP Prince.

 

[No Knowing]

They poison the water. Make us compete. Put us in debt. Sell us out to reptilian aliens....

But seriously YES the government is ignorant at best and pure evil at worst. And the apathy to the situation is maddening.

BUT my life got so much better when I dropped all the, "ITS F'ED UP HERE!" talk and just put ALL my mental resources into what I could do to heal myself, those close to me, and people who are open to it.

Contemplating THE HORROR of modern civilization WILL drive you into self-destructive apathy or WORSE [Apocalypse Now anyone?]

Yes it's completely deranged sooooo,......begin the cyber-shamanic healing engines fueled by visions of future paradise NOW

Just focus on what you can do. May lead you to art, permaculture, herbalism, traveling side-shows....whatever but do something to bring some joy and healing to everyone. [Or at the very least, yourself!]

According to many wisdom traditions we are coming out of the Dark Age into the Energy Age right now. [Kali Yuga to Dwapara Yuga in Hindu Cosmology {Hopi, Ancient Greeks, Egyptians have similar systems with different names}] Taking this long view of humanity really helped me put my own life into perspective and made me realize I am planting the seeds of change for next few thousand year ascent to the Golden Age. There may have to be a collapse or two somewhere in there but we are on the way. This cuspe of the Dark Age into the Energy Age seems rough. BUT DAMN THANK THE OMNIVERSE I wasn't born in the actual Dark Ages where many in Europe had to farm dirt while only having access to homemade beer to drink and living to 30 was old.[Throw corpses in the well? sure why not they're out of sight] War was a welcome respite from that hell-time of history.

TLDR: We are on the upswing folks but, we have alot more darkness to shake off before we hit the light. ALSO, decisions you make NOW do affect future evolution so do it up good for them future humans. Doom and gloom is lame.

 

[Ufostrahlen]

...and people love it, they love being greedy, materialistic, selfish, and gluttonous, they will look down on those who do not promote these values with snide condescending disdain...

Who cares what low consciousness people think? Also taking advantage of greedy people is no crime.

I want nothing that the first world has to offer, from their high rise castles and skyscrapers to the desire for capitol and material gains, life becomes an effort to collect as much currency as possible, regardless of who gets hurt in the process.

I want alot what the first world has to offer. Clean water from the tap, steady food & pharmaceutical supply, fast internet connection, being able to trade at stock market etc... I bet 99% of the "third world" wants that too. And they have every right to get a piece of the pie. Let's just hope they contribute to the pie instead of just claiming their share, otherwise we see blood on the streets.

South Korea was the 6th poorest country in the world after the Korean war. After 2 generations, they became the 12th largest economy (don't pin me down on the exact numbers). What Koreans can do, so can others.

People are happy to live with more material goods than they will ever need and more money than they can even spend, while others are starving in the streets, the know every dollar they hoard is a dollar taken from someone who needs it, and they don't care...

Yes, for every healthy person there must be a sick person, for every stuffed person must be a hungry person, for every happy person must be a sad person... the old dualistic superstition. I think a lot of people are actually poor because their knowledge about the economy is poor. You can use the internet for porn or for getting ahead in the game, better start today, because I started yesterday:

Value added - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Be the change you want to see in the world. Personally I want to see less poverty, greed & complainers.

Edit: EG, because of your pic profile, here you can see Nick Sand buying Fiji Water in full economic and ecologic awareness:

PPS: I already got punished for the post, I screwed up my Ubuntu installation while typing this :roll:

 

[Legarto Rey]

Kali Yuga >>Dwapara Yuga. The great cycles flow inexorably! Dig it or be glum.

The post-modern Cathedral is leveraging Western man's maudlin delusion that "egalitarianism/equality" are not only achievable, but desirable. This hopelessly misguided sensibility is maliciously exploited(by globalists, (((banksters))), media, academe)in a not so hidden campaign to dispossess/replace the 1st world middle class.

Interestingly, I'd wager most Nexians(me included) are members/beneficiaries of said, 1st WMC.

The Cathedral fears "our" literacy, relative wealth and facility with psychedelics. Way too liberal and free thinking for easy shepherding. Surely it's NOT the religious right/conservatives(they've been entirely coopted), that wield the power to facilitate/accelerate the genocidal "mudslide West".

Humanity will be just fine for the near future(prior to next imminent glaciation). It's us pale, middle class proles who are slated(intentionally, demographically) for cultural/political/genetic irrelevancy on the near horizon.

The Cathedral celebrates/facilitates the descendancy.

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

To me it sounds like many of the things you're describing aren't exclusive to modern culture. Greed, materialism, and exploitation have been a part of most societies. Like you said, the Egyptian state enslaved its own people to build monuments for royalty.

How would you name the problem? What do you think are the root causes?

All the first world has is concrete buildings and needless products, all the people are greedy, materialistic, and selfish, they see anybody who has less than this as "losers", they have no respect fir nature or each other, no compassion, and they promote...

I'm as bummed about the world as the next person, but I don't think this is true. While I do think our culture has embraced a kind of collective apathy that's very self-destructive, I genuinely feel most people are navigating this world to the best of their ability. Simply put, the world that we're forced to live in necessitates exploitation at every level and just by simply existing in our culture I feel most people are forced to behave in a dysfunctional way. As a response, most people detach themselves and display indifference. I honestly feel like it's a healthy human response to the overwhelming amount of injustice we're exposed to, and forced to participate in, every single day. I see apathy as a defense mechanism of sorts.


For me, the line in the sand is drawn when those who have the opportunity to do so make the conscious decision not to overcome that indifference and apathy. We can be indifferent, we can complain, or we can put our energy towards building the kind of world that we want to live in. I don't think a lot of people understand the amount of power that they really have. If you want something better for yourself and for others, make it happen. Make a few phone calls, get some people together, and make a plan. Don't stop until you win. It really is as simple as that.

Things aren't gonna get any better if everyone wants to sit back and watch the system eat itself. Unless we are all pro-active in building our own future we will continue to see the same patterns repeat themselves.

]To me it sounds like many of the things you're describing aren't exclusive to modern culture. Greed, materialism, and exploitation have been a part of most societies. Like you said, the Egyptian state enslaved its own people to build monuments for royalty.

How would you name the problem? What do you think are the root causes?

Hmmm...didn't the Egyptians enslave the Hebrews? I mean was that historical or biblical?

Regardless, I tend to use the term "first world" for these reason, there has always been a first world, and a world deprived...

Yet these past civilizations didn't have populations as the modern worlds do, they didn't have the technology or need to delete planetary resources, they also did not have nuclear weaponry...

Modern culture is a new negative

And yet, you can stand back and look at this planet and see that we have the money, the
power, the medical understanding, the scientific know-how, the love and the community to produce
a kind of human paradise. But we are led by the least among us - the least intelligent,
the least noble, the least visionary. We are led by the least among us and we do not fight
back against the dehumanizing values that are handed down as control icons. -terence mckenna

reason and science and the practice of unbridled capitalism have
not delivered us into an angelic realm, quite thew contrary they have delivered about 3%
of us into an angelic realm completely overshadowed by guilt about the other 97% of the population who are eating it. -terence mckenna.

Realizing the negatives of modern culture and first world culture are nothing new for me, the issue for me is why I should care, why do I have compassion for a humanity that as a whole is content with the path they have taken and by all means probably deserve what they get?...

I still feel like "there's something I can do about it" ...as a "brick by brick" effort I could change people's minds one person at a time...

some of these posts say that I'm "glum", quite the contrary I'm a very positive and happy person, but even Siddhartha buddha felt sorrow for the beings he could not help...
(In fact in some sects of Buddhism if one has taken the Bodhisattva vow, they vow to leave nirvana to return to samsara to help beings who are still suffering...it's their compassion that causes them to abandon nirvana...)

Things aren't gonna get any better if everyone wants to sit back and watch the system eat itself. Unless we are all pro-active in building our own future we will continue to see the same patterns repeat themselves.

I'm reminded of the Hindu goddess Kali, who is a goddess of destruction, but it's a positive destruction, it's necessary destruction...
had the dinosaurs not been destroyed humans could never have evolved, no?

This system must fall, it's not self sustaining any way, finite resources meeting excessive consumption does not equal longevity and prosperity of a system...

And if we do not confront mankind with its foolish actions, we are allowing this thing to continue unopposed, knowing the consequences...


-eg

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

...and people love it, they love being greedy, materialistic, selfish, and gluttonous, they will look down on those who do not promote these values with snide condescending disdain...

Who cares what low consciousness people think? Also taking advantage of greedy people is no crime.
:

I care because I don't believe in "lower consciousness" people, these are people that have yet to be awakened.

Taking advantage of anybody is selfish behavior, rich or not compassion for sentient beings is he source of my distress...

Desire, attachment, and selfishness (ego) are the source of so much unnecessary and preventable suffering...

-eg

 

[Psilociraptor]

I go back and forth on this all the time. There are times when i wish i was born into an early human tribe and times I love our ability to peak into the mechanics of the universe and manipulate it for entertainment. There's no denying that a whole lot of ugly has come along with it... But look at the beauty. We are in the midst of a critical point in the potential evolution of the human race. You may look around and see disease and conflict and devolution but in a way the earth is shedding dead skin. Ushering in the opportunity for a new era of humans to thrive. Ones that have experienced the limits of our existence and who's survival is now dependent on awareness and love for our surroundings. Ones that have science and technology, but now must sink their roots back in to the earth. While it might not seem that way from our perspective in time the trend of the universe imo is always towards self-realization

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

Isn't it strange how you can speak in a way that you feel is direct, and still be completely misunderstood, I often am puzzled by some of the interpretations people come up with out of my words...


Here's an example:

I was talking to.an individual about my spirituality, I was explaining how I would study every religious tradition in depth, and take from it all that I thought was valuable, while discarding the rest...

And he said "but the stuff you getting rid of could be valuable to others, your just like the Christians stomping out other religions"

...and I thought "how the hell did you get that out of what I said?"...just because I don't incorporate the discarded information into my personal spiritual pantheon doesn't mean that I'm destroying it so that nobody can have it...(it's more like taking wisdom from Jesus while discarding the hypocrisy of organized Christianity, but this person interpreted what I was saying completely backwards....)

The purpose of this thread was to simply vent some of the built up frustrations that are a natural part of trying to leave the world a better place than when I found it.

Anybody who knows me will be able to detail my exhaustive efforts in this area, even if you have followed my posts on the nexus you will see a constant promotion of peace, love, and the positive, even in the face ofmassive opposition to these principles...most know I'm a very happy and positive person.

Here's a small example, I have not purchased gasoline or driven a motor vehicle for 10 years, I walk or bike everywhere, now, everybody I know realizes that the oil companies are destroying the environment as well as our political system, yet these people still fund these oil companies by driving everywhere and constantly purchasing gasoline, nobody is willing to make any sacrifice, and that's frustrating.

Or here's another example, people have no compassion for the third world. Africa is the most resource rich continent on earth, yet when a country begins to develop the IMF and the world bank.Will send in a "financial hitman" to get the country to take a loan, which eventually gets paid off, but the interest rates were set up to permanently indebt that nation, since they have no hard currency, the are forced to give up their resources as payment...the documentary called "making money" details this, as well as world economics in general, they even interview ex-financial hitmen...

Now, everybody in the first world seems to think that these counties were never able to get it together, or that they are somehow inferior and deserve to live in poverty, they think "too bad for them"


I don't feel there is anything wrong with venting these frustrations...

I also don't see how pointing out these flaws in modern culture makes me negative or gloomy, as a person I'm extremely happy, and promote peace, love, positivity, and a love for this life, however that doesn't mean that I can just turn a blind eye to everybody else's who is suffering, and I can't turn a blind eye to the reasons behind it all.

I mean, if you work like a dog, you get 260 channels of bad television and a German automobile! What kind of perfection is that?! We have our secular society – religion is completely devalued – and consumer object fetishism is the only kind of worth that we collectively recognise. I’m sure you’ve all seen the T-shirt that says “He” – notice, he – “who dies with the most toys, wins”. That is in fact the banner under which we’re flying here. And the level of unhappiness is immense. I mean, the level of unhappiness among the poor, they’ve always been miserable; but we’ve managed to create something entirely new in human history – an utterly miserable ruling class! I mean, there seems no excuse for that! -terence mckenna

As for Nick sand, Nick sand did more for humanity than most, Mr. Sand gave away more LSD than he ever sold, now why would he do that? he was also the first clandestine chemist to synthesize DMT (rather than extracting it), he even severed 4 years in prison for his efforts...Nick sand was not doing all this to become rich or boost his ego, and he made some harsh sacrifices... when you figure out why Mr. Sand, or owsley Stanley, or Casey hardison, or sasha shulgin, did what they did, you will understand my admiration of their work.

Moving Into the Sacred World of DMT, by Nick Sand - Psychedelic Frontier

"Moving Into the Sacred World of DMT," by one of the most prolific underground chemists in history, is essential reading for anyone interested in DMT.

psychedelicfrontier.com

And if hortatory preaching could do it, then the Sermon on the Mount would have turned the trick. It didn't and it won't. You have to somehow give people an experience--an experience that is not somebody else's experience--their experience, that radically recrystallizes their understanding of the world. -terence mckenna

-eg

 

[a1pha]

eg, to my mind on this moment we should all be living in nuclear winter. Every day we're not is a blessing.

On numerous occasions the order was given or some bit of data reached to launch. On both sides. We should literally be living Fallout 4 in a nuclear wasteland. This is often overlooked, especially by people in my generation and younger. The fact that the nukes are still unused and decaying in a magazine somewhere is a miracle.

Yes, the post-modern / contemporary money-focused culture can wear on the soul -- but compared to the devastation of salted thermonuclear war that could have been, it's pure ecstasy.

Try focusing on the positive instead of giving in to the desire to complain. The Buddha says to plant seeds of happiness with positive thinking instead of focusing on negative emotions. Good advice (though I have trouble myself).

PS, Ufostrahlen: 4.6. Automatic Installation

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

I go back and forth on this all the time. There are times when i wish i was born into an early human tribe and times I love our ability to peak into the mechanics of the universe and manipulate it for entertainment. There's no denying that a whole lot of ugly has come along with it... But look at the beauty. We are in the midst of a critical point in the potential evolution of the human race. You may look around and see disease and conflict and devolution but in a way the earth is shedding dead skin. Ushering in the opportunity for a new era of humans to thrive. Ones that have experienced the limits of our existence and who's survival is now dependent on awareness and love for our surroundings. Ones that have science and technology, but now must sink their roots back in to the earth. While it might not seem that way from our perspective in time the trend of the universe imo is always towards self-realization

Modernity is a double edge sword indeed...

My issue has more to do with the general attitude of first world people.

I do indeed focus on the positive, but you can not ignore the negative.

I don't think it's "complaining" in any way to vent about the downfalls of human existance, this is the nature of the situation, and while most are content to ignore it and simply not think about it, others of us are confronted with the worst of humanity everyday, and are not content to simply put it out of mind.

-eg

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

eg, to my mind on this moment we should all be living in nuclear winter. Every day we're not is a blessing.

On numerous occasions the order was given or some bit of data reached to launch. On both sides. We should literally be living Fallout 4 in a nuclear wasteland. This is often overlooked, especially by people in my generation and younger. The fact that the nukes are still unused and decaying in a magazine somewhere is a miracle.

Yes, the post-modern / contemporary money-focused culture can wear on the soul -- but compared to the devastation of salted thermonuclear war that could have been, it's pure ecstasy.

Try focusing on the positive instead of giving in to the desire to complain. The Buddha says to plant seeds of happiness with positive thinking instead of focusing on negative emotions. Good advice (though I have trouble myself).

PS, Ufostrahlen: 4.6. Automatic Installation

All the songs in the links above are making the same point that I was, yet I don't see any negativity or complaining in them, do you?

Should we never talk about the injustices of the world just because they may be unpleasant?

Should we just ignore everything that is not positive?

I spend all of my time trying to leave this world a better place than it was when I came into it.

I spend all my time promoting peace, love, and positivity, I also confront the negative with positivity and love on a constant basis...
These threads are examples of what I'm talking about...

How do you guys deal with nihilistic/dark thoughts? - Welcome discussion - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus

confronting the negative (with love) - Spirituality & Mysticism - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus

This thread was titled "venting" about the negatives of modern culture, there are some things that are horribly wrong with first world culture, and anyone who has put genuine effort into trying to change some of these things is going to have some natural frustrations to vent, which is entirely healthy, plus people need to know some of these things so change can be made...

I find myself frustrated with the first world view of third world countries, in a previous post from this thread I said "Africa is the most resource rich continent on earth, and is also the most impoverished. when a country begins to develop the IMF and the world bank Will send in a "financial hitman" to get the country to take a loan, promising progress, so they take the loan, and the initial loan eventually gets paid off, but the interest rates were set up to permanently indebt that nation, since they have no hard currency, the are forced to give up their resources as payment...the documentary called "making money" details this, as well as world economics in general, they even interview ex-financial hitmen..."

Is it complaining to point this out?

Again, I don't understand how anything I've posted (not just here, ever) would lead you to believe I'm focusing on the negative or complaining.

...but at times, yes, I do have frustrations with modern culture, there would be something wrong with you if you didn't.

What Babylon try to offer, rasta refuse it
Yea wave up your money
Boast up your riches
Who will save the man, the man who soul is wicked?
Oh hearts fool of greed, your word so deceiving
Satan offer wickedness and foolish they receive it
All their weeping souls, their ears never hear it
All them take away for materialism
Bun up the heathen
Babylon word is destroying many men
Them take the herb and hand us the gun
-tribal seeds

-eg

 

[brilliantlydim]

I feel you eg, but I agree with No Knowing here

They poison the water. Make us compete. Put us in debt. Sell us out to reptilian aliens....

But seriously YES the government is ignorant at best and pure evil at worst. And the apathy to the situation is maddening.

BUT my life got so much better when I dropped all the, "ITS F'ED UP HERE!" talk and just put ALL my mental resources into what I could do to heal myself, those close to me, and people who are open to it.

Contemplating THE HORROR of modern civilization WILL drive you into self-destructive apathy or WORSE [Apocalypse Now anyone?]

Yes it's completely deranged sooooo,......begin the cyber-shamanic healing engines fueled by visions of future paradise NOW

Just focus on what you can do. May lead you to art, permaculture, herbalism, traveling side-shows....whatever but do something to bring some joy and healing to everyone. [Or at the very least, yourself!]

According to many wisdom traditions we are coming out of the Dark Age into the Energy Age right now. [Kali Yuga to Dwapara Yuga in Hindu Cosmology {Hopi, Ancient Greeks, Egyptians have similar systems with different names}] Taking this long view of humanity really helped me put my own life into perspective and made me realize I am planting the seeds of change for next few thousand year ascent to the Golden Age. There may have to be a collapse or two somewhere in there but we are on the way. This cuspe of the Dark Age into the Energy Age seems rough. BUT DAMN THANK THE OMNIVERSE I wasn't born in the actual Dark Ages where many in Europe had to farm dirt while only having access to homemade beer to drink and living to 30 was old.[Throw corpses in the well? sure why not they're out of sight] War was a welcome respite from that hell-time of history.

TLDR: We are on the upswing folks but, we have alot more darkness to shake off before we hit the light. ALSO, decisions you make NOW do affect future evolution so do it up good for them future humans. Doom and gloom is lame.

Modernity is a double edge sword indeed...

My issue has more to do with the general attitude of first world people.

I do indeed focus on the positive, but you can not ignore the negative.

I don't think it's "complaining" in any way to vent about the downfalls of human existance, this is the nature of the situation, and while most are content to ignore it and simply not think about it, others of us are confronted with the worst of humanity everyday, and are not content to simply put it out of mind.

-eg

Yes we shouldn't ignore it, but we don't want to dwell or focus on it. Focus on you and the good you can do. Making your decisions based on what you know is right. Step by step you will change the world by changing yourself, and that's all any of us can do. Have faith in the universe and follow your heart.

 

[Praxis.]

Of course there is nothing wrong with naming the fact that the world is messed up, and there's nothing wrong with feeling overwhelmed by it either.

But I think what people are trying to say, or at least what I was trying to say, is that it's not going to get better unless you do something about it. I don't disagree that things need to radically change, but the system won't fall apart on it's own if people continue to buy into it while they wait around for miracles. Systems evolve, and find ways to sustain themselves.

Not to mention the collapse of that system has really serious and imminent consequences for far more people at the bottom than it would for those of us who can afford to sit back and watch it all happen from the comfort of our computer screens.

Yes, the world is a dark and scary place right now. Saying there is some beauty too doesn't change this fact--I also don't understand the "just be positive about what you have" mantra....it's frustrating. But I can't hop on the "woe is me, I wish people would listen to me so we wouldn't have these problems" bandwagon either.

If you want better, do better.

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

...

“It's clearly a crisis of two things: of consciousness and conditioning. We have the technological power, the engineering skills to save our planet, to cure disease, to feed the hungry, to end war; But we lack the intellectual vision, the ability to change our minds. We must decondition ourselves from 10,000 years of bad behavior. And, it's not easy.”
― Terence McKenna

“We have to create culture, don't watch TV, don't read magazines, don't even listen to NPR. Create your own roadshow. The nexus of space and time where you are now is the most immediate sector of your universe, and if you're worrying about Michael Jackson or Bill Clinton or somebody else, then you are disempowered, you're giving it all away to icons, icons which are maintained by an electronic media so that you want to dress like X or have lips like Y. This is shit-brained, this kind of thinking. That is all cultural diversion, and what is real is you and your friends and your associations, your highs, your orgasms, your hopes, your plans, your fears. And we are told 'no', we're unimportant, we're peripheral. 'Get a degree, get a job, get a this, get a that.' And then you're a player, you don't want to even play in that game. You want to reclaim your mind and get it out of the hands of the cultural engineers who want to turn you into a half-baked moron consuming all this trash that's being manufactured out of the bones of a dying world.”
― Terence McKenna

We are caged by our cultural programming. Culture is a mass hallucination, and when you step outside the mass hallucination you see it for what it's worth -mckenna

then you are disempowered. You're giving it all away to ICONS. Icons which are maintained by an electronic media so that, you want to dress like X or have lips like Y... This is shit-brained, this kind of thinking. That is all cultural diversion. What is real is you, and your friends, your associations, your highs, your orgasms, your hopes, your plans, your fears. And, we are told No, you're unimportant, you're peripheral — get a degree, get a job, get a this, get that, and then you're a player. You don't even want to play that game. You want to reclaim your mind and get it out of the hands of the cultural engineers who want to turn you into a half-baked moron consuming all this trash that's being manufactured out of the bones of a dying world."-mckenna

So if a person asks "why do you reject culture, what's your problem with it?" I would have ended up saying about the same things I have said here.

In this case I was venting...

And was completely misunderstood by just about everybody.

Regardless, the aspects of culture I pointed out are fact, and are you really defending them?

The picture attached explains my goals, my goals involve inducing clarity into the general consciousness of the masses...

-eg

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

I feel you eg, but I agree with No Knowing here

They poison the water. Make us compete. Put us in debt. Sell us out to reptilian aliens....

But seriously YES the government is ignorant at best and pure evil at worst. And the apathy to the situation is maddening.

BUT my life got so much better when I dropped all the, "ITS F'ED UP HERE!" talk and just put ALL my mental resources into what I could do to heal myself, those close to me, and people who are open to it.

Contemplating THE HORROR of modern civilization WILL drive you into self-destructive apathy or WORSE [Apocalypse Now anyone?]

Yes it's completely deranged sooooo,......begin the cyber-shamanic healing engines fueled by visions of future paradise NOW

Just focus on what you can do. May lead you to art, permaculture, herbalism, traveling side-shows....whatever but do something to bring some joy and healing to everyone. [Or at the very least, yourself!]

According to many wisdom traditions we are coming out of the Dark Age into the Energy Age right now. [Kali Yuga to Dwapara Yuga in Hindu Cosmology {Hopi, Ancient Greeks, Egyptians have similar systems with different names}] Taking this long view of humanity really helped me put my own life into perspective and made me realize I am planting the seeds of change for next few thousand year ascent to the Golden Age. There may have to be a collapse or two somewhere in there but we are on the way. This cuspe of the Dark Age into the Energy Age seems rough. BUT DAMN THANK THE OMNIVERSE I wasn't born in the actual Dark Ages where many in Europe had to farm dirt while only having access to homemade beer to drink and living to 30 was old.[Throw corpses in the well? sure why not they're out of sight] War was a welcome respite from that hell-time of history.

TLDR: We are on the upswing folks but, we have alot more darkness to shake off before we hit the light. ALSO, decisions you make NOW do affect future evolution so do it up good for them future humans. Doom and gloom is lame.

Modernity is a double edge sword indeed...

My issue has more to do with the general attitude of first world people.

I do indeed focus on the positive, but you can not ignore the negative.

I don't think it's "complaining" in any way to vent about the downfalls of human existance, this is the nature of the situation, and while most are content to ignore it and simply not think about it, others of us are confronted with the worst of humanity everyday, and are not content to simply put it out of mind.

-eg

Yes we shouldn't ignore it, but we don't want to dwell or focus on it. Focus on you and the good you can do. Making your decisions based on what you know is right. Step by step you will change the world by changing yourself, and that's all any of us can do. Have faith in the universe and follow your heart.

This is why I feel I was misunderstood.

I never dwell or focus on these things, this is the single thread where I've vented about these things, I'm a very happy person, and I promote positivity, though I feel it is healthy to take out a space to vent in an appropriate manner. These things are not the focus of my life, they do not consume me or cause me any unhappiness, but they happened to be on my mind when I initially wrote the first post of this thread, rather than leave these things on my mind, I'll express my frustrations in a way that doesn't hurt anybody or anything.

I've also been completely disenfranchised from mainstream culture, and I could just stay in my mountain paradise, being fully self-sustaining and free from the modern world, I only come into Babylon because I think I can help these people...

Just like the bodhisattva will leave nirvana and return to samsara tonaide other sentient beings... for me it's frustrating because I could just sit in my own private nirvana, yet I don't, and it can be frustrating.

-eg

 

[Praxis.]

What does it mean to "reject culture"? If you've somehow found a way to not be implicated in the economic and sociopolitical realities of our world, please share, because I'm sure 100% of everyone else on Earth would love to know how you pulled that off.

I don't think you're being misunderstood, people on the Nexus are thoughtful and intelligent and I don't think anyone here is a stranger to the realities we face as a species. But making generalized statements about the modern world, that benefits you and made it possible for you to vent in the first place, without offering any kind of substantial analysis as to why you think this is occurring, or what is being done about it, is going to get responses from people that may read a little like, "stop complaining".

I know you're just venting, but if you put your cards out on the table in a place like the Nexus you should expect people to read into what you're saying, ask you to explain yourself, and offer their own opinions.

Terence mckenna points out all these same things about culture, yet people don't say to.terence "don't let these things consume you" because they obviously don't, I figured my message would have been received similarly, but like mckenna was misunderstood.

I'd say the same thing to Terence. His ideas were cool, but I think he was just someone who liked to hear himself talk--he didn't walk the walk. I don't think he was revolutionary and I don't think he did much other than introduce drugs to some middle-class kids, which is cool and all but not to be mistaken for what I would consider to be necessary transformative work.

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

Of course there is nothing wrong with naming the fact that the world is messed up, and there's nothing wrong with feeling overwhelmed by it either.

But I think what people are trying to say, or at least what I was trying to say, is that it's not going to get better unless you do something about it. I don't disagree that things need to radically change, but the system won't fall apart on it's own if people continue to buy into it while they wait around for miracles. Systems evolve, and find ways to sustain themselves.

Not to mention the collapse of that system has really serious and imminent consequences for far more people at the bottom than it would for those of us who can afford to sit back and watch it all happen from the comfort of our computer screens.

Yes, the world is a dark and scary place right now. Saying there is some beauty too doesn't change this fact--I also don't understand the "just be positive about what you have" mantra....it's frustrating. But I can't hop on the "woe is me, I wish people would listen to me so we wouldn't have these problems" bandwagon either.

If you want better, do better.

This is a source of my frustrations as well, I actually am doing something about it, and it's like a single person trying to stop a runaway freight train with only their hands.

Terence mckenna points out all these same things about culture, yet people don't say to.terence "don't let these things consume you" because they obviously don't, I figured my message would have been received similarly, but like mckenna was misunderstood.

I don't understand what led these people to feel I was dwelling on these things or being consumed by them...but again, I can't control how people interpret what I'm trying to say, if I'm not understood, I'm not understood.

-eg