14/04/2020
THE BEAST IS UPON US, BUT SO IS THE DOVE!
I’ve noticed that, more recently, there is a lot more fake news on social media as well as people touting conspiracies about Covid-19, 5G, vaccines, social surveillance, GMO, bottled water, automated vehicles, and so forth. Many people are confused and upset, rightly so, and struggling to make sense of it all while seeking to protect themselves and their families. First of all, I can say with a fair amount of confidence that there are no real conspiracies (barring government agencies whose job is to conspire against other governments and uphold national security...a somewhat ambiguous term). Something else is going on, something more close to home. Secondly, intentional fake news, or disinformation, has the same psychological roots as any conspiracy. The problem we are all facing, in these respects, is much more insidious…and most of us have a hand in it.
People tend to imagine a conspiracy as a group of individuals secretly communicating around common goals. That, in most cases, is not what’s happening. Do you have any idea on the effort involved in scheduling a large group of powerful people, even on Zoom? By the time, you get them together, the social, political and economic terrain has changed.
A number of years ago, I was training a group of high net-worth individuals who owned majority shareholdings in some very substantial companies. They were all nice people and I could see really loved their friends and families. The discussion got around to vulnerability. I asked them what amount of liquid assets would make them feel personally secure. A hundred million dollars? A billion dollars? A hundred billion? There was a pause. Finally, one fellow spoke for the entire group. He said ‘No amount.’ I was surprised to say the least, and asked if he or anyone else could explain. He said that with the present social, political, and economic climate, no one is too big to fail. I realized a couple of things right there. One, they all strongly identified themselves with the organizations they had built. And two, they were scared.
People have been doing business of one sort or another for millennia. There’s always competition and along with it the desire to monopolize. Why? Because of fear. Even collaboration in many cases is based on mutual fear. The bigger you are, the greater your resources, the lesser the threat. The substratum of greed is fear, of strategy is fear, of disinformation is fear, and of arrogance is fear. They all carry a sense of both ‘me’ and ‘something that is not me which can’t fully be trusted’.
In the Book of Revelations, it speaks about those who will worship the Beast around the time of the apocalypse. In 13:17, it says ‘and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the Beast or the number of his name’. The Beast that is being worshiped is not a red-faced devil of some sort. It is fear itself. If your mind is constantly focused on fear, you are in effect worshiping it. Imagine not being able to buy food, or drink water, unless you’ve submitted to some greater force that controls it? That submission is also based on fear.
Well, fear has been with us for a long time. So, has love. In fact, the two have been battling each other in the minds and hearts of humans since we first crawled out onto the savanna. So what’s so different now? For that, we need to understand love. Love is the great connector. Love says we are all One. Love is what binds us as a species. It shows up in many different ways from passion, to parental love, to friendship, gratitude, altruism, and so on. What is common to all aspects of love is a bond. Fear, on the other hand, is what separates us, even from ourselves. Fear is expressed in the adage ‘divide and conquer’. Suddenly, after centuries of analog love, love has gone digital!
The internet and social media has brought us greater awareness of each other, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. The technology behind it was first seen as a great opportunity, a way to connect people and reap rewards. It still is. This connectivity, however, also poses a threat to those who have a lot to lose. In short, technology has the power to either connect or divide us. It’s a double-edged sword, fear on one side, love on the other. The difference between today and a hundred years ago is how quickly and broadly messages travel. Fear wants to control the dialogue. Love wants to open the dialogue. And both approaches have become increasingly urgent as well as more in opposition.
The wealthy, powerful 1% that many people are concerned about (not the few who are genuinely altruistic) are actually some of the most deluded and fearful individuals on this planet, regardless of how brilliant they are. That is why Christ said ‘Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God’ (Matthew 19:24). Christ was not just talking about pride or greed, he spoke of the underlying fear (lack of love) that drives them. Are these very rich, powerful people evil? Not at all. They can be quite affable. Nonetheless, many are deluded into believing that their wealth and authority makes them different, privileged. That is, they have the right to gain at others’ expense. It is a narcissistic world view. They don’t realize that such warped beliefs are based on fear as well. They may see themselves as targets by the less fortunate. As a result, they may try to placate the masses on one hand while undermining them on the other. Again it’s all fear. They can’t see that the beggar on the street is them, albeit in a different form. They are offended by the smell of poverty and neediness. That too, is fear. It is the mark of the Beast.
The 1% whose lives are ruled by fear, seek above all else to increase their sense of control. The ego tells them that control and domination is good for their family, for humanity, for the planet…and they are completely convinced of it! They believe this because they are scared sh*tless of unconditional love, scared of being vulnerable, and scared of loss. They are much more comfortable wearing the mark of the Beast, or fear, because though they might not like it, they understand it. So, what’s their strategy? They strive to spread division, separation, and dissent while maintaining a facade of nobility. They offer goods and services that people are willing to consume and see it as a benefit to society. Are they having secret meetings with others of the same mindset? No need for that. They are generally quite intelligent people with the resources to adapt to and orchestrate change in a manner that directly mitigates their fear. That doesn’t mean they are foolish enough to believe they are commanding the ship alone.
This 1% is like a small flock of starlings that seem to navigate the skies in great unison as though each were somehow mentally linked with all their peers. In fact, the starlings and the 1% are acting solely out of self-interest. In mass, they know they can protect themselves from predators. Part of that self-interest is not to crowd the birds flying near them. In business terms, it means differentiate yourself. Keep a distance even from your closest peers, so all of you have room to respond without incident. At the same time, starlings are quite vigilant of the 6-7 birds closest to them. In business terms, this translates as watch (or get Intel on) those industries that could most directly influence what you are doing. And if you’re the first to spot an opportunity or a threat, you automatically, albeit temporarily, become the flock leader while everyone around you adjusts to your flight pattern...all of course again out of self-interest. Larger flocks, in some sense, can be seen as dynamic business mergers. In short, the 1%, by maintaining self-interest, naturally cause ripples in the choices of their peers. There is no need for secret conspiracies. Conspiracies can be stilted and prone to error.
Then there’s fake news. If you’ve ever studied media literacy, you know that all news items (and messages for that matter) carry an agenda, and therefore are, to one degree or another, fake. Large news organizations are governed by the bottom line. They strive to push people’s buttons in order to profit. Fear is one of the easiest buttons to push. Independent news organizations also want to profit in some way, if nothing else than to build an audience. They are not going to focus on how a young girl saved a cat caught in a tree in some remote area of the country! No one is interested. They also spread anxiety and fear, if nothing else than by indicating that others are lying. Government messages are about constituency and the maintenance of power. Demonizing is part of their strategy. Terrorism was the flavor of the day for many years. Pandemics are the latest global fad. Expect more movies on this topic! Messages from religious organizations fundamentally strive to alleviate fear of death and provide life direction. Yet, many of them also instill fear of other religious organizations as part of their continuance plan. Personal posts are often about recognition and developing a following, even if it’s to show off a cute pet, hair style, or the latest meal. The fear here is ignominy (being a nobody). In short, media thrives on the attention of large numbers. That the 1% would make use of all this media is a no brainer! They have the economic and political influence to do so.
So what’s the deal with Covid-19, 5G, vaccines and so forth? Whether Covid-19 exists or not (as some claim), it is an opportunity for those in power to further their self-interest. A scared, isolated populace is quite an achievement, even if the impetus is a natural phenomenon. The same applies to 5G, vaccines, and so forth. Do you think all such initiatives are not about profit, power and control? If so, you don’t understand self-interest. When there is a high degree of self-interest, you can be sure that fear is at the root of it. The delusion inherent in self-interest is that we are somehow different from others. If that’s our primary belief, then what does it really matter if others perish as a result of our choices? They are different. So what. At the same time, we all understand that such a mindset is not politically correct and can have dire consequences if made public, so control of the media is important. But even the media has flaws. It can make mistakes. Only when control of the masses reaches down into their food, water, communication, armories, and livelihood, then, it doesn’t really matter what others think.
Now you may be upset and wonder how these wealthy bastards can be so mindless? Heartless? Yet, they are people
too. That’s when we need to look in the mirror and reflect. Ask yourself, to what extent are you self-centered? To what extent is your love limited to just your friends and family? To what extent is Covid-19 and the lock-down causing you to be fearful? Ungrateful? To what extent do you gravitate toward negative commentary? To what extent do you fear your own thoughts, habits, and emotions? To what extent do you want to be in control? Or, to what extent do you genuinely wish to serve others? To what extent is your mind at peace? To what extent are you willing to forgive? In short, the Beast lies within all of us, yet, so does the Dove of love.
By now the solution to all this should start to become obvious….don’t give into fear, give into love. Forgive those who operate out of fear. They know no better. At the same time, be compassionate. That doesn’t mean let others use you as a doormat or as an indentured servant. Be compassionate toward yourself as well. Be responsible. Discover how to develop your ability to respond to situations and others with appropriate words and actions. Don’t allow yourself to slide into complacency because you are confused or afraid. Think of others. Imagine how you can be of service, especially during times of crisis. Actually, become more ‘self’-centered in the sense that your notion of ‘self’ extends far beyond your body, family and friends. Become a love warrior. When interacting with media messages, look at who’s delivering them. Imagine that each message has an intent behind it and is designed to benefit the messenger in some way. [Yes, I get a benefit from this article, but only if you benefit from it. Otherwise, it just makes my fingers tired!] Learn to feel grateful for every moment of your life. Life only comes around once (at least in your present form…ha!). Even a bit of life's pain is better than an eternity existing in a complete void. Don’t take yourself and others so seriously. To what purpose? Fame? Fortune? Power? Enjoy your life as it is. Remember, all the words and actions of all people are intended to garner love and respect, both internally and externally, no matter how twisted such actions and words are.
And finally, regardless of all the fear floating around today, allow yourself to see the perfection in it. Where there is great fear on one side, there is great love on the other. We are approaching a powerful transition in human consciousness. The way to recognize this is quite easy…watch for a strong interplay of extremes. Fear is quickly spreading across the planet and it seems sometimes that we are heading toward extinction, yet, at the same time there are many voices speaking about inner peace, harmony, wisdom and love. This era is not the candle flame’s last great burst of light before it dies out, but the burst that will eventually ignite the world.
