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Author Topic: the most powerful force
nonsuch
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1402

posted 28 February 2003 02:37 PM      Profile for nonsuch     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Consider a few examples of widely-held convictions:

The United States is the guardian of Democracy throughout the world.
(We know about its undemocratic actions in several hundred different times and places.)

God is all-powerful and all good…
(predation, parasitism, disease, natural catastrophe)
…and humankind is created in His image.
(tyranny, crime, violence, avarice, treachery, bigotry)

Evil does not exist.
(Bad deeds are committed every day.)

Science can solve every problem.
(Science has made some problems in the past.)

It’s not the people; it’s the system.
(Systems are created by people.)

I have the right and ability to make my own decisions.
(I i fail, someone else is at fault.)

The most powerful force in human affairs is not love, greed, hatred or fear, but the need for illusions.
Humans invest more effort, resources, pain and time in the maintenance of illusions than in any other activity.
Reality is consistent and logical, and needs very little explanation. Illusions, on the other hand, contradict one another and observable facts. To preserve even a single illusion, we must constantly re-explain existing knowledge. Most of us hold, not one, but three, four or a dozen mutually contradictory beliefs at the same time. We are busy enough, just keeping them in separate compartments of our minds; trying to convince others is a all-consuming task.


From: coming and going | Registered: Sep 2001  |  IP: Logged
ronb
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2116

posted 28 February 2003 02:43 PM      Profile for ronb     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I believe the sanskrit term for what you're describing is maya - illusion, stemming from desire. When we conquer desire, maya falls away and we begin to experience the universe as it truly is.
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Mr. Magoo
guilty-pleasure
Babbler # 3469

posted 28 February 2003 03:04 PM      Profile for Mr. Magoo   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
'I can't believe that!' said Alice.

'Can't you?', the Queen said in a pitying tone. 'Try again: draw a long breath and shut your eyes.'

Alice laughed. 'There's not use trying,' she said: 'one can't believe impossible things.'

'I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. 'When I was your age I always did it for half-an-hour each day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'



From: ø¤°`°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°°¤ø, | Registered: Dec 2002  |  IP: Logged
satana
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2798

posted 28 February 2003 03:45 PM      Profile for satana     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
undemocratic actions: guard democracy - and democracy is an illusion.

natural catastrophies: are powerful and good

bad deeds: do not exist - you just said that.

science has made problems: that can be solved with science

someone else is at fault: unless you decide to take responsibility

good, bad, decisions, problems, ..., they're just made up words. but how else would our brains make sense of the world?


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