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Letting Go of Occupation

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Reclaiming the Self


The term Nature has two primary meanings:

(1) the birds, bees and coconut trees of the planet

(2) Essence. In the Vedanta tradition of Hindu, the Self, or Essence, is not separate from the rest of the universe. Hence, one of the Upanishads reads:

"It is above
It is below
It is, indeed, this entire world.
When one knows this
One know peace in the Self
And in all worlds, one is free."

In our world we are divided. There is a Nature "out there" with a self  "in here." Yet, by definition, Nature is our Essence.  Hence Nature is the Self.  

For this reason, while I am aligned with the motives of the Occupy movement, I also realize its danger. It doesn't go far enough. The term "occupy" signifies that we are still under the battle cry of takeovers and dominance. We shall win the war, we cry. Our protests may be peaceful; yet, inherent in the term "Occupy" are values and goals of the old paradigm.

We are not able to see ourselves in our enemy. 

While we may continue to protest, we must also realize what has been done to our minds. While we can blame others for our condition, we need to take responsibility. Change in the world is not going to happen unless we change. 

So, what has happened to us?   

We have been duped. We have been mesmerized with computerized gadgetry that allows us to murder, abuse, dominate and control others in a cartoon reality, training us to fight the evil buffoons overseas that threaten our way of life. Those buffoons are labeled by us as terrorists. And, we white-hat good guys are going to fight them, but how? No less than a technique called a shock and awe campaign. And what is the purpose of shock and awe? It is nothing less than terrorizing people into submission.  

Yet, we're the good guys. We shop till we drop while children are being bombarded by our artillery and helicopter machine guns during this time of constant warfare. We are in a time of "wars and rumors of wars" as the Bible calls it. And, we buy into it. How are we mesmerized into unquestioning submission? 

Yes, we all sighed a breath of relief when our Big Daddy, President Bush, said "don't you worry your pretty little heads about these wars. Help out the economy by going out to shop." 

Is Obama much different in his messages? 

How is it we are so easily duped by these guys?   

According to a documentary by John Trudell, we have been brainwashed by our technology. While Orwell's 1984 may not look like American culture in the 21st century, Huxley's Brave New World does.  

This documentary is nothing short of brilliant. For example, the sheer imagery and associations of actual war footage contained in video games is amazing. It truly emphasizes how we have been brainwashed into being brainless consumers fighting over the best deals at Wal-Mart and other retail outlets paying their employees subsistence salaries. 

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Burl Hall is a retired counselor who is living in a Senior Citizen Housing apartment. Burl has one book to his credit, titled "Sophia's Web: A Passionate Call to Heal our Wounded Nature." For more information, search the book on Amazon. (more...)
 
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