#difficult to overcome this indoctrinated thought process.

[elisaenglish]

This is not a work of piety. Art, to be quite frank, never is. If there is worship in the processes of either creation or communion, it is less of God in the monotheistic sense and more of the core of human being. Absent are the stone pillars of conceptual dogma and archaic sight; instead there thrives a larger web, catalyst and conduit as one, a means to separate and connect ourselves as we foster understanding, philosophically as existence and tangibly as life.

Of course, that’s not to say that there’s no scope for belief. Only, to cite Simone de Beauvoir, “Faith allows an evasion of those difficulties which the atheist confronts honestly [while] the believer derives a sense of great superiority from this very cowardice itself.” Divine purpose, holy knowledge; in fact the entire spiritual mythos relies on the reactionary limitations of self – complicity to the cause, the disposition to lie, obedience to scripture that fundamentally cannot be questioned or denied. In essence, gospel as delusion.

So it is that we must temper this with thoughts of our own. Robust and rationalist humanism at the forefront, kindness as a central force, and love – genuine affinity and affection – underpinning the substance with light.

And no, this isn’t new. Wind your way back through history and you’ll find plenty of proponents for similar world views. But if I had to take one, it would be Olga Jacoby.

Born a little over a hundred years before my own debut and diagnosed as terminally ill in 1909, the elegant simplicity she left us in her letters is just that which defines the integrity of our being. “We always fear the unknown,” she writes. “I am not a coward and do not fear death, which to me means nothing more than sleep, but I cannot become resigned to leave this beautiful world with all the treasures it holds for me and for everyone who knows how to understand and appreciate them... To leave a good example to those I love [is] my only understanding of immortality.”

Held in the dual agony of knowing and not knowing, she turned her eyes inward as a source of expression and outward as a means of conveying it. On marched the “long nineteenth century” in those final years prior to the First World War; confidence in science, progress and human goodness distinct from the shackles of religion made for a poignant show no less powerful as we navigate the more apocalyptic trials of our own.

But she knew – not because she’d been successfully conditioned to think along orthodox lines, but by virtue of the fact that she hadn’t:

“More and more to me this simplest of thoughts seems right: Live, live keenly, live fully; make ample use of every power that has been given us to use, to use for the good end. Blind yourself to nothing; look straight at sadness, loss, evil; but at the same time look with such intense delight at all that is good and noble that quite naturally the heart’s longing will be to help the glory to triumph, and that to have been a strong fighter in that cause will appear the only end worth achieving. The length of life does not depend on us, but as long as we can look back to no waste of time we can face the end with a clear conscience, with cheerful if somewhat tired eyes and ready for the deserved rest with no hope or anxiety for what may come. To me all the effort of man seems vain, and his ideal thrown ruthlessly to the ground by himself, when, after a life of free and joyful effort, he stoops to pick up a reward he does not deserve for having simply done his duty.”

We aren’t here, then, to martyr ourselves to a cause; we’re here to do what’s right. For ourselves, for others. Who knows what happens after death? And anyway, that’s not the point when the point is now and we are here and yes, we have to be better. Give better, do better or, as Jacoby writes, take our cues from nature:

“Like you I believe in a higher power, but, unlike yours, mine is not a kind fatherly one. It is Nature, who with all its forces, beauties and necessary evils, rules our destinies according to its own irrevocable laws. I can love that power for the beauty it has brought into the world, and admire it for the strength that makes us understand how futile and useless it would be to appeal to it in prayer. But towards a kind and fatherly God, who, being almighty, prefers to leave us in misery, when by his mere wish he could obtain the same end without so much suffering, I feel a great revolt and bitterness. Nature makes us know that it cannot take into individual consideration the atoms we are, and for her I have no blame; no more than I could think of blaming you for having during your walks stepped on and killed many a worm (it was a pity the worm happened to be under your foot); but if during these walks your eyes were resting on the beauties of skies and trees, or your mind was solving some difficult problem, was that not a nobler occupation than had you walked eyes downwards, intent only on not killing. I think that Nature is striving towards perfection and that each human being has the duty to help towards it by making his life a fit example for others and by awaking ideals which will be more nearly approached by coming generations. In this way life itself offers enough explanation for living; and believing our existence to finish with death, we naturally make the most of our opportunities... Unable to appeal to a God for help, we find ourselves dependent only on our own strong will — not to overcome misfortune, but to try to bear it as bravely as possible. Religion having for an end the more perfect and moral condition of humanity, I truly think that these ideas are as religious as any dogmatic ones.”

Learn your lessons. Catch. Release. Love. Repeat. It runs in cyclic harmony. Not in falsity, fiction – or worse, the Pavlovian responses of an indoctrinated mind. As for the alternative, Jacoby presents the case for a shift towards clarity, reason:

“My idea is not a life without religion; it is a nobler religion I want. Of course, very good men have lived and are living, to whom your religion has been a help, but science is progressing daily, and in harmony with it our moral standard should be higher — high enough to do right simply because it is right. A religion that has helped mankind to get somewhat better should be resigned to let a still better one take its place. Like a growing child, humanity must outgrow its infancy, must stand alone one day and be able to stand straight without support.”

Rooted in reality, she advocates for good men, fallible men over perfect and indifferent gods. Truth as defined by the right to live freely; altruism based on happiness in the here and now, Jacoby’s “avalanche” is a perpetual one. As am I. As are you. As is art. And nature, and beauty, and all the flowing miracles. None of which are your fears reflected back at you, manipulation by way of ignorance or duplicity masquerading as heart.

“No one has the right to absorb the sun... without being willing to radiate it again,” Jacoby holds. Testament to a life well-lived is a life worth living; the same goes for love. Not subject to Providence or expectations brought to bear, but high on the list of how we fulfil our service. And so it is that we are of its making, balanced even as we constellate and manifest, eternal in the moment. So we are.

#writing #quote #women writers #love #life #purpose #meaning #existential musings #all eternal things #love in a time of... #somewhere warm #intelligence quotients #depth perception #understanding beyond thought #please be philosophical #being human #kinder living #this is who we are #elisa english #elisaenglish

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

An Oakland church member jumped out of car going 60 after going through an inner struggle whether Moon had lied

Onni Durst petitioned the court to be appointed conservator over the woman and to be in charge of her money, as well as guardian over her children.

The following are excerpts from a hearing held on October 27, 1999 in Oakland, California, in the conservatorship of an adult Moonie woman who jumped out of car going 60 on the freeway after going through an inner struggle whether Moon had lied to her about what to expect from Moonie life. Kristina Morrison (Seher) was is the car. The woman has been in a coma ever since. When Onni Durst petitioned the court to be appointed conservator over the woman and to be in charge of her money, as well as guardian over her children, Durst lied to the court. The lie was that Durst did not know how to reach any of the woman’s relatives even though two of them lived in the Bay Area. This is what the court said:

THE COURT: Mr. Greene, I have objections that have been filed on behalf of [moonie woman’s sister] to the petition for fees in the conservatorship. . . .

THE COURT:  Okay.  I, at the beginning of this hearing, explained to Mr. Goorjian what is troubling me about the petition for fees — and I want to say parenthetically, that I am not assessing any blame in this matter on Mr. Goorjian; that I’ve looked at this purely in terms of what information Mr. Goorjian has given by his client, Ms. Durst.

But as I stated earlier — and Mr. Goorjian, I don’t think you’ve convinced me to the contrary – I have real concerns about those statements that Ms. Durst made in verified declarations that she – and I’ll quote it from her declaration of, executed May 6th, 1999.

She said, “I was told by [Moonie woman] that both of her parents are dead.  I also believe that [Moonie woman] has siblings residing in China; however, I do not know the names and addresses of those siblings.”

And I’ll be very honest with you.  I have real problems with the credibility of that statement.  And I just cannot accept that statement, based on all the other information that’s been presented to me, which includes the declaration of [moonie woman’s daughter], the letters with the return addresses of [moonie woman’s sister] that have been presented, the information that’s been presented [moonie woman’s brother] and the information that’s been presented by [moonie woman’s sister].

And I understand the point that you’re making that, regardless of whether [moonie woman’s sister] of Ms. Durst had presented the existence of [moonie woman’s sister]  and [moonie woman’s brother] to the Court, she still would have gone ahead with the petition for guardianship.  However, as I’ve stated previously, if Ms. Durst had presented the information regarding the existence of [moonie woman’s sister] and [moonie woman’s brother] in her declarations, I certainly would be more inclined to grant fees in this matter.

And as I said, I’m not faulting you.  I’m faulting Ms. Durst for not giving you information that I believe she knew, and I believe she was aware of the existence of [moonie woman’s sister] and [moonie woman’s brother]. So – the request for fees in both matters, for Mr. Goorjian’s fees to be paid out of the conservatorship estate, both of the guardianship matter and the conservatorship matter, is denied.  And the reason is, I’ve stated, that I’m denying the request, is because I believe that Ms. Durst misrepresented information to the Court regarding the existence of [moonie woman’s sister] and [moonie woman’s brother], and I believe it’s her responsibility to pay Mr. Goorjian’s fees and not the conservator’s responsibility.

I want to add, again, that if Ms. Durst had been more forthcoming with the Court regarding the existence of [moonie woman’s sister] and [moonie woman’s brother] and explained the issue of the estrangement and explained the issue of their existence and why she was petitioning, I certainly would be inclined to grant fees.  But I don’t think she was forthcoming with the Court. . . .

I understand that this is a difficult pill to swallow.  However, when I believe that someone is being less that forthright with the Court in a verified declaration, I think that pill needs to be swallowed. . . .

MR. GREENE: Your honor, I would just — the argument that I would make against you issuing that order [allowing reimbursement of a babysitter] is that you have made a finding with respect to a lack of candor and credibility.

THE COURT:  I agree.

Tilman: “I do not understand all, i.e. what this petition for fees is about. And how is this going? Has the criminal cult succeeded getting a conservatorship?”

Ford Greene: “No. They tried. In the process Onni Durst got caught lying.”

Sunny: “Mrs. Durst shouldn’t have lied if she actually did. The judge felt she did. I suspect that her motive is to care for this woman who gave her life to Unificationism and see to it that her children would be raised in the same environment, values, morals and religion that the mother would desire. I do wonder where the father/husband is. Mrs. Durst, in her mind, is acting in the capacity of God Parent in this case, desiring to protect the children and the woman who is in a coma. But she shouldn’t have lied. The truth probably would have accomplished more.

I do not suggest anyone use Heavenly Deception in a court of law. If your neighbor is wearing a new hat which you really hate, you have my permission to use heavenly deception, setting your own personal taste aside, in telling her she looks lovely today. But when it comes down to a situation like this, either use complete honesty or say you cannot answer and plead the 5th.

Not even a saint like Onni Durst isn’t immune from making a bad decision. Unificationists are human, not robots.” Sunny

Glenn:

To Sunny Perhaps, dear sister Sunny, you’d be willing to go to jail and pay the fine on behalf of the sainted Mrs. Durst, since you seem so willing to rationalize her actions as somehow erring for the greater good. This is, I believe, the first time you’ve acknowledged the imaginary moral ground you stand upon. I see that as a glimmer of hope you’ll find more secure footing some day. Though I’m not holding my breath.

Lying must comes very easily to Onni after so many years. It was the entire modus operandi in Oakland, and the secret of its success. In many ways Onni was far more successful that SMM in creating a movement in America. The Oakland “family,” as all good Moonies know, was really a cult within a cult. For years and years, while other church centers struggled to gain even one member, the Oakland church, in its many disguises (it was Creative Community Project when I joined in ’75), was wildly successful at attracting and recruiting hoards of young, idealistic members. Most of whom were fed unawares like innocent lambs into the gaping maw of the MFT meat grinder.

And it was all based on “heavenly deception.” SMM’s name was never mentioned; his picture never displayed publicly. Calling DP by its name was discouraged and never done in front of guests. Direct questions from newcomers never received direct responses. People who “knew too much” were invited to leave. Only the young and gullible and naive were wanted.

To illustrate how complete this deception was, I thought Dr. Durst was the messiah at the conclusion of my first 7-day workshop up in Boonville. For THREE weeks no one said anything to discourage this view. Instead, I just got knowing winks and nods from the “older” members. When Jennifer Morrison finally broached the topic of SMM, I was flabbergasted. I’d never heard the man’s name before in my life, and I was so “negged out” I nearly left.

But you know, by that time the indoctrination was full-blown and I managed to “overcome Satan” (resist the urge to leave). But just for good measure, my “spiritual father” had the audacity to tell me that if I left, I’d probably be killed in an accident. Or Satan would attack my family. Yes, he really said those things, and with great conviction. He scared me to death. When you’re only 21 and suddenly have your head full of God and Satan, “heavenly deception” like that is extremely powerful. And it wasn’t an aberration. It was SOP–standard operating procedure.

Now, it has been argued that SMM did not approve of Onni’s methods and after a decade or so (gee, why he’d wait so long?) he decided to rope her in by bringing her and the good doctor to New York. I don’t buy for a second that SMM didn’t approve. I was there, and as I recall it, the Dursts came to New York with a mandate to duplicate the success of the Oakland model. And I believe they did. The workshops I attended in the Catskills were carbon-copies of Boonville, just in a different location. Most of Onni’s most trusted lieutenants were there, doing exactly what they had done in California, and once they got acclimated to the East Coast, it was business as usual. Suddenly the New York church was gaining members in droves. Even I managed to bring in a spiritual child or two.

One other thing about Onni, she was more secretive than SMM and every bit as inaccessible to all except her closest aides. In the four or five months I was in Oakland, I only saw her once. She was so mysterious and aloof (unlike her goofball husband, who seemed to be everywhere), I wasn’t even sure what she looked like. No one ever spoke about SMM. It was ALWAYS Onni this and Onni that. Onni, Onni, Onni. It was a cult of personality and she was it. The Morrison “triplets,” with their folksy American ways, gave her credibility.

One time we got word that Onni was coming over to the center (Washington St.) and you’d have thought Jesus Christ himself was on the way. You never saw such a beehive of anticipation and activity, cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. Older members spoke of her in the most reverential and awestruck tones, as if she was some sort of divine being who could levitate her way across the Bay. I was impressed. Exactly as scripted. Of course Onni didn’t come and had never intended to come. It was just part of her elaborate power trip. Exactly as scripted.

Am I surprised Onni lied in a court of law? Hell no. She’s probably couldn’t help it. What would have surprised me is if she had told the truth. Now THAT would have been a revelation.

Ford Greene:

To Glenn I left the Oakland “church” in late July 1975.  Did you and I ever meet?  I can personally confirm everything you say except as to the east coast stuff because I stayed on the west coast.  Your recollection is spot-on.

Glenn:

To Ford We just missed each other. I joined in Oakland in August ’75.

LINK to source

Creative Community Project brochure

Moonwebs: Journey into the Mind of a Cult by Josh Freed

Crazy for God: The nightmare of cult life by Christopher Edwards

Mitchell was lucky – he got away from the Unification Church

Life Among the Moonies – Deanna Durham

My Time with the Oakland Family – the Moonies

UC leaders stole passports from guests at California workshops

Recruitment – The Boonville Chicken Palace by David Frank Taylor, M.A., July 1978, Sociology

#Onni Durst #Oakland Family #Moonies #FFWPU #Sun Myung Moon

[padawanlost]

okay but isn't being a gray jedi - aka using both the light side and dark side of the force - like the most optimal way to use the force? like, balance, using your emotions and not letting your emotions use you, staying centered but not repressing, and all that. seems p obvious to me, though I guess I could be missing something

it seemsobvious, right? lol

but theJedi idea of balance was a world where only the Jedi existed. They believedthat the prophecy meant Anakin would destroy the sith once and for all. that’swhat happened, but not the way they thought it would.

Is he not to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force?              

In theirminds, balance wasn’t the Force as an stable system. It was a galaxy withoutthe sith. And noticed that they don’t say a world without the dark side, but aworld without the sith. There were other groups of dark side force users butonly the sith, their ultimate enemies and the biggest threat to the jedi order,needed to be exterminated. Convenient, isn’t it?

If we considerthe Jedi Order as cult-like organizations, that indoctrinate their member tonegate anything that doesn’t support the Order it gets even easier to explainwhy they couldn’t see Grey Jedi as viable alternative.

The JediOrder was built on the idea that only the LIGHT side was good. and any attemptto learn about the Force beyond the teachings of the Jedi order was deemed dangerousand ground for expulsion or death (if they consider you a sith wannabe).

Cult’s doctrine is considered the ‘Truth’ witha capital T, it covers every eventuality and members are expected to except it completely, even if they don’tunderstand it. Eric Hoffer says that the best cult doctrines areunverifiable and un-evaluable. This means they cannot be proven or disproved,they have to be accepted on faith [x]

The Jedidon’t teach about the dark side. They teach that anyone who uses the dark sideis corrupted and irredeemable. It’s a one way street and you should do your bestto stay away from it. but they don’t explain anything about the dark side. Remember,only members of the Jedi Council have access to the ancient texts and sith holocronsbecause it’s “dangerous knowledge” and regular jedi looking for thatinformation – for whatever reason – are viewed with great suspicions. Even lookingfor information on the dark side is bad.

Cults typically reduce things to black andwhite. Shades of grey are not allowed.After all if they have the ultimate Truth, (with a capital T) then every othergroup must be wrong, which leads to an ‘us versus them’ mentality. You’re either with the group or you’re anoutsider. (This is often as aspect of the paranoia of cult leaders, too) [x]

Now thatonly a handful of people have access to whole picture, it’s much easier tocontrol the thinking of rest of the group. But how you make sure that they don’tlearn from other places?

This goes part of the way to explaining howgroup members end up distancing themselves from family and friends. They are made to believe that outsiders(i.e., those not in the group) are a bad influence and are stopping them fromgrowing, evolving, progressing in some way. [x]

Until youare an adult and pass the test to prove you’re a “proper” Jedi you can’t goanywhere without the authorization of your master. You hardly leave the Templewithout company. The outside world is considered a dangerous place for apadawan. Trips are regulated and once you return you must report everything youlearn straight to the Council.

The Jediorder, over time, became so afraid of the unknown, they slowly began creating mechanismto weed out everything that they deemed dangerous or unnecessary. What startedwith the “light side is good” became a cyclical process of indoctrination: an indoctrinatedchild becomes an indoctrinated adult who indoctrinates another child. The jediare trapped in that mindset. The jedi are right and everyone who disagree withthat is wrong. And who represents the thinking brain of the Jedi Order? TheJedi Council, the only beings with the means to learn beyond the jedipropaganda but who don’t because they were personally educated by the oneperson resolvable for overseeing almost a millennia of indoctrination.

Very oftenthe doctrine of cults creates impossibilities and the members are urged to tryand obtain these. The members, of course, don’t see these as impossibilities. Typically the leader claims to have theseabilities and the members are simply trying to be as good as the leader.For example, working without emotions,never making judgments, having perfect days whenever you want them, neverbreaking the rules, never sinning (notice the black-and-white thinking!).[x]

They allthough to believe that Yoda is the greatest because he mastered their greatest challenges:to let go of their attachments, to live in the moment, to “read” the force’swill, to not be ruled by their emotions, to overcome fear, etc. we all knowthey are wrong. Yoda was as fallible was the rest of them. but because theybelieve it, the unreasonable goals of the Jedi Code became reasonable and attainable.So why be a great Jedi, why learn beyond the order when the Order’s wayobviously work? They had a living prove that it worked (Yoda)!

Yoda, notonly kept the Jedi order stagnated, he become an inspirations: if I do wellenough and please my master and the Council one day I’ll be as great as yoda orhis apprentices. We can see that in TPM when Obi-wan is clearly upset Qui-Gon doesnot obey them to get a sit on the Council.

It was difficult for unorthodox Jedi—especiallythose labeled as Gray Jedi—to join the Council or ascend to any position ofreal leadership within the Order. As the High Council chose its own members,they tended to select moretraditionalist Jedi, such as the group described as the Old Guard. Jinn’s candidacy as a member of the HighCouncil was rejected first in favor of Plo Koon, and later the Cerean Ki-Adi-Mundi,both of whom were more in line with the Council’s way of thinking.[x]

The Jedi Order was not interested in changing. AcceptingGrey Jeid as a good thing and welcoming a new way of thinking went againsteverything the PT-era Jedi Order stood for.

Their way was the only way.

#ask #anon #jedi order #grey jedi #sw meta #padawanlost #gray jedi #jedi culture #txt

[fyasamisato]

LoK Book One (Equalist Asami) AU Question: If Asami was raised to be a VERY loyal Equalist by her dad years ago and Amon have her to spy on Korra and her friends while she was with them, how would things play out in the Avatar Universe if that turn of events happens (especially if, later on, Asami knocked out Korra before she can use her air bending on Amon)?

Hmmm, that’s a good one. Like in a world where he was able to indoctrinate her in the ideology before she could form her own moral’s and ideas. Well i know the cliche answer would be the kind of fall in love with the enemy story but I don’t think that would happen. At least within the time frame of book one. Because even when they were on the same side they didn’t fall in love right away, at least that’s my opinion. And then there’s the common equalist Asami trope of her still becoming friends with them in basically the same way we saw, only this time as a sleeper agent and spy. That would foster a distrust after it’s revealed that would be very difficult to overcome. 

My opinion on this depends on something though. If Hiroshi indoctrinated her young and did it well, to the point she was simply an agent of the equalists and that’s all she cared about, then it would take some pretty major things to turn her. But if he didn’t micromanage every single detail in her life, then I think something else would happen. I think she’d still be a very compassionate young woman. And that would actually feed in to being an equalist. She wouldn’t simply be doing it because that was the way she was brought up. She’d be doing it because she would see the families crushed under the boot of gangs and simply benders at large. I think what would happen is she’d be this kind of figure that does the equalist assignments at night, and by day she would be going among the victims trying to help them on a more ground level. What’s more i think she would inevitably find a family who maybe lost a father or a mother to the violence of a bender and kind of grow a special attachment to them since she could relate so personally. She’d become protective of them however she could and become very involved in their lives. Especially if the family had members her age, like she’d become friends with them the same way she did with team avatar. 

So from their, she and team avatar would come to blows cause eventually her identity would be revealed because of course it would be. Drama and all. And words in anger would be shouted and both sides would make their case but not be able to sway the others mind. And i think honestly at this stage in her arch, korra herself would right her off. Like “No, she played us, and she’s a terrorist, she’s wrong and that’s all there is to it.”

But they wouldn’t be able to catch her and she wouldn’t be able to take them all out either so both sides get away. Then frankly a lot of little things could happen, they could confront each other again and again and always there will be this deep personal stake involved as Asami did genuinely like them when they interacted. And she would not be someone who especially liked the idea of taking their bending away, it would just be her kind of begging them to see reason. “Please, so much pain has been brought to the world by people like you and you don’t even do it on purpose.” that sort of thing. And none of it would get through and none of their rhetoric would get through to her.

Then what would happen, is they’d meet in kind of civilian hours. The group or maybe just korra would see her taking care of that family i mentioned earlier. That would start a change of opinion in her. Like oh i guess she’s not evil sort of thing. Maybe they could even interact, and like agree not to fight here. I don’t want to go through all of this bit cause I think you get where i’m going. Korra and team would she that she’s a genuinely compassionate and sweet person, and that she’s not just some enemy combatant. And what’s more is interacting with families who have been ripped apart by benders would even cause them to second guess their own position, or at least not be so gung ho. 

Then, maybe they would bring up some of the dirtier things the equalists have done, and maybe Asami didn’t know about them. Like the worst aspects of the movement were kind of hidden from her and that shakes her faith a little. And so the seeds are planted for both sides to reconcile though that won’t happen yet. But this is the kind of path i see this taking that would make her turning to their side have more impact and not just be a “Oh i guess i’m evil better switch” turn. Like this would have to be played very nuanced to work otherwise it would just be cliche. Then this could build up the whole season (If the season was like 24 episodes cause there’s a lot here) until basically she makes the same choice she made in The Aftermath. Korra and friends would be in serious danger, about to lose their bending or be killed, Asami would click into this is wrong, what we’re doing is wrong mode and try to reason with her father. When that failed she would fight them, and so on. I was about to say not that she could take Amon in a fight but then i thought about it and I don’t know could she? He’s advantaged against benders. His chi blocking wouldn’t really would against her. 

So hey maybe that’s a thing that could happen. The two have showdown of hand to hand and equalist techniques. Maybe buy Korra enough time to unlock her airbending. Oh maybe we could kick of the the korrasami earlier, and seeing Asami in danger is what brings Korra to unlock her airbending instead of Mako. So yeah they reveal Amon to the people and then Asami interacts with her father in some manner saying she believes in equality and helping the people but that this isn’t the way to do it and it will just cause even more harm. She could still have her confrontation with him like in the finale somehow. Hmm, that would bring a lot of weight to their meeting their. And it already had a lot of weight lol. But yeah “You really are a terrible father” would take on new meaning cause in this AU, she would be saying that having believed in him and his message, so it would be even another hurtle for her to overcome in fighting him. Lots of drama. Lol

So I know that didn’t really answer the what would happen if she knocked Korra out before she could fight Amon, but the way this played out in my mind it would never have reached that point. Like by the time Korra and Amon came face to face, Asami’s faith in the equalists would already be shaken and she’d already be in the process of turning on them to join Korra.

But that’s what I think. It wouldn’t be something that lasts till the other books. One cause of how that was all networked and planned, the equalist plot was meant to be done by book 1 so the only effect it would have later is maybe in certain scenes in the rest of the series she would kind of see maybe the other three throwing their weight around with bending and disapproving. Oh my god in this AU she would have hated the Earth queen. Like “You’re a nonbender and still your ruling over people like their trash? How dare you.” that sort of thing could pop up time to time and when I think about little character moments like that I get kind of excited to think about more. But anyway, I hope that answered your question in a somewhat coherent manner. I’ve really enjoyed thinking about this though and it may be time for some fanfic lol :) Thanks for asking.

[sowyourseeds]

Blog Mission Statement

I don't intend for this to be a dry mission statement. Within this, I want to express every ounce of emotion that I can convey. I want YOU to feel this mission as deeply as I do. To be the place you can turn for answers, advice, motivation, and to show how "normal" it is to doubt yourself and struggle your way through this endeavor. Because, as the kids say, the struggle is real. While actionable content is a huge focus of mine, I want to show you the struggles of the journey. To show the ways I get hung up on certain subjects, procrastinate, emotions I feel while trying to overcome obstacles, along with great tips and tricks along the way to aid ALL of us as we move forward no matter the resistance. Nobody seems to talk about the late nights. Y'know, the ones where you're pacing around with a dry erase marker in your hand in an almost frantic rage of "drive".  Brainstorming, weighing options, and trying to figure it all out for yourself. Connect the dots on the whiteboard, strategizing, and dreaming. Alone. Moments such as those are the true reality of this business. While this is primarily a "make money online" blog, that is not the main focus. I want to laser in on the mindset shifts, the overarching concepts, and some of the "meta" of the industry. I'm confident that I can shine some light on to the reality of this difficult life path. To be honest, this blog is both selfish and selfless. I've created it due to recommendations from the community I've connected with for within the e-com space, but there are other motives.. After reading "you should be an author" or "you should start a blog" enough times, it started to click. I was there asking for advice on e-commerce, details of the business, and while people were suggesting actionable tactics, I noticed that recurring theme. People were often "advising" me to write more than they were suggesting business tactic. Lightbulb! With that in mind, I set off to start writing. I LOVE to write but have rarely considered it to be something that would work its way into my routine. Upon some careful thought, though, it was completely logical. Not only would it be a way to help people through the journey, but it would be a way to connect with the type of people that my spirit is craving. The like-minded, ambitious, opportunity seeing crowd of people that are disgusted with the "average" in life. People that aren't content to do things the way that tradition has preached. The people that see through the indoctrination of almost any school system in the world, and started using their very own brain to come up with better ways.. real solutions. I've spent an inordinate amount of time on this "study of success" space. Building my own personal crew of mentors out of the content available. What other choice do I have? There aren't many mentors walking around the streets of Kettering or even working in the business (or running the businesses) of Ohio. They're rare. People such as Gary Vee, Tim Ferris, Simon Senek, Grant Cardon, Les Brown, Wayne Dyer, Neopolean Hill, Bob Proctor, Leo Gura, Eric Thomas, Alex Becker, Miles Beckler, Elliot Hulse, Robert Greene, Jim Carry, Will Smith, Alan Watts, Franklin Hatchet, Ritto Ban, Arie Shafer, just aren't as available for a skype call as I would like. They are online in video/audio form and have spent their lives trying to help ours. We're blessed in our modern day to have the ability to study these lessons. It's a gift to be able to devour the words of these mentors, reprogram your mind, and in the process change your entire trajectory in life. As much of a blessing as it is, it's still a curvy path to follow. On one hand, I get caught up in analysis paralysis to the point of not being able to take ANY action due to information overload. On the other hand, I can use my critical thinking to start to see the "patterns". When enough successful people say THE SAME THINGS, they start to become a type of "law" in my mindset. An example of a "law" of business: "Networking is an integral component of success". But how? How do I "network"? Join Facebook groups? I tried that and it wasn't productive. I would ask questions that went ignored, was talked down to, felt I was being spied on, or sold to. The questions that people asked in these groups became repetitious and my brain started to "block out" the noise. If not online, maybe real life? Maybe if I talked about business, Shopify, and building your own dream enough people would listen! Nope. It's met with short-lived interest followed by a "glazed over" look. Maybe I could pull someone close to me into the mix, become business partners and make it happen together? Nope. After about two weeks I realized that it was my dream and that no one else was going to have this level of motivation to improve. The people I love haven't studied success, haven't become successful, and don't understand what it takes. Hell, I'm not even sure I know what it takes, but I'm a stubborn individual. Another example of a "law" of business: "Help people. True success comes when you start giving more than you expect to receive". "Give 51%, Receive 49%". Again, how? I don't feel like I'm any more knowledgeable than anyone else in the online space. How can I help when I feel that I NEED help? I'm not that good at all of this stuff. Maybe this blog will be the way.   Maybe there is a voice that needs to be expressed in this space, and I can help express it. Maybe if I offer the bits and pieces that I DO know, it will be enough to help people that are struggling. Those are just two examples. I could list a lot more, but I plan on saving that for a future blog. Maybe a "10 commandments of E-commerce" post? Hah. I like that idea. In the two above examples of business "law" lies the core reason for the blog. A place to help people, give of myself, as well as a place to connect the people that will be key to success in their life and mine. I needed a type of strategy for this aspect of success, and this is my current solution. Using the written word to connect with the people I most want to connect with. I plan on pouring it all out there, so be prepared. This blog isn't intended to sell anything or to glorify e-commerce and business in any way. There is enough of that in the world. We need more "real" in this space. As the blog progresses I would like to use it as "outlines" for YouTube videos that I plan on creating. This kills two birds with one stone (blog). Wait. Why does anyone want to kill birds with stones? Strange saying.. Being a conceptual person, I need some structure to my thoughts as a foundation, I'm hoping that this blog is that answer. "Writing is crystallized thought" - Tim Ferris. Practicing self-awareness has taught me that this is just how I function. I need to place my thoughts on to a page before I can progress. To see it in a strategic way, before I act. While a Youtube channel is the "ideal" way to connect, give value, and improve visibility, I need THIS first. That's about it for now. I've posted a quick running list of the blog ideas that I have and the subject that need to be tackled. If you've made it this far into the post, I want to thank you. Sometimes just being "heard" is enough to raise the spirit. More to come. Mike

[newstfionline]

To Inspire Young Communists, China Turns to ‘Red Army’ Schools

By Javier C. Hernández, NY Times, Oct. 15, 2017

YUQING COUNTY, China--With the fiery zeal of a preacher, Xie Hong addressed her class of 50 fourth-grade students, all in matching red tracksuits.

“Today’s life is rich, blessed, happy and joyous,” she said. “Where does our happy life come from? Who gave it to us?”

In Ms. Xie’s classroom at the Workers and Peasants Red Army Elementary School, there was only one correct answer, and she had worked tirelessly to ensure her students knew it.

“It comes from the blood of revolutionary martyrs! From the Red Army!” said a 9-year-old boy, Li Jiacheng. The class burst into applause, and Ms. Xie beamed.

For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has pushed a stiff regimen of ideological education on students, requiring tedious lessons on Marx and Mao and canned lectures on the virtues of patriotism and loyalty. Now, amid fears that the party is losing its grip on young minds, President Xi Jinping is reshaping political education across China’s more than 283,000 primary and secondary schools for a new era.

Textbooks are getting a larger dose of Communist Party lore, including glorified tales about the party’s fights against foreign invaders like Japan. Schools are adding courses on traditional medicine and Confucian thought to highlight China’s achievements as a civilization. The government is scaling back discussion of iconoclastic writers like Lu Xun, amid concerns that exposing students to social criticism may inspire disobedience.

In a stern directive issued last month, the party ordered schools to intensify efforts to promote “Chinese traditional and socialist culture”--a mix of party loyalty and patriotic pride in China’s past. Under this new formulation, the party is presented less as a vanguard of proletarian revolution and more as a force for reviving China and restoring it to its rightful place as a world power.

But the demands have run into opposition, and even mockery, from some parents and educators, and not just the “tiger moms.” Many see political indoctrination as an anachronism in an era when China’s more than 181 million schoolchildren need a modern education in math, science and liberal arts to get ahead.

They complain that Mr. Xi, who is expected to strengthen his hold on power at a party meeting this month, is turning public education into a self-serving propaganda exercise. Some say the president seems more concerned about defending the party’s legitimacy than educating the skilled work force that China needs to compete in the global economy.

Such frustrations recently came to a head in Zhejiang, a wealthy coastal province, where parents protested a decision by education officials to make traditional Chinese medicine a required course for fifth-grade students.

Deng Zhiguo, 40, a software programmer who has two children in primary schools there, said he worried that the changes would come at the expense of instruction in subjects like biology and chemistry.

“It’s like learning Darwinism in the morning and creationism in the afternoon,” he said. “How do you expect children to process that?”

Mr. Xi’s educational campaign has also extended to universities, where officials have banned textbooks that promote “Western values” and punished professors for straying from the Communist line. Some scholars describe restrictions on free speech in the classroom as the most severe since the aftermath of the massacre around Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Critics say Mr. Xi may be raising the volume in patriotic education for fear that the party’s message is getting drowned out in younger generations immersed in social media and the internet. But he faces significant challenges. A study this year by Chinese and American researchers found that students appear to be tuning out shrill propaganda.

The study, based on the results of a 2010 national opinion survey, found that the “incessant ideological indoctrination by the Chinese government turns out to be counterproductive,” with trust in the government actually falling among those who received higher levels of education.

Carl Minzner, an expert in Chinese law and governance at Fordham University in New York, said the party’s socialist rhetoric had become “water-cooler banter and fodder for jokes” among educated Chinese.

“The party of revolution is now the party of the wealthy and powerful,” he said. “They’ve got to stand for something. They’re worried about the moral void at the core of Chinese society.”

Mr. Xi has passionately defended his push for positively portraying China’s past, chastising schools for removing ancient poems from the curriculum and calling traditional culture “part of the Chinese nation’s blood and genes.”

This fall, the Chinese Ministry of Education began rolling out new textbooks in history, language, law and ethics across primary and secondary schools. The new books include studies of 40 revolutionary heroes, writings by revolutionary leader Mao Zedong like his 1944 speech “Serve the People” and lessons on China’s territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea, a pillar of Mr. Xi’s foreign policy.

Anti-Japanese sentiment also features prominently, part of Mr. Xi’s efforts to glorify the early days of the party and its role in defending China from foreign invaders. A second-grade lesson tells the story of the “little hero” Wang Erxiao, a 13-year-old cattle herder who is said to have died in 1942 while trying to protect the offices of a Communist newspaper from Japanese soldiers.

Experts say the party is seeking ways to justify its hold on power in an era when its founding goal of proletarian revolution no longer seems relevant. While Mr. Xi is hardly the first Chinese leader to turn to patriotism as a substitute, he has pushed a version that plays up the party’s role as a force for restoring China’s greatness.

“The party’s theories lack vitality and innovation,” said Zhang Lifan, a historian in Beijing and a frequent critic of the party, “so the only thing they can do is to try to use the past to seize the next generation.”

The government has set up 231 so-called Red Army schools as models for its approach. One is Ms. Xie’s Workers and Peasants Red Army Elementary School, located in Yuqing County near the site of a former Communist revolutionary base in Guizhou, a mountainous southern province.

The school’s curriculum recounts the experience of Mao’s soldiers during the early years of the revolution, who are portrayed as heroically fighting to free China from rapacious warlords and Japanese invaders. As at some Red Army schools, students wear military uniforms around campus; in Ms. Xie’s classroom, that is a privilege reserved for the best students.

Even math classes are infused with party history. Students are asked such questions as calculating the distance of the Long March, Mao’s epic 1934-36 retreat across China. (The answer is about 6,000 miles.)

Teachers tell students that loyalty to the party can help them overcome personal difficulties and live a meaningful life.

Mr. Xi, himself the son of a Communist revolutionary, has hailed Red Army schools as a model for the nation. He and his mother, Qi Xin, have given the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars to the schools, records show. A Red Army school in northwestern China is also named for Mr. Xi’s father, Xi Zhongxun.

While the patriotic appeals have found fertile ground among working-class Chinese hungry for a sense of pride, some experts warn that placing too much emphasis on nationalistic education has its own risks.

Jiang Xueqin, an education consultant in Beijing, said fanning national pride could quickly “mutate into a fierce and militant nationalism” that is difficult to control.

#China #Red Army schools #Chinese Communist Party

[astralworld-blog1]

Charlie Tetebo: I must help to expose Vril and tell you about Vril, because quite frankly if you are human and you do not speak up against Vril you have betrayed your own species, it is as simple and as serious as that. However, before I start posting about highest level 33rd degree knowledge it is important a few things are said about 32nd degree knowledge involving human cloning and R.E.M (rapid eye movement) sleep driven human cloning. I understand it is difficult to accept that reality may not be what we think it is, and that in the background humans have been cloned. I wholly understand that. I also understand when people discuss cloning, they think it is from a baby stage upwards... and cannot fathom or accept that cloning has advanced much further in secret, and it now involves sleep driven human cloning... whereby original people go to sleep and wake up through the process of consciousness transfer from their original bodies, to their R.E.M (rapid eye movement) sleep driven human cloned alternatives, and are therefore simultaneously asleep, in their original body, and simultaneously awake via consciousness transfer, as a R.E.M driven human clone version of themselves. I know. It is plenty to take in. However this disclosure on R.E.M driven human cloning reduces to advanced and hidden science and technology (in comparison to that currently available for public use). I get it. It was an initial struggle for me to accept consciousness transfer is a possibility, yet alone a reality; and that is one main aspect; there are many hurdles to overcome, personal to everyone before one can see the plain and obvious truth of these whistle-blowing disclosures. Nonetheless, the three main stumbling blocks people face in realising, and knowing the truths of such disclosures are: technological advancements; the environment; and personal biases. If you accept that the current technology which is available publicly is the pinnacle of humanity's technological capabilities, then you must do some serious homework on this, because it simply isn't; what we see in public is most certainly not the height of humanity's technological capabilities. Our environment reinforces such an illusion, in the sense that we go out into the world, and accept that what we perceive with our five senses is the only reality, and this aspect, further reinforces the illusion that what we perceive in our environment is the height of humanity's technological capabilities. It simply is not. We all have personal biases, and it is difficult not to have any formed, once we have lived in this world for many years, and we have become indoctrinated into believing, mostly through little fault of our own, that: 'we know what the world is, or is about'. Personal biases are one of the hardest stumbling blocks to overcome, because they are personal, and with a whistle-blowing disclosure as explosive as sleep driven human cloning via consciousness transfer to substrate bodies as depicted in the movie Avatar, Inception, The 13th Floor, A Nightmare on Elm St, and countless others; it forces us to re-address our personal biases, and re-examine life, and if we are unable to do this, we simply cannot see the simple truth and reality of R.E.M sleep driven human cloning which is present today. As I've mentioned one of the most difficult concepts for me to accept initially was that of consciousness transfer, it went counter to everything I had previously held to be true. However, when you have many world renowned scientists claiming they are 99% or even 100% sure that consciousness transfer is not only possible... but it will be a reality in say 20 years time, you have to ask yourself "HOW?"... How can they be so precise in terms of timeline, and be so certain? That alone should leave the sceptic in you with many unanswered questions worth exploring... whereby through diligence, you come to realise that what is happening is not so much predictions, but rather scripts. This makes more sense; "one does not need to read the future, when one is writing the future". The above statement becomes glaringly obvious once it is realised, the level of technological progress hidden from humanity. It takes scepticism, open mindedness, and optimism to make breakthroughs. We must all "breakthrough" to realise the simple truths of these whistle-blowing disclosures. Scepticism keeps you from believing fallacies. It keeps you from believing that which you have not yet proven for yourself. This simply means one must be diligent and reach the point whereby they "know" and can concretely separate facts from fiction, backed by evidence. It is better to "know" than to "believe"; to "know" means to "understand with certainty"; to "believe" is to "accept without proof" –the sceptic in you should want to "know" the truths of these whistle-blowing disclosures. Optimism (which was difficult for me initially, because I'm more sceptical than anything) gives you the ability to give merit to that which you have not proven for yourself. Therefore, instead of just being sceptical and thinking 'what a load of croc –you cannot transfer consciousness etc... etc.', and move towards an optimistic standpoint, one should ask –what will be the implications if it is possible to transfer consciousness etc., etc? You will be surprised at the answers you receive. Take this further by finding research which either verifies or challenges your assertions, causing you to reconsider your estimations or your presuppositions. Open mindedness gives one the ability to "see" that which has not yet been proven. One has to be open to the possibility, that on some statistically probability, it is possible to clone humans; R.E.M sleep driven human cloning is possible; and consciousness transfer is possible and so on. One must be opened to it, because so long as one remains closed, one will simply not have the gumption to look further, and it is as simple as that. This is exactly what I did. With such initial mind-blogging disclosures, although primarily difficult to accept, I just weighed them on arbitrary and personal statistical probabilities. Okay, if consciousness transfer is possible, what arbitrary statically probability would I assign to that; that it is possible to transfer consciousness...? Initially, I gave it 5% (out of 100%), because it is just initially difficult to accept any of this. However, even such a small arbitrary, personal and assigned statistical probability, meant that I now had to change from being completely sceptical, to being slightly open-minded, then optimistic... because if I am now open to such a possibility of consciousness transfer, from an optimistic standpoint –what are the implications etc. etc? I would continue to research and revise my assumptions, until that arbitrary personal statistical probability of consciousness transfer was no longer at the 5% interval, but closer to being a certainty for me. Scepticism, open-mindedness, and optimism are really needed to make breakthroughs and break new grounds, and most importantly, good healthy scepticism will keep one from falling into fallacies, throughout the entire research process, and from believing anything which you have not yet proven to yourself (with evidence; try as best as possible not to leave 'open loops'; I would disagree assertions are demonstrable where open loops are found.). With all that said, if you have kept up to date, or read ahead, you should already know human cloning and R.E.M (rapid eye movement) sleep driven cloning is a reality, which exists today and is kept in secret. It is extremely obvious to those who have kept up to date or read ahead. If you're still sceptical about such disclosures, then remember one also needs optimism and open-mindedness to either see the truth of such claims, OR, to debunk such claims, by means of thorough research methodology. I shall now provide you with a scientific video on consciousness transfer. It is drip-feed disclosure. Drip feed disclosure is also an aspect one must learn about to further understand the realities of these whistle-blowing disclosures. This was one of the first videos which REALLY opened my eyes to the possibilities and reality of consciousness transfer, because it is all there... and you can witness how a person's consciousness can be easily transferred. I URGE you to watch this video. It will WHOLLY help with one's better understanding of consciousness transfer and further help with understanding R.E.M sleep driven human cloning, and understanding that it is the consciousness which get's transferred to substrate (clone) bodies –as depicted in the 2009 movie, Avatar. With all this said, I'll be making future posts on Vril, and thought it is better to inform others in advance of this. This is because if you thought your governments and world leaders cloning people in secret over 70 years is difficult enough to accept; well... when it comes to the reality of Vril, I simply want to lessen the shock factor for you so that you do not panic, become paranoid etc –that is, if you do not know what Vril is. Vril must also be exposed, because if you are human, and you keep silent about the threat of Vril, then you have simply betrayed your own species, -humanity. In short Vril can be likened to an animal which governments and world leaders have kept secret for over 1000s of years. For example, if I am to mention the animal rattlesnake... most people would not get extremely frightful by the fact that I'm mentioning that rattlesnakes pose a threat to humans, most people have heard and seen videos / images of rattlesnakes and know they should keep their distance. This is the same with Vril. Humans should keep their distance because Vrils are just as dangerous as rattlesnakes, if not more... However, because the animal rattlesnake is more known publicly, the shock factor is reduced, because it is out in the open. Nevertheless, because Vrils are unknown by the majority of the public, kept hidden and secret, this factor causes a huge psychological detriment to others once discussing the reality and prevalence of Vril. It's because of the secrecy aspect and the threat Vrils pose to humans, just as people may become extremely fearful than they normally would, if rattlesnakes were kept hidden and secret, and then one day there is a revelation about rattlesnakes, and the threat rattlesnakes pose to humans... It is the secrecy aspect which further causes a much larger than normal psychological detriment, however, once it is in the open, or known about for years, the shock factor reduces. Consequently, my aim is to help further expose 33rd degree level knowledge which involves Vril without causing you to go into a state of shock, panic, and paranoia... if you do not know what Vril is / are. As I've already mentioned they can be likened to that of an animal which governments have kept secret and formed alliances with for many thousands of years. These creatures just need to be known about publicly; their strengths and weakness detailed for all to read and examine, -and eradicated –because of the threat which Vrils pose to humans...; Overall Vril are cowardly... and I would not be too fearful for them... and just like the rattlesnake, you will learn Vril must be kept at a distance, and just like the rattlesnake, you must kill Vril, before it kills you. Moreover, yes I am fully aware... first our governments and world leaders are cloning people, and now they have dangerous animals kept in secret?! Yes they do such heinous crimes in secret for amusement and entertainment. There's a whole barrage of gene-spliced animals, some of which kept secret, others made public, you simply have to research gene spliced creatures, to realise the vast amount of animals which have been gene spliced, for example: 'spider-goat'. With all, this said, there is not much need for panic when it comes to Vril; Vril just needs to be fully exposed; known publicly worldwide, and severely dealt with. #KillVril Make sure to watch the lecture on consciousness transfer, if you need further reference to understand the prevalence and reality of R.E.M driven human cloning by following the link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR7HissYN2U

#Donald Marshall #Vril Lizards #Vrill Lizards #Human Cloning #Cloning Centers