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vajranam · 3 years

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Dzogchen And Bodhicitta

THE UNION OF DZOGCHEN AND BODHICHITTA

The approach I take to Dharma practice is very simple, yet this approach should not be taken to undermine the profundity of the Buddhadharma. This approach is based on the instructions I received from my own root Lama, Khenchen Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche, the experiences I have had in my life, and many long years of study and solitary retreat.

It is my conclusion that the style of Dharma practice that the great yogis and practitioners of India and Tibet have relied upon up until now has been holistic in nature, and I believe that this approach is still the best one to take today.

Logically speaking, the Outer, Inner, and Secret Teachings are fundamentally interconnected and should be adopted and practiced as one path. In fact, they are so fundamentally interconnected that it is actually difficult to give Teachings on one without including the others. This interconnection - along with the "Union" which is the perfect, uncontrived view and the "Union" which is the nature of mind itself-is what I like to can the Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta.

Often, when people hear the words "Outer, Inner, and Secret Teachings," they want to associate them with one concept or another, such as the three vehicles of the Hinayana, the Mahayana, and the Vajrayana.

When translated from Sanskrit, the words Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana mean the "lesser, great, and indestructible vehicles," and "vehicle" refers to the method or the path used to cross the ocean of samsara.

But associating the Outer, Inner, and Secret Teachings with distinct concepts is not what I have in mind. In fact, associating the Teachings with concepts is precisely what can lead us away from putting them into practice properly. This is because as soon as we begin to talk about the Dharma in terms of duality, it becomes exclusive, such that one necessary component can easily be dismissed, ignored, or subordinated in terms of importance to practice.

This suggests that the Dharma is not holistic in nature, but instead that each practitioner may be selective about what they study and practice, thus putting some Teachings into practice while neglecting others, on the basis of assumptions made about the importance of different aspects of the Dharma.

The same thing has happened since the introduction of the Buddhist Teachings into Western pop culture. Many of the more subtle ideas of Buddhist thought, whose understanding requires deep explanations and years of contemplative experience, have been reduced to sound bites and images: simple ideas that are easy to digest and seem easy to realize if we could just remember them.

These packaged ideas appear to be spiritual in nature but have lost the essential meaning conveyed by the Teachings as a whole. One example of this is the commonly spoken idea that "I `.verything is One." '

This idea has its basis in the nature of "suchness," or reality "as it is," which is quite a profound state of realization.

However, it has been taken out of context and oversimplified. It is like a beautiful, empty shell that is not capable of pointing us in the right direction or providing us with the means for realization.

In order to truly understand the Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta, the Dharma as we have come to know it in the West has to be fundamentally reconsidered.

The Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta is the path in its totality, a synthesis of the Teachings without losing any of the meaning.

Although it is useful in other situations, for this particular discussion, associating the Teachings with dualistic concepts would only distract us from their essential meaning. We must take up the entire path as an interconnected entity of which every single part is given equal importance.

This is actually the true meaning of the word "Dzogchen," which can be translated literally as "the great perfection." Some people interpret this to mean that the nature of mind is perfect, or that the realization gained from the Teachings is perfect, and these things may also be true. But actually, Dzogchen is perfect because it is all-inclusive; it is the totality of the path that leads one to realization.

Rather than present the Dharma as a linear path as is often done in many foundational texts, I would instead like to present it here as three facets of an interrelated system whose parts must be practiced simultaneously if they are to lead to the perfect result.

These three facets are the Outer, Inner, and Secret Teachings, which are distinguished as separate elements only by the cognitive construct of words, and which completely encompass the wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism. But before I go any further, let me tell you about some of my own experiences with the Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta.

From the time I was born, my parents and I lived with a Dzogchen yogi called "Lama Chupur." He was the kind of yogi we call a drubtob in Tibetan, or in Sanskrit a siddha, or great adept-a yogi who has realized the view of Dzogchen and reached the stage of magical accomplishment.

In fact, Lama Chupur's name means "flying over water," and he was given that name after he was seen flying over a wide river near my village. He was the kind of yogi who had spent his whole life wandering around Tibet in search of the Teachings, and he had been the heart student (in other words, had received the entirety of his masters' knowledge and Teachings on realizing the nature of mind) of two of the greatest drubtob masters of his time. So maybe that can give you an idea of what kind of yogi Lama Chupur was.

Lama Chupur came to live in my village after the changes in Tibet. My parents were his students. He recognized me as a tulku (reincarnate Lama) from a young age, after which he raised me as both his child and his student.

I spent my childhood days in his constant presence, witnessing him and taking instruction from him. I remember that at first glance he did not seem to be meditating on anything special at all. When he gave Teachings, as he often did to the many pilgrims and village people who came to see him, he always gave Teachings on how to generate Bodhichitta and never even mentioned the Secret Teachings.

There was a kindness about him that is very difficult to convey with words. He had a marvelously good heart that marked you indelibly whenever you were with him.

Although his words and his ordinary appearance suggested that he was meditating solely on Bodhichitta, sometimes when I looked at him I felt something welling up inside of me.

I could tell instinctively by his gaze and the posture he assumed, as well as the clear quality of his mind, that his meditation was much deeper than that. It was not until I was older and had begun to study with my own root Lama, as well as other Lamas who were staying in retreat in Tibet, that I realized that Lama Chupur had been practicing the Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta.

Lama Chupur's story is not unique. My own root Lama, Khenchen Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche, was regarded by many Tibetans as the highest authority on the four sects of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the heart student of more than ten renowned Lamas and is the fourth in an unbroken lineage of heart students of Patrul Rinpoche.

Yet, many people did not realize the profundity of his meditation because of his humble appearance. Up until the time of his passing, he spent most of his time giving Teachings on Bodhichitta and always presented himself as an ordinary practitioner.

But as his heart student who spent more than twenty years under his guidance, I had the chance to experience his transformation. I can say with certainty that I witnessed my own teacher attain the fruit of the Teachings in this very life.

When Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche passed away at the age of ninety-two, he attained a sign called "Heart, Tongue, and Eyes," which is one of the signs of highest realization that comes as a result of the Dzogchen Teachings. In fact, it is the same sign that came when the omniscient Longchenpa passed away hundreds of years ago. Of course, I did not know the method my teacher used until he gave me the secret oral instructions of our lineage. It was then that I realized that he, too, relied on the Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta.

Finally, Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche once told me the story of an ordinary old man who lived in Kham, Tibet. He was a poor man with only the clothes on his back who lived in a stone house near a pilgrimage site that many people would circumambulate.

Nothing at all about this man seemed special. He was so ordinary, in fact, that until he died, no one even knew his name, much less thought of him as a great Dzogchen yogi. Each day this man would get up, beg for food, and then spend the day saying mantras and holding a Prayer Wheel that he slowly turned in circles.

I cannot tell you how shocked his countrymen were when this simple old man attained rainbow body, the sign of one of the highest accomplishments of a Dzogchen practitioner. When my teacher told me this story, I knew once again that the old man's realization had come from practicing the Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta.

In my studies, I have read scriptures about yogis who attained the result of the Teachings, but I have also occasionally come across stories of yogis who did not. I always wondered why these yogis did not attain the realization promised by the scriptures even though they spent their whole lives in solitary retreat as they had been instructed.

But as I examined further, I realized that they had neglected to practice the Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta and had fallen into the wrong view Thus, it was not their heroic effort that had failed them, but rather the view and style of practice they had undertaken from the outset.

Especially in this day and age, there are many kinds of meditation we can choose to practice. But meditation does not have some inherent quality that promises to rid us of self-attachment, which is the only way we can achieve liberation.

Rather, whether or not we achieve liberation depends solely on the type of meditation we choose to practice and the diligence with which we proceed. Thus, the yogis who did not attain liberation practiced a style of meditation that did not rid them of self-attachment, but rather led them to develop negative habitual tendencies and eventually take a lower rebirth.

Working with the mind is an extremely delicate art; we must be very careful not to make a mistake about what and how we practice.

This text presents my own holistic view of the Teachings, the Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta, as passed on to me by my Lamas, as well as developed through my own contemplative practice and study of the Buddhist canon.

In this unprecedented time where so many are able to benefit from practicing the Buddhist Teachings, I urge you to practice the Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta and attain the results promised by the Teachings. Pray this text bring benefit to beings everywhere.

-Anyen Rinpoche

The Union of Dzogchen and Bodhichitta

by Anyen Rinpoche

Translated by Allison Graboski

Snow Lion

#wisdom #spirituality #mindfulness #meditation #religion #buddhism #zen #self care #visualization

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thatocdfeel · 4 years

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Just as a general statement for other people who struggle with moral stuff like I do. I've been doing some reading and there's this thing called white fragility which basically means white people can't handle facing their own racism and get really anxious when confronted by it. Combine that with the fact that literally all white people are racist and that basically means that if you've been really anxious about racism in the last week or so it's probably not your OCD and you're actually racist.

Okay, so I’ve let this sit in my inbox for some time, not sure how to approach this, because:

1. I am white 2. I am not from the US

It’s not my place to discuss what is or isn’t racism, however, I do think your ask is oversimplifying the matter, and I’ll explain my reasoning.

White fragility is a term coined by Robin DiAngelo in her essay of the same name, which you can read here.

For a TL;DR, here is a quote from an article by the Guardian:

‘’DiAngelo says she encounters a lot of “certitude from white people – they insist ‘Well, it’s not me’, or say ‘I’m doing my best, what do you want from me?’ ”. She defines this as white fragility – the inability of white people to tolerate racial stress.

This, she says, leads to white people “weaponising [their] hurt feelings” and being indignant and defensive when confronted with racial inequality and injustice. This creates a climate where the suggestion or accusation of racism causes more outrage among white people than the racism itself.

“And if nobody is racist,” she asks, “why is racism still America’s biggest problem? What are white people afraid they will lose by listening? What is so threatening about humility on this topic?”

Using DiAngelo’s own words, we have no ‘racial stamina’. Whether you think of yourself as a ‘morally good’ person and the idea of being racist offends you, or if you are a racist who doesn’t believe racism is even real, or you’re a proud racist and believe it to be ‘morally just’, or you simply don’t give a shit about it one way or the other -- being forced to confront racism will trigger discomfort, anger, anxiety and defensiveness.

Whether or not you consider yourself racist, white fragility enables racism, and is something white people have to consciously make an effort to unlearn.

And to your point about ‘being automatically racist’, people who don’t consider themselves racist will still have internalized racist ideas, because if you live in a white supremacist / racist society, you will grow up surrounded by these ideas.

And while consciously you are against racism, morally, ethically, politically, etc... these internalized, learned behaviours will be there, and it is a long and difficult task to find, identify and unlearn them.

This is true about sexism, homophobia, ableism, classism and so on.

I am not arguing this.

The main concern I had with your ask is that this is an OCD blog, and because OCD encourages all or nothing thinking, a follower might read that statement and think you are either racist or you aren’t, and that if you are racist, it’s game over forever.

The OCD sufferer, based on their own moral compass, cannot allow this unthinkable, horrible scenario to be true, because what if I am racist? , to the OCD sufferer, appears only to have one answer: if you are, you’re evil forever and your life is over.

When in reality, the answer to the question what if I’m racist? is: if you are, you can choose to educate yourself and work to do better, or you can choose to be complicit and do nothing.

If you’re white in a society like the US, you WILL have internalized racist beliefs and behaviours. Some of these will be so subtle you don’t even consider them, because you’ve never had to consider them. And because you never had to, suddenly making yourself consider these things will be hard, and it will take practice, time, effort and a degree of self-compassion.

These things, while true, do not make you an irredeemable, evil monster. They do not mean you are morally corrupt or that the only way to atone is through self-punishment. If you care about being anti-racist, you cannot judge yourself ‘irredeemable’ and call it a day.

You have to look inward, you have to look at your white friends and family, your society, your government -- you have to educate yourself, you have to listen to the voices of PoC, you have to speak up against other white people and you have to fight that white fragility that tells you to run away from the conversation.

TLDR; There are plenty of reasons to be anxious about racism, especially if you are someone who is plagued by OCD. So yes, if you’ve been really anxious about racism in the last week or so, it will in part be because of ‘white fragility’, but that doesn’t mean your OCD related anxiety is any less real or valid.

Intrusive thoughts about racism, fears of being racist, fears of acting racist, and so on are not uncommon and you will definitely be anxious about it because that’s how the disorder works.

While I don’t have any specific resources on this, I’d recommend reading about:

Moral Scrupulosity OCD

Responsibility OCD

And here is someone’s personal account (tw for eating disorders)

A final word on OCD enhanced anxiety about racism, as a white person:

This doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, but it also doesn’t mean you’re free of responsibility. We all have the responsibility, every single day, to fight injustice, unlearn prejudice and make the world better. We don’t do this through self-hatred, but by accepting that you are not perfect. Moral purity is impossible, being 100% good is impossible, having no flaws is impossible, never ever in your life doing, saying or thinking a single bad thing is impossible. Accepting this does NOT mean accepting the any particular moral value of that behaviour. The first step to change the parts of yourself you do not like, is to acknowledge that they are there.

Whatever your OCD makes you scared of, think of it as a stain on your carpet. If you think that having a stain on the carpet is the worst thing that could ever happen, that this is an UNTHINKABLE situation, you will ignore the stain every time you walk by it. You get angry when people point the stain out. You have a CLEAN house, damn it! The stain CANNOT be there because that means YOU have failed, and YOU are BAD.

Stop. Look at the stain. The stain is there. It happens. Stains happen all the time, to everyone. Now, when you have seen the stain, acknowledged it, accepted it is there. How did the stain happen? Once you figure that out, you can stop that stain from happening again.

Maybe you spilled your coffee because you don’t look where you walk. Start looking where you walk. Does this mean you’ll never spill anything else again? No, but next time, you’ll be even better at recognizing, cleaning and preventing stains than you were before.

Or you can leave the stain and keep spilling coffee until there’s coffee everywhere and the whole carpet is ruined.

That is a deliberate choice you can make, and that is the decision that matters.

#racism tw

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docholligay · 5 years

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DAY 19- "30 seconds of brain activity" Mercy/Pharah

This is DEFINITIVELY not canon to my personal OW canon, in my canon Pharah lives to be in her 90s, she’s fine. BUT FOR TODAY’S EXERCISE LET’S PRETEND THAT’S NOT TRUE. 1500 words, please tell me if you enjoy, and ignore me if you don’t!

Science doesn’t know everything.

Mercy would be the first to admit that, strange as it might seem, and there were plenty of people who had sneered at the way Mercy managed be a woman of science and a woman of religion, all at once. But they were as guilty as the most rabid of preachers at any street corner of vastly oversimplifying the utter complexity of the world and all its contents.

Whether of God or of science, death remained the great mystery, and both seemed sure their way would provide clarity on the charcoal grey veil that passed between worlds. Mercy had sat inside plenty of lectures on dying, on death, and always puzzled a bit at how there was an assuredness to the common idea that hearing was the last sense of all of them to go.

Mercy had often though that, much like Christians’ assurance in heaven (her own faith, being what it was, offered no such promise, and left it up to the Jews to argue over, and Mercy argued it with herself most of all) it was simply a very comforting idea. It was obvious when people could no longer see, and dying being what it was, the idea of smell or touch remaining did little ease woes, but hearing provided some way to reassure the dying, and most of what we fear about dying is our own loneliness.

In her years of practice, she had also discovered it to be a very effective way of stopping bedside arguments from the family.

But she wasn’t sure that made it an absolute reality.

And so, she was as unsure Pharah could hear her as she was of heaven, though in this moment she would have told you how utterly she believed in both, for Pharah if for no other person who walked this earth. If there were a heaven Pharah would deserve it, and if there was any chance that Pharah could hear her as Mercy utterly failed her, Mercy had to try.

There is much fuss made over last words, and the significance of them, but Mercy would have told you that most people’s last words are confused and vague, whatever script we have written for ourselves forgotten in that instant, half in and half out of this world. She had heard grown adults ask for their parents, she had heard them rattle off items as if looking for groceries, and once, a reminder of when the train left for Berlin. But never had she heard anything profound, in those last moments.

And so, she expected nothing, except from herself.

Mercy had asked to face this alone, as she had removed her gloves. She was a physician, as little as she felt every Nobel prize and degree availed her now, and could care for Pharah in any way she could be cared for, and she would know when it all was over. Mostly, she had been allowed, though Tracer had asked at least four times if she were sure, and Ana had said she wanted to be there for Pharah.

“Why start now?” Mercy had replied, knowing the moment it left her mouth she’d be apologizing for it in September, lavishing in the way it felt on her tongue now.

Or maybe she wouldn’t apologize. God didn’t force her to ask for forgiveness, and if it took her the next twenty years to seek it, so be it. She was not feeling like asking God for anything just now, and if anyone should ask forgiveness, God should ask it from her.

She stroked Pharah’s hair as she sat by her side. It wouldn’t be long, couldn’t possibly be, for Pharah was only human, however else Mercy had assumed she was a gift, the sort of angel that cared little for religion or God and so had come to earth. God gives us things to take them away again, and science gives us arrogance that we may fall.

If Pharah had held religion closely to her, Mercy would have prayed, but Pharah had always shrugged it off as more a cultural touchpoint than anything else, philosophical and artistic musings with no logical basis that were very interesting to some people, but not for her. She’d apologized when she’d said that, that rare gleam of sweet and tender fear in her eyes that she had hurt Mercy. She had only been meaning to talk about herself, her life, her mind. Her faith.

She said she had no faith, but Mercy knew there was a deep belief in justice, and in hope, and in the possibility that things could be made right, if enough people worked with enough diligence. They were alike, that way, as much as they were different. Pharah believed, and that was why Mercy was standing in a surgical theater over the top of her, waiting for the last of Pharah’s strength to run out.

But if Pharah had held religion close to her, at least Mercy would have known what to say to her, as she hoped she still could hear.

“I love you.” She had said, in English and in Arabic, and in German, once, knowing that was some of the only German Pharah knew. Answering back to the great love contained in that effort to learn.

Tracer had angrily told Pharah she would pay them back, as a goodbye, and Mercy hadn’t doubted that a second, even as Winston had shook his head.

“I’m sure Lena is on her way to find Reaper now,” she said, tying Pharah into her thoughts, “he will be paying, dearly, I am sure, my Fareeha.”

She told her that because she realized there was nothing else to tell, that she could say, that would be more than she had already said. How many times can you tell someone how much you love them? How they’ve changed your life? How for a few brief years at least, that you knew what it was not to be alone? That they made you realize you weren’t broken, and that you were made for something more than to sacrifice? That maybe you survived that night in Zurich for your own sake?

She had said so much, in so little time, until all of it felt as natural as a mi shebeirach on her lips, repeated and repeated and repeated again, and if God would allow her anything, after denying her so much, maybe God would allow that Pharah would remember this prayer she said, over and over again, as she went on to whatever came next.

Science told her that hearing is the last sense to be lost, and so it made no sense, as she watched the numbers on the monitors dip lower and lower, to hold her hand, to cup her bloodied cheek, and yet she did, because sometimes the things we do are more for us than they are for anyone else.

She was taking too long. She was trying too hard, at a fight she could not win.

“Fareeha,” she said, too quietly, and so, strengthened it, “Fareeha. You have to be going, my darling, I am sure of it.”

How many times had she said she was sure of something, in these past minutes? She was a fool, just as foolish as any scientist, lecturing in a hall, so certain of something that would be disproven in a few years. That voice of authority must come with the territory, and maybe it was the fate of every doctor to forget that the they were children in this world.

“Fareeha,” she repeated, “You can’t stay with me. I know, I know that you would try.”

There was a hitch in Pharah’s breathing, and it tugged at Mercy’s chest. That fear could not be quelled by any knowledge she had of the amount of drugs Pharah had been given, or how far gone she was, or even the general nature of dying. That fear would live with her until her own death.

“Fareeha, please.” she rested her hand on her chest, and trying not to sob, trying to hold strong, so Pharah would not worry for her, “Please go. Please.”

Pharah loved her, and if science could be believed, Pharah heard her, and so, Pharah let out a sigh, and Mercy felt a thump beneath her hand, softer and softer, until it couldn’t be felt at all.

The brain has thirty seconds after the heart stops, she remembered, some man standing at the front of a lecture hall nodding vigorously. She chose, in that moment, to believe it and to believe in the afterlife, because Pharah deserved them, and whispered into her ear the truest prayer she knew.

“I love you. I love you. I love you.”

#rhiorhino

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lazyyogi · 5 years

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Somatic Meditation

Introduction

I have mentioned somatic meditation in a few posts and I think it’s time I discuss it in more detail.

In western civilization, there is a common tendency to foster a schism between body and mind. This has been my own direct experience of my reality, and my observation of the people around me suggest this as well.

We have our thinking mind, with its own fascinations and fears, and we have our body, with is own pleasures and disgusts.

On their own, body and mind are no problem. Body is sensation and mind is alertness. However, when combined with ignorance, each foster their own delusions of identity. Mind acquires habitual perceptions, judgments, and labels. Body acquires tensions, contortions, fixations, attachments, aversions, and so on. These come together to form the ego--the limited and false sense of separate self.

Some of us are more fixated on our mind-consciousness or our body-consciousness in daily life. An oversimplified example would be a model who embodies various energies for their gigs and doesn’t need to use their thinking mind very much. Or a scientist who is constantly at a lab bench or a computer, using their mind constantly but rarely inhabiting their body in its fullest. This isn’t to judge models or scientists, these are just illustrative examples. The reality is more complex.

When someone is more mind-oriented or body-oriented, it can influence the manner in which they seek the truth of Enlightenment. Mind-oriented individuals may be more attracted to philosophies and meditation practices largely done in the space of the head. Body-oriented individuals may be more inclined to have adventurous experiences and may feel drawn to practices such as kundalini yoga.

Both of these paths are useful beginnings. That said, the burdens of illusion affect both mind and body. At some point those must be addressed.

For me, I had a decent balance between body and mind orientation until I started my medical studies. Since then, I have noticed myself becoming increasingly mind-oriented. And that is okay. However, I had noticed it effecting my meditation practice. It felt that when I sat for meditation, I was largely just being in my head. It felt as if I were sitting and staring at a wall. It gave me the impression that my meditation practice had stagnated.

Then I came into contact with somatic meditation.

What is Somatic Meditation?

Soma is a Greek word that means “body.” Somatic meditation is a term used to categorically describe meditation techniques that use the sensation of the body for meditation practice.

For my own personal meditation practice, I found that I have mostly established peace within my mind. Rarely am I ever overwhelmed or taken over by the force of my thoughts. I have a lasting sense of being the spaciousness that surrounds and outlasts my thoughts.

But as I said before, we also hold many forms of ignorance in our body. Not only was I leaving behind a piece of myself when I was meditating without engaging the full body but I was also leaving parts of my ignorance uninvestigated.

Somatic meditation sets aside the thinking mind and focuses on the phenomenon of the body. My previous meditation practice showed me how to “transcend” the mind by just being with it and noticing how I am not in the mind but the mind is in me, the way the weather is in the sky.

Similarly, somatic meditation can lead to transcendence of the body not by leaving it but by inhabiting it deeply--deeper and more thoroughly than you have ever consciously done so before. There are many different ways to do this. I will share techniques regarding it in future posts.

If you are already curious and want to get started, I suggest three different books, depending on what you’re feeling:

Belonging Here by Judith Blackstone The Enlightenment Process by Judith Blackstone The Awakening Body by Reginald Ray

What are the Benefits of Somatic Meditation?

Here are some things I have noticed:

Deepened meditation. If you already have a meditation practice, somatic meditation will deepen it. Use somatic meditation practices separately and then do your usual meditation. It will reinvigorate your practice.

Healing. Many of us hold the tensions of past traumas in our bodies. Many of us have abandoned parts of our body entirely because of those traumas. Practicing somatic meditation is a homecoming that heals.

Increased happiness. If mental meditative practices result in greater clarity and insight, somatic meditative practices result in greater happiness and bliss felt in the body.

Increased love and playfulness. Children naturally want to play and play with other beings. That is a spontaneous activity of love. Somatic meditation makes us more prone to this kind of playfulness and love. It’s fun.

Discovery. You will learn a lot more about yourself and embodied existence than you thought was there.

Freedom for the body, freedom from the body. Somatic meditation will drastically alter your relationship with the body. Instead of judging or trying to please the body, you will free the body and free yourself from being its slave. Just as our mind can be a terrible master, so can our body. Mind and body are tools and allies but they shouldn’t be our masters.

Enlightenment. Somatic meditation, in my opinion, is an incredibly helpful practice for those seeking awakening and self-realization. It is a practice you should do in a deliberate session daily, but you can also continue it whenever you want throughout the day. You can always feel your body.

Stay tuned for more.

Fine print: Ultimately the distinction between mind and body are meaningless. They are a continuum. However, until this is found as a lived experience, it can be a temporarily useful way of regarding our ego situation.

Namaste :)

#spirituality #inspiration #meditation #mindfulness #yoga #technique #somatic meditation

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the-nysh · 5 years

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I find myself unable to think of Bakugou in any way more positive than "dislike", because he reminds me too much of the people who made my life miserable when I was growing up. (Not that it makes him bad; it's just my emotions.) Do you've any advice on how to bend my mind around that? I don't need to LOVE him, just mentally separate "him" and "the people who make grade school suck for me" so I won't irrationally hate him, because I don't LIKE hating characters.

Hi there! I’m glad to see you come forward, especially tosomeone who’s a big fan of him, after happening to see how far you’veventured through my tags already (whoa dedication!) to seek possible answers or further clarity about this,especially if it’s something that’s still bothering you, oraffecting/preventing you from fully enjoying the series. Because of that, I cantell how serious and genuine you feel about this, so I will take this seriouslyas well.

(Below, 1800+ words)

Another thing is that it’s okay to feel this way, your personal experiences are still valid,and there’s no obligation to force your feelings otherwise, or subject yourselfto content that may be uncomfortable for you. Please continue to take all theprecautions needed (blocking/blacklisting) for an enjoyable and productivefandom experience. But understanding that even if the characters may havecoincidental similarities to our pasts, they are not direct projections of us, the people in our lives, or our realities.Their world is not ours. So this awareness is another good step to have, tobegin seeing the story (and characters) more openly, objectively and closer tohow Hori originally intended.

Since you’re willing to learn more, and as you may have already seenfrom my content here, Bakugou (Kacchan)became my definitive fav character of the series, but not for thoselingering resentments mentioned. The compelling character I see is so much morebeyond that first ch’s established baseline, which was narratively placed and designedto contrast against who he becomes later on. As a means to gauge and appreciatehis growth and the journey of how far he’s changed into becoming a proper,well-rounded, better person and inspirationalhero. The kind of emotional narrativefocus that always gains my interest and priority to see develop. Already, theperson he is now at 215+ chs is not the same as who he was at ch1 (neither ishe the flanderized, fanon stereotype many have been misled or indoctrinated tofirmly believe he is), and he will keepon developing as the story marches on. I am fully on board to witness thathappen.

The challenge now, is not letting his initial baseline impression(or the feelings from your own separate –but equally valid– experiences, oreven the vitriol from others) stain or cloud that entire slow-burn progressionof the story going forward. Otherwise the important milestones and insightsinto his character that Hori leaves along the way (which can sometimes bedifficult to see from Deku’s limited pov) end up getting obscured, ignored, oroutright rejected from an internalized feeling of ‘hatred’ that tends to blockout anything newly introduced that would challenge that preconceived perceptionof him. However, to mentally reject such change and prevent the valuedimprovement of a growing person (a learning child in his formative years, forinstance), to otherwise keep the status quo static and unmoving, to permanentlystay rooted exactly the same way as thestart…would in fact be a much more toxic/harmful mindset to have, and actuallydefeats the purpose of telling a proper story as well.

Setbacks to that challenge unfortunately include thewidespread availability of biased mistranslations (even from official sources),poor/oversimplified characterizations from non-canon content(movies/novels/merch, etc) that’s not written directly by Hori, because all thesethings just reinforce and exacerbate the problem of inflating fanon stereotypesand those preconceived notions that people have already solidified in theirminds as true (when they often aren’t). It gets even worse, and ironicallyhypocritical, when those same people start feeling justified they can go out oftheir way to attack others (includingthe author) for how to ‘properly’ enjoy and interpret the series (for beingdifferent or ‘incorrect’ from the perceptions they believe to be right). Butwhat’s happened is they’ve begun to blindly act on feelings multiple levels sofar removed from what actually is (whatexists as presented within canon, vs what they believe in fanon, vs what exists separately that may beplaguing these people’s real lives), that by then, that kind of maladjustedsocial behavior is inexcusable. Stepping back and realizing when things start crossinglines irrationally out of hand, to prevent that kind of behavior from happeningin the first place, (and again, by taking measures to block/blacklist stuff thataggravates or makes you feel uncomfortable), is the much wiser approach toparticipating and enjoying fandom. So that no matter what happens or what otherssay, they can’t impact or ruin what you love about the series.

Which in my case, includes Kacchan’s character. Basedon what Hori has consistently presented in canon, I can conclude and freely admithe’s the only character I can fully trust. Amazing, right? Because he hasabsolutely nothing to hide. Everything he does (not through his harshwords/temperament, but through his genuine actions),is extremely forthright and honest. He does not half-ass things or hide anyother ulterior motives or malicious intent beyond his dedication to become the best hero. And he takes that goal very seriously. Striving for and expectingexcellence from himself (and all themental pressure that self-imposed perfectionism brings) and others. Currently in the manga that includes Deku now too, whomhe willingly goads (showing support in his own way) and checks in on for hisprogress too.

Remember his fights in the sports tournament, how he takesall challengers with equal commitment/opportunity (gender does not matter),provided they give him their best inturn as well, because to do otherwise –to go easy on them or hold back– wouldbe disrespectful and underestimating an opponent. There’s a very just and admirablehonor in that. Remember how he can’tstand anyone looking down on him, which includes how he misinterpreted Deku’sfeelings of admiration for disdain(he could not accurately read Deku’s intentions, and became so perplexed by himthat he assumed the worst: that Deku looked down on him instead). Considering the level of seriousness and effort he alwaysputs forth, to be confronted with the opposite would be personally insulting.

Remember when the villains invited him to join their ranks(because they misread and shallowly judged his character), he stuck to his idealsand outright refused their offer.(Boldly exploding villains in the face~) Risking death over playing it safe andlying to pretend to follow along totheir whims. (How brave and badass is that?!) Kacchan does not lie, cheat theeasy way out, or do things he’s not feeling or doesn’t agree with. Again, honesty. Becoming a villain, a traitor,or betraying those who’ve earned his trust? Absolutely no chance. Afterlearning AM’s secret and finally understanding/rectifying everything that didn’tadd up about Deku, would he go behind their backs by breaking promises? No way.Again, most trustworthy character.

Rereading the story a second time over, but from his perspective, practically doubled myappreciation and enjoyment of the series. Thinking about how the foundations oftheir society impacted his world views at such a young age, to the very betrayal he must have felt thinking achildhood friend lied to him aboutsomething as important/vital as a quirk. (And if we already know how he feelsabout cheating liars…hmm, faithful loyaltynow feels like a valued trait.) Other factors include his relatable giftedchild syndrome, all the complexes born from that, and for how extremely intelligent,competent, and much more calmly calculating he is than his short temper may lead one to believe. How he was oncea ‘big fish in a small pond’, now thrust into the ocean to compete among evenother bigger fish, with the pressure to both succeed and prove himself…all whilehis previous world views are checked and challenged every step of the way.

For years he’d been valued and praised for only the promisingpotential and primary trait of his strong quirk. (The reinforcement for his badbehavior on the other hand? Not valued with the same proper attention.) Alreadythat’s an unfortunate consequence of their quirk-filled, hero-commodified society. Think of justhow shallow/fake groupies would be, or how annoying and hollow it would feel tohave people cling to him just for that (for talent and skills over his meritsas a person), and just how difficult forming genuine, natural bonds would be… (Becomingself-reliant now becomes another added pressure he has to juggle on his own.) Beforequirks had ever entered the picture and complicated things further, Deku was probablyconsidered the closest friend he had. Until…misunderstandings happened, andthen the only thing he wanted was for Deku to stay away from him. (A misconception is that Kacchan actively soughtDeku out, when it’s actually the opposite: Kacchan only reacted if Dekuencroached on him too closely.) Because he feared how Deku made him feel,forcing him to face his own shortcomings, and address perceptions of reality hedid not want to face. Because for someone he perceived as the weakest, to boldly goagainst that and do what Deku did (help him out of concern/kindness, but thatintent only read as pitying to him),made him feel even below that. And what’slower than the low of the weakest/most useless? Pretty ouch, so stop followingand stay back. Yet Deku just kept on coming back no matter what, for reasons hecouldn’t yet understand. (Deku felt genuine care and admiration for him, whichKacchan hadn’t realized, so gah, dramatic irony.) His changing feelings, correctinghis attitude, and clarifying his relationship to Deku, who continually challengesand defies his very worldview and perception of weakness, brings a whole otherfascinating draw to the series, which would take a whole other essay to fully analyze(but which many other fans have thoroughly done so already).

Further considerations include his struggles facing other relatablefeelings. How he confronts the pain and weight of experiencing loss, survivor’sguilt, and assessing powerlessness and the inability to save situations beyondhis control. Internalizing self-doubt, hatred, failure, and inferiority…because‘if only he were stronger.’ What Isee is a child overburdened by expectations and responsibilities beyond hisyears…who has to learn to process and overcome many of those same feelings I’vealready gone through and had to come to terms with growing up. (The very reasonhe’s often and endearingly referred to as a ‘son.’) The majority of adults inhis life assumed he was already ‘strong enough’ and ‘fine’ on his own, theyneglected to give him proper mental guidance going forward (AM even admitsthis). And we unfortunately see the tragic consequences of that. But fortunately,things are getting better, and Hori’s story for him still isn’t over yet.

Overall, what I see is the chance for an excellent,multi-layered, and well-written character to become even better. And that’s why his narrative is so particularly engaging. Doeshe remind me of the kids that once made certain social aspects of grade schoolinsufferable? No, because that’s not who he is; he’s so far removed and beyond them, that they’ve become extras whono longer matter anymore. Instead of lingering on such negatives, it’s insteadthe positive aspects about him that shine through even stronger. The fact heisn’t perfect, but deeply flawed and learning to address his shortcomings in nowmore productive ways. This progression and growth makes him interesting, and combinedwith the many other traits I’ve mentioned above, favored and loved bymany. Although ultimately I can’t change your opinion about him (that’s stillup to you to decide, and it’s ok to still dislike characters), hopefully I’veintroduced new ways of perceiving and appreciating his character for you. Tohelp see some of the positives that Deku always valued in him as a drivingsource of inspiration too: to strive hard despite life’s setbacks, and win. ‘He may be a jerk, but he’s amazing.’

#pomrania #replies #bnha #kacchan #meta #manga spoilers #long post #speaking from the perspective of him as my fav #hopefully this sheds some new light #(and i think i covered everything i wanted to say)#this is also why i mentioned before that the message of mp100’s mogami arc is important #and what i mean when i say minori’s ‘imcomparable levels of cruelty’#because kacchan is definitely not that #but the ability to change; grow; and forgive even the worst of who people used to be #is multitudes more valuable; stronger; and daresay heroic #than regressing into a hateful vestige of a non-functioning human like mogami #that kind of message still rings true here #the fact deku still cares despite seeing the worst from him is testament to how genuine his feelings are for him too #so instead of focusing on the worst...here i explain those cherished positives too

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paganchristian · 3 years

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A black swan we saw, at the zoo, and in the top picture, a white one too, and other ducks or birds of some kind, two of which seem to be doing some sort of mating dance or maybe competing and fighting, I don’t know, I wonder what they’re doing. Black swans I knew I had heard were some kind of symbol. Apparently a rare and unpredictable event that changes the course of history or society, or something, but it is rationalized away, after the fact, as being something ordinary and predictable after all.

It makes me think that many things could be rare events that would change our own lives, but we just kind of explain them away instead and they lose the power to do that anymore, because we forget them or don’t give them enough focus and the proper value and effort they deserve. Then they don’t change our lives and I guess they wouldn’t be a black swan as the symbol goes, since a black swan event actually does change you. And maybe it is not even a rare event but just a typically overlooked, underestimated event that is common.

But maybe it could be, and the event of what changes and what happens is what is rare, maybe,... if not the actual trigger for the change... Just like genius taps into things that are ordinary and makes them extraordinary and changes the world... So I think the power of God and of the ideas of religion can be that way too, sometimes, but we tend to overlook them. There is a whole huge set of behaviors, ideas and practices, pressures, approaches, conformity, punishment, and many contradicting messages, that all try to trick us and pressure us and make us make use of this rare thing, instead of letting it pass us by again, maybe ...

But why do they contradict themselves? To see which approach we will latch onto. To use any approach to cast the widest net and catch the most followers. To let us grow and change and choose which of the contradicting messages we need at the time. Sometimes we even need a false problem or false enemy because we can’t emotionally process the truth of our own guilt and the terrible wrongness of ourselves, or others, our lives, our feelings of hopelessness. Instead of facing it, we mentally shut down, deny, and project on a convenient scapegoat.

Anyway, with the little events in our own lives that could change us... if the conditions were right, and/or if we knew how to respond and use them the right way, then maybe these little events in our lives could force us or shake us up and make us change. Maybe then still we would just go on, business as usual, explaining it away again, as normal, predictable, letting things settle back into assumptions and habits and letting the full power of it lie unused, even if it did transform our lives.

And when I thought of this all it seemed the perfect symbol for how it feels to me that the religious things that are helping me are so mysterious and so good and powerful but it feels like it is often cloaked in a lot of trickery, distortion, wrong views, contradicting itself, excluding and condemning certain people if they do this or that, putting people into conceptual boxes and not listening to them anymore, but seeing them only as the box furthermore. Doing the same for ourselves. Faking it for others, being all about image and outer performance, drilling ourselves with ideas and inundating social pressure on us. And despite it all why is there so much good still? The black swan seems to tell me, it’s more than meets the eye.

There is also a Tori Amos song called ‘Black Swan’. And when I think of swans I think of The Ugly Duckling fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. I looked at the lyrics of the Tori Amos song. Anyway, all these things are shifting things around, along with these pictures and the details in them, and the black swan symbol,... and it’s making me think of things. Things about religion, again, and about how we need something to make the most of things, that we tend to ignore or not even intentionally that we ignore them, but just fail to remember or ever even recognize their worth.

And so instead we need to have white swans and ducks, the more expected, average birds, or things, in our lives and our religions, philosophies, ideologies,... We resist and we deny the black swan. The idea of this black swan symbolism makes me think of the things of spirit and synchronicity and visions and such that are oftentimes denied and seen as crazy or wishful thinking, silly, boring, weird, and basically at the end of the day, just insignificant, if not completely unreal... It’s “just” a coincidence, so what does it matter. But my whole life has been totally transformed by visions and coincidences and spirit messages, which most would just wave away as unreal and silly and unimportant.

It seems with more mainstream religions and philosophy, or really, with anything that challenges us to change and have faith in ways that are deeply transformative and require a lot of effort and self-denial and hope against hope, maybe, we often seem to need to anchor things in the ordinary, enough, to make the black swan sort of things seem more explicable and relatable. We are too busy doing our normal things, like the ducks and their dance or fight or whatever, in the picture. The swan is the ugly duck, like the fairytale, The Ugly Duckling. The black swan might be the outcast, perhaps, who knows.

Maybe it might seem too good to be true, and be overlooked or passed by because of that. Anyway, in real life, and fairytale conceptions of the black swan aside, though, I just love the black swans’ ruffly feathers.

It is rufflier than white swans I think.

Hmm,... But back to the topic, ... Maybe religion needs to be dumbed down way down low to fit the lowness of humanity. Not saying we’re dumb. Dumbing down just makes things stand out enough but blend in enough that we’ll pay any attention for long enough and really hold on to something and try to apply it, usually.

Because otherwise we go on with the predictable flow of Samsara, the Kleshas (afflictions or character failings), , the five aggregates of clinging to the heaps of dust that is life, ... The stumbling, helpless, overwhelmed, deluded, and lost, craving and avoiding, hiding, and distorting,... The otherwise inevitable (inevitable, if not for rare insights and the applications of insight)... the inevitable flow of the river of everyday existence, the Maya, the illusion and deceptiveness of this whole world,... to use Buddhist and Hindu terminology,... The confusion, the pain, the chaos, exhaustion, overwhelm, busy-ness, seeking to relieve it. If you believe in demons, them too, count them in all of this list of overwhelming, overpowering and blinding, misleading with visions of light and magic and wonder hiding a wolf in sheep’s clothing,... All this stagnating, immobilizing chaos, running to stand still (I loved that song, also once a big U2 fan, still like them, no longer a huge fan). Running, running, to get nowhere, driven by impulses like a we are riding a horse, unable to get off of it, knowing not where we are going, compelled at all times, though exhausted and miserable, compelled, unable to stop and instead we must forever follow its destructive, confused habits. Another symbol of Buddhism, but I don't’ remember all of the details.

Yes there is so much intelligence, but oh how it is so unused in many of the most important urgent ways it needs to be used. So much knowledge, unapplied. So much insight and intuition of what we need to do for our lives, but so much of it isn’t acted upon. There is so much high self-opinion, based on so much illusion. Even too so much low self-opinion also exaggerated and distorted to be worse than it is or even based on false ideas. So many false ideas, imagined enemies, imagined dangers, imagined problems, or exaggerated problems,... or misidentified problems, misunderstood people, misunderstanding ourselves. What power does something have unless it can shake us so far out of all this and be easy enough and emotional enough and average and relatable enough and simple to understand enough that it is so dumbed down.

Maybe it needs to be so dumbed down because that is the only way it will be easy enough to focus on, to remember, to act on, and perhaps, easy enough to believe in because even if it’s oversimplified sometimes a simple illusion sounds more believable than a complex reality. Reality is so complex we have a hard time understanding it and a hard time believing it even if we do understand. Even if we do understand and believe then we can have a hard time keeping it clear in our heads and remembering it and acting on it over time. And the euphoric sense of epiphany that will change our lives quickly fades away and becomes forgotten.

Otherwise it’s just another prop for our ego, another thing to understand, and then forget, thinking we have applied it or that we accomplished much by realizing it needs acting on and planning and trying and failing again,... as again and again it’s been forever on into so much never (what do I mean, I don’t know but that just came to my mind so just in case it doesn’t seem totally dumb and useless, I won’t delete it. And if it’s dumb and useless later, then it’s a useful humbling experience. haha). So yeah, we thought our realization was a big deal, what with all the soul searching or learning or experiencing that it took to attain it, but it’s the black swan, swimming by in our minds, ... Swimming round and round even forever in our minds... but if we don't’ act on it it might as well not matter much. For some reason I had the image of the rubber ducks at the county fair that swim round and round the little river of water. Lol Ok... Hmm.. That cheers me up. That was a favorite thing ever when I was really little.. Hmm... But yeah, just like childhood frivolity, it all doesn’t really count for much even if we tried and meant so well and so much. It gives relief from the daily distress for a little while, that seems worth a lot and is if you have no better relief, and all actions are begun as dreams and ideas. But still, ...

But we just understood but failed to apply it like all the other goals and all these New Year’s Resolutions and so on.

But this dumbing down oftentimes inevitably bypasses certain problems and blames certain people in its rush to oversimplify. Some people cannot make it work and they have to find their way outside of the whole thing. The whole idea I had before that religions often seem to me like a puzzle with a few wrong instructions and some missing pieces, again. And that needs to be put together differently for different people to work in your own life and for your own needs. Another thing that needs hiding because it’s too complex and people want something simpler and more clear or they forget something more complex. So religion hides this fact for us to discover when we will be ready, later on, in our journey of faith.

Sometimes with the wrong and harmful ideas in religions, maybe you can make something work until you can’t any longer because it hurts you emotionally where you were callous and unaware or perhaps where you were just deluded and misinformed. Maybe like so many run to those who hurt them and are attracted to people who are like their abusive family of origin (unconsciously even), we might need and want what hurts us and ignore what is better and healthier. Like bad habits maybe we indulge because it’s easier and we’re too tired to deal with something harder.

Even after you improve as a person, become kinder and more aware and want to change, of course, physically you could do the same things that were harmful that you did before,... But your emotional self just can’t do it and you can’t do it, unless you warp your mind and emotions. All to that end, there are brainwashing tactics used sometimes to help you warp your mind and emotions and stay in line. Maybe brainwashing isn’t the right word, but it’s something rather similar at any rate, deluding oneself by repeatedly drilling certain ideas into your mind and social pressure, rewards and punishments, threats and terror, guilt and shame and conformity and rewards if you perform up to expectation, and on and on.

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anexplanationofunfortunateevents · 7 years

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yet another reason why we can’t let it go

This reality show nightmare we wake up in every day happened because of a pile-up of multiple injustices, failures, and outright institutional crises. There were a lot of things that we couldn’t have seen coming (Russian interference, Comey), couldn’t have predicted how bad they would be (sexism, press failures), or couldn’t have stopped once the election was in full swing (voter suppression, Electoral College).

One of the few things we could’ve seen coming and, as voters and activists, could’ve stopped, was the sheer political clusterfuck.

To look at just what was in our control, strip out all the names and the specific identifying injustices. Candidates A, B, C, blah blah.

A well-liked two-term Democratic president is about to leave office after a presidency which is widely regarded as successful. Intuitively, you might expect that this success would give the president’s party an advantage. But “fundamentals,” the statistical models that predict how a given election will turn out regardless of the specific candidates, show that it’s difficult for an incumbent party to keep the White House for a third term.

It’s an uphill climb for Candidate A, but our hero is up for the task. Before serving as a high-profile member of the current administration, Candidate A had a long record of public service, including a distinguished career in the Senate. A is an earnest policy geek who takes pride in finding practical ways to improve on long-term challenges, and a fundamentally decent person who understands and takes seriously the challenges of the presidency – exactly the kind of person you want in the Oval Office.

Candidate B is a near-neophyte with a sketchy past who’s spent their life coasting on inherited wealth and prestige, a thundering moron whose pathological incuriousness allows them to lie shamelessly and constantly. Somehow B performs as a moderate Republican, despite a troubling reliance on religious extremists and advisers with dangerous foreign policy views. B is so patently unfit for the office, it’s hard to believe they might actually win.

It’s quite the contrast, but seventies hold-over left-wing crank Candidate C quickly loses interest in airing their more trenchant criticisms of money in politics, preferring to run around telling impressionable young voters that there’s no difference between the parties and complaining about how unfair the election was because the special interests had structured the debates against them, blah blah zzzzzz. This schtick is so unfair to A and helpful to B that those special interests – who are actually aligned with B, because both sides are not actually the same – start buying ads for C in order to weaken A’s support with their party’s base.

Candidate C will peel off some votes in critical swing states, but the real damage they do is harder to quantify. Their rhetoric about the corrupt political duopoly poisons the well, turning idealistic young voters into disengaged cynics. It also creates kind of a philosophical permission structure for people who can’t be bothered to understand the issues or appreciate the stakes – if they’re all the same and it doesn’t matter, why bother with your civic responsibilities?

That wouldn’t matter much, since left-wing criticisms of the status quo rarely make it out of academic circles – except nobody, but nobody, loves ignoring the issues and denying the stakes more than the mainstream press. Policy journalism is hard. Passive-voice declarations about how “people” find one candidate more charismatic than the other are easy.

Instead the meta-narrative becomes about “authenticity” which, because it is not actually a thing, is so conveniently intangible that it can be unmoored from truth entirely. B, unburdened by intellect or moral character, speaks in comically oversimplified terms which felt true because they plugged into deeply biased unconscious expectations, and is thus considered “authentic.” A, a highly intelligent person who is either unwilling or unable to mislead voters about the complexity of the world and the sometimes unsatisfying ways to improve it, is labeled “untrustworthy.” Petty sniping about A’s clothing or body language drowns out basic fact-checking.

In gleeful agreement with the “centrist” (functionally conservative) media are left-wing performance artists like Michael Moore and Susan Sarandon who spend months screeching at anyone in earshot about how both! Are! The! Same! Only! C! Can! Save! Us! They rationalize this by loudly proclaiming A’s inevitability – which, if they really thought both sides were the same, wouldn’t matter to them. They also insist that B is so awful, a B presidency will break the system, whereas an A presidency would not – which, again, means they are not the same. (“Waiter, we’ll take cake or a shit sandwich. Doesn’t matter to us…..No, no, it’s fine, he’ll bring us the cake, and anyway, only eating shit will make this place get better cake…...Ugh, I didn’t want to eat shit! Why did you order shit, you fucking NEOLIBERAL WHOR– hey, where are you going?”)

As A gamely tries to explain the issues to the public, tap dance for the press, and chase the left’s elusive goalposts without alienating moderates, Republican officials in swing states suppress the votes of minorities and other likely Democratic voters in numbers greater than the expected margin of victory.

The election ends up closer than anyone thought it should be. The networks say that B has squeaked out a lead in the key states, and A quickly concedes out of respect for the peaceful transition of power, despite having gotten more actual votes. This ties A’s hands as a steady stream of information about irregularities in key counties makes the reported results look more and more suspect. Perhaps if A had a little more goodwill from the left, or at least wasn’t being actively undermined by their own side, they could’ve really fought back, but as is customary, the Democratic circular firing squad is lined up at dawn the next day. By the time it gets to the Supreme Court –

Oh, did you think this was about last year? Silly goose! I’m talking about the 2000 election. But I understand the mix-up.

That’s why we can’t fucking let it go.

I understand the temptation to treat Hillary Clinton as some kind of political Typhoid Mary. If people can say that SHE was so uniquely terrible because of that TOTALLY DESERVED chorus of complaint (so unlikeable! So bland and convictionless!) from the corporate media and the self-righteous purity pony left…..well, they’d still sound like kooky truthers denying the mountains of evidence about Russian interference, FBI-fetishizing conservatives exonerating Comey the Keystone Kop for his coup d’état, or just assholes too sexist to acknowledge even the most glaring sexism, but they can at least tell themselves they didn’t do anything wrong. That’s harder to sustain when you realize those same complaints were made by the same groups of people (sometimes the same individuals) about an entirely different person. Not just any person, either, but an actual movie star who does more for climate justice before he gets out of bed in the morning than Ralph Nader, Jill Stein, and Bernie Sanders will do in their whole lives.

Similarly, it’s easier to fight about MESSAGING than it is to deal with voter suppression, or to make people give a shit about making the Electoral College less unfair before people vote. And, well, there’s a pretty rotten incentive structure for everyone who either has or wants a platform in either the mainstream media or progressive niche outlets. It’s high effort and low reward to draw attention to the systemic problems which might remind the gatekeepers of how they acted before the election; it’s easier and savvier to validate the more comfortable narrative.

The consequences for ignoring this stuff in 2000 could hardly have been more severe - and yet, by 2016, they were. This is well past “those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” If you were old enough to vote in 2016, this happened in your lifetime. One critical reason that the Sanders campaign needed younger millennials is that EVERYONE OVER THIRTY REMEMBERS HOW THIS STORY ENDED THE FIRST TIME.

There’s a lot of reasons it’s important for Hillary Clinton to write her damn book, and one of them is: Al Gore didn’t, and here we are.

#2016 election #2000 election

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plasticsharks · 6 years

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Why Some Psychics Are Better Than Others

Does it seem like the more you get to know about psychics the more muddled everything becomes? For instance, one might tell you your Aunt Bess who passed away over a couple of years ago is coming through only to discover you don’t have an Aunt Bess, although there could be one twice removed from an acquaintance three blocks down across the street, uh hem.

Yet another psychic starts out by saying that you’ll be meeting your soul mate soon, just around the corner, “Great!” you think “Can I get a clue as to which corner?”

Not all psychics are this vague but it does typify what a lot of people have come to expect. Through it all and however much you want to believe, nothing seems to pan out, leaving you a little light in the wallet and all the none wiser for the experience. What is it that makes each psychic so vastly different? One can be spot on each and every time while another will miss the mark more often than not. Have you ever just wondered why that is?

Psychic Equality?

One erroneous assumption a lot of people make is that all psychics are created equal and should therefore provide the exact same services. The truth of the matter is that some may be simply more experienced than others, still others should consider being lawyers or brain surgeons as more lucrative and honest options and, even more subtle, not everyone has the same resources from which to share their gifts. Resources in this case referring to the environment we have been raised in with its unique information, education and cultural considerations.

In my travels I’ve had ample opportunity to investigate the differences between the good, the bad and the psychically challenged. In all, there’s been a lot of bad to be fairly alarmed at how they continue to operate; however, on the up side, there’s also been a sufficient number of good ones to believe that they do exist, and likewise enough of the moderately gifted to appreciate that there is still a lot of budding talent out there.

Don’t automatically assume that after having one disappointing reading that all psychics are frauds or fakes; there are many genuinely gifted psychics out there, you just need to find them and with a little help you can. Of course, you’re probably not likely to revisit a bad or marginally gifted psychic again too soon, but it would be nice to know how to avoid them or even better yet, what to do if you’ve managed not to avoid them after all.

What Makes a Psychic a Better Psychic?

Just as a gifted pianist doesn’t remain gifted for long if they don’t practice, the same is true for any psychic. Although the penchant for playing the piano may always be there, a piano will never be anything more than a wooden box of potential until someone sits down to interpret the intricate beauty of its melody hidden deep within.

For a psychic the wooden box is analogous to the universal energy we are all surrounded by, and the melody hidden deep within is the spiritual tapestry upon which we are all writing our journey. Like a maestro conducting a symphony, the same is true for the genuinely talented psychic, they both tap into the unique elements of their boxes in order to create astounding feats of splendor.

From this perspective, although we are all psychic per se; in terms of “professional” psychics I am referring to someone who has skillfully honed their abilities to a point of being a master pianist. In some cases as with the child prodigy, many psychics have played their pianos before in previous lives and as a result seem to possess an uncanny capacity for their art in this lifetime.

The Nature of the Beast

To better understand the nature of the beast it’s best to get a basic grasp of psychic fundamentals. First, is the fact that we are all by virtue of being human, naturally imbued with some level of psychic ability. That is to say; our spirit, otherwise known as the part of us that lives on after physical death, provides us with special inherent psychic abilities.

Second, although it is our human birthright to possess this talent, it’s wholly up to each of us whether to exercise that right or let them lay dormant for however long we choose. In some cases these abilities remain dormant for reasons unique to the individual, usually associated with their present life learning process. After all, the best learning is through experience and best experiences are those that are unexpected and spontaneous. Who knew that being ignorant had its merits?

Finally, that said, those who have chosen to become “professional” psychics have developed those skills through the only medium that any of us are presently aware of; our physical world. In connection with this unique medium, the body’s five senses and human thought at its center serve as our preceptors of this reality. As a result of living within such a dense medium, spiritual communications can be rather limited and the learning curve for such professionals quite steep. If to err is human, then to make errors is perfectly human – just assume some psychics can be more perfect than others in this respect.

Finding the Better Psychic for your Needs

Bearing in mind that not all psychics are created equal anymore than any two humans are exactly alike; the measurement of a psychic’s ability or “quality ranking” can be very tenuous at best but not impossible. The first thing you need to consider before finding a psychic is the reason you’re seeking them in the first place. Just as you probably wouldn’t see a foot surgeon to take care of a headache, you might not consider seeing a Forensic Psychic if all you want to know is when your next love is coming into your life.

Understanding some psychic lingo of the trade can be very helpful when considering your options. For instance if you see the words:

1. Psychic Intuitive – you can expect to see someone whose skills are more in line with educated guessing. Yes, they are psychic; however, their level of awareness borders more on gut feeling than objective awareness. The plus part of an Intuitive is that they are more often than not reasonably priced, their accuracy is probably a little better than average, but most of all their insights can be very helpful and better than most.

2. Psychic Medium – this is a person with exceptional psychic abilities who is very adept at contacting relatives and/or loved ones who have passed over. While their accuracy is very keen, you can expect to pay quite a bit more for their services depending on the demand.

3. Psychic – is an oversimplified term that will require some investigation. Don’t be afraid to ask what their gifts are and request an explanation if you’re not sure. Generalities like this often assume you will not ask any difficult or detailed questions. It’s your nickel, be sure to get the best advice your nickel can buy.

4. Forensic Psychic – a person who specializes in solving crimes.

5. Clairvoyant, Clair audient, Clair essence, and Empathic – all denote some form of psychic ability dependent on the senses. These terms are used to help clarify how the psychic provides their services. Again, prices should be reasonably in line with an Intuitive and their element of accuracy.

There are many other forms of psychic specialties, each with their own implied limitations and price range. The best rule of thumb is to ask yourself how valuable this service is worth to you and are you willing to pay the price for that service. If the answer is no, then don’t.

Tips on Finding a Better Psychic

“Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true.”

One of this century’s most renowned psychic mediums, Edgar Cayce, once said “Spirit Is the Life, Mind Is the Builder, the Physical Is the Result.” Simply stated, “As your spirit goes, so you will think, which will ultimately determine how matters will proceed and end up.” If you’re predisposed to thinking all psychics are fakes, chances are all psychics you meet will be. On-the-other-hand, if you keep an open mind and consider the possibilities, chance is that you’ll greatly enhance the likelihood of finding a genuine psychic sooner than later.

“Look with before you leap.”

Be prepared to ask questions and get answers before settling on any one psychic. If you can, look for references regarding the psychic’s prior work. Most psychics cannot provide a guarantee as their underlying clause is “For entertainment purposes only.” Consider wisely where your money is going before you give it.

“Don’t prime the pump unless you’re willing to get dirty.”

If you’re being asked for additional sums of money for special ceremonies or rites, kindly pick yourself up and leave. Chances are in this situation that you’re being baited for more and more funds and it will not stop if you allow it to continue. A genuine psychic will respect your wishes and provide the best services possible at the agreed upon price without bilking for more.

Conclusion

Being a better psychic isn’t just a matter of experience but is much like an artist and her paint; you can have all the tools you’ll need but if you lack the passion and vision to create a masterpiece chances are you’ll be painting by numbers and wondering why everything looks the same. After all, it is our love and the desire to share it that creates the foundation of a better psychic, anything short of that is like painting in thin air; it may feel right at the moment but in the end there isn’t much to see.

Whether you desire is to become an outstanding psychic or you’re looking to find one, the process is still the same. Ask the universe or God for what you need and then have the courage to find it. A lot of us know how to ask but later fall short of the goal expecting it to land in our laps without much effort. Anything good in life is not without its dues and as Thomas Edison once remarked, “Genius is 95% perspiration and 5% inspiration.”

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castawaychloe · 6 years

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Why Some Psychics Are Better Than Others

Yet another psychic starts out by saying that you’ll be meeting your soul mate soon, just around the corner, “Great!” you think “Can I get a clue as to which corner?”

Psychic Equality?

What Makes a Psychic a Better Psychic?

The Nature of the Beast

Finding the Better Psychic for your Needs

Understanding some psychic lingo of the trade can be very helpful when considering your options. For instance if you see the words:

4. Forensic Psychic – a person who specializes in solving crimes.

Tips on Finding a Better Psychic

“Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true.”

“Look with before you leap.”

“Don’t prime the pump unless you’re willing to get dirty.”

Conclusion

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soundincomestrategies · 6 years

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Media And Information Bias With David Scranton

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Dan Gainor

David Scranton: Hi and welcome to this week’s installment of the Income Generation, I’m David Scranton your host. As always the primary purpose of this show is to provide you with useful information thoughts and financial remedies to assist and guide you through a time in your life when financial missteps could have a much larger negative impact than when you were younger. Each week I share some of the insights and expertise that I use in my financial practice and bring them to you as either food for thought or actionable items for financial or investment concerns you might be having. Many of the times people don’t even realize or recognize what these concerned should be, they feel as though they’re doing everything right. You might be watching the nightly news, you might be reading financial publications, sitting there with your broker or a financial advisor on a regular basis to make the most of your situation. But history has still shown that time and time again the information distributed to you by various outlets turns out to be wrong or if not totally wrong just ignores some very important facts. So why is it so often wrong or incomplete? that’s what today’s show will help you discover and I’m sure that it will get you thinking and maybe even rustle some feathers of people that I occasionally run into in my own business, and that’s fine with me. Our guest today is an expert on the subject of media bias, he’s vice president of Media and Culture at a much heralded organization. Watching the media and what you’re being told, they listen and watch word for word for truth then they make the findings available as a public service. So as much as the news and the media are in many ways supposed to be your source of information or even the public’s watchdog, as it turns out the watchdog actually needs a watchdog. As you may know America has a watchdog with the Media Research Center so you’re in for some great insight and perhaps even some disturbing examples today of abuses in the media. abuses that you know we’re exposed to every single day, a little later in the show I’ll be interviewing Dan Gainor who for ten years was head of the division of the MRC. The MRC exist solely to be the watchdog for you. I’ll see if I can get Dan to pull the cover off some of the machine that shapes public thoughts, the media themselves. I’ve known Dan for a while but I’ve never had the opportunity to have this discussion with him, I look forward to his informed insights and depth of understanding of what either is intentional misdirection or complete dishonesty. And what may just be the nature of information distribution. Marti Johnson’s also back this week with a special report on why the media like so many other businesses may be flawed or missing their potential to do good. And most of the media is a four profit business whether it’s a newspaper with a two hundred year history, a major television network or recent blog that you read. The main goal is to make money. Actually, in many cases informing you is a bit lower on the list, how much lower? Well by the end of the show we’ll have a better idea of where we rank in the media’s eyes. Last week we had an economist Peter Morici on and he discussed some of what drives market expectations and its expectations that often drive investment prices and returns.

Peter Morici: The reality is though is that Mr. Obama would be limited to spending only as much taxes come in so would force a balanced budget almost immediately that is a manageable proposition. So to say the Republicans are responsible is absurd but unfortunately, who’s ever present in the United States gets to set the terms of the debate by virtue of the bully pulpit. And he’s got America convinced that somehow that we’re going to renag and welch on our debts. Nothing could be further than the truth, the only person that can determine whether we renag or welch on our debts if we don’t raise the debt ceiling is the president of the United States.

David Scranton: Well, with a constant barrage of news twenty-four seven and even phone apps today that are updating and informing us on a constant basis it would be almost impossible for the information distributed. Whether correct or not to not work its way into the market psyche and even yours, this of course has a huge effect on us all. As for myself I’m a student of the markets and I sometimes sit dumbfounded as I listen to a reporter discuss why the markets moving up or why the markets moving down. the reasons they give it times I think are so oversimplified as to be comical, I often wonder if they’re intentionally oversimplifying or if they purposely omit discussing the most likely causes of market moves for fear that you at home simply may not understand. Let me give you a simple example, in August of this year the stock market moved significantly lower and what the media called a flash crash. This event included one of the top ten worst days in the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Since the talking heads on television always promised to deliver and provide the answers immediately they had to give viewers a reason for the drop on the spot. My experience is that they seem to have a list of go to explanations for most market moves, this time they pulled out the old high frequency trading and lack of transparency as being the cause. They basically blamed electronic trading. They quickly were airing conversations to viewers about market reforms to help improve these causes and conditions. Whether the news outlets were right or not didn’t matter, all the folks at home who digested this as a cause were fed information that is now part of their beliefs to one degree or another. The reasons given much later on when analysts had time to look at all the mechanisms that played into that historical day ended up being much different. And that is still being studied, I thought of a similar event back in May of two thousand and ten. Which had a one thousand point flash crash. You might remember that back then the media also pointed the same culprits, high frequency traders. Enough time has passed and research conducted since that invent they have come up with an entirely different set of reasons. In fact, the conclusion the SEC came up with along with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission specifically stated that high frequency trading did not cause the flash crash. The staffs of these two agencies discovered that Futures contracts in Chicago specifically something called the E-mini futures had a liquidity crisis and it caused the price drop of five percent within four and a half minutes. Did the news outlets issue a correction or even an apology? Not that I heard, that was yesterday’s news and what I describe briefly earlier is not something most viewers would quickly grasp or tie together. Perhaps they’re afraid to give too much information because they don’t think their audience can handle it. Today’s show we’ll talk about this and even more sinister motives, that’s one of the reasons I’m here to dig deeper than a soundbite or quickly fabricate a reason to explain just the market move or the day. in fact after a very few very bad days after the flash crash this August, the market began climbing back much of the time according to analysis done by my staff at Sound Income Strategies was it was due to investors covering what’s called short positions in the stock market. These trades have the same effect as any other purchase so of course, the market begin to rise. Now this again wasn’t explained as one of the possible reasons on anything written or aired that I have seen since then. I guess they didn’t think you’d understand, I remember hearing instead that China suddenly was no longer a concern and that the Fed was expected to raise rates and that was the reason for the original drop. But the market climb is because the Fed will probably be on hold for a while now and of course, the old standby excuse unemployment concerns. If you have any money at all you can rest assured there are people who will be trying to relieve you of some of it? Now I’m not suggesting necessarily in an illegal way we all know there are people who will steal. What I’m talking about today though is legal businesses that bombard us all with dubious images and definitions of what’s best what’s normal and what we need to do to live happier more successful lives. One example, I like to show is legalized fantasy sports betting. If you haven’t seen these commercials for these fantasy sports companies which fits almost every definition I know of gambling well then you’re lucky. On their commercials which typically air during football or baseball games they have one person after another talking about how for just a few dollars entry fee they were able to win thousands of dollars playing. Their all extremely happy, they’re full of energy and the commercials urge you to get into the action along with them. The underlining message is that you can’t lose now, maybe these commercials and the business practices of this industry shouldn’t bother me as much as they do. But when I see the advertisements it reminds me of the ads and business tactics of discount brokerage firms and online trading sites. the message their commercials constantly send is that it’s so easy to invest a baby can do it , you’ve all seen those I’m sure. Another ad looks to get people to buy more by convincing them that if they’re like the winner in the commercial when they have an idea they also need to act upon it right away. Yet another sends the message that all you really need is the right charting tools you know instantly take control over your finances. Much like the ad for one week fantasy leagues which may not specifically be asking the viewer to gamble, I feel these discount broker ads are suggesting the same thing. They craft the message that it’s easy, it’s fun, everyone’s doing it and everyone’s making money doing it it’s almost like they’ve even taken scripts directly from the cigarette ads of yesteryear. You know if you smoke well you’ll be cool or in this case if you day trade you’ll be cool. Let me mention another reason for us to all be upset, when a product portrayed as glamorous you know yet it has the potential to do as much harm as smoking or online trading. The company and perhaps even the network is acting irresponsibly but it’s you as a citizen who gets stuck with the bill in one way or another, think about it. Both the tobacco companies and those touting these ease of do it yourself investing have cost Americans billions, that’s whose footing the bill for irresponsible misrepresentations of what you should expect. Why would large T.V. networks not instead have more wholesome advertisements? For the same reason Congressman may be more likely to act on behalf of lobbyists than their constituents, you know there are lobbyists pursuing them and pushing them, incentivizing them to act on their behalf instead of yours. It’s similar with T.V. and magazines paid advertisers are far more important than non-paying viewers. I’ll even go as far as to say it affects the very content of the supposed new shows, I hope to dig deeper into this with Dan Gainor later in the show. My registered investment advisory firm Sound Income Strategies is already held to a fiduciary standard. I believe that brokerage firms which are related business should also be held to the same standard, this is why I get so fired up when I see commercials that are encouraging people to gamble with their future. They should all come with a warning much like packs of cigarettes today that say Don’t Try This At Home. In fact, right now President Obama is making a huge push to have all advisors including brokers become fiduciaries when investing client’s retirement accounts. I’m a managing member of a registered investment advisory firm as I said a moment ago so I’m already held to that fiduciary standard, in fact, I’d lose my license and effectively be out of business if I didn’t put my clients first. Holding brokers and other advisors and hopefully one day commentators also to a fiduciary standard I believe is a good thing because it’s not so easy that a baby can do it. So it may be a rare moment when I agree with one of President Obama’s initiatives but I hope in this case that his push on this topic is successful. You heard that right, I agree with you Mr. President all advisors need to be held to the high fiduciary standards of putting their client’s interests above their own. Many types of financial advisors don’t have to under current regulations so make sure you’re working with an advisor that does. Dan Gainor currently runs the Business and Cultural Institute at the MRC but has also been the T. Boone Pickens fellow as well as the director of the free market project in the past for the MRC. Dan, welcome to the show.

Dan Gainor: Thanks Dave, it’s a pleasure.

David Scranton: First of all, can you tell us what the Media Research Centers primary mission is?

Dan Gainor: Well, we’re a conservative media watchdog and it’s our job to both identify and then neutralize left wing bias in the media. We’ve been around for more than twenty-eight years and we are probably the largest archive you’re going to find this side of the Library of Congress for video. we’ve got I think the last number is close to six hundred thousand hours of video and that means that we’re monitoring ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox, MSNBC and not just for news but also for entertainment. because one of the things we found over the years is that the bias in the media is in all aspects of media and you’ll see that…you’ll see that it attacks on conservative issues, you see it attacks on business men you’ll see you know T.V. shows where there were always targeting businessmen as villains. And the free market system and our country as somehow evil but one of the things we’ve learned over time is that essentially American public has lost faith in the media and there’s good reason for that.

David Scranton: Alright, fair enough that’s a great explanation for viewers you know why do we need a media watchdog and why can’t the media…?

Dan Gainor: I’ve been… I spent decades in news. I mean I spent decades in the news before I came into this job and I can tell you that on every major issue of the day journalists have opinions that they let creep into their news copy. that’s who their friends with, who they go to… who they socialize with, how they vote that all creeps in and it ends up undercutting people’s opinion. If you look at the opinions going year by year using the Pew Center for People in the press the opinions of the major media have been pretty much on a steady decline for years. And the reason for that is people now have a better sense of what’s going on in their media, they turn on T.V. they can then watch it and Twitter. Watch it on Facebook and then get real time reaction and when they do that they realize just how disastrous what they’re being fed really is. And the net result is if they’re… if who watches the watchers?

David Scranton: Right, good question. That’s absolutely correct and obviously you’re one of the people that help us with that and we’re grateful for that. Let’s point the conversation now to the interested parties that are associated with you know many of the shows that are consider financial shows or even financial news shows. Where I’m not sure the American public realizes that unlike the Internet everything on T.V. is paid for by one group or another. Can we talk about that for a moment?

Dan Gainor: Oh yeah sure, and I mean there’s… when you get into niche markets, financial shows, sports shows you know that’s were really I guess you would say some of the worst media cronyism is. Because I mean you know you’re… it’s in your best interest to not alienate the very people who are paying your salary and then you get… you know so that crops up. Now when you’re… when you’ve got an ABC evening news show and you know you’re touching on a lot of different topics you’re going to run less maybe into advertisers. But if you’re talking about something happening in the business media then you’re really running into a much more narrow market where financial advisors, mutual funds, everybody involved… You know they’ve all got a piece of the pie and you’re expecting whoever you’re watching to be a neutral observer, they’re not.

David Scranton: yeah so who else besides financial advisors, mutual fund families are the advertisers in these types of shows that might influence the decision of a reporter or someone else?

Dan Gainor: Well, I mean I think even before you get into that you’ve got to think also about corporate ownership. it’s a very finite number of organizations that own you know that own media so you’re looking at… just use NBC for example, NBC is MSNBC, is CNBC with its corporate owners you know ultimately Comcast. Are you going to really you know… and that means because their extremely reliant on cable, you know couple of those shows, couple of those networks wouldn’t survive at all without cable. And then of course they’re owned by cable, so you’re going to expect them to be you know have their advisors, their analysts come on and talk about cable. And say oh yeah we think the future cable is bad no, of course not, because they’re you know they’re too closely tied to that market. You know so then you go in to start looking at advertisers and it’s the whole universe of you know financial media, financial advisors, financial mutual funds, stock market. you know the… you know from soup to nuts and so you know… and you can even listen in you know when you’re watching the show sometimes you’ll hear oh, we just recommended this stock and you know two minutes later you’re hearing an advertisement for a company that’s related to that company.

David Scranton: Got you, so you wonder why and then all of a sudden you look back later and you think oh, I get it, it makes sense. Yeah, it’s so true and I want to talk more…

Dan Gainor: Yeah and it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re compromised you know it just means that you really got to take a… you’ve got to really take a John 20:18.

David Scranton: And of course, you know with any public traded company if the advertiser is publicly traded their number one fiduciary responsibility is to their shareholders. And it’s very easy for you know a reporter writing an article or doing a news report to get influenced by what they say and right after the break we’re going to talk more about that. We’re here now with Dan Gainer talking about some of the issues that we have to deal with in the news reporting world, in this field and how some of the things that you hear and read about financial advice and so on could be skewed more toward the profit motive of a particular person. And maybe just a little bit less toward what’s truly in your best interest. We’ll be right back with Dan Gainor. We’re here today with Dan Gainor and we’re having a frank conversation about how reporting specifically financial reporting, be it through published media or through television is influenced by the likes of advertisers and other interested parties. Dan you know you’re talking about the advertisers per say, so it sounds like you’re saying if an advertiser for a particular show for example is a mutual fund family. Then it’s likely that you’re going to hear a lot of positive things about mutual funds for example, is that correct?

Dan Gainor: Or if nothing else you won’t hear the negative. I mean that’s you know that’s just the reality I mean you know everybody has to pay the bills and so if a particular show is funded entirely by mutual funds you’re not going to hear that that shows saying oh, well mutual funds are a bad bet. Because advertisers will flee you know if you watch the evening news shows you don’t see a lot of stories generally speaking attacking the whole drug industry. The new shows are under you know are funded… there are a lot of advertisers that are drug manufacturers it’s just not one of the things that they you know crusade against. So when you’re looking… when you get to the basics really it helps to understand how do you kind of make the secret sauce to this journalism? And while the economy started doing a downturn in the last several… you know with two thousand and seven journalism never really stopped and as a result you’ve seen massive decline in number of working journalists in major cities. We’ve lost a lot of major dailies, there’s a lot fewer people reporting there… and then there’s a lot of pickup of what other people do so I mean all it takes is one bad story sometimes and the next thing you know that bad story is spread like a virus across the internet. And so because journalists are not spending a lot of research time double checking it you know you really have to be well informed and to give an example how bad this can really be. You’re not going to get the most advance knowledge from journalists, several years ago I’m a member of society professional journalists which is not mandatory. But it’s a good organization and I took economist Brian Wesbury, a great guy. Took him to an annual conference and we had you know a meeting talking about how to teach economics to journalists. And there’s about twenty-six, twenty-seven journalists in the room and Brian got it that he by speaking to you know that smaller number. He was speaking to hundreds of thousands or millions of people and so the first question he asked he says how many of you have had advance training in business or economics? One person raised a hand and he just went off and he’s a very nice guy but he was just stunned by how embarrassingly bad this was. And he said you know how are you supposed to cover business and economics if only one of you have ever had any training in it?

David Scranton: And Dan isn’t it true…

Dan Gainor: That’s what they don’t see what’s easy to pull the wool over the eyes of….

David Scranton: Dan isn’t true also that a lot of times writers to gain experience might write about sports for a while and then write about something else and then maybe fall into finance. You know is that a big part of the reason why perhaps that there are not experts in that particular area as most readers would think?

Dan Gainor: Well you know most journalists are generalists. I’m mean you know not… maybe when you get to the Wall Street Journal level you know you’re not talking about that. But you know there are people… journalism is a trade not a profession like medicine where everybody necessarily went through years of study. Lot of journalists didn’t even have… didn’t get a journalism degree and even then a journalism degree is how to do journalism not how to do economics, not a study of business. And frankly, when you kind of scratch the surface of most journalists they’re not business friendly. I’ve always you know joked when you go to work at a news organization, the news organization isn’t even friendly with its own business department. You know the people they don’t like the advertising in circulation people the people who help pay their bills, the only time they talk to them is at the Christmas party. So you know to expect them to you know to turn around and be friendly to your business you know it’s just not going to happen.

David Scranton: Right, right. You know in the two minutes or so we have left Dan, can you share with our viewers some egregious examples or at least one egregious example of… in the financial industry that you can recall.

Dan Gainor: One of the worst examples and I mean this is foundational to the economic collapse of two thousand and seven, two thousand and eight is the Fannie Mae Freddie Mac scandal.

David Scranton: Sure.

Dan Gainor: For years Wall Street Journal led the charge saying that this was an organization and an operation that was destined for chaos and the American public would be on the hook for billions and billions of dollars. New York Times picked up on it much to their credit, Washington Post picked up much to their credit and there was almost complete and utter silence on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN to the point where Charlie Gasparino who you know… I remember coming out at the time and he was railing on the networks and saying that the reason why they’re not talking about this is bias. But here’s the reason why? Because the journalists were convinced that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac helped ordinary you know particularly poor and underprivileged people get mortgages. So they would go to talk to their buddies on the Hill who invariably were pro Freddie Mae and Freddie Mac and they’re telling them oh, there’s nothing wrong. So it ends up being this enormous disaster costing taxpayers you know hundreds of billions of dollars. And only when everything really hit the fan did the networks even at all attempt to cover it.

David Scranton: Yeah and anyone who owned Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac stock back then actually knows what’s happened to that is there’s been a huge loss of wealth for shareholders. So you’re absolutely correct.

Dan Gainor: yeah and I mean that’s you know where is the responsibility for that if you’re an investor and you rely on the regular media to tell you what’s going on then you’re just a (unclear 28:18) fool.

David Scranton: I love it a dazzling fool. Alright well, so for viewers obviously you know you don’t want Dan Gainor to refer to you as a dazzling fool so pay attention to different sources and as I would say always ask the question why. You know why is it something’s being touted for us? Marti Johnson’s going to be here in just a minute and actually talking about that as part of her report. So Dan, I want to take this moment to thank you very much for being part of our show today as usual.

Dan Gainor: Well thank you very much, I enjoyed it.

David Scranton: Okay and we’ll right back in just a minute with Marti, stay tuned.

Marti Johnson: Thanks David, as a media professional myself for many years I’ve always prided myself on my own journalistic ethics and professionalism and so too have the many colleagues I’ve had the privilege of working with. But after hearing today’s guest it will probably come as no surprise that trust in the media as a whole is at an all-time low in this country. According to a two thousand and fourteen Gallup poll only forty percent of Americans surveyed said they trust the media’s ability to report the news and information fully, accurately and fairly. The interesting word in that survey question is ability, because in truth biased reporting and media spin usually aren’t caused by one lone wolf reporter or an editor with a personal agenda. More often, they’re the result of fundamental flaws in the way mass media works and operates. And that’s especially true when it comes to the financial media, today we’re going to take a closer look at those flaws which support the point financial author Dan Solon was making when he wrote to be a successful and responsible investor you need to ignore most of what is in the financial media. Well everyone is aware that the mass media has changed dramatically in the past ten to fifteen years, prior to that the majority of us relied on daily newspapers, T.V. and radio as our primary sources of news and information. the internet changed all of that and today we’re bombarded with headlines, updates, breaking news alerts almost constantly from our laptops, desktops and yes, even our cell phones not to mention the T.V.’s and the radios. Unfortunately, the dramatic increase in the presence and variety of mass media in our lives has only served to enhance the flaws that threaten journalistic objectivity, not diminish them. As a result we’ve seen an equally dramatic increase in the pervasiveness of hype and spin and a decrease in the presence of balanced and truly objective reporting. But what exactly are the flaws driving the situation and why are they even more prevalent in the financial media? To a large extent they stem from the simple fact that most of the outlets in the business of reporting news and providing information are in fact businesses. As such, they’re competing against each other businesses providing the same services competing for readers, viewers, subscribers and of course, advertisers. With so many news sources in the competitive mix and the internet and cable T.V. accessible to viewers and readers around the clock. All of these businesses are compelled to deliver fresh and updated content twenty-four seven and to try and distinguish themselves from competitors. As a result the lines between news advertising and infotainment have become increasingly blurred and modern journalists are under more pressure than ever to put pleasing their bosses and growing their businesses and their brands ahead of serving the public. The result, very often is reporting the lacks objectivity and a spun to the liking of an individual and interest group or an advertiser. But this flaw runs even deeper when it comes to financial media, it begins with the fact that the heads of major financial firms on Wall Street are financially obligated to their shareholders first and to their customers and clients second. They have a legal obligation to maximize shareholder value in part by keeping customers invested in the markets as much as possible. People are more likely to invest obviously and to stay invested if they’re optimistic about the markets and believe they’re moving upward. As a result Wall Street C.E.O.’s and the people who work for them have an inherent need to sell positivity. And to always speak optimistically about the markets regardless of how often economic realities are moving or the markets might be trending. Why, however does this supposedly objective financial media so often fall in the habit of serving the same pro market spin to the public or as Dan Solon bluntly put it, serving as a shill for the securities industry. One reason, is that most financial media outlets are corporate owned and therefore obligated to some extent to help that Wall Street C.E.O. please shareholders by selling optimism. That’s why most of the high profile market analysts you see on the internet and cable T.V. always seem to be touting stocks. Pushing them regardless of market conditions while ignoring the very existence of other investment operations and options. Their opinions aren’t based on independent objective research but on in-house sources and usually there’s no firewall between the company’s research department and its ownership and its advertisers. Most of these analysts know that if they contradict the company line they run the risk of losing their high profile, high salaried jobs. Of course, the overcrowded and highly competitive nature of today’s twenty-four seven media that I just spoke about is also part of the problem. In the midst of this fast paced competition, financial news sources today like news providers in general increasingly fall in the habit of simply pulling stories off the wire to use an old inside ball game journalistic term. They repackage news content already circulating rather than devote resources to developing their own that’s why what you hear from one financial source is so often the same thing you hear from another financial source. They haven’t done separate research and reach the same conclusions by coincidence, they’ve simply gotten all of their information from the same place. And there’s still another issue specific to the financial media industry that makes objective reporting and finding that information difficult. It stems from the fact that a great many articles written for financial publications or broadcasts aren’t written by financial experts or qualified market analysts. Rather they’re contributed by professional writers and even when the writer is highly qualified and very experienced he or she may not have a single area of expertise. Their resume may include everything from athlete interviews for Sports Illustrated to travel articles for Cond Nast this kind of broad based background is common in journalism. You can always trust a good writer to do research when putting together any story but the sources he or she uses to gather their information vary. And unfortunately, it’s quite common for writers contributing to financial publications to use the most convenient sources which very often happen to be among the publications advertisers. The fact is that successful magazines, programs and websites get the majority of their revenue not from readers, viewers and subscribers but from advertisers. And who do you suppose are financial media’s biggest advertisers overall? At the top of the list not surprisingly brokerage firms and mutual funds, obviously these are going be more… these sources are going to be more than happy to provide the reporter with information for his piece. But will it be objective information? Probably not, more likely it will be information that again conforms to his company’s inherent need to sell optimism and to please shareholders by putting a positive spin on the stock market and market based products and strategies. That’s why it’s so important for our members of the Income Generation and all investors today to understand that so much of what bombards them on the internet is not really objective news and information. Particularly when it comes from financial news, rather the majority of it is spin biased rhetoric and disguised advertising. the result of fundamental flaws and the very framework of today’s increasingly convoluted and highly competitive mass media.

David Scranton: When it comes to your money you always have to ask the question why? As in why is this particular advisor or this particular reporter recommending the approach that they are to me? This is especially true in the financial services industry as we’ve seen today. Some of the reasons to be weary of what you see and hear are that so many of the so-called experts on T.V. and the magazines and even professional advisors invited to your kitchen table to help. Have a vested interest in promoting whatever sells their products or services, this lesson extends to all areas of your life. So when you’re hiring a professional be it a landscaper or a contractor or even a lawyer or doctor remember to ask yourself why? Why are they recommending what they are and is it really what’s best for me? One of the examples I like to use when speaking to my clients is as follows. Let’s say that I told you I were having some back pain and I went to four different medical professionals to get help. Now, I ask how many different solutions do you think I might get from four different medical professionals? Well, what if I told you that they came back with four completely different recommended treatments. At first, you might be alarmed but then if I told you that one was an orthopedic surgeon, one was a chiropractor, another was a physical therapist and perhaps the fourth was an acupuncturist. Now it would actually make sense, this is because in the medical field and as well as every other field. Everyone has an expertise and they’re likely to want to help your issue with whatever they can provide and subsequently get paid for. You know there’s a saying when you’re a hammer every problem looks like a nail, so in the medical example knowing the why the different experts are recommending what they are is very, very important. The same is true for the financial industry, and I’ll include investment analyst appearing on T.V. in this group also, ask yourself why they’re recommending what they are indeed recommending and maybe because that’s what they’re getting paid for recommending. Just like you’ll probably never see a time when a stock broker says stocks are bad investments you’ll probably never hear a real estate broker say real estate is a bad investment. Now, when it comes to your health, most people of the Income Generation understand the differences between these four various medical professionals and what they do. Unfortunately, differences are not as well understood in the field of financial services, people tend to paint the financial industry and financial advisors with one broad brush. They look at all advisors being very much the same even though they know that doctors for example are very much different. In reality, there are many different types of financial advisors just like there are different types of doctors, lawyers, construction contractors and even beauticians. You want to make sure you go to the one who is a best fit for the why for which you’re seeing them. This is important and it will soon be designating an entire show to determine the type of advisor that’s right for you and as I said earlier preferably one that’s required to act as a fiduciary. So you could be even more comfortable that they’re acting on your behalf. You know in my personal practice Sound Income Strategies, I talk to prospective clients all the time who are currently working with stock market based advisors. Often these advisors work for one of the big brokerage firms but at times they’re independent. Many times these prospective clients are surprised to find that they have a majority of their money in the stock market, I’m generally not surprised if you think about it this is why stock brokers are called stock brokers. They typically search to find solutions with the limited answers found within the stock market. Like I said earlier, if you’re a hammer every problem looks like a nail, today we got sit down with Dan Gainor and learn about all the good work being done at the Media Research Center. I for one am grateful the MRC exists and his role as media watchdog, I’m personally happy to have shared this resource and to help the Income Generation understand that this information is there for you. I want to also thank Marti Johnson for her reporting, Marti’s report was very important for all of us to understand the role that advertisers play in shaping what makes it on to business news. Now I cannot wait for next Sunday when we have conservative icon and bestselling author Steve Forbes on to discuss how three things are going to potentially save our country. Repealing Obamacare, redesigning the tax code and reforming the Federal Reserve he says it’ll bring our nation back out of its Malays and on its track to growth and prosperity.

Steve Forbes: And in terms of a stable dollar you know you once… the dollar works best, money works best when it has a fixed value. You know money is not wealth, money measures wealth the way scales measure weight or ruler measures length and money…

David Scranton: Forbes has written a new book on the subject called Reviving America. I’ve just finished reading it personally and I look forward to sharing this great thinker with you. if you haven’t signed up yet for a complimentary special report titled The Income Generation which allows readers to discover many answers to their invest the questions. Sign up now at The Income Generation dot com, you’ll discover a wealth of useful ideas for financial security that you may have never known existed. Well that’s it for today, I’m David Scranton you’ve been watching The Income Generation and we will see all of you next week.

The post Media And Information Bias With David Scranton appeared first on Sound Income Strategies.

from Sound Income Strategies https://soundincomestrategies.com/uncategorized/media-and-information-bias-with-david-scranton/

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successagenda-blog · 7 years

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Discover The 7 Key Areas Crucial To Business Development

By Joe Bingham

Everyday your online, literally hundreds of pieces of information are laid out before you, and ALL of them claim to contain knowledge critical to your online success. Now obviously we can't read all of it, nor do we need to do so. Therefore, isn't it about time we finally took a few moments to discuss just exactly what areas we DO need to focus our time on? That way WE are in control over what we read, not those wanting us to read it. The majority of information we find is about 'how to market', but really that's only ONE of the areas where we need to focus. And not only that, but 'how to market' is information completely useless without adequate knowledge in the other equally important categories. So, let's briefly outline ALL of the key areas where we need to obtain knowledge in order to build successful online businesses. Then, we can be more selective as to what we NEED to spend our time on. 1. HOW TO FOCUS AND ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS Trust me, mental strength is essential in developing and growing a profitable business. This is one topic your online business cannot live without. Working from home and being your own boss present different challenges than a traditional job. You must be self-governing and self-driving. Both traits common to millionaires and other highly successful people. So, be honest with yourself, do you have this area well in hand? Can you focus and meet your daily goals? No one is totally immune to distractions, but there are things we can do to eliminate the majority of them and save ourselves a lot of time. Two major tools include, working from a daily 'to do' list, AND monitoring our own activities. It sounds oversimplified, I know, but just plain getting down on paper what needs done saves a massive amount of time. It gives us direction, control, the ability to prioritize, and most importantly it helps us to stay focused. As well, we need to police our own actions. Occasionally, I take a day or two where I write down exactly when I start work, when I take breaks, what I get done during each time period, and when I quit. It's a very educational practice. It's taught me to identify what things are taking away my time, what can be done faster, and what time of day I get the most done. Time-management puts you way ahead of your competitors and gives you a quantum leap towards achieving your goals. Obviously, everyone has different distractions, schedules, and priorities. However, focusing a portion of your learning time on dealing with this topic will be of great value to your overall business. 2. DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP QUALITIES Learning how to be a leader is critical to network marketing, AND sales of any kind. Think about it, who do you buy from? Someone you can trust. Who do you prefer to sign under? Someone you know is successful and willing to show you the way. 'Follow the leader' may be a child's game, but it's one that teaches us to look for the best people to place our trust, and money, in. Learning more about what it takes to lead and inspire will only benefit your business no matter what stage of the game you are in. Another aspect of leadership often overlooked, EXCEPT by those that are highly successful, is creating a genuine desire within yourself to help others succeed. The best leaders are those that serve their follower's interests. Educate yourself on quality leadership practices and put them into use. You'll find this is an area more critical to business success than most will ever admit. 3. HOW TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN ALLIANCES Alliances can range from all out partnerships to simple word of mouth referrals. In either case, it's something we need to be good at. Nurturing your business and customer relationships is another trait commonly found in self-made millionaires and successful leaders. How do you build trust in others? How do you earn their recommendations? How do you work with others for mutual benefit? First, simply start by being honest and trustworthy in all your dealings. People talk about and seek out products and services that benefit them. If you want a good reputation, word of mouth publicity, and partnerships with others who have a lot of followers, earn it first by providing your best at all times. Give more than expected of you and soon you'll find others willing to do the same. Learn as much about this as you can. It really is a highly valuable tool. 4. HOW TO EXAMINE OPPORTUNITIES AND PRODUCTS New things come along all the time. Are there ways to dissect which are truly beneficial? Can you determine the impact adding a new product will have on your business? Are you marketing products and programs best suited to your style? Nothing can have a bigger impact on your success than choosing what you plan to market. As taught by Andrew Carnegie, who by all accounts was the wealthiest man in the world in his time, the secret to building wealth is simple -- find a need and fill it. This rings true even today. Develop your instinct of finding what your target market needs by "examining the problems" and seeking the best solutions. This will lead you to the right products and opportunities for creating wealth not only for you, but those who follow you. AND you'll be providing the best benefits possible to your customers as well. 5. HOW TO MARKET Sure, this is a big category and worth a lot of our time, but can you see now how the other areas all work in conjunction with this one? Will you have any success learning to market without putting everything together into a complete package? Just remember to focus your marketing education on learning only from those with proven track records. Choose good mentors whom you can trust and ignore the general advice of the 'program of the minute' crowd. 6. HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND STAY MOTIVATED Things go wrong. It's as simple as that. There are, however, problem solving skills that can be learned and self-motivational tools that can keep us going. Who knows how many people, with good knowledge in other areas, have failed right here. Success does take persistence and the ability to overcome, and learn valuable lessons from, our mistakes and failures. There are a lot of motivational resources, speakers, books, articles, you name it, everywhere you look. This did not come about by accident, but in order to fill a need. Find your favorite resources, and take time occasionally to re- evaluate your goals. All the while VISUALIZE what you are trying to accomplish. Imagine yourself enjoying the success you desire, and make as much of it a reality as you can. The more you can focus DAILY on what you are trying to accomplish, the more likely you are to get there. 7. EXPANDING AND APPLYING YOUR EDUCATION Now that we've categorized the things we need to learn, it's easier to think through those we need to develop further and in what order we need to work on them. Ask yourself what areas you need to learn more about. Then, as more information is blasted your way, you'll be ready to pick your way through to what you need most. As well, you'll be better able to make wise decisions when it comes to purchasing information. Remember the areas listed above. Rate yourself in each one and then take a course of action to improve each area according to your need. Think about what you need to learn to take the next step in the development of your business and then seek that information first. Success not only depends on gaining the right knowledge, but on gaining the right mindset for putting that knowledge together. It's about developing your mind first and then putting your ideas into practice to reap the benefits. Spend time not only learning new things, but on realizing how to apply them to your business and goals. Don't allow information overload to get to you again. Sort through the onslaught by making up your mind and focusing your time on what YOU need to being doing. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The ebook "AMillionaireMind.com" is getting rave reviews for helping people to re-think and transform to the proper mindset for achieving their dreams and goals. To get your copy and for more information on Creating the wealth building mindset necessary for achieving financial success. Go NOW to: http://AMillionaireMind.com/ Written by Joe Bingham of the NetPlay Marketer http://www.netplaynewsletters.com -------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Author

Joe Bingham is the editor of the NetPlay Marketer, an online publicaiton dedicated to spreading the reality of what it takes to run a profitable online business.

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