let it happen
Madness and Normality:
I follow the news. What's going on lately:
Afghanistan - Our Boys are there
Iraq - Our Boys are there
Terror - a useful foil for social control in the absence of a local all powerful God in our culture (or perhaps because of the insistence of followers of an alien all powerful God) hence lots of laws and a general culture of fear
Nuclear - Iran, North Korea, just keeping them ticking over in the mind so we won't be surprised when the troops/missiles go in
Climate - in the style of terror, we must change our ways, or else
Economy - things are looking good despite some report or because of it, everyone is still buying houses, profit. Faith in the absence of an all powerful god.
Murder - there seem to be a lot of young fathers killing their spouses and/or children around
Crime - there's a lot of it about
Disaster - always lots of footage
Human Interest - always finish leaving the audience happy. It's a show after all
The common themes: Pride (politicians), Faith (clerics), Envy (criminals), Hope (economists), Gluttony (businessmen), Charity (philanthropists), Lust (all as above), Fortitude (Our Boys), Anger (the 'wronged' - check with the editor), Justice (all as above demanding it), Greed (any of the above), Temperance (rare), Sloth (lazy citizens), Prudence (you, the discerning viewer). The seven deadly sins and the seven heavenly virtues, all rolled into one easy to digest package.
The news normalises us to the madness without. The televised, audio and printed news tends towards the sensational as a 'bums on seats' priority for ratings figures.
I follow the news. What's going on lately:
Afghanistan - Our Boys are there
Iraq - Our Boys are there
Terror - a useful foil for social control in the absence of a local all powerful God in our culture (or perhaps because of the insistence of followers of an alien all powerful God) hence lots of laws and a general culture of fear
Nuclear - Iran, North Korea, just keeping them ticking over in the mind so we won't be surprised when the troops/missiles go in
Climate - in the style of terror, we must change our ways, or else
Economy - things are looking good despite some report or because of it, everyone is still buying houses, profit. Faith in the absence of an all powerful god.
Murder - there seem to be a lot of young fathers killing their spouses and/or children around
Crime - there's a lot of it about
Disaster - always lots of footage
Human Interest - always finish leaving the audience happy. It's a show after all
The common themes: Pride (politicians), Faith (clerics), Envy (criminals), Hope (economists), Gluttony (businessmen), Charity (philanthropists), Lust (all as above), Fortitude (Our Boys), Anger (the 'wronged' - check with the editor), Justice (all as above demanding it), Greed (any of the above), Temperance (rare), Sloth (lazy citizens), Prudence (you, the discerning viewer). The seven deadly sins and the seven heavenly virtues, all rolled into one easy to digest package.
The news normalises us to the madness without. The televised, audio and printed news tends towards the sensational as a 'bums on seats' priority for ratings figures.
Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear.
What does it mean that success is as
dangerous as failure?
Whether you go up the ladder or down it,
your position is shaky.
When you stand with your two feet on the ground,
you will always keep your balance.
What does it mean that hope is as
hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self.
When we don't see the self as self, what do we have to fear?
See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self; then you can care for all things.[The Tao doesn't have any sides]
