Health & Fitness
Mental passiveness is our greatest enemy
An updated take on Self Reliance. We can't rely on our government or our corporate media to help us understand our problems, or help us solve them. That's our job.
Remember Katrina? Remember how lots of people died? That’s because the U.S. Government is not there to serve you, but to serve itself. They won’t save you when things get rough. We are on very treacherous economic and social ground right now. We need to become self-reliant. I’m not suggesting you learn how to build your own home, make your own soap, fix your own car, etc...although, those are not bad ideas when you look at what’s happening around you. I’m suggesting you start by educating yourself, and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Get skeptical, get active.
Too many of us are now passive consumers of information handed to us by a centralized and corporately controlled media. The New York Times fired Chris Hedges for not towing the line with his reporting on the wars in the Middle East. The Times doesn’t want writers who say things like...
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“Washington has become our Versailles. We are ruled, entertained, and informed by courtiers - and the media has evolved into a class of courtiers. The Democrats, like the Republicans, are mostly courtiers. Our pundits and experts, at least those with prominent public platforms, are courtiers. We are captivated by the hollow stagecraft of political theater as we are ruthlessly stripped of powers. It is smoke and mirrors, tricks and con games, and the purpose behind it is deception.”
Chris Hedges, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle.
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So, once again, I urge you not to continue to think of yourself as a Democrat or Republican, to look beyond mainstream sources of news, to consider that you deserve better than to choose between the “lesser of two evils” the corporate media so relentlessly places before you year after year. Only when we open our minds, can we become truly educated about ourselves and our place in the world.
The world will not change if we don’t. That change has to start in our minds which are currently full of cob webs and rusty old boxes containing old unexamined opinions that are no longer valid, fact based, or relevant. Change is going to happen with or without us. If we’re passive (watching mainstream news and most of what’s on TV really does a number on your brain waves and your ability to think critically) this change is going to bring us a lot of pain. However, if we take an active role and start questioning, studying, and looking for answers, we have a great opportunity in front of us. A corrupt system now rules us because we allow it to.
Today, I bring you two clips. The first is from CNBC. It features four or five nice looking people sitting around, talking about the economy. Things are looking up for the economy, they seem to be saying. At least, that’s the basic gist. There’s a lot of talking, interrupting, friendly agreement, and, overall, everyone seems pretty confident and relaxed, but you come away feeling like you just had ice cream for dinner. Nothing of substance is said, you don’t really learn anything, but at least you feel like you don’t have to be too concerned about anything. Things are under control, more or less.
The second clip is from the RT, Capital Accounts program. Lauren Lyster anchors. Her guest co-host is Jim Rickards, the accomplished and brilliant financial analyst and author of Currency Wars, a New York Times Best Seller which I highly recommend to anyone wanting to become financially literate. They talk with Rick Rule, also no slouch when it comes to finance. We get to see Jim and Rick talk about the Euro, and Lauren is quick to point out where their views diverge. We learn something, in fact we learn many things. This is not just for entertainment, as you’re left feeling like you had a nourishing meal.
Yes, dear reader, you already know that not all is well, but it’s nice to know there are people willing and able to level with you about why all is not well, and how you might protect yourself from possible future events.
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000107103
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGyKtaeJbGE&list=UU8eFERtcxPZ-M3Cxkh7zhtQ&index=6&feature=plcp
Other great sources include
