Life Below the Layer of Everyday Life

On the July 2024 UK elections and the need for change.

"There must exist a paradigm, a practical model for social change, that includes an understanding of ways to transform conscious that are linked to efforts to transform structures" bell hooks

To be sure, the Conservatives needed to be removed from government on the basis that people were sick and tired of the impact of their policies, lies and mismanagement. Without an alternative and more worth opposition, Labour under the leadership of Kier Starmer (a man I don't believe deserves to be PM) was always going to win unfortunately. But on this bases one has to wonder how much of thus win was on Labour's own merit based on the manifesto and what Starmer stands for versus the fact people were just desperate for change. With the word "change" incorporated into Labour's campaign slogan, what are your thoughts?

For me, Kier Starmer does not represent the fundamental change needed for the country (or the world for that matter) which holistically puts human weal-being and evolution on an equal footing with the need for economic stability in a way that does not equate to profit ever people (just look at the choice he made for MP in Islington for example). But with the rise of more and more independents and as people become more and more awake (not woke, absolutely not woke), if Starmer is thinking long term and beyond one term, intelligence would dictate that he develop a semblance of accountability and integrity and recognises there he's here to serve the people of Britain and that Labour is more than just him.

But I've been pondering for a while; what type of human should politicians (or those in charge of administering a nation on behalf of those who live here) be?

By now, it is obvious to some that some politicians serve master(s) with their own self serving agendas against humanity. These masters, I believe are not only external but internal as well such as the drive for power that sees a person abscond from what is right and true in favour of this drive.

Reflecting on this, I resonate deeply with Jiddhu Krishnamurti's quote included in the picture. With the government being in place to "serve" I've wondered for years now, why is it that ministers of certain areas are people with in-depth experience in the field of that area. So the education minister should have experience in education or the health minister experience in the health field. Or alternatively, if the minister does not have said experience, has a team of those who do on a consultancy basis AND is humble and string enough to take advice from the consultants and not be swayed by lobbyists with their own self-serving agendas.

But the quote from Krishnamurti goes deeper than that. It squarely points to the need to understand what it means to be human and as such self knowledge because it it is not the politician with the propensity for corruption it is the human being. It is not the politician who has heart and integrity (I think of Jeremy Corbyn here) it is the human being.

I am inspired by the fact that more and more people are awakening (not woke, absolutely not woke) and are understanding the absolute importance of inner work, knowing of self and the development of consciousness. What role does this play for the collective? Should it play a role?

It seems to me, generally, that in the conscious community there is abstinence from actively getting involved in world affairs from the perspective of a developing consciousness - yet how else can the world change for the better?

As such this is where this quote from bell hooks comes to life for me: "There must exist a paradigm, a practical model for social change that includes an understanding of ways to transform consciousness that are linked to efforts to transform structures".

Discuss.

There's a subtle and not so subtle censorship policy being employed on here. I shared a potentially controversial post from an FB friend's page about the racist origins behind the Roald Dahl's oomph loompah characters and it was removed with the reason being that I shared it solely to get likes. Like, no! I disputed it out of principle but I heard nothing and left it there.

This censorship, however, something I've seen happen with others on FB, seems to be an ongoing test. We've seen it occur throughout history to varying degrees. More recently we've seen it with people speaking up and out about the risks of the jab whether it be from the lay person right up to field experts. We're also seeing it with those choosing to speak up and out against the Palestinian genocide and apartheid with this censorship occurring over decades and not just from 7th October 2023. Ironically, dangers of the jab and its contribution to excess deaths are now being reported in the newspapers vindicating those who were censored. Also to be considered is the fact Nelson Mandela was categorised as a terrorist for his efforts to free South Africa from apartheid only to be awarded the Nobel peace prize for the very same efforts (when it suited eh).

Censorship is a characteristic of totalitarianism and its lesser relation authoritarianism. And as I revisited these concepts (which on a general level I believe needs to be revised/updated to reflect the insidious creep of these concepts becoming actual) it's glaringly obvious that under the guise of democracy we are being herded towards a form of authoritarianism (look up inverted authoritarianism).

It is important to not divorce/fragment these concepts from the human being(s) from/through which they spring and come into being. To be sure a form of authoritarianism exists in some homes as well as in government. (I was out with a friend recently who spoke about how her father levied this type of control in the home).

A few years ago I said to a friend that the war the West wages on the "undemocratic/threat to democracy and our safety" East" and elsewhere is a form of shadow boxing amongst other things, with the shadow a concept developed by Carl Jung pertaining to aspects of ourselves that we are unconscious of and project onto others and things (think scapegoating and othering, it's not me but them). Both totalitarianism and authoritarianism etc., is about power and the war waged was and is about getting more power and removing any threat to that whether it be via resources or otherwise (think about the war on the WMD).

In this instance the shadow part...is acknowledgement of that desire for power and love.

“Where love rules, there is no will to power, and where power predominates, love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.” Carl Jung.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." Jimi Hendrix

Part 1 - The Decline of Civilisations

For a few years now I've had the sense that society and (so-called) civilisation as we know it is on the decline.

This sense was precipitated by the death of the high street and the observation of loss of certain brands and chains that I'd grown up with. Places like TopShop, Jane Norman, Mothercare. Or where shops like Marks & Spencers would close down on a particular high street and be replaced with pound stores selling tat.
The state of the high street with dilapidated phone boxes and more also signified a decline.

I then noticed it in the attitude of others. The art of customer service is surely lost and when I travelled to Corfu in 2023 and 2022, was reminded of the meaning of true customer service at the hotel resort I stayed at. The staff were on point in a way that went beyond the fact they were being paid to do a job. It felt as though they truly took pride in providing a service that went beyond expectations.

When I was younger this type of service was more common it felt. Indeed, when I worked in a high street bank I loved providing a great service. But to be sure certain customers made it hard to do so, but on the whole it was a pleasure.

I'm conscious also that with social media, the ability to comment semi anonymously without recourse to action has meant that peoples mean sides have been brought to the fore. The racism, sexism, hatred that lies below the veneer of an individual's persona (the mask people wear to navigate the real world and its expectations vs a vis what one truly is) is plain to see.

There is also an increase in a certain self-centredness. The meaning of community and the impact one might have on another is no longer a consideration. Perhaps it never was but an example of this is not only the way people attack others on social media but the fact that people play music, watch reels etc on public transport sometimes full blast. We're on a bus - not your living room madam/sir. On a few occasions I've had to ask whether the offender has earphones or if they could turn it down. Or what about the self serving politicians who should be serving the humans that elected them?

Predicated on what I am seeing as the miseducation of humanity on one hand, this really is just the surface and there is obviously more that signifies this decline, but as we hurtle towards falsity with artificial hair, nails, intelligence, food and more, punctuated by acts of kindness and humanity that offer glimmers of hope, I can't help but wonder, where or how will this end?

And then I remember that I've read or learned this in history books - the rise and fall of civilisations, the beginning and ending and beginning of epochs. Why should this one be any different?

It is late October and Instagram has been flooded with reports of a blackout in Gaza. There’s no internet, there’s no electricity, but there is the knowledge of imminent attack, death and destruction levied by the IDF in retaliation for the 7th October retaliatory attack by Hamas. Let’s call it what it is.

I cannot breathe. I cannot stop crying. I know I am not alone, others says so on social media posts. All I can think about is the millions of people waiting in the dark for pain and death - can you imagine the terror?

I have to do something. Sharing posts is no longer enough. Commenting on posts in not enough.

And so I write an email to my MP asking that she asks for a ceasefire in Parliament because this is unbearable (see slides). And if its unbearable for me what must it be like for those on the receiving end? I have to do something.

Just after the attack I saw a now deleted post by a DJ who said something that was after my own heart as she lamented what was happening and wondered what role we ALL played consciously and unconsciously in what had occurred and is occurring on the world stage (more on this in Part 3).

For me this role is played out psychologically, energetically and through our actions. No human being is an island, we are all connected, and as such there is a need to understand ourselves and how this role we play impacts others and ourselves - humanity.

As I looked at what was occurring in Palestine, Congo and more, I had to look into my own heart and, based on what I perceived, ask generally:

In what way am I not free?
In what ways do I turn a blind eye to people in need (as questions are asked of the likes of the UN and political leaders etc. who actively or passively allow and support these sadistic atrocities to continue)
In what ways do I or can I help? (As I witness people standing up around the world in support of others in ways that sacrifice their own comfort and well being like MSF for example!)
In what way do I withhold help and kindness and love? (Tears)

What has does this world situation reflect back at you? What do you perceive?

I recall hearing Peace in the Middle East by Miri Ben-Ari, with Kerri Chandler on production some 20 years ago and being enamoured by its vibration and intonation (link to track below). With it calling for peace in the Middle East, it remains relevant to what’s taking place in Palestine now and the Palestinian plight which had begun a whole life time before the “Hamas” terrorist attack on 7th October and the creation of Hamas in the late 80’s. A life time of occupation and displacement leading to apartheid and restrictions on basic human rights and treatment which can only be described as sadistic.

Occupation and colonisation is not new. We know that over the past few hundred years North and South America, North and South Africa, Australia, India and more have been colonised with the utterly cruel, savage and inhumane acts being levied justified in some way shape or form against the “savages” and “animals” indigenous to those continents and countries. Oh the irony.

With these occupations being not only physical but psychological and spiritual as well, what occurs is a death and destruction of a culture and way of life with its impact several generations long and continuing.

Why is it is possible that this is occurring in 2023/4? Why’s is this being brought to our attention NOW? Moreover what is this mindset, that would have people take without regard to other (and I don’t just mean colonisation) and what inner outer work/change is required to sustainably ensure harmony, equity and liberty for all humans on Earth which is home to us all?

There will be war and rumours of war. In addition to the horrors in Palestine, a territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana is escalating with the age old reason of oil and gas apparently at the centre of this. With conflict and terror also in Congo, Sudan and springing up around us are we on the edge of another world war?

To that end what is happening is a mirror and a call to action for some. The question begs, what is being reflected and what do we do about it?
Link to track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLpmffuag_A

There is a certain silence that occurs at the start of the Christmas and New Year break as those in certain sectors downs tools, wraps up for the year and decides to take time off or benefit from the quiet time that this time of year afford.

It’s such a specific silence that carries with it a stillness. It’s specific in that is different to the break that occurs during summer where again many people take time off and time out.

It feels reflective, meditative and so needed.

Do you feel it too?

There is a certain silence that occurs at the start of the Christmas and New Year break as those in certain sectors downs tools, wraps up for the year and decides to take time off or benefit from the quiet time that this time of year afford.

It's such a specific silence that carries with it a stillness. It's specific in that is different to the break that occurs during summer where again many people take time off and time out.

It feels reflective, meditative and so needed.

Do you feel it too?