Our society is based on an insane form of a Ponzi scheme...
So what exactly is a Ponzi scheme?
According to Wikipedia: "A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to investors from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors rather than from profit. The term “Ponzi scheme” is used primarily in the United States, while other English-speaking countries do not distinguish colloquially between this scheme and pyramid schemes.
The Ponzi scheme usually offers abnormally high short-term returns in order to entice new investors. The perpetuation of the high returns that a Ponzi scheme advertises and pays requires an ever-increasing flow of money from investors in order to keep the scheme going."

This is the system used by every facet of our economy right now. It is notably based on consumerism. The UK is primarily a financial market and has little manufacturing potential. Money however is just numbers on a piece of paper. It has been this way since the electronic transfer of money became the norm. For this reason it is easy to manipulate and detach from the grass roots reality. Borrowing is extortionate for the average person, whilst trying to save is a mug's game! However, investors keep coming because there is a fortune to be made out of selling our future. The environment is being raped and governments turn a blind eye. Energy costs soar and the government sits helplessly by whining in order to placate the public yet using tax payers money to heavily subsidise the status quo.

When you look at the manic and aggressive carry on in America over buying cheap rubbish on Black Friday, you get an idea that our society of consume, consume, consume is indeed insane!
Cheap goods are one thing but why are they cheap?
Well, it is pretty obvious - it's because the true costs are not included and labour is violated in other countries, and indeed our own now.
This however, is only the tip of the iceberg.
We are ruled by an elite that has rewritten the laws of our lands to protect their manipulation of the markets and populations. Money is being printed with no value to support it, the only jobs available are at unsustainable rates of pay and the environment is being desecrated for instant profit.
As retirement ages go up for the average citizen, so we are encouraged to use the money of our 'future' to survive i.e. remortgage your house, spend on credit against your pension and use all your savings etc. Advertisements on TV proudly announce you can get a loan against the value of your car now. Loan, loan, loan so easy - but the pay back is at several thousand percent! The price is your sanity for sure.
And all of this to buy what?
Things you don't need and probably don't really want either but have been convinced of its necessity by advertising and an insatiable greed which is never satisfied due to our divorce from true value.

   We live in a material world which is made 'real' by our senses; seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling. It is because of this apparent certainty afforded by our senses that reductionist science has taken a hold in Western society. We honestly believe that if we can see, touch, hear, taste or smell something then it really does 'exist'. Science is about being able to measure things- that can be weight, size, motion, heat or sound. These 'units of reality' fulfill the requirements of our senses and are therefore the tools that give us access to the world in its physical form.
   However, what is missing here is the fact that not everything has physical mass. What about emotions? Well, for sure they affect our physical wellbeing but in and of themselves we cannot truely measure or even place them despite brain scanning techniques, measuring chemical changes in the blood stream, the heart beat and temperature of the individual. It is possible to say that certain regions of the brain appear to be stimulated when we feel emotion but that still doesn't qualify the emotion or the type of reaction we are going to have to the feeling. As for imagination, well that is right brain thinking and beyond our capability to clearly explain so we shall just have to let that go for now - unless of course you study eastern approaches to life and the mental aspects of living. In those philosophies and sciences it is the unseen and non-measurable that take precedent, countering our western materialistic view.
   It is vital to have this point of balance since both the external world and the internal world influence our every thought, word and deed. In fact our internal world is often far more responsible for what happens in our lives. Considering yesterday's blog (Tea pots and Roses) we are unduly influenced by our beliefs even when they are totally irrational and not supported by material or factual  'evidence'. Often even when we see, hear, touch, taste or smell something we are left in a position of disbelief. Often even when all the material and measurable evidence shows us that something is 'true' we can still find ourselves in a state of disbelief and uncertainty.
   Seeing is not believing and believing is not seeing despite all that western science tries to indoctrinate us with. There are alternatives to this view, so keep an open mind. Afterall, it is how you feel about the 'evidence' that will most strongly influence your acceptance or denial of the 'facts'.

   I met with a good friend today as we do every Monday for a shared 'mentoring'. We have been doing this for nearly 3 months now as a prompt to encourage each other through the good times and the challenges. Each of us makes a list of 'to do's' for the following week along with intentions and goals. We then countersign each other's list and bear witness to the successes and struggles along the way. We have both encountered the flow of ease with some ideas and projects and the 'going against the tide' determination required in other instances. It is good to have someone alongside who encourages and consoles.
   We are both healers and so see the world from a spiritual vantage point that may seem rather odd to those not of this mindset. We are extremely good at recognising patterns in life and gaining great insights or 'messages' from the mundane. Today, thinking that she had finished her tea, my friend was preparing to leave but abstractly lifted the lid of the tea pot only to find it was completely full. Having already drunk two cups of tea this was a complete surprise! We laughed at how we can be deceived by our beliefs and perceptions and how easy it is to fall into the pessimistic trap that the glass, or in this case pot, must be empty.
   Arriving home, as I approached my front door, I saw a beautiful rose bud in the garden. I am certain it was not there before. Once again I was being shown that what we think is not always the true reality. We are usually too busy and distracted to notice the subtleties that abound in our lives and often therefore miss the opportunities and beauty in life. In this case I also felt that I had been shown that even under very adverse conditions beautiful things happen and it is possible to blossom and bloom in situations that seem bleak and unforgiving. Despite the freezing cold temperature this rose had produced a fabulous bud which looked ready to blossom forth. In doing so it had also warmed my heart and given me unexpected hope and optimism.
   All in all I had a good lesson about nature (the rose) and nurture (the tea pot). When we nurture our dreams and ourselves, then life will produce the where with all to achieve since nature is gloriously abundant no matter what we believe the environment appears to offer.

  There was an insidious newspaper headline I happened to see today claiming that Romanian immigrants come to this country because the British are such easy targets for pickpocketing and generally stealing from. 
   I use the word insidious advisedly as the following meanings apply:
1) intended to entrap or beguile.
2) stealthily treacherous or deceitful.
3) operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect.
 
  It is glaringly obvious that this newspaper is using the old tactic of appealing to our sense of belonging and 'loyalty' to our own group whilst demonising anyone who does not belong! Propaganda works because of this, as did the rise of the Nazi party in Germany under the Weimar Republic.
  Social Identity Theory shows clearly how we form bonds with others when shown our similarities yet at the same time instantly feel suspicious about anyone who is not considered a member of our 'group'. Experimental research by Sherrif and Tajfel in the 1960's promulgated this theory. Even being randomly allocated different roles in a mock up situation can lead to huge biases and eventual violence against the non-acceptable group e.g Zimbardo's Stamford Prison experiment in 1971. So extreme can our reactions be that using divisions and inequalities as a means of influencing people is indeed insidious!
  In evolutionary terms we need to know who we can trust and who we can't. A basic human instinct is therefore being tapped into here. However, what is really happening is just as glaringly obvious. Your attention is being diverted by petty, childish tactics whilst the institutions which form your society get away with stealing from you. WAKE UP! There are as many white English pickpockets and cheats around as any other nationality. Be more wary when you go out - that you can do. What is more difficult to protect yourself against is rife institutional robbery since the laws of this land are heavily biased in favour of corporate greed whilst the police are used as a private army to prevent any protest about the ways in which we are being financialy abused.

  I dispensed with traditional religion many years ago, partly due to the hypocracy but also it just didn't seem to provide any answers that made sense to me. Having studied comparative religion and various philosophies I was still not sure I had found an underlying 'truth'. The fact is, there is a nugget of 'truth' in all of these teachings but there are indeed as many versions of 'God' as there are people on this planet. The 'way' is very different depending on your personal perspective and attitude to life.
  It is only in a sense of 'communion' with others that I find my greatest 'truth'. When we are open, honest and willing to be vulnerable great treasures are to be found. These come not only through the light in another's eyes but through our own heart centred communication. Being present for someone is an art we have lost as we literally buy into the consumer society where everything is thrown away, including people.
  To be fully present and accepting is beyond words and provides a cradle for those we are with as well as a growth in our own consciousness. These two aspects build a haven between people in which the soul can shine and the judgemental mind takes a break. It is a gift to all concerned and should be cherished beyond measure.
  What does it take to be fully present? Just focus on the person you are with. Allow their story to carry you, marvel at their uniqueness and feel deeply honoured that they are willing to share with you. Don't just listen but really hear what they are saying. Find the commonalities between you and feel those bonds growing. We are all human beings trying to live on this planet, each experiencing similar emotions, thoughts and beliefs. Each of us wants to be respected and heard. Offer that gift to someone today. You will be warmly rewarded!!!