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Frankly, I think this is an outgrowth of a metaphysical viewpoint that has crept into everyday thinking and discourse across all political and belief systems. “There is a plan behind the scenes controlled by ______.” Fill in the blank with white hats, cabal, God, Satan, Obama, Trump. Take your pick. It is reassuring and no where near as frightening as “It is the randomness and chaos that is the life experience.”

In a cancer support group after my mastectomy (many years ago), I remember one cancer survivor saying that “the worst part about this is the loss of control.” Another man, with mesothelioma said, “That’s the crux of it right there: you never had control; you just thought you did.”

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Interesting thoughts on control in the context of health. As someone who liberated herself from a tumor created from negativity, comparison, self-pity, and regret, I believe that we do have control and always have had control. I think we were created to have ultimate control over our bodily systems and cells.

“Mind is indeed the Builder . . . what is held in the act of mental vision becomes a reality in the material experience. We are gradually build[ed] to that image created within our own mental being.” ― Edgar Cayce

If you think you can or you think you can't, either way you are right.

That's my perspective anyway. It has served me well.

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Agree completely. I believe my mother’s late diagnosis of MS (age 52) was created by her defeatist negativity. I have personal proof of our ability to make things happen, even bend time. We are more powerful than we know.

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If you read this, Charles, I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts...

BROKEN KIDS, NOT GUNS

https://ttfuture.org/blog/michael/broken-kids-not-guns

"On Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a report titled “Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2021,” which logged sixty-one mass shootings last year.

The violence we see all around us, personal and global, is a failure of development. Period. The seed is not the cause, or to be blamed for being planted in poor soil, not being watered, isolated, shoved in a dark closet, screamed at, compared, humiliated, ignored, beaten, or illuminated by a screen instead of nature’s sunlight. Then, when these stunted plants grow sharp tangled thorns, we blame them for moral failure, punish them, chastise, incarcerate, and kill them, self-righteously.

To blame guns, TV, video games, Twinkies, the bully next door, bad genes, and all the rest, for the pervasive violence, self-mutilation, self-medication, suicide, and similar unbelievable acts on others, is simply a misguided defense, empowering our justifications to continue to fail at our most basic challenge and responsibility; modeling what it means to be a whole, connected, available, awake, sensitive, empathically-entangled human beings. After all, that is what every child needs and is desperately screaming about, real and inspiring models.

We are responsible for the society we co-create by our willing acceptance and participation, not guns or any other tool. We are responsible for the behaviors we model and allow at home. We are responsible for everything that happens at school, the form, structure, comparisons, curriculum, rewards, and punishments. We are responsible for everything our children experience with screen technologies. All the barbed wire around our schools, police, and metal detectors, won’t fix a thing. Rather, more of the same will only intensify the loneliness, hopelessness, despair, and inner rage our broken children feel."

"And in fact, more damage occurs with the sensory deprivation of pleasure than the actual experiencing physical painful trauma, which can be handled quite well in individuals who were brought up with a great deal of physical affectional bonding and pleasure which carries with it emotional trust and security. We really have to look at the trauma of sensory deprivation of physical pleasure and that translates into the separation experiences, the isolation experiences of the infant from the mother. [Basic trust.] That’s the beginning."

"Failed nurturing, broken bonds, abuse, and betrayals of intimacy of young boys, who are far more vulnerable biologically and therefore psychologically than females. These are the predator males that grow up drawn to positions of power; heads of corporations, finance, the military, police, and politicians. What goes around, comes around.

What is not apparent to most is that early sensory deprivation of affection, abuse, and neglect lead to play deprivation in children and adults. Play being nature’s design for optimum growth and development. No basic trust, no play, no real development, rather, defensive conditioning."

"Our children become what we are, not what we tell them to be. The greatest gift of being a parent is the realization that the love we experience for our children is the most powerful wake-up call to be the best human being we can be because our kids are watching, every moment, from the inside out. Holding on to our kids implies modeling our very best, and simultaneously this holding and modeling creates the strongest and most resilient shield to protect our children from the predators who are less fortunate.

As every pregnant mother knows, eating and breathing for two changes the care and attention she gives to every bite and every breath. Mindfulness on steroids. For the connected parent, that mindfulness never stops. Realizing how we act, the way we speak, the care, attention, presence, and empathy we model every day is what our children are becoming, in their own way, of course, becomes the greatest incentive to uplift ourselves, and therefore the world. Something cell phones, surveillance cameras, police, and metal detectors can never do."

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Agree. In fact the barbed wire etc. will make it worse. The illness goes so deep. How can we see school shootings as anything but a symptom of a profoundly sick society? I might write about this. I have visited it before, somewhere, can't remember where. It was in an essay or book years ago.

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I agree with everything said here. And, I believe there is something in addition. I have not yet heard what else other than being a loner, into the heavy computer games, I believe, and following instigating internet groups that possibly motivated this young man, who bought a gun as soon as he could. Little depth of this comes out, so I must research this, looking/listening for mention of his school record.

As a teacher, I have deeply followed these particular school shooters over the years, and starting with Columbine, what I have seen is the retaliation of loaners, they of a particular type.

Keeping this reply current, and pulling from what I researched, published, and remember, the young men who shot at Sandy Hook and Parkland were or had been on medication for what was inaccurately labeled as “Attention Deficit Disorder,” ADD, or other spectrum differences. Why shooting in schools?

These individuals have a different brain orientation. They are oriented deeply to our most sensitive connection to others, and to the receptivity to the realms of inspired intelligences: our inspirations, passions, talents, ah ha’s, and drawing from the great Unknown. All those are our inherent other real intelligences that society and education have left behind more and more for eons. These individuals do not have a linear filter which filters incoming data and information, and therefore they are easily overwhelmed and overtaxed with non-passion related letters and numbers, which come in very loudly like Blah, Blah, Blah. So, in our very linear schools, they do poorly as did Einstein (had dyslexia) and scores of other great contributors to our world, many bailing out of school young, this often also due to boredom. They are all very connected to our receptive knowing that is meant to guide us, and, they are here wanting to help others or the world. Our society has become linearly, “rational” thought over-focused in nearly every realm. These Attention Differently Directed individuals (a true definition of them) are considered to be retarded, less, socially inept, physically uncoordinated, and they are bullied, labeled, medicated, out cast, and most end up, very early on, Extremely heartbroken.

Think of suffering this, and the medications and “be different, like us” therapies that have been thrust upon them since they were 2 or 3 years old!

Finally, when they are other-conscious enough and considered adult enough to buy a gun, alone or with another, they can now at last go back to where this all was absolutely crushing of any sense of self-worth, and they can take it out on 7, 10, or 16-17 year old students, along with the teachers. Doesn’t matter who, or what age, for it was students those very ages, with whom they wanted to be friends and respected, and the teachers, they all being those who killed their own inner, and, outer lives, they very often the loaners in our own life surroundings, and the world, overall. Differently intelligent, socially ostracized, loaners.

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Fine. Good insight. But why isn't anyone mentioning brain damage from early childhood vaccines in this thread?

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Autism spectrum individuals are indicating a correction toward a more balanced use of our intelligences. Not caused by vaccinations.

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Are people on the spectrum committing murder?

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No, I read more about Ramos, he brutally bullied in junior high and high school for stuttering and a lisp. It’s about bullying still in our schools.

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I read that. It's sad. I think the bullying now might be worse, but the way kids are raised now it might be that they just aren't prepared to take it. It's not like bullying is new. I was bullied in school, a lot. Yes, it upset me. Yes, between that, and other things, I have no self esteem. No, I've never killed anyone.

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I agree with the majority of what you say. I just don't believe these people have to have ADD/ADHD, or other mental disorders in childhood. I believe they just need to be "different" from the norm. Smarter, "dumber," fatter, taller, shorter, poorer, etc., they can all bring ostracizing from the rest, which can then cause emotional difficulties later. Leading to the rest you discussed. Especially if they don't have a good support system at home.

I'll apologize in advance. Loners. I do not believe they are giving things to others for use. Loaners.

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BTW Why Bandit?

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He's my beloved baby dog. 💘💓 A tiny beagle mix. 💗💕

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I love beagles! A tiny one? Even cuter! How about a heart behind Bandit on posts? Whole different perception created, but of course, who’s into just perceptions? Best ❤️

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Thanks, yes loners. And also yes, to differences in general bringing outside challenges, especially tough without good support. Also, a slight clarification needed from my viewpoint, that being that Autism Spectrum individuals do not have a mental illness, but, just as you say a difference from what most consider the acceptable norm.

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This came from a blog by Michael Mendizza/Touch The Future. I have followed Michael for some time. He spent many years interviewing the likes of Krishnamurti, David Bohm, and others. I have profound respect for him and his perspective. He was also very close to Joseph Chilton Pearce.

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I agree with this sentiment. I would love to read your perspective.

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As a parent I can easily see the greatest gift to my children is my attention, or 'being with'. So I try to manage my phone addiction and learn to 'be with' but there's a lot of distractions out there tapping on my dopamine attention system...

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In the long run, I believe you'll be happier by "being with," as opposed to the mundane distractions of FOMO. It may take their growing up for you to reap the benefits, but the benefits will be great.

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Wonderfully put. You get right down to the basics. Children don't get enough of the right kind of attention from their parents. At this point, have their parents gotten the correct kind and amount of attention from their parents? Are they modeling how they were treated? Take that out another generation back. Is there any hope of turning this around, if almost no one has been treated correctly?

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I just want to be certain that you understand my comment was a quote from one of my favourite blogs... Touch The Future, Michael Mendizza.

They were not my own words, although I do agree with Michael on most things.

As for your question regarding how nobody has been treated correctly and what to do about it.

We begin NOW, by having these conversations and learning all we can about Aware Parenting and the ways in which our own childhood is interfering with being genuinely PRESENT with and for children.

And not only "our own", but ANY and ALL children we interact with.

"It is paradoxical, yet true:

children are the most in need

of loving attention when they act

the least deserving of it!"

~ Aletha Solter

www.awareparenting.com

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No, sorry, I did not realize you were quoting anyone. --- I have no contact with any children. I have none, and my friends children are grown.

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Then your role could be to learn about and share relevant information, as a way of contributing...

Here is something else I'd love to see go viral... especially the video presentation The Children’s Fire...

MONEY HAS REPLACED HUMAN VALUES

Quote:

"We are faced with a breakdown of general social order and human values that threatens stability [and survival] throughout the world. Existing knowledge cannot meet this challenge. Something much deeper is needed, a completely new approach. I am suggesting that the very means by which we try to solve our problems is the problem. The source of our problems is within the structure of thought itself."

~ David Bohm (1981)

***

(My own words)

NOTHING will change fundamentally, until we fundamentally change the way we perceive and treat children. Until then, we will continue to see childhood adversity re-enacted upon EVERY aspect of society.

Furthermore, childhood adversity more often than not consists of imposing utterly INSANE societal standards of "normalcy" on children, to which they MUST conform, in order to survive, at a time when they are too young to understand and reject the madness being imposed on them.

The "masses" are essentially clueless and unaware of their own conditioning...

***

Quote:

“The total neglect or trivialization of the childhood factor operative in the context of violence and the way it evolves in early infancy sometimes leads to explanations that are not only unconvincing and abortive but actively deflect attention away from the genuine roots of violence."

~ Alice Miller

Full article 👇🏼

http://psychohistory.com/articles/the-political-consequences-of-child-abuse/

~*~

THE CHILDREN’S FIRE ...

"What kind of a society is it, that does NOT place the Children's Fire at the very centre of its institutions of power?

It's an INSANE society!"

~ Tim "Mac" Macartney

#TheChildrensFire

Please Watch this Video presentation:

https://youtu.be/1JchSac-VP0

~*~

http://psychohistory.com/books/the-origins-of-war-in-child-abuse/chapter-2-why-males-are-more-violent/

~*~

https://unbekoming.substack.com/p/dissolving-my-vaxxed-illusions?s=r

~*~

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I know from experience that people need to stop treating children like miniature adults. They need to stop helicopter parenting them. They need to stop making them think they are the center of the universe, that they can do no wrong. They need to stop kow-towing to them by allowing them to run the family. They need to teach respect for others, that differences don't make others less than. They need to be taught respect for their elders. They also don't need to be bullied by their parents, and in too many cases worse.

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I really appreciate your thoughts here. Yes, everything is so much bigger than our limited minds can perceive or make sense of. I bow to the great mystery moving through everything.

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thank you kaylina

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I’m reassured by these reflections. Each day I’m sent by friends reasons that I need to choose sides and get angry.

And all I can say is that I am tired. I’m beyond anger. My heart hurts for us all. The most healing mental space for me right now is in that place of grief and ‘I don’t know’.

I hear Rodney King from decades ago asking ‘why can’t we all just get along’. Why can’t we? It’s a choice we all can make.

‘Holding the tension’, resting in the mystery, allowing the grief .. powerful and difficult exercises.

I think more and more of us are headed toward this same space of exhaustion and ‘holy longing’ - longing for meaning and purpose. I pray we choose to enter the ‘letting go’ space rather than the blaming space.

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Me too. Though I suppose I have chosen a “side”, in the sense that I am appalled by our current politics, economics, society . . . all of it. And it’s getting worse every day. I’m aware of the news and the other shoe dropping over and over from the hydra we have managed to create. Being a witness to this chaos and pain, maintaining a sense of inner calm (somehow), focusing on the beauty that is still so present (and I am fortunate to see it where I live, and in my garden as well), bringing people back to Earth, to Life, to our Senses (both our physical senses and our intellectual and emotional senses) is various ways is my commitment. For me, the “purpose” of all this is to wake us up. The “it’s all by design” “it’s” referring to ALL of it, every single little, or not-so-little, thing that happens was somehow choreographed by the deep state or whom or what ever, is a rabbit hole I refuse to enter. Yet, our corporate controlled system/government/economy IS responsible and in many cases there is a conscious design to what we are experiencing: greed and profit and control. IMO, me spending my limited time and energy (I’m 70 now), fighting that will be a waste and only serve to make me part of the problem as I know I will become angry, depressed and thus utterly useless. So I chose to put out as much beauty and spirit/soul in various ways as I can. It is my contribution. I’ve fought the system, undertook years of corporate research uncovering the worst destroyers of Earth (before the advent of computer data bases), organized numerous events, etc. over the decades. When people rail at me (and they have, one being my youngest son) that I “should” be focusing on whatever their particular thing is (and it’s always fighting some political horror) - I respond that I have been there and I know I cannot survive in that space now. So they just have to trust that I am following my path as I am “supposed” to right now. Then I try to bring them into a place of feeling, somehow, the Love, the power of beauty, the energy of our literal, physical connection with Earth (part of our DNA!) - that is all I can do right now. And I’m seeing more and more people doing similar. I sense this is important work, and being a loving Witness is part of that.

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Oh yes. Your words so beautifully describe where many of us now are. They bring me to tears. Thank you for gentle healing today. Thank you.

I might add fear and lack of maturity or human ‘wholeness’ or wisdom to your list of corporate drivers, but of course these are not conscious motivators. When I include these, I find I have more patience and compassion for those who have harmed so much. So many.

Your resonance with the healing energies of beauty and kindness, gentleness, paired with clear-eyed understanding of what has brought us here — You stand beautiful and strong as a Loving Witness. You’re Holding the tension. You’re in the mystery space, the space of the emergent. I’m honored to have joined you here.

So very grateful for your response. xo

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Here is a link to my new (barely up) website. I thought perhaps you would enjoy checking it out: www.gaiasvoices.com

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Thank you so much!

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Is it not Self-defeating (in the larger Self) to assume that FB hacks and terrorism attacks are naturally occurring, part of human nature, and will never be understood, their causes inscrutable mysteries? I agree with the person who sees all fear-inducing acts of destruction as part of "their" agenda. I also feel that everything happens for a reason that's bringing us into a place of peace and wellbeing as quickly as we'll let it. Their agenda will backfire, but not until the consequences become evident to all. Hang in there, Charles, and everyone.

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It isn't that they are all just random. There are plans and plans and plans. It is just that no matter how comprehensive our ordering of the world into meanings and categories, something will always escape it.

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Thank you for replying Charles! I've been reading David Graeber's Dawn of Everything on the Wendat system of reparations, where the whole clan contributes gifts as apology to someone who's been wronged by one of their own. When we take back power over our communities and our time, with raising children as the purpose of society, I could see this working to prevent everything from the tragic events of Texas to the hacking of your FB/IG.

Our lives are all so precarious. One scam and your life savings may be gone and the police will tut-tut that you didn't change your password or fell for it. And the worst scams, where people lose their homes, are the legal ones. I don't think we can even admit to ourselves how much stress we're under to live like this.

And when bad things are done to you, knowing that others have it worse is no comfort. You can't even feel sorry for yourself, even though their misfortune makes you feel worse. I don't want to keep living like this. I want to change it.

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Arrrgh, sorry about your FB experience. I left them totally in January, after 13 years, because of the censorship, the fuckery, and the "bugs" I picked up from there. I was hoping, when I saw the title of this, that someone had hacked FB and made it a truther's destination... HA. That would be great, wouldn't it? Well, maybe later. Point is, you're clearly doing the right things, or the vermin wouldn't be messing with you!! ^_^

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The reflective mirror. It's always perfect.

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It is all a Mystery - how true. So human to want to box up solutions and causes. How can we control our crazy lives? I so appreciate your thoughts. Because all we can do is respond with as much Love as possible. [especially for our precious human selves - s

pirit can do that]. Blessings to you and yours!

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I appreciate your perspective on random events. I also really appreciated the interview on the World Health Assembly with Tess Laurie (spelling?). Thank you.

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Thanks!

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“How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out” “now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror . . . Now I know in part” “I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me, but I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me, O Israel put your hope in the Lord, both now and forevermore” “man is born to trouble as sparks fly upward from a fire” verses from the Bible that came to mind as I read your pondering of mystery. In ancient times mirrors being polished metal were blurry. Hope you get through this latest set of hassles soon.

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Those are some very apropos quotes, thanks Jeff.

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So sorry you are dealing with this!!! Hope you get it fixed as soon as possible!!

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What this is showing me is that indeed my decision to turn off my instagram a couple months ago and my upcoming doing the same with facebook has been the right decision for me. Grateful I can just go and walk away from it at this stage of my life.

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Wise pondering. The concept that we are ultimately not in control and cannot be is a scary thing for most. In the end we can only do what we can and we must leave the rest be.

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This happened to my Instagram late last year. First I was furious, frantic, found it unbelieveabke I could not get hold of a human in anyway to help me.

After a while that settled, I started a new account and re added what contacts I could remember. But it would never be the same. There was no point posting or looking at anything on Instagram anymore.

I decided I liked it.

It was the seed that inspired me to completely give up my smartphone for 40 days- I went back to an old school Nokia dumb phone, and grew my hands back.

There is an ethical hacker I have come across who reportedly can fix these things, when you have no joy from the Meta people. I haven’t taken up the offer though.

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I was hacked last week - its a huge pain and more busy work than anyone needs !! thanks for the heads up !! we are all connected - in this reality!!

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I think what happened to you, Charles, shows at least one thing. The platforms you mentioned are not just messing up people's brain, generally (e.g. increased loss of presence or mindfulness, delusions, ludicrously short attention span, mental distress and related self-harm, propagation and endorsement of hatred, extremism, bigotry, sexism, etc.). I'm truly sorry you've been hacked. It's not just 'unpleasant'. It can trigger a lot of anxiety and cause a lasting headache. At the same time, a little gratitude goes to hackers whose crimes are exposing how unsafe those soul-destroying, life-grinding machines are, at plenty more levels. The complete absence of customer support can hardly be blamed on scarce resources. The greatest tool for control and surveillance, worldwide (I'm not into conspiracy, just stating the obvious) is a one-way system: they watch over people all day, yet never answer when you need them. May hackers put us all off using them, forever... I'm very much looking forward to read your new essay - "Why I Won't Write..." - later on :-)

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