Am I paranoid? How do YOU know what to believe?

originally posted by: WhiteHat
To some degree I distrust everything I read or hear on the internet or on the media (especially the conventional media). Things that are not relevant to my day to day life can be put aside with a big question mark until I can gather more info. Things that I cannot verify for myself.
Then the more I find out about a specific topic, the more I can tip the balance in one direction or another. "it's possible" is the most a conspiracy can get from me. I don't blindly believe anything, but I can recognize that some things are most likely to be real than others.

Like the above poster said, seeing is believing. Or knowing. I can theorize, speculate or even argue about something but unless I know it for sure from personal experience is all in the realm of "possibilities".

That methodology leaves more room for possibilities than maybe I am comfortable with having, but that is partly the down fall of my "Need to know" mentality.

I try to be readily logical. Some conspiracies I will not give the light of day. Others I will read, maybe attest my own opinion but not believe whole heatedly. But as an example, most famously, 9/11. I believe 100% was done by our government, you don't have to look too deep into things to see that they acted suspiciously on many counts, with something to hide.

The point being, some things, I don't need undeniable evidence to believe, I just need to see the red flag.

Topics like Ghosts, Aliens, Demons, ect. ect. I have theories on how they could exist, but do not believe they do, until I see for myself.

a reply to: DeadCat

Last night on the tube was a commercial for 'yes' on such and such an issue. It had nice people, friendly , neighborly people, telling me how I should vote on the issue. It had a nice soothing voice coming from the narrator of the commercial with calm and reassuring pictures of farms and hills and people of the community. All of it over-laid with warm, trusting musical background. The points used to convince me to vote for the issue were the same points used to convince me on the exact same kind of issue 4 and 8 and 12 and 16 and 20 and 24 and 28 and 32 and 36 and 40 years ago.

It was immediately followed by a commercial for 'no' and the very same issue. It had nice people, friendly , neighborly people, telling me how I should vote on the issue. It had a nice soothing voice coming from the narrator of the commercial with calm and reassuring pictures of farms and hills and people of the community. All of it over-laid with warm, trusting musical background. The points used to convince me to vote against the issue were the same points used to convince me on the exact same kind of issue 4 and 8 and 12 and 16 and 20 and 24 and 28 and 32 and 36 and 40 years ago.

Over a hundred years ago, Sigmund Freud and others like him began scientific experiments and investigations into how the human mind works. His, and their intentions I am rather sure were to help 'man' to break from the ages old mental chains and free us to realize our greater potentials.

Sadly though, these psychological findings were seized upon by those who had no intention to allow people to reach any kind of potential other than that of being consumers and the advertising industry was born on Madison Avenue in New York City. One of the very first things they did was to marginalize these sciences in popular culture as 'quackery'.

From that time on, advertising has developed hand in hand with the continuing thrust of scientific inquiry into human consciousness. Advertising depends upon not so much telling lies, though those are prevalent enough, but rather skidding under our normal human defenses against lies and focusing on our deeper more emotional desires, those desires that are subconscious, the ones we do not access on a conscious level in our day to day decisions. (cue the cuddly music)

Today, commercials, TV programing, movies, political movements, indeed every little aspect of the 'public sphere' is inundated with information designed to do just this. Dive below our defenses and into our subconscious. (cue the friendly voices)

So, as someone above mentioned, "Welcome to Mirrorland", where every voice hurries to be the first with the message that will lodge itself within you and defend itself from the very same message that will be along a moment later.

Good luck Deadcat.

originally posted by: TerryMcGuire
a reply to: DeadCat



Good luck Deadcat.

Interesting take on what it means to be a functional mentality, living in such a dysfunctional reality.

Personally I think I've developed this innate sense of being, that ultimately nullifies any subconscious attempts to persuade me from the facts in front me of. That being, I won't think something is more or less true or factual based on happy cuddly music, or warm undertones of sunny fields cast over with a a soothing voice.

But the fact that these are physiological attempts to get your mind to think this way or that way is really unsettling! It's no secret that the market is largely founded on psychological schemes. This doesn't necessarily mean that these attempts are malicious in nature, only that it is one of the best ways to reach the goal of the company.. After all is is beneficial to know your audience.

Immerse yourself in the world. I have to disagree with the one poster that said move away from information or etc that makes you uncomfortable... dive into it with as much aggression as things that resonate with you. KNOW everything you possibly can. Eat information as if your life depends on it, because in a very real way... it does. I dont know if everyone possesses the ability to do this. Ive never asked others how or if... but thats how I do it anyway.

WHen I was younger you had to seek it out. Not have it at your fingertips as you do now. Now there is no excuse for ignorance other than laziness . Lets take religion.. it horrified my parents that I dove into everything from chritianity to islam to voudoun and Luciferianism the same way. After I had a full belly I digested it all and decided what I wanted. You MAKE yourself in a very real way. Unfortunately I see people allowing others to craft them... its such a waste of life.

a reply to: Advantage

You make good points Advantage. I think that the problems that arise from this information overload though is the tendency to 'invest' in any particular meme or memeplex that comes at us. As long as we can continue to chart our own courses that is a good thing. However we still need to be wary of those who seek to control us by manipulating our 'feelings'
Much of the information out there is so, ah, 'gooey' so 'sticky' that it adhears to our ancient more reptillian brains.

a reply to: DeadCat
Trust, but verify. As long as most of us have a device in our pocket with access to most of the knowledge of our species, ignorance is a choice. People that take BS partisan news stories at face value deserve the idiocy it breeds and the fear and anger that come along with deciding to live like that. The rest of us would rather live in reality.

originally posted by: DeadCat

originally posted by: TerryMcGuire
a reply to: DeadCat



Good luck Deadcat.

Interesting take on what it means to be a functional mentality, living in such a dysfunctional reality.

Personally I think I've developed this innate sense of being, that ultimately nullifies any subconscious attempts to persuade me from the facts in front me of. That being, I won't think something is more or less true or factual based on happy cuddly music, or warm undertones of sunny fields cast over with a a soothing voice.

But the fact that these are physiological attempts to get your mind to think this way or that way is really unsettling! It's no secret that the market is largely founded on psychological schemes. This doesn't necessarily mean that these attempts are malicious in nature, only that it is one of the best ways to reach the goal of the company.. After all is is beneficial to know your audience.

I'm glad you don't. However I think that so many still fall for it. Rather not fall but continue to flow with the crappola that is tossed at us.

And again I think you are right that the attempts may not (emphasis on the MAY) be malicious in nature, though I think it behooves us to always consider that even though the message may not be malicious, the same techniques are now being used by malicious and non malicious alike.

originally posted by: TerryMcGuire
a reply to: Advantage

You make good points Advantage. I think that the problems that arise from this information overload though is the tendency to 'invest' in any particular meme or memeplex that comes at us. As long as we can continue to chart our own courses that is a good thing. However we still need to be wary of those who seek to control us by manipulating our 'feelings'
Much of the information out there is so, ah, 'gooey' so 'sticky' that it adhears to our ancient more reptillian brains.

Thats where self control and actually KNOWING your nature comes in. My nature is NOT love and light.. and I strive to balance it. I have to be mindful of what dog I feed in me.. hence the consuming ALL information. If I only took in what appealed to me or resonates with me... Id be feeding the bad dog alone. Or reptile.

a reply to: Advantage

My "nature" has changed from a glorious throbbing septre of happiness, to something that seems to always be moist, and smelling of vinegar.

originally posted by: Advantage
Immerse yourself in the world. I have to disagree with the one poster that said move away from information or etc that makes you uncomfortable... dive into it with as much aggression as things that resonate with you. KNOW everything you possibly can. Eat information as if your life depends on it, because in a very real way... it does. I dont know if everyone possesses the ability to do this. Ive never asked others how or if... but thats how I do it anyway.

WHen I was younger you had to seek it out. Not have it at your fingertips as you do now. Now there is no excuse for ignorance other than laziness . Lets take religion.. it horrified my parents that I dove into everything from chritianity to islam to voudoun and Luciferianism the same way. After I had a full belly I digested it all and decided what I wanted. You MAKE yourself in a very real way. Unfortunately I see people allowing others to craft them... its such a waste of life.

Great response.

I tend to believe ignorance is a symptom of laziness. In a way I understand it, as I am faced with this issue myself: It's hard to know what's true these days! It takes effort, some background knowledge, and research, to really properly ascertain. It's easier for a lot of people with their busy lives and quick internet access, to just read an article, watch a youtube video from their favorite sub, and think they know what's going on in the world today.

In the aspect of religion, it is easier for a child to just accept what he/she is told from their parents, rather than look into all the ideologies and find what they personally believe.

Great connection though, because what you accept as your beliefs, truly shape your presentation of reality and who you are as an individual. And it is a modern tragedy that some do not grasp that to the full potential.

originally posted by: AshFan
a reply to: Advantage

My "nature" has changed from a glorious throbbing septre of happiness, to something that seems to always be moist, and smelling of vinegar.

Come spend a week with me.. youll go home smelling like napalm in the morning.

a reply to: Advantage

I love that smell.

a reply to: DeadCat

Am I paranoid?

i have written the response in invisible ink on the underside of one of your floorboards

the answer will shock you

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Really had me goin'!