Celebs, paparazzi & You

By chance, after opening my mail this morning, I caught an article on MSN online news about celebrities fighting back (that is, against the paparazzi). This comes after more and more incidents of aggressive car chases and accidents - the celebrities claiming that the paparazzi are endangering their, as well as the public's lives. Indeed this is true summed up in one word - Diana.

Yet again, I want us to get perspective on this whole celeb-paparazzi phenomenon, as it is so easy for us supermarket folk to loose perspective due to our human nature:

Firstly, we have to ask ourselves how this whole unhealthy situation came into being. Why do these photographers act so much like a pack of wolves, chasing after a herd of herbivores? What creates that kind of insane behavior?

Supply and demand - nature's old game. The demand comes from Mr.and Mrs. Obsessive - thus you and me, trapped in our frustrating little suburbian existence, yearning for that 'fairy tale' life of essentially normal people - and the supply comes form the celebrities, aggressively taken by the paparazzi, albeit not directly, as there is another key element behind the scenes here - The Media.

The Media knows how to make money from the masses. We are so easily manipulated, how else? And how you might ask? Well, think about it like this: there are many people out there, much richer than most of the celebrities (even you could be one) and also well known - but they are not hunted down like animals - why not? Celebrities are neither gods nor super heroes; they are mere men and women with the same frailties you have - they are born, they get illnesses, and the mourn when loosing a loved one. Then why this obsession?

Johnny Depp's interviews give us a clue: 'They make you into a product', he will usually say. Indeed, this is true. Notice how we are conned into 'buying' things we don't need; those things that you spend all your hard earned cash on, only to gather dust in your garage or attic. And celebrities are one of those products.

The Media key players notice who might make good 'products': good looks, a bit of rebellion and of course, popularity ranks climbing due to these characteristics. So, they either mold this new actor/ actress or pop star into a profitable creature, using what I call Faust Syndrome, or they fabricate stories around photographic settings, thus creating a 'real life' soap opera.

And we gulp it up like fools, as we are so obsessed with getting out of suburbia. Over the years, this parasitic social phenomenon has evolved into something very nasty. 'Fans' now believe that it is their God-given right to know the lives of celebrities: 'they wanted to be rich and famous, thus they have no right to privacy. They are MINE now'. And the Media abuses this, fueling this unhealthy obsession. It has become so nasty, that even non-paparazzi members of the public will walk up to a star, and videograph or photograph them, forcing themselves into their privacy, only to put it on YouTube, or sell it to the Media!

This symptom of society is a dead give away to just how lost we are in our own superficial materialism. These days, it is all about shopping, Botox, crazy sex parties and wanting to become famous - like Victoria Beckham once remarked before she became famous: "I want to become as famous as a detergent brand". And that she has become, but sadly missing the point: it is not about one's own ego, it is about sharing your talents with the world.

Mankind has lost its way. It is fumbling about in a dark part of the forest, the road leading to light, truth and our Inner Selves, completely forgotten.

We need to wake up, and look for the path again...

You, me & The Matrix

The first thought I had stepping out of the cinema after watching The Matrix (original) was:

What if we were really in the Matrix and this film were the resistance group's attempt in waking us up by planting the first seed via popular fiction?

To the dogmatic mind, this will be a silly question, but to the more open minded thinker, an interesting one.

Let's get perspective on this:

Where are we now?

(diameter: 7926.28 miles)

And where is that?

(diameter: 93 000 000 miles)

And where is that?

(diameter: unknown...)

And where is that?


So, what is outside this universe of ours? Is there an 'outside'? How vast is it 'out there' if there were an 'out there'? If the observable part is more than 78 000 000 000 000 light years across, how could it be that we are the only living sentient beings 'in' it? What are we doing 'here'? Is it true then what most evolutionists believe: that all this happened by chance alone (that chance being far less than 1 x 10 to the power of 5700, or 1 with 5700 zero's)? Or is there purpose?

Now...

When are we?
2007

And when is that?

Ah, this is a book in it's own right, but, we are at a time where information doubling is happening exponentially fast. Take a look at the following graph:

Notice where on this timeline the dinosaurs are, and where we are.....the dino's went 'poof' 65 million years ago (65 000 000 years); notice how close they (humans and dino's) are to one another, and how far they are from the 'beginning' of our earth alone, never mind the universe).

If we look at further graphs, will we notice the exponential acceleration of 'happenings' on this so called timeline. More has happened in the field of invention and 'discovery' in the last 100 years, than in the past 5 billion years, and it is still accelerating. Take a look at Moore's Law and the Law of accelerated returns by Ray Kurzweil, as well as the controversial Timewave One by Terrence McKenna - our timeline is accelerating to a point very near in our time; to a moment of infinitely fast information doubling. In other words: first our knowledge will double every second (in other words, the last century's knowledge to the power of two), then double faster than a second until it doubles faster than nanoseconds...we will then reach a time where we will learn what we have learned in the last 5 billion years, faster than nano seconds. Frightening concept, isn't it? But I suppose, we will have to survive this coming decade first...

Now, we have some idea - looking from slightly outside our frame of day-to-day reference - where and when we are.

It renders us nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

We can equally feel this aghastness when we take a journey into ourselves as well: from your body, to your organs, to your cells, organelles, molecules, atoms, sub-atomic particles and 'super strings' or 'branes'. A vast universe on its own.

And...if we look at M-Theory - a new way of thinking that is trying to explain why the macrocosm and microcosm don't 'fit' together - we will realize that sub-atomic particles (responsible for atoms; the building blocks of you and the universe) are only the illusory result of differentiation in vibration of super string/ brane. We can see this in the field of Cymatics as well.

Vibration is only fluctuation between two opposite poles, like 0 and 1.

If we look at virtual worlds 'existing' in a 'computer', they comprise of 0's and 1's only...another type of fluctuation used by us humans.

It is then interesting to note how some theoretical physicists ponder on the concept of ourselves and our universe being only vibratory information that could be stored on the event horizon of a black hole, projected as a holographic reality (hence why the universe is a flat disc?).

Are we then in a Matrix of some sort? And if so, did it happen to come into existence by chance, or is some superior consciousness responsible for it? And if so, for what purpose?

The reason I wrote 'The Sleeper Must Awaken'

It dawned freshly upon me again yesterday, why I wrote my book; or shall I say to whom it is dedicated?

For the last few days, I've been participating in discussion groups on amazon.com, especially those pondering on questions like the existence of God. When one gets fresh perspective, looking at the human race on this planet (as well as watching films like Perfume: Story of a Murderer); one can basically divide us lot in the following groups:

1) The Fundamentalist 'believers' - those who fundamentally believe and fight for their particular belief (be it religious or political or both), be it wrong or right, damaging or none. It is usually this group which is constantly at war with each other, especially the Judaeo-Christian-Islam fundamentalists if looking at the last 2000 years.

2) The Fundamentalist 'Non-believers' - the reductionist empiricists, standing on the side, throwing the first group with stones due to their destructive ways.

3) The Materialist Opportunists - those taking advantage of the first two groups, enslaving the world with their 'divide and conquer' tactics in stealth mode; the first two groups too busy with their little details to notice their entrapment.

4) Those weeping while watching the first three groups destroying everything beautiful thinking: is this it oh Lord?

I dedicated my book to the fourth group: to those who feel real love in their hearts, who want to make a difference, but don't know how, as it seems all hope is lost...

As long as there are those belonging to the fourth group, there is hope...

Best wishes to all

Jean

Education, Health and Sustainability

By accident, I caught a program on BBC about the new St. Pancras Station and adjoined railway lines in London - costing in the region of 5.8 billion pounds or 11 billion dollars - to make one of the most prestigious train stations in Europe, and shave 20 minutes from the journey to Paris.

Here are some keywords: prestigious, 20 minutes, 11 billion dollars.

Now to get perspective, the United Kingdom (or England as most people know it), has a major problem with it's National Health Care system. It is 1.6 billion pounds, or 3 billion dollars in debt, and the quality of care is slipping fast. Furthermore, the UK is also struggling with an educational crisis, with SAT scores in decline; teenage binge drinking, drug abuse and pregnancies are on the rise; crime - although not admitted openly due to the 2012 Olympics - is on the rise, and immigration with racism and xenophobia is becoming a major concern.

These same problems can be seen in the rest of the world as well. Basic social services are not met with the gap between the minority super rich elite and the majority of poor ever widening. Yet, billions and billions of dollars are spent on prestigious buildings (like the said St Pancras), space program and especially wars in the middle east with no other apparent reason than that of oil security.

Now, there is nothing wrong with aesthetic buildings and space exploration. But first things first. For a well functioning society, we need to get objectivity, and address problems first:

1) Proper education of ALL people will lead to a better understanding of the universe and one's place in it. This will lead to a healthier society in body and mind.

2) Proper Health care for those who have had poor education in the past, and already have secondary pathology is essential in a fair and just society.

3) Sustainability: what is the use of prestigious buildings and space exploration if the earth is on the brink on extinction? Surely, we need to address our consumerism problem very rapidly. With no resources, there can be no life, never mind a stable economy; and if studied closely, we will realize that the earth is on the very edge.

The human race needs to seriously rethink their whole way of thinking before its too late.

Thus: you and I need to rethink this whole scenario - after all, we ARE the human race...

Back from SA with a struggle

It has been quite an ordeal to get back to the UK from South Africa!

There we were: like canned sardines in a Boeing 747, British Airways flight 054, the jet engines powering up for take-off on the runway, when suddenly the engines go quiet and we slowly slip off the runway. The captain informs us that one of the engines malfunctioned.

On this note: in that same week, one 737's engine fell off while taking off (luckily no-one was injured), another jet's engine went bust just after take-off and had to turn around, and yet another jet plane' reverse thrusters failed and slipped off the runway on landing (luckily no-one hurt). There was also a light aircraft that fell on the N12 highway - no one hurt either.

And here we were, our plane's engine failing as well - strange how all these mishaps coincided.

Then came the shocker: after sitting on the British Airways 747 for 4 hours, we were informed that there were no hotels available, and that we had to sleep in the terminal. They added that they would help us be as comfortable as possible...

Well...that didn't happen. As soon as we sat foot on the terminal, that 'help' disappeared like mist in front of a morning sun. No BA representative came to talk to us, or aid us in comfort. We were left there with our skimpy little in-flight blankies and pillows (those who remembered to take theirs!).

I felt so sorry for the parents with babies and especially the elderly, who had to sleep on the cold hard floor. Some Swiss airlines skeleton crew tried to help, but was only swamped by angry passengers, and quickly ran away...

The next morning, we heard through the grapevine that we could eat breakfast at one terminal restaurant for R50 ($8 or £4), and waited the whole rest of the day for information that didn't come until 19:00: that we 'might' fly out at 21:00. Then at 20:00, the flight was cancelled again with chaos breaking out: some going raving mad, others scrambling about looking for other flights. At about 23:00 - at long last - I booked into a courtesy hotel (valid for only one day), stayed with family the next day, and eventually flew out on the Sunday evening - more than 48 hours after being left on the terminal.

I just came to realize again, especially when taking into account the poor parents and especially the elderly - where BA left us unaided on the terminal, and kept us uninformed for more than 24 hours - that big companies care only for one thing - profit. Profit above person is the name of the game.

With proper checks and maintenance intervals, engines won't fail. If for some unforeseen event the flight is cancelled, passengers should be looked after. There must be some kind of protocol that sees to it that passengers - especially parents, children, the elderly and poorly passengers - are cared for; not left to their own devices and kept in the dark for more than 24 hours. The presence of a BA representative on stand-by for these scenarios right from the start, is absolutely essential. After all: passengers pay dearly for service provision, and what's more, there must be some strand of altruism left in those who run the BA corporation. Passengers are human, not just numbers who make the company money!

Thus at long last, I am back in the UK with time to reflect on this atrocity. And may I add that I am not a complainer, on the contrary: I hardly ever complain in restaurants etc. and always give the benefit of the doubt to occasional poor service provision, especially on a personal level. But this was one too many, especially when seeing elderly people lying on cold floors with a company that cares nil.

I wish and hope that by some miraculous event, people - especially those running corporations, making their billions - would once again realize that people are more important than profit. After all, if you sincerely care for people, thus your customers, they will naturally stay loyal...

Writing from South Africa

Almost on my way back to the United Kingdom, I find myself at the southern tip of South Africa in a town called Mossel Bay, ovelooking a calm and misty blue ocean. It is truly beautiful here: in front of me the ocean washing over miles of sandy beach, and behind me undulating grass fields ending in the Outaniqua mountains in the purple hazy distance.

It has been quite a journey: starting in Johannesburg, driving all the way down through my childhood town of Potchefstroom to the city of Bloemfontein ('flower fountain'), through the arid Karoo and ending it here at the southertn tip of Mossel Bay in the Cape province. It is a landscape that cannot be erased from one's mind - the characteristic red soil, the yellow grasslands, purple mountains and sapphire blue skies - simply breathtaking.


I so hope and wish that the troubles of this paradise will deminish, so that more people can be touched by it's splendour.


Who knows, maybe if we all focus our hearts and minds on the possibility of Utopia on this beautiful planet of ours - we could succeed. After all - there is such phenomena as the Uncertainty Principle and the Observer Effect, which together could change our world with the right intent...

Just to say...

I will be away to South Africa for a while; so blog posts will be a little less frequent untill the middle of November.

Good fortune!
Jean

To Be Completely Honest...

Today is one of my few bad mood days - they don't appear often, but when they do, they're really bad.

It occasionally happens that I see through the cellophane wrapping of our supermarket society: the profit above person mentality where more ingenious ways are devised everyday to deceive people in spending their hard earned cash on products they don't need. It is all about the money - 'show me the money, honey'.

From market psychology tactics, putting candy at the check-outs to Fast Food chains targeting children with cheap toys: all clever devices to catch you in the ever growing consumerist net. You are sold foods that make you fat, so that you can spend more money on self-help books, teaching you the 'secrets' of staying slim.

Look at Hollywood films these days: high production 'value', with spectacular visual effects, glossy lighting and celebrity laden embroidery - but in the end as empty as a celebrity gossip magazine. And why? Because it makes money. Hollywood doesn't make movies anymore; it makes money.

And we fall for it, time and time again. Why can't we just for once in our lives, stop and get some sense in our heads again? Why can't we just stop spending time and money on stuff we don't need, and rather invest it in our children's proper education - not spoiling them with PlayStation to keep their whining, poorly state-educated mouths shut? Why do we put up with big companies like Argos' slogan: Don't Christmas it, Argos it? What nonsense is that? Don't Christmas it, Argos it...Can we even remember what Christmas is all about? Never mind the religious background - Christams is a time for family gathering; to stop working and spending quality time with the ones we love.

Where did we take the wrong turn? When did we become so superficial? It's all about celebrities' lives, cosmetic surgery, suing the hospitals, getting a better deal, getting a bigger house, car or boat...

And then we find ourselves on a death bed one day - not remembering our house, car or boat; not our precious botox face or bygone celebrity obsessions - but we remember our grandmother's old-aged-morphed hands, clumsily patting us on the shoulder. We remember the first time we made love and the laughter of our children playing on the beach. We remember the colours of the seasons, the goosebumps we get when climbing into a hot bath and the summer grass under our naked feet as we ran though the sprinklers as children...

I so wish that we could return to what really matters. I deeply wish that we could awaken from our shallow consumerist stupor, and see life for what it really is: not a glossy, money driven sex, drugs and rock and roll frenzy; but a mythical wondrous miracle filled with honest love and respect for ourselves, those around us and our mother Earth...