Confessions of a Spiritual Retard

I seem to have been born missing the belief gene. I do not seem to have the capacity to believe in anything that does not present at least some evidence to my experience. And even if I do believe, I am conscious of the fact that it is merely a theory, an hypothesis, a possibility, but not a fact. Even the religion of science presents theories or beliefs, but these beliefs then seem to be accepted as fact. Take the Big Bang Theory for example. It is only a theory, but most scientists believe it and have closed their minds to any other possibility. Therefore, it is a fact...not!

When I was a teenager my youngest sister (age 2-3) believed in two imaginary friends, Goon and Charlie, who lived in the storm sewer. For the life of me I could never make contact with these friends, which I considered a personal failing. Eventually though she forgot about them as she grew up. I suppose Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were the next imaginary characters to occupy her imagination. They too fell away in time.

It seems, however, that around the world supposed grown-ups believe in a variety of imaginary friends of the most preposterous kind. Many have an imaginary friend who tells them what to eat and what not to eat as well as what to wear, particularly on their heads. And this imaginary friend apparently gets very angry if his rules are violated. To hear them talk about it this imaginary friend is a very vindictive and arbitrary despot. Why would one want such a friend? This friend seems to pick which children to kill and where to inflict all sorts of disasters like floods and earthquakes. And it is quite clear that this friend doesn't like women so well in most cases. This friend's one redeeming grace seems to be its interest in sports. The competitor who has the greatest influence with this friend seems to win the sports contests.

And, once more, for the life of me, I can find no evidence whatsoever in my own experience that would even vaguely point to the existence of such an imaginary friend, just as I could find no evidence of Goon and Charlie. However, at least Goon and Charlie were much friendlier and more fun than this other imaginary friend.

Fundamentalism

I am watching a History Channel program on the medieval mind and it strikes me how much 21st century Islamist fundamentalism shares the idiotic, thoughtless ideas about women, sex and God, that were prevalent in 12th century medieval Christianity.

Egypt

The arrogance of youth meets the arrogance of power.

Requisites for Worldly Success

I have spent much of my adult life studying the qualities required for worldly success, whether it be political, financial, or otherwise. Here are the qualities that I find extremely common among so-called highly successful people:

1. MOTIVATION

It seems all too obvious that one must be motivated to be successful. However, do we ever ask what it is that provides fundamental motivation or the desire to move? The answer is clearly unhappiness and insecurity. Simple! A happy, secure person is not motivated; has no need to move. So, a deep unhappiness and insecurity bordering on, if not full blown, neurosis is the fundamental requirement for worldly success.

2. DETERMINATION - SINGLE-MINDEDNESS

I don't think that many would argue against the observation that the vast majority of the world's population meets the first criterion. What else then is required? Is it not a certain energy, drive, determination, focus, single-mindedness? Do not we speak of "the drive for success?" Do we not find that many high achievers seem profoundly driven? And what else is this other than obsession and compulsion? Serious and deep obsession-compulsion at least bordering on psychosis.

3. RUTHLESSNESS

Here we separate the wannabees and pretenders from the high achievers. For top level success there must be a certain disregard even disdain for anything which would impede the success drive, such as rules, regulations, morals, ethics, other people.

4. COMPETITIVENESS

It is obvious that for someone to be successful he/she must be extremely competitive. In the most successful, they see everything in terms of winning and losing.

5. AGGRESSION

The desire to take the initiative and to dominate is also required for competitive success.

6. MANIPULATION

Strategic thinking aimed at maximizing personal advantage is another necessity.


So, the ideal candidate for worldly success is a seriously neurotic, obsessive-compulsive, mild-to-moderately psychotic sociopath. While there are certainly a few exceptions, this is without doubt in my mind, the most common path to "success." Is it any wonder, then, that the world is in strife? With this profile for our leaders and cultural icons how could there be any possibility of peace and tranquility in the world?

The Music Business is in Really Sad Shape

I must admit that I am not the first to follow trends (gee...what would have been your first clue?), but I can now see what sorry shape the music industry is in. I just had my first experience of Taylor Swift...HOW BLOODY PATHETIC! A skinny, ordinary looking teenager with a thin, nasal voice who can't carry a tune. Unbelievable!

It certainly points to the power of marketing. Perhaps the marketeers could make me the new sex symbol. Yeah, right!

Economic Normality

This morning Dr. Alan Bollard, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand was addressing a conference of business executives on the state of the economy. About the recent past he commented, "...we learnt that recovery to economic normality can be a slow, fragile and uncertain process, with temporary set-backs and aftershocks."

Throughout the world economic forecasters and politicians are anticipating and jaw-boning a return to "business as usual." THERE WILL BE NO RETURN TO THE ECONOMIC NORMALITY OF THE PAST! NEVER! There will intead be the development of a rather radically different new normality, with reduced growth rates, no real estate boom and significant shifting of economic power. John Maynard Keynes is long since dead, god rest his soul. The growth-at-any-cost policies engendered by his theories have brought us to where we are today. The ride up was good for quite a few, but the law of economic gravity...

What goes up can (and probably will) come down."

has come into effect. I commented in 2000 that we would have a major economic crash before George W. Bush left office. I described the US economy as a bit like the coyote in the Roadrunner cartoons. In an attempt to catch the roadrunner, coyote runs out off a cliff. He keeps going until he looks down and then.... Yep, you got it. In 2007 someone looked down and we haven't seen the bottom yet.

Almost 50 years ago I tried to introduce the concept of two kinds of wealth - real wealth and paper or fiat wealth. Real wealth is where the activity adds real value to the economy - mining, manufacturing, and agriculture. Fiat wealth is derived from services like accounting and legal as well as the speculative profits of money marketeers. The entire financial system has become a gigantic slot machine with a major exception - the biggest players can alter the odds, just like at the horse races with, however, the opposite effect - they can alter them in their favour. In the long run fiat wealth can only exist on top of a foundation of real wealth. In the last 50 years the USA and western Europe have allowed their real wealth to atrophy and decline so that fiat wealth is all that remains. The result of that has been observed over the past 3 years. Amazing how fast fiat wealth disappears. The ongoing effects are yet to be seen and it won't be pretty!

"Motivation is a combination of neurosis and obsession."