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So ... some speculations.
When the immature come across humour, they become sarcastic; the mature use subtleties such as irony.
The world of commerce becomes wrong when it starts to think it can dictate what is right and wrong in human behaviour - evil when it ignores the conscience of the consequences of its actions.
How does a civil society best choose its leaders? Competition for election has been around since the ancient Romans and before, and has its good points and bad. Someone who doesn't want to be a leader would be good, as they may well hand back their delegated power more readily. The problem there is, they don't want to be leader and so won't push themselves forward. In a spiritual society, the ideal of the best person for the job is more likely to happen - in that case, the biggest problem may well be that of false modesty ... and real but undue modesty: someone holding back because they think someone else is better. Simple truth and honesty, and calm communication are probably the best counters to that particular problem. As for the civil society's leadership problems ... maybe the best cure is to become a spiritual society :)
Aot of New Age groups refer to "white light"; the Tibetans seem to refer, if anything, to CLEAR Light. I think they've got it right ...
Other stuff ...
I'm reading a book about the ancient Roman Empire, "Rubicon", by Tom Holland (pub. Abacus, 2010, ISBN 978-0349-11563-4, first pub. Little, Brown, 2003). A lot of it is disturbing - particularly some of the parallels between people's behaviour (especially their willing blindness to inequality) and today's world - particularly the USA. Still, they did get it right when they said you need to be middle aged to curb the excesses of being young :) ... and Marcus Aurelius' writings are actually very inclusive ...
The Sydney "Mardi Gras" mob are busy shooting themselves in the foot over whether or not poly is part of the Q in LGBTIQ - didn't they learn anything from when they tried to exclude bisexuals?
And on change, for some light relief, they are not always for the better. I'd love to find who changed cafe latte's to include foam and who started the "start with a coffee" before meal thing ... they need a stren talking to!
And now, reading links ...
Remember I don't necessarily agree with the links I post: some I definitely just chuck in there to see if you're thinking. You should keep that thinking cap on if you're reading anything else, to - such as the media, anything on the Internet, uni lectures, etc ...
- "Mundane Magick" by Soull the University Witch, http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ustx&c=words&id=14851;
- "Crisis in Faith" by Sage Tiger, http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnc&c=words&id=14793;
- Despite my qualification, I have to point out that I consider the information at the link in this dot point is naive - dangerously so: I consider the best test for guidance to be to - as I was taught to do - project positive energy to the source. Nevertheless, I will provide the link for your reflection: http://spiritrescue.ning.com/forum/topics/1972845:Topic:339494;
- "Nothing ethical in starving the poor", by Charlie Arnot, chief executive of the Centre for Food Integrity in the USA, 27th January, 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/nothing-ethical-in-starving-the-poor-20120126-1qjon.html;
- " 'They would have helped if he was white' ", 27th January, 2012: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/they-would-have-helped-if-he-was-white-20120126-1qjbt.html;
- "Fitness fascination stretches the truth", by psychiatrist Dr Tanveer Ahmed, 3rd February, 2012: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/fitness-fascination-stretches-the-truth-20120202-1qvii.html;
- "Sisterhood beware - silencing ideas stymies progress", by Cathy Sherry, senior lecturer in the faculty of law at the University of New South Wales, 25th January, 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/sisterhood-beware--silencing-ideas-stymies-progress-20120124-1qfnx.html;
- "Why we can't trust Gillard any more", by Michael Short, senior Age editor and a board member of the Young and Well Co-operative Research Centre, 25th January, 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/why-we-cant-trust-gillard-any-more-20120124-1qfo0.html;
- "Tankard Reist explain yourself", by Dr Kate Gleeson, an Australian Research Council Fellow in Politics at Macquarie University, 24th January 24, 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/tankard-reist-explain-yourself-20120123-1qdst.html;
- "Female flogging on rise in Maldives", 25th January 25, 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/world/female-flogging-on-rise-in-maldives-20120124-1qfmd.html;
- "Cave-in by PM puts us all at risk", by Dr Jennifer Borrell, social researcher at Kildonan UnitingCare and author of the book Understanding Problem Gambling, 23rd January, 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/cavein-by-pm-puts-us-all-at-risk-20120122-1qc2q.html;
- "Wide support found for wind farms", 18th January, 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/national/wide-support-found-for-wind-farms-20120117-1q4s1.html;
- "Man dead after false stabbing claim", 20th January, 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/man-dead-after-false-stabbing-claim-20120119-1q8fw.html;
- "Shackle the free press? Crikey, it just doesn't bear thinking about", by Gerard Henderson, executive director of the Sydney Institute, 10th January, 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/shackle-the-free-press-crikey-it-just-doesnt-bear-thinking-about-20120109-1prpp.html;
- "Gay vows not so queer", by Dr Paul Monk, co-founder of Austhink Consulting, a critical-thinking skills training and consulting firm and apparently a "regular media commentator on public and international affairs", 8th December, 2011 (incidentally, if I had ever been elected to Parliament, which I did think about in the past, I was going to try and have created a position of "Chief Philosopher" to depoliticise some of the rhetoric around issues in much the same way as this article does): http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/gay-vows-not-so-queer-20111207-1oj50.html.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")
Tags: commercialism, discrimination, humour, immaturity, leadership, media, society
First published: Laugadagr, 4th February, 2012
Last edited: Saturday, 4th February, 2012