Definitions

Written in 2007

Hope is a belief in a positive outcome
Related to events and circumstances…
Hope implies we believe enough
To expect we may get our way.

The definition of dreams
Is to hope and imagine something
That might not come true
Maybe never, but we still visualize it.

The word home means so much more,
Than just a roof over our heads,
It’s a safe place, we can return to,
No matter what…

Love,
A wor…
A feeling…
A promise?

How do we define ourselves?
Our dreams or actions?
Through our home, our world?
Through all that we love…

The definition of time is fluid,
As everything changes,
Even if we stand still…
It ticks so fast and then so slow…

Rationality describes the explainable
But only superficially…
It demands all should make sense,
Even when mostly nothing does.

The term truth outlasts our opinions,
Transcending the relative…
From probability to formless potential, It proves everything and nothing.

Someday truth might bring us together,
Perhaps when the time is right,
Dreams may become reality
Somewhere…Somehow.

Why Are We Easily Persuaded?

It is not the quality of the desired object that gives us pleasure, but rather the energy of our appetites.

– Charles Baudelaire

What is the key to persuasion? The primary objective is not to get someone to do something for us…but to make them want to do it. If we are determined enough, we can motivate others to do almost anything. However, there are ethical considerations, which must be considered. As a species, our desires are often fleeting. Unless we consistently reinforce said want, it will fade eventually. It should be considered here that even if we believe we are acting in someone elses best interest, we do not have the authority to decide what they want for them.
Desire is generally preceded by feelings of emptiness, of something missing inside, which needs to be fulfilled. When others deliberately instill such feelings, they make us aware of the adventure and romance lacking in our lives. Instead of seeing a need and filling it, they can create it by stirring anxiety or sowing discontent. However, those eager to persuade others will often seek an easy target that already has a visible hole in their lives.
The desire for whatever is then stoked by subtly planting ideas in their minds, hints of events still to come…await them. Conversely, deeper beliefs that take longer to change require them to mirror the values of others, indulging them in their wants as well as moods. Without realizing how it has happened, more and more of their thoughts begin to revolve around the previously stoked desire…and then they lure them in with something stronger to test their resolve by exposing them to a very specific temptation.

Life is short, and is rarely wasted by politicians pursuing and persuading the wrong people. Therefore, the choice of target group is critical. It sets up of the whole process and it will determine everything else that follows. The perfect target group can share the same values or similar goals in life. That is how a banal politicians choose his or her targets. The perfect target are the people who stir them in a way, which cannot be explained in words, whose effect on them has nothing to do with superficialities. Moreover, they often have a quality that they themselves lack, or may even secretly envy.
Ironically, the target group may
fear them a little, even slightly dislike them…Such tension can drive their public exposure and make their image much livelier. The more creative in choosing their targets, the more they’re often rewarded with more pupublicity. Of course, it means nothing if the potential targets are not open to their influence. First, they establish test groups of potential target types. When they sense vulnerability then the hunt can begin.

Keys to Persuasion:
How, When & Why

Throughout life we find ourselves having to persuade people for various reasons. Some will be relatively open to our influence, if only in subtle ways, while others seem impervious to our charm. We unconsciously drift toward people, who portray some vulnerability to us and avoid the ones who cannot be moved by us. This is a throwback to aiding our physical survival. By leaving those alone, who share little affinity with us, we are more likely to form stronger alliances.
However, should we desperately need something from someone for whatever reason, we no longer have the luxury to pick and choose. For example, when we are angling for a promotion with a boss, who never truly took to us…or solely wish to keep our jobs just another month…Then, we find ourselves in a situation, in which persuasion can be used to convince others of our worth as a productive member of society. But, how?

• It is not so much the means that make an attempt to influence others successfully, but the timing. What might otherwise work can be easily disrupted by choosing the wrong moment, in which they are less receptive than they normally are.

Ultimately, the how determines the ‘karmic comeback‘, we shall receive at a later point. Therefore, we must be extremely careful when deciding that the means justify the end. The when and how are of greater significance in the performance of any action than our justification for it. The reason behind our actions may provide additional energy to fuel our endeavours…It can determine, if quitting is ever an option. Overall, the why is far more important than than the how and when, but it can only direct us toward the tools that help us manipulate others…the why is primarily designed for others to persuade us and for us to overcome our darker impulses to get our own way.

We may assess the influence, we have, by the way people respond to us. Equally, we may estimate how others influence us by how we respond to them. Nevertheless, we should not pay so much attention to conscious responses. On a conscious level, those who aim to please or charm, are obviously trying to play on certain weaknesses (for example, vanity) and wants something from us. Instead, pay greater attention to those responses outside of our conscious control. An involuntary mirroring of some gesture, a blushing of the cheeks or unusual shyness. It should be noted, even negative emotions are a testament to the effect, we have on others. For instance, through a flash of anger or resentment, we are signalling how open we are to anothers powers of persuasion…or how easily we can be brought out of balance by them.

When Are We Most Vulnerable?

It is a stroke of good fortune to find one who is worth seducing. Most people rush ahead, become engaged or do other stupid things, and in a turn of the hand everything is over, and they know neither what they have won nor what they have lost.

— Soren Kierkegaar

Our powers of persuasion begin with a simple suggestion. In fact, all forms of influencing are the mere acceptance of a suggestion put before us either directly or indirectly. Dependent on our personality, mood, affinity (to the person and subject), we become more or less suggestible. Typically, the greater our emotional or mental instability in the moment, the greater the opening. Still, there are many ways suggestions can be slipped passed us. Reverse psychology is perhaps the best known as well as the most obvious method.
When we are likely to agree, if we allow ourselves to be open and receptive toward what others are saying or doing.
In order for someone to be more open-minded toward us, we need them to lower their defences. Mimicking is one of the most physical, easily detectable ways of achieving this. When mirroring a gesture in a very subtle manner, we essentially copy body language at roughly the same time. This is very easily spotted and only provides the illusion of rapport.

Definition: In 1660s, “reference, relation, relationship,” from French rapport “bearing, yield, produce => harmony, agreement, intercourse,” back-formation from rapporter “bring back, refer to,” from re- “again” (see re-) + apporter “to bring,” from Latin “apportare” which means “to bring,”

To build the kind of real connection, seen far too rarely in modern society, we must oppose our egoistic nature. We must shed our ego along with its destructive tendencies. Although we may perceive the ego as a source of individuality, and therefore personal power, this idea continues to mislead us… The ego cannot be a well of invulnerability at all times. It requires immense energy, awareness and non-externalised control in order to shield a conditional identity inside a transient shell…more than even an exceptional person might possess. As a consequence, it is also the ego that exposes our weaknesses. The more superficially we think, we more our thoughts crafts our internal reality through our perception of the external (when they exist as one). So, the more we talk, the more we reveal… Particularly when the other person says less than necessary.

In the end, there are no lasting relationships where the concept of “I” and “me” tilts the balance of giving or taking. For example, when an important fraction of our needs remain unfulfilled for prolonged periods. The “I”, our limited interpretation of an all-pervasive self transcending all domains of space-time, serves to aid our physical survival in a hostile environment on a temporary basis. What was once a means of coping in the short term has become a first resort as well as long term solution. We unknowingly make ourselves more vulnerable by choosing options, which should only be considered in dire emergencies. After all, it is a life lesson for every growing adult to explore the easy path…just to realise there are no shortcuts in life. The only power others exter over us is the power, we allow them to have. We persuade ourselves just as we are influenced by others.

In essence, our ego consists of

Psychology of the Cheshire Cat

“…and this time it vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.”

At this point Alice remarks “she has often seen a cat without a grin but never a grin without a cat.”

The cat sometimes raises philosophical points that annoy or baffle Alice.
One of the things I love most about Alice in Wonderland is the kaleidoscopic nature of the setting. Characters simply appear, interact with Alice and subsequently disappear. However, in the case of the Cheshire Cat, the disappearance is literal. He is very much a guide, pointing the way to the next step of the adventure. I could go deeper and claim the Cheshire Cat is the Jungian archetype of the mysterious trickster, but that analysis is only partially true. He’s clever, but not as deceptive as your average trickster.
In my humble opinion, the Cheshires honesty and straight-forwardness make him the sanest character in the stories.

“In that direction,” the Cat said, waving its right paw round, “lives a Hatter…and in that direction,” waving the other paw, “lives a March Hare. Visit either you like. They’re both mad.”

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.

“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

Moreover, the Cheshire yields a powerfully enlightening influence over Alice. Though he is the only one to listen, take her seriously and offer sound advice, he never sticks around for long…but he is always there when he is needed most. As a plot device, he serves a singular purpose: to drive the storyline.

Conversely, who has not met someone, who comes and goes at will? Each time they involve themselves in other peoples lives, they only stay for as long as their presence is physically necessary. Regardless of the situation, once it has passed, they vanish into thin air until the next time. To connect with these kinds of people in real life is almost impossible. They are aloof and detached to the point of madness. However, in the case of the Cheshire Cat, we are introduced to a version of such a personality is more balanced than most.

How so? To rest in the knowledge that we are all insane in our own way restores a level of psychological health, at which we question what functional behaviour truly is. In Wonderland, we are immersed in a place, where nothing is as it appears…like in any world, appearances are deceptive and therefore cannot be trusted, so look within for real answers. From an educational perspective, it introduces children to very valuable lessons, they’ve yet to come into contact with through life experiences.

As we grow older, we are conditioned to internalise such life lessons through failed relationships, social faux pas etc. For what it’s worth, to internalise said lessons is supposed to pave the way to adulthood…but it merely complicates the process of discarding outdated coping mechanisms, learning new things or seeing the world through different eyes.

This notwithstanding, there is one disturbing aspect of the books, we often overlook as we believe our children are not mature enough to grasp the concept…Wonderland’s madness is greater than the sum of its parts. When surrounded by chaos, no single situation or person has an especially strong influence, but the cumulative effect on one is more than the circumstances, people or else combined...and so fiction bridges into reality…

In actuality, what we consider to be “normal” behavior is “mad” in the Wonderland context, but it can be just as mad in a real world context.
The order of events creates the context, we use to navigate through life. However, every person interprets reality differently. The order of events that created our world as we know it forms the context, in which we perceive our identity. In the case of Alice, for instance, her curiosity to understand the world around her defines her character. In a positive light, she questions what is happening around her. In a negative frame of reference, she leaps before looking. She ventures down the rabbit hole “never once considering how in the world she was to get out again“. For what it is worth, she doesn’t have any particular reason for the things she does, except that she wants to find out more about the world around her. She also doesn’t have any plan for dealing with the consequences of leaping without a seconds thought.

The conversations between Alice and the Cheshire Cat are filled with relevant details on how the world works down in Wonderland. Though their interactions are fleeting, their relationship reforces specific realisations that are yet to dawn on her. When she throws all caution to the wind, she’s reminded of them, but no solemn reminder can rein in her natural inclination to experiment. After all, in an insane place, to be mad is a testament to our sanity…and to know everyone is mad must mean we may only be more aware of our insanity than most.

Prior to & After Alice’s Adventure
While most often celebrated in an Alice-related context, the Cheshire Cat predates the 1865 novel. “To grin like a Cheshire Cat” is in fact an expression, which dates back to Victorian times, as described in the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms.

After the publication, the character of the Cheshire Cat transcended fictional literature and became enmeshed in far more than just popular culture, appearing in various forms of media, from political cartoons to television. It also appears in many cross-disciplinary studies, from business to science.

Bonus Fact

Unanswered, But Never Spoken: How We Hide In Plain Sight

Some things are not supposed to be shared. Sometimes, the content of our minds is better left unsaid, regardless of the aftermath. Eventually after not saying what we think for long enough, it becomes éphémère. A shadow of it’s own self, alive for only a split second in time, until it faces the inevitable…

When we harbour questions to which we do not have answers, what are we to do? We can ask, but it doubtful, we will be told the truth. We can investigate, however, it’d be unforgivable to be discovered, digging through someone elses life. So, we must carefully weigh our options. That’s life for us as a society now. We can never truly be ourselves with anyone. We can never speak about what we actually think in fear that others may be hurt or disapprove of our daring to ask.
There’s corpses in our closet and they’ll invariable come tumbling out. Why should it be any different for anyone else? We all have secrets. We all hide things from others in fear of rejection.

At times, I think we are conditioned to never question for a reason, but once we start we can’t turn it off. We lose the ability to trust or believe in the good-hearted qualities of people. Once you’re alone long enough…Once you’ve been hurt deeply enough…that part of you just plays dead. Although it feels like a form of physical death with all the pain and writhing, it simply lays dormant afterwards. In a way, it waits to be reawakened, to be reborn in another form of itself. Perhaps in this life, perhaps in the next…But the flame that is reignited is just a means to an end: the realisation of cosmic unity.

When we toss and turn, attempting not to ask those pesky questions, which won’t let go…If we cannot trust enough to ask, what will become of us? How can we live our lives, not looking for worthwhile answers to the questions that plague us? How can we be at peace with that? After all, what we have to lose is something fleeting, should we have the courage to dare question anything…After everything, it is in destroying our hopes, dreams and illusions that we grow into responsible adults, or so it seems…

Who we are goes so much deeper than the eye can see, but we are distracted by instant gratification to even notice the more long-term consequences of our actions. We are who we choose to be right now, despite our darker mistakes in the past. If anyone can find redemption, why not us? We simply need to act accordingly. We need to be deserving of truth in order to attain it, which means to assess how much we wish to sacrifice to obtain it. For what its worth, I’ve broken more times than I can count, but it has never been without purpose. Truth hurts. This is no excuse to detach ourselves from the simple pleasure of human connection. To shut ourselves away from the world in more ways than necessary. We must try, even if we know we might fail. We must persevere in the face of adversity, because we define who we are.

We are who we choose to be in the here and now in those small, defining moments, which shape everything about out personality.

It is up to us as a whole to make our miracle happen.

It is through the small things that other perceive us. More importantly, when we seek redemption, to perceive us differently. However, if we don’t mean it, we won’t be able to maintain a caring or even loving attitude. In fact, suppressing emotion generally causes us to spiral, so when we cannot get the answers we want, we channel our energies differently. Though we know, we can’t find closure this way. We procrastinate, subconsciously waiting for the opportunity…for absolute truth to surface in a relative universe.

Christmas is…

Christmas is not just once a year. Every minute of every hour is Christmas. The Spirit of Christmas dwells within us all year round…Christ or Saint Nicolaus are merely a symbol for something much greater and much more significant. Christmas is a time of giving and receiving. A time, where we remember what is important, but when that happens only once a year, we are depriving ourselves of something very valuable…The Root of True Happiness.

Goal of Life

The ultimate achievement in life is perfect equality. A world, in which every man, woman and child is well cared for, content and eager to contribute with limitless opportunities. A world, in which the physical, mental and emotional needs of the people are provided for…at least once a year.

Historically, when a state demonstrates that it cares for its people and not merely desires them to become a functional member in society for another taxpayers payday, its citizens far are more educated, content and selfless. When the government engages in random acts of kindness that affect every single person, the collective displays a greater levels of commitment toward its leaders. Their desire to revolt and inclinations toward violence are diminished significantly, as their awareness of how the seeds of corruption grow from within reaches its peak… The psychological trauma inflicted upon powerful leaders reverberates back onto society. Although they may proclaim the most honourable of intentions, they still feel as if they have every reason to rebel against the majority for the actions of a small minority… Men, such as Scrooge, are not forged in a day. Children rarely exhibit sadistic, narcissistic or malignant tendencies without a trigger event. It is an act of providence that leaders rise to the top from nothing, but it is a miracle if they do so without any form of hostility toward the past.

From a historical standpoint, communities would gather during winter for additional food, drink and heat. Before it was a time for worship, it was a time for togetherness. The Spirit of Christmas is one of healing and self-realisation, associated predominantly with temperatures that psychological put us on edge. In the back of the mind, our survival instincts to seek warmth, shelter and company to combine resources has lingered all this time. Although we perceive these tendencies to be dormant relics of an ancient past, they influence us unconsciously. As the heat of the summer dissipates and the leaves begin to fall, we feel the change of the seasons…We are reminded of the passage of time. At times, it even forces us to confront our own physical mortality. However, without physical security, which includes financial prosperity at the coldest time of the year, Christmas is a time for new beginnings that take root in unspeakable hardship. Not all fairy tales end in a happy-ever-after in this world… Perhaps, the hereafter, dependent upon what you choose to believe.

More importantly, our physical needs are mere manifestation of our psychological longing. Sustenance, security, togetherness, intellectual growth and the search for meaning are all rooted in a kind of unity, which marks the cessation of desire and suffering. What we seek is not survival, love, immortality or peace, but the true Spirit of Christmas: Self-Realisation.

The Shamanic Origin of Christmastime

The tradition of Christmas dates back further than the birth of Christ. Before the pagan rituals that celebrated the winter solstice, the ancient shamans, dressed in a red gown, rejoiced as the entire community came together at the coldest time of the year…

The shamanic origins of Christmas begin with the indigenous people of Siberia that herded Reindeers. Their ancestors still continue this tradition, although the Sixth Mass Extinction threatens their natural habitat. Although some shamanic cultures ultimately became Pagan, other cultures were more geographically isolated, which inadvertently shielded them numerous socio-political changes that remodelled the ancient belief structures of specific nations.

Meaning of the Term

The phrase “at Christmas-Time” is more frequently used to hint toward the 24-25th of December, yet there is a deeper meaning… The term “Christmas” developed over time. In Old English, “Christmas” was spelt and written in two seperate words: “Christ-Mæsse”, meaning “Mass of Christ”. It referred to the Roman-Catholic Church service that we nowadays just call ‘mass’. However, in those times, mass was interpreted differently… During the coldest time of the year, many losses were felt in the community as a result of the increased exposure to the elements. At any time throughout history, church service was commonly associated with birth and death. A time, when we experience a loss of control, which leads us to search for meaning, and perhaps a deeper purpose.

Historically, Roman-Catholic mass honours the death of its saviour, Jesus Christ, which wiped the slate for humanity. All sins were forgiven. Mankind was saved from natural destruction. Yet, by continuously focusing on the crucifixion of Christ, the tradition of Christian mass has become a sacrificial death-ritual, in which the subject of worship dies over again over again…

That which we fail to realise about these doctrines is, both, birth and death occur simultaneously at every minute of every hour. With every second, we die and with every second, we are reborn.

“In a relativistic existence, birth and death are not merely a matter of cause and effect, they are manifestations of that which existed prior to relativity. For the point that we’re trying to make, even duality. The human mind perceives the passage of time as a sequence of moments, but only because our consciousness interprets it in this manner. For instance, without space-time, the practitioner, the subject and the act of worship would become one. There would be no boundaries between them. The past, present and future of them would become more than simultaneous. One couldn’t discern where one ends and the other begins, nor would one desire to.”

As you know, Christmas in itself has many different names as well as long-forgotten origins that are all derived from ancient religious and/or spiritual customs…of which countless made their way into theoretical/applied science. However, In their bare essence, they all share aspects of prayer, celebration, liturgy and veneration.

Christmas Several Times Per Day

If you are Pagan,
Every moment of every day is yuletide.

If you are Christian,
Every second is Christmas

If you are Jewish,
Every moment is Chanukah.

If you are Hindu,
Every breath is Dwali.

If you are an Atheist,
Every passing minute is an opportunity to celebrate the present.

There was an age, when Christmastime was several times each day. Every time, the Roman Catholic Church held a service. Every time, a disciple of the faith knelt in solemn prayer…it was Christmastime. Yet, this interpretation has faded into the background, as it is not commercially-viable to sell Christmas all year round under the guise of a spiritual theme, which inadvertently implies corporations would be required to share their profits with organised religious institutions.

It’s a celebration in itself, when we seize the opportunity to express our gratitude for life, the universe and everything, when we take the chance to perform a selfless act of kindness without expecting anything in return or when we dedicate ourselves to something greater than ourselves. We don’t need Churches, Temples or Mosques to practice such a faith, as we carry it with us everywhere we go… However, when we practice religion in this fashion, our beliefs become us. If God is Love or Peace, then so are we. If God is Wrath, then so are we. We become one with our interpretation of what which we worship by concentrating our energies through our perception…but in so doing, we often forget that the Spirit of an object or subject is intangible and unknowable by default. We attempt to understand that which cannot be understood, for it is understanding.

With every breath, the spirit of the seasons comes and goes, in the form of the all-pervading Multiversal Spirit. That is the essence of Christmas. It is a Oneness that permeates all, which cannot be described in words, it can only be felt with the heart…and not only once a year, but all year round…

What Is It That We Are All Living For? – A Personal Story

Have you ever spent day by day, wondering why? The answer has been explained in depth inside other posts…Self-Realisation. The experience of cosmic oneness that absorbs the experiencer and the experienced into itself.

Beyond that, what the fuck are we doing?

I dont know about you but I…well…I am perhaps the worst excuse of a human being. After so many years of doing what was expected, I ventured out on my own at the ripe age of 14…still conditioned to do what is necessary to survive in a hostile environment. Friendship was never a concept that was in the cards for me, neither were healthy relationships. After years of abuse, my stench of desperation pretty much drove everyone away.

Recently, I’ve felt a sense of hope, which reawakened dreams that perished long ago. Perhaps, things can change for the better after all. Perhaps, I’m just another anti-feminist, seeking true partnership instead oneupmanship…No matter what I am, I choose to live my life speaking my mind freely.

For this reason, I am sharing something deeply personal with you. It goes beyond the spiritual concepts, we strive for but can never make a utopian reality. We, as people, have strayed so far from our path…Social segregation has driven us to the brink of insanity followed by imminent genocide. When to know this is going on in the world means to be politically incorrect, what happens to the truth? It becomes the first casualty of a world war that is inbound.

I could never wrap my head around the sense behind it all. By the age of 15, I had lost everything. My home. My family. Any possible support network I could have had to process these losses with assistance…As time kept passing by the second, I felt as though the ground had shattered under my feet. Safety revealed itself to be an illusion maintained by the tallest thug in the room with the fighting experience to back his play and control the crowd.

For what it’s worth, I did not desist. I worked hard, read every book under the sun and began my journey into adulthood with little success. At a young age, I already took responsibility for people two or three times my age…and after nearly 15 years, several questions arose. Will it always be this way? Will anyone ever take care of me? Why am I still here, when I’m just living on borrowed time?

After I had been raped the first time, I told no one. Still haven’t. The responses from those I spoke to about an attempted rape at 14 were lacking more than merely compassion…so I learnt to keep stumm. Before that incident, I thought it could not get any worse. I had suffered the unspeakable at the hands of fanily, friends and strangers to the point I ceased to trust…However, when I least expected it, I fell in love. Someone had made the effort to convey over several hours of conversation that I could do anything with my life. I could aim for the stars. He’d given me hope, as I was about to give up. Initially, as things headed into a romantic direction, I fell back on my original conditioning…to please at any cost…but then he got me to trust him after a couple of years. Everything was looking up for the first time in over 6 years…until one night, when he returned home drunk out of his mind. After the second time by another person, it seemed less painful…less important. I wanted to tell, but I was numb. When intimacy was demanded from me, I would reciprocate…pretending to enjoy whatever the fuck was wanted with a smile. Personally, I thought that would never change.

The want for the pain to end is the primary cause behind all suicide. Nobody wants to die, but death is preferable over suffering. How do I know? During a dark night at 14, my mother had gone to bed. Again, I could not sleep. At that time, I had become accustomed to crying myself to sleep after extreme arguments that would last hours every day and would sometimes end in violence. I never hit back. I couldn’t, so I began to self-harm. In the end, it was a cycle of hurting myself for being hurt…until I tried to run away twice. When that didn’t work, I hoarded enough pills or what I thought was enough. After 10 years in the medical industry, I know better now, but then, I just couldn’t wait any longer. I was so desperate for the pain to end, I took the chance without a backup solution. Statistically, the more lethal the means of suicide, the more successful they are.

For what it is worth, I am fortunate it did not succeed. I was lucky to survive to process what drove me to such measures. Moreover, I survived worse after without resorting to further attempts.

Life is a whirlwind of experience. I would not wish for it to be any other way. Without the bad days, how could there be the good? We must never give up on ourselves or others. It is our solemn duty to squeeze the most out of life, just not at the expense of others. Be kind to those who’ve known to little kindness. Be bold to those who overstep their mark at the expense of others…and love unconditionally for the fucking hell of it.