What say of it? what say CONSCIENCE grim, That spectre in my path? – Chamberlayne’s Pharonnida There has always been a fascination with “horror” since time immemorial, such that much of what functions to thrill us today is not much different from the sort of folk tales told hundreds if not thousands of years ago.
Beautifully written Cynthia. My husband and I were just yesterday talking about that experiment with the obedience of inflicting pain on others just because someone in ‘authority’ told them to.
So many of us look at people we once knew , and even family, and are baffled at their compliance and lack of critical thought. The banality of evil: seemingly decent people self righteously cheerleading serious violations of other people’s fundamental human rights. And to add to that, they’re all flying Ukrainian flags . None of them seem to actually care that WE did this to the Ukraine. And that blind compliance is destroying people and our countries. What happened to these people? For those who see, witnessing this is a terrible thing.
I'm so glad, Cynthia, that you're looking at good and evil, and considering the possibility that human nature is entirely good. It has become the unthinkable. I've been thinking to do an episode on Satan Is Not Real. It's not a belief in God that's the absolute dogma of any religion, but the belief in evil, sin, inferiority. Believing in evil hides a lazy imagination that isn't picturing a solution. I think it's time we stopped scaring ourselves.
Thank you for such an interesting analysis. I have recently experienced a non voluntary career change and my brain is lonely. I've found your articles are a wonderful way to stretch the nogin.
>'an imp of the perverse, an external possession, that causes you to do something almost against your will, '<
Arjuna said: O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world. As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo is covered by the womb, the living entity is similarly covered by different degrees of this lust. Thus the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire. [It is said in the ManuSmṛti that lust cannot be satisfied by any amount of sense enjoyment, just as fire is never extinguished by a constant supply of fuel.] The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust. Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him. Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.
[BhagavadGita As It Is / A.C.Bhaktivedanta Prabhupad]
Beautifully written Cynthia. My husband and I were just yesterday talking about that experiment with the obedience of inflicting pain on others just because someone in ‘authority’ told them to.
So many of us look at people we once knew , and even family, and are baffled at their compliance and lack of critical thought. The banality of evil: seemingly decent people self righteously cheerleading serious violations of other people’s fundamental human rights. And to add to that, they’re all flying Ukrainian flags . None of them seem to actually care that WE did this to the Ukraine. And that blind compliance is destroying people and our countries. What happened to these people? For those who see, witnessing this is a terrible thing.
I'm so glad, Cynthia, that you're looking at good and evil, and considering the possibility that human nature is entirely good. It has become the unthinkable. I've been thinking to do an episode on Satan Is Not Real. It's not a belief in God that's the absolute dogma of any religion, but the belief in evil, sin, inferiority. Believing in evil hides a lazy imagination that isn't picturing a solution. I think it's time we stopped scaring ourselves.
Amazing reading! You are such a blessing to my husband and me. We love reading and listening to you and also Matt.
love where your heart takes you...
Thank you for such an interesting analysis. I have recently experienced a non voluntary career change and my brain is lonely. I've found your articles are a wonderful way to stretch the nogin.
>'an imp of the perverse, an external possession, that causes you to do something almost against your will, '<
Arjuna said: O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world. As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo is covered by the womb, the living entity is similarly covered by different degrees of this lust. Thus the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire. [It is said in the ManuSmṛti that lust cannot be satisfied by any amount of sense enjoyment, just as fire is never extinguished by a constant supply of fuel.] The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust. Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him. Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.
[BhagavadGita As It Is / A.C.Bhaktivedanta Prabhupad]
Wonderful essay.
Lovecrafts Cthulhu is another possible usual subject. Bidens Red Sermon had some impossible correlations... (entp) forgive the working essay link.... https://godtype.substack.com/p/bidens-red-speech-decoded-welcoming
https://soundcloud.com/jueri-svjagintsev/orson-welles-hoax-on-the-radio?si=0325073a07c34386a37af5feb18222bb&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Orson Welles comments.