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"The executioner's face is always well hidden" -- Bob Dylan
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 Power Corrupts The Best
Mikhail Bakunin, Sunday, Jan 1 2006, 3:05am
Nothing is more dangerous for man's private morality than the habit of command. The best man, the most intelligent, disinterested, generous, pure, will infallibly and always be spoiled at this trade. Two sentiments inherent in power never fail to produce this demoralisation; they are: contempt for the masses and the overestimation of one's own merits.
international /
social/political /
article
Sedition and Opportunity
Kingfisher, Saturday, Nov 5 2005, 1:24am
Real democracies are populated with active not passive citizens; passivity is characteristic of totalitarian and other oppressive regimes. Prior to any government or ruling body eliminating hard-won liberties and circumventing constitutional rights, the population must necessarily become timid, fearful, apathetic and passive. How simple it becomes to harness and manipulate such a population!
international /
human rights /
article
Derrida's Deconstruction of Authority
Saul Newman, Friday, Oct 14 2005, 1:08pm
This article explores the political aspect of Derrida's work, in particular his critique of authority. Derrida employs a series of strategies to expose the antagonisms within Western philosophy, whose structures of presence provide a rational and essentialist foundation for political institutions. Therefore, Derrida's interrogation of the universalist claims of philosophy may be applied to the pretensions of political authority. Moreover, I argue that Derrida's deconstruction of the two paths of 'reading' - inversion and subversion - may be applied to the question of revolutionary politics, to show that revolution often culminates in the reaffirmation of authority. Derrida navigates a path between these two strategies, allowing one to formulate philosophical and political strategies that work at the limits of discourse, thereby pointing to an outside. This outside, I argue, is crucial to radical politics because it unmasks the violence and illegitimacy of institutions and laws.
international /
philosophy /
article
Matilda’s last Waltz
cleaves, Tuesday, Oct 11 2005, 4:26am
The Industrial Relations debate in Australia is noted by the lack of involvement of those most affected – the entire working population of the nation! We witness various politicians, churchmen, union officials arguing the issues but we do not witness a mobilisation of the workforce ending the argument one way or the other. It is the workforce that must determine its own course or be led by slimy politicians and corporate bosses.
national /
social equality/unity /
article
Apathy
finch, Monday, Sep 26 2005, 7:19am
Whether born/e of passivity or apathy, the world’s populations are tolerating, as never before, gross ineptitude, incompetence and criminality from their governments. Comparisons could be made with infamous regimes of the past that maintained their illegitimate rule by deploying draconian social policies and manipulating information. However, today, information is easily accessed through various sources not controlled by mainstream media or governments yet apathy in the face of deliberate deception and criminal government prevails.
international /
social equality/unity /
article
Symbolism in the Gospel of Mark
fish, Monday, Aug 8 2005, 7:10am
Christian theologians throughout history have failed to understand the significance of the (odd) appearance of the naked youth in the Gospel of Mark. The obvious reason for this failure, according to NT doctrine, is their unbelief and inability to commune with their own God of Truth (Jesus Christ) and receive insights. It is not the failure of the Master’s message; it is the lack of understanding and faith in his promises that inhibits the perceptive faculties.
international /
theology /
article
The Gold Bead Game
peptide, Friday, Apr 15 2005, 9:01pm
Judgement was recently passed on a perpetrator of one of the largest corporate fraud/failures in Australian history. Minimum time to be served, approximately two and a half years! When we consider the negative impact this individual had on numerous shareholders, employees and the average ‘Joe’ in the street, one could wonder at the ‘severity’ of a sentence usually reserved for marijuana offences. Perhaps publishing the defendant’s legal costs may have helped a lay public better understand how justice is dispensed in Australia. But that’s another story (which should be written). This story will examine one factor contributing to the demise of a huge financial ‘institution’.
editorial /
injustice/law /
article
Aussies May Target Bank
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 10:24am
The recent [tsunami] tragedy in South Asia revealed the ugly face of Capitalism, specifically the behaviour of Australian banks in not waiving their parasitic fee imposition on financial donations to victims of the tsunami disaster. Let it be known where their priorities lie. Banks needed to be reminded before displaying some humanitarian empathy.
international /
social/political /
article
Over
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 6:46am
Think for a moment of the elites who rule but never dirty their hands; that set whole populations against each other – those self-styled arbiters of division who profit on the misery of others? Give some thought to the huge profits made from conflict of all types, from the small social conflict of someone's dog soiling a neighbour's lawn, to all-out war of nations. Then ask yourself who profits?
international /
social equality/unity /
article
The Singularity of Being
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 6:12am
Infinity is inclusive not exclusive – there are no ‘others’ in infinity, all becomes One. How are we (including mathematicians, physicists, astro-physicists, philosophers etc.,) to gain an understanding of a process if we separate ourselves from that process? Infinity is an all-encompassing singularity; there are no two infinities – a perfect philosophical contradiction would exist otherwise. So how can there be a subject or object, observer or observed, a thinker and thought etc., without division of the continuity of One? If continuous singularity (infinity) is the ultimate living reality then the aforementioned dualisms exist outside of that singular reality, as such they are relegated to transience and unreality (illusion or dream).
international /
philosophy /
article
 Slaves of Love
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 6:03am
Western students have immense difficulty understanding the very Eastern concept of Karma. Too often Judaeo-Christian (Zoroastrian originally) principles of light-dark, God-Satan, good-bad and all the other polar and binary oppositions pollute perception. Had Newton been a philosopher instead of a mathematician and physicist he would have made an even greater contribution to Western society. His understanding of the Laws of action/re-action are very close indeed. (story and 1 image)
international /
personal development /
article
 The Guru
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 6:00am
The opera singer and a champagne glass – interesting association considering the title of this piece. Yet as an analogy it is difficult to beat. Most of us are familiar with an opera singer hitting a high note and creating a sympathetic reverberation in a champagne glass until it too starts to resonate and produce sound. The singer, in harmony with the frequency of the resonating glass, increases vocal intensity until the glass shatters into pieces! Here we have the perfect analogy of the guru and disciple relationship in a perfect world. But we are all too familiar with the imperfections of the world and unfortunately most ‘gurus’ fit into today’s world comfortably! (story and 1 attached file)
international /
personal development /
article
Monism and Pluralism
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 5:48am
Religious texts from various cultures all seem to falter when attempting to integrate the homogeneous infinite Oneness and the heterogeneous multiplicity of phenomenal existence. The heterogeneous is easily apprehended by all as the world. The difficulty arises when reconciliation is attempted between what appears on the surface to be two disparate states ie, singular monadic continuum and transient temporal multiplicity. The Scriptures are usually emphatic regarding the ‘sameness’ of these two disparate states, which would appear to the rational mind to be paradoxical or contradictory descriptions. Nevertheless, the position of the Scriptures remains firm though unclear. (story and 1 attached file)
international /
philosophy /
article
Jnana
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 5:42am
One of the most valuable contributions that India has made to the world of (practical) philosophy is the discipline of Jnana Yoga – Oneness through knowledge. However, in today’s world of fads and quick fixes Jnana Yoga has been relegated to relative obscurity and has become an object of scholarly pursuit rather than a practical system. Yet its credentials for effectiveness are impeccable. (story and 2 attached files)
international /
philosophy /
article
Crossroads
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 5:37am
At some point during the course of one’s sadhana a crucial stage is reached ie, the realisation that the mind is attempting to transcend itself by entertaining concepts (mental fabrications) of the goal. This process is both circular and dangerous.
international /
personal development /
article
Doubt and Maya
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 5:28am
Doubt is a horrid thing, is it not? Imagine if the sun doubted, it would extinguish; or on a lesser scale, if a centipede had to think which foot to put before the other, it would make very slow progress, if any at all. What is the effect of doubt on humans? Tragic is an accurate description. Doubt removes us from the knowledge of our essential nature/Self, which results in becoming profoundly lost in this world (Maya). (story and 1 image)
international /
philosophy /
article
Pranayama
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 5:04am
Various approaches to the movement of vital force are detailed in Indian Yoga texts. For the Southern Siddha tradition pranayama is the harmonising of the vital principle that courses through the ‘system.’
international /
personal development /
article
Asana
cleaves, Sunday, Jan 16 2005, 5:03am
Asana is a divine gesture assumed by the body but performed (or pre-formed) by consciousness; this ‘gesture’ acknowledges the relationship between the personal and infinite in particular characteristic ‘form’ or expression. For those who fail to spontaneously understand the above description the following brief explanation is offered.
international /
personal development /
article
Kundalini
cleaves, Saturday, Jan 15 2005, 10:26pm
As a result of the widespread commercialisation of ‘Yoga’ in the US and the overnight manifestation of numerous ‘expert’ teachers, an alarming amount of misinformation and misinterpretation of Yoga philosophy has occurred. Unlike other fanciful fads, which pose no health hazard to participants, Yoga improperly taught could result in serious physical and psychological injury to the student. This is particularly the case if advanced levels of Yoga are pursued without proper preparation or expert guidance.
international /
personal development /
article
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