I have been musing the impact of colonialism on the world this morning and it is raising some interesting thoughts.
What impact do you think colonialism, and its desire to dictate terms to the colonised, has had on the way we see and think about the world we currently live in?
when a colony, a society, or an individual is dictated to...they learn to dictate...what tends to be lost in that, is their own imagination and the ability to creatively and logically think for themselves...while many of the things that came out of all of history have been good for the development of consciousness and societies themselves...it now needs re-thinking...
our systems are failing due to the fact that their very foundations are not built upon compassion...as long as we continue to think in parts...the whole will suffer...*
Until we stop dictating the cycle will continue.
Well that is a dictatorship if ever I heard one. lol
Accept All & Question Everything
Unfortunately our systems are not failing...they are changing...and there is always
upheaval going on before changes come into being. A dictator gets nowhere if no one
can listen, hear or understand...or wants a dictator to dictate.
Back in the 70's we used to say "Suppose we gave a war and nobody came." in other
words nobody wants to play the game so the field of battle is empty...
Hi Abby,
iow it reflects that 'empire building' mindset. A thirst or ambition for power and dominance over others.
This mindset is seen through the ambitions of multinational companys and even on much smaller scales. Bullying in schoolyards, in the workplace, in relationships. Sometimes even supposedly based on good intentions.
A few months back the large company i work advise they are looking for 'head-kickers' to control others with an iron first. On telling the director of the board i'v no real ambitions for this he says 'Well, control or be controlled..Your choice'. Whatya do, hey? hehe
Starss wise quipp "Suppose we gave a war and nobody came" could work, mostly, but suppose the war comes to you ?
Say, in other forms of violence. Someone breaks into your place and wants to rape your daughter or something or the school bully that won't let up ?
: )
starrs,
As always an intersting look. I think you are spot on in that it is simply changing. IMO all that is playing out will always be by Jah design, and you and I are just along for the ride. Yet, you and I are very much in control of where we are and must always revel in the spontateous nature of things.
I also like what you said about not going to war. Personally I think the only way any progress will be made is from the bottom up. It is only through the empowerment at ground level that the power wield at the top will be lessened. This imo would have a fall down effect and would see the power rightfully distributed, instead of dictated almost without exception. Sadly, I think the only way this is going to happen is through an event of biblical proportions, otherwise those who are caught up in the dictating/dictated game just aint going to shift.
Hi fin,
That is hilarious about your work. What did you decide?
As it stands today I would have probably decided to control and try and eat away at control from that position. Have tried in vain for years to eat away from the position of controlled and it never worked. lol
This kill or be killed mentality is very telling isn't it?
When a boss tells you this kind of thing, find another boss. The company
is going down - going down fast.. and that boss and the company is in trouble.
I would be on the lookout for another company that believes in a more progressive way.
And before I left I would personally tell that boss what a loser he is...then walk
out.
Either that or lose the boss....this kind of thinking is like poison!!!
I used to work temporary positions. In one company, I came in and sat at my desk
doing the work, but everything was off. The people didn't feel right, the atmosphere
was odd, and I knew something was wrong but couldn't put my finger on it.
After the first week, a lady came up to me and offered me "Valium". All of the
staff were on Valium so they could deal with a heavyhanded boss. The company later
went out of business.
I used to think like that also. It has meant that I have lived poor and struggled to find food for my plate. Today I give thanks for every gift and if if I am led to being able to spread love in an otherwise corrupted environment I welcome that also.
Rejection never solved anything for I. If it did for you then great.
in 'not' rejecting, what have you accepted? is that not in and of itself, rejecting that which you have 'not' accepted?
star,
Great to see you post and good points. :o)
As I am sure you are aware it is not about accepting or rejecting though is it? It is all just language empoyed to point towards an idea that you are 'experiencing' in that moment. Wether you accept or reject the idea it still happens. Doesn't it?
my point was more to the point that you were pointing out starions 'rejection' of something, but you contridicted yourself, b/c by accepting 'something else', you have yourself 'rejected' all that is not included...
as far as it 'happening'...does it 'happen' the way you 'think' it does? iow, are you experiencing the truth of what is happening or are you labeling that truth according to what you 'think'?
starss, yes, it's a good idea to leave and Abby, yep, the 'kill or be killed' is telling but its nothing new and i'm not doing anything about it really *Shrugs*.
Funnily enough, its justified by apparantly good intentions. To get the job done efficiently & effectively (not to mention keep the Executive shareholders/investors smiling).
Leave or not, realistically, im not going to change any 'mindsets' so i make the best of it, for now, till its gone. Also, jobs are a premium, half the company was retrenched over the last year, and i'v committed to supporting the family and the families that rely on this work. For now.
Anyway, 95% of the time, i'm left alone to do my work and resolve the design with others doing the same, so usually i dont' need to get too involved in these 'control or be controlled' politics.
On the rare occasion there is a bullying, its a matter of staying focused and clarifying the agenda at hand and what exaclty is being said and whether there is a need to have the work completed in a timely fashion or they are prepared to accept responsibility for delays and if so, to put it in writing. 95% they end up befuddled by it all and give up. Bullys dont like confrontation. Usually they can give it but not take it.
anyways, thanks for the kind thoughts abbs, starss : )
Colonialism is the extension of a nation's sovereignty over territory beyond its borders by the establishment of either settler or exploitation colonies in which indigenous populations are directly ruled, displaced, or exterminated. Colonizing nations generally dominate the resources, labor, and markets of the colonial territory, and may also impose socio-cultural, religious, and linguistic structures on the indigenous population (see also cultural imperialism). It is essentially a system of direct political, economic, and cultural intervention and hegemony by a powerful country in a weaker one. Though the word colonialism is often used interchangeably with imperialism, the latter is sometimes used more broadly as it covers control exercised informally (via influence) as well as formal military control or economic leverage.
The term colonialism may also be used to refer to an ideology or a set of beliefs used to legitimize or promote this system. Colonialism was often based on the ethnocentric belief that the morals and values of the colonizer were superior to those of the colonized; some observers link such beliefs to racism and pseudo-scientific theories dating from the 18th to the 19th centuries. In the western world, this led to a form of proto-social Darwinism that placed white people at the top of the animal kingdom, "naturally" in charge of dominating non-European aboriginal populations.
I remember seeing a documentary explaining colonialism to exist mainly within Eur-Asia mostly because of the east-west geography of the continent. It was easier to travel and conquer in an east-west direction. As opposed to the north-south geography of the Americas. The difference in climate changes prevented early American people from travelling north-south.
So after many centuries of fighting, Europeans were able to develop great weapons. The likes of which the early Americans were unequipped to deal with.
Well the rest is history ... I hope all humans will share equal rights very soon, maybe in our lifetime ? That poverty will be eliminated. There is no need for poverty , if greed is reduced, destroyed . Maybe the economic crisis will help us wealthy people see that the best things in life truly are free. Although poverty sucks, so those that have abundance will share .
Mary,
Unfortunately I think great tribulation will have to occur before what you wish for happens. Like you suggested elsewhere people are to greedy and place themself first before just about everything else. It is saddening.
fin,
The last couple of days I have been considering the possibility that we are all pushed to extremes by an overload of stimuli so that we become to busy fighting amongst ourselves to actually be able to see as we were ALL born to see.
Seriously some of the nonsensical gibber that I have gone with here all over scemantics is shameful.
This nonsense must end.
Live & Let Live Brother. :o)
Hey Abbs,
Yeah brother, there's some synchronicty in our thoughts, again.
Maybe we just become hooked on what we're born to see, assuming the "optical illusion of consciousness" Einstein spoke of, to be true.
Brother, you echo what Churchill said, 'It's "one damn thing after another" for most'.
Silently. Still. Atop from Westmister Tower he stood watching the cheers, waves, screeches and screams of swelling crowds when the end of the Great War was announced.
much love to you & family : )
Abbs,
BTW i don't see any semantics you need to be shameful over & think you speak frankly and straightforwardly.
:)
A man or a woman who works to support his/her family has to put up with some
stuff. Work is, after all, a form of self-discipline. For me, when the job
became difficult, I searched out something that fit me better. In so doing,
I finally found the kind of job I could do for the rest of my life, without
exhausting me. And that, that was the best job of all because I did what I
loved and was thrilled to have that job. I could arrive home refreshed as if
I hadn't worked and thrilled to return to work the next day.I felt as if I
were the hands of God working here on this earth...and that was my joy. It
was the first job that I didn't do for the money, but for the fun of doing.
The money was a bonus...
fin,
What better way to keep us in our place to have us fighting amongst ourselfs instead of fighting together for a better world.
Call me paranoid but I think the latter is deemed to be too dangerous.
Thanks for the kindness re semantics but if we are honest with ourself how can I possibly remove myself from the mob. Acknowledging this is just a way for me to strengthen the idea to simply turn the other cheek in the future. :o)
Love to you and your crew.
starrs,
Patience is a virtue as we struggle through the sh*t pile but it always pays off if we remain true to who we are. ;o)
Do you still work with disadvantaged children?
As always.....today we are learning a whole new set of sounds....and maybe...
in a year or two..(or miracles do happen...sooner!) we'll be reading Dick and
Jane.... It's all so thrilling....
And Abs, thank you for remembering....
One of the thrills of teaching at so low a level, is that all of the ego
in the world is useless. Each little step, a sound, a word, even a motion
that indicates progress is praised beyond belief.
The whole atmosphere has to be a ton of fun...a smile,...lots of praise...and
just a barrel of monkeys...mischievious and sometimes raucous...games and play
with a purpose...
That sounds so beautiful as always mate.
You are a true inspiration.
A cup of tea is in order I feel. lol :o)
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