- You can never solve a problem on the level on which it
was created.
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- --Albert Einstein
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- My email can be a source of pain or a source of
pleasure, the choice rests with me. The senders provide the
information but it is I who determines the manner in which it is
received.
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- My philosophy has always been to investigate everything
that is placed in my path. You may consider this a colossal
waste of time, yet I consider it imperative to my pursuit of
truth. It is far too easy to reject that which is confusing
or unpleasant. It is far too easy to delete words that may possibly
provide an answer to the questions which haunt me.
There is always the possibility that among the hundreds of letters, lurks
the pearl of great price. Will I dismiss those words or will
I read and reread them?
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- And so, when I received a series of emails
from a man who I will simply call Steve, I did not pounce on my delete
key. I carefully studied what this man was telling me. I
wanted to know more, so I headed to New York City to meet him at a
restaurant and listen to his message. There are times when
we must trust our instincts. There are times when we must
look beyond the scars of past disillusionment.
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- In the true spirit of paradox, Steve's message was
both disturbing and hopeful. He began by describing events
that had happened to him. I was transfixed by the extraordinary.
Next he showed me pictures on his laptop; clear depictions of
the symbols which exist all around us, symbols that we rarely see.
He told me about the Prison Planet in which we reside; the endless loop
in which we are stuck.
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- The truth shall set you free.
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- Many people have used the expression "Prison Planet"
to describe this third rock from the sun. Is this merely a catchy
phrase or is it a chillingly accurate description? How many
people seriously believe that we are, indeed, living in a prison? Acknowledging
this truth is the first step.
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- The Holy Books tell us that everything is "one".
The sages tell us that there is no division except that which the
mind creates. The psychologists talk about the ego and
the sense of the separate self. We shake our heads in confusion.
How could the world of "the many", in reality, be but a
trick of the mirror? Could it be true that beyond the appearance
of duality, lies "the one"?
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- It is easy to point your finger at a designated "enemy"
and suggest ways in which to defeat it. Have those ways ever
worked? Have we ever had peace? If this is merely "the
one" pretending to be "the many", then there
is no victory for either side of the polarity In the world
of duality, how can you have "good" without "evil"? Isn't
that akin to having "up" without "down"?
Is peace possible when we are at war with ourselves?
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- When you give your attention to one side of the polarity,
you energize the other side and, at the end of the day, your results
are in opposition to the stated goal. It is the illusion
of "us" and "them". You have unwittingly
widened the divide and added more bars to your prison cell.
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- Arguing with a supposed enemy is the arena in which
energy becomes enervated. Do you really think that you are going
to change someone's mind? Do you seriously believe that you
will scream him into submission? Will you accomplish anything
or merely solidify his position? Inform someone that he is a
racist. Does he respond "Oh, thanks for pointing that out"
or does he, instead, defend his position with renewed vigor?
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- Am I making a case for doing nothing ?
Hardly. Inactivity is not the answer but prudent activity just
might be. How are you going to enlighten your fellow beings?
How are you going to enlighten yourself? Emotion backed words
are either weapons or tools. How are you going to use them?
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- "God is love". People repeat the words as they
mindlessly exit from man made houses of worship. "Jesus
said that we should love our enemies and bless those who curse us.
Now, let's go and level the Middle East".
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- Some people cling to their anger as if it was a lover
heading out the door. Let it go. Hatred and anger are dangerous addictions
and addictions are the wardens in this prison.
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- "I have free will" you argue.
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- "Free will or controlled choices" ? I
respond.
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- Should we go to war this year or next year?
Should I vote for Bush or for Kerry? Should I watch channel 4 or
channel 7?
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- Remember when you were a child and your mother couched
her demands under the guise of choices? "Would you like
spinach with chicken or with a burger? Were you really getting
a choice, or were you getting spinach, like it or not?
Your freedom to choose had been deceptive. It was not freedom at
all. It was merely a device to get you to eat your spinach.
Parents have been using this technique for generations. But
parents are not the only ones who have learned how to get their children
to obey. Uncle Sam has outfoxed mom and pop. Uncle Sam knows that
we are merely children in aging bodies. Uncle Sam knows how to manipulate
our behavior.
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- Coffee in the a.m. and it's off to work.......television
in the p.m. and it's time for sleep.
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- Forget your 1950's sitcom view of reality.
We live in a world of death and decay. Look around you.
There is pain and suffering on Planet Earth. Our lives are shortened
while we misuse and abuse our bodies, our minds and one another.
Is this the way the Creator intended it to be? Perhaps
you had better remove that blindfold before it becomes so deeply imbedded
in your flesh that the best doctors will not be able to amputate it.
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- "In a dark time
- the eye begins to see"
- - Theodore Roethke
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- Listen to that still small voice that
is whispering in your ear, for it is the whisper of truth. Listen
while you still have ears to hear. Turn off your television and look around
you. Do you see more and more antennas on buildings? Do you
see more and more cameras on street lamps? Are they keeping us free
from the terrorists? Who are the terrorists? Who is keeping
you incarcerated? Who holds the key?
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- Copyright 2005: Judy Andreas
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- www.judyandreas.com
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- JUDE10901@AOL.com
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