The Transhuman Agenda

Last weekend I attended the Humanity Plus conference in Hong Kong. This was essentially a conference for transhumanists, although it also featured a good diversity of other presenters. The organisers of the conference were well intentioned, and many share similar ideas about mind and consciousness to my own. This post is not about them, so the following observations are not directed at them. But many of the invited speakers, who came from all over the world, were of an entirely different ilk.

Put simply, transhumanism is the idea that we will one day (hopefully soon) be able to upload our minds onto computers and live forever. Perhaps the most famous exponent of this idea is Ray Kurzweil, who in his book The Singularity is Near maintains that we will be able to reverse engineer the brain to create conscious machines; and then we can merge with them. Kurzweil was not at the conference, but there were a large number of other such transhumanists present.

I came away from the conference with my perspective on transhumanism largely unchanged. There are both technical and psycho-spiritual issues I have with the movement.

Intuitive Review of Strieber's "The Key" (4) Conclusions

During my recent series of posts on Whitley Strieber’s book The Key, I said that I would write one final post outlining what I feel are some problematical aspects of the text, including things that, according to my own experience, are wrong or limited. I have explored intuitive realms of consciousness for a couple of decades, including undergoing intensive ‘training’ in this area, and developed a high degree of clairvoyant capacity. I’m not going to try to explain or justify that here – you can read about it in my book Discover Your Soul Template (out in December 2011) if you are interested. If you are in a hurry you can now find my self-published version of the book on Amazon.com, under the title Sage of Synchronicity.

There are also a few more interesting truthful statements from The Key that I will also discuss in this blog post. So I will divide this final discussion of the book into two parts, “pros” and “cons”. Again, I have placed a sub-heading above each discussion point for ease of reading, as you may not want to read all of this post.

I prefer a gentle and open-minded approach to life’s big questions, so feel free to add your own insights in the comments section below, or state where you think I am incorrect.

Re-cap and overview of The Key

In The Key Whitley Strieber recounts a slightly bizarre tale of how a stranger burst into his hotel room at 2.30 in the morning, and proceeded to recount the meaning of life the universe and everything. After initially trying to get rid of him, Strieber eventually suspects that the man – whom he comes to call The Master of the Key – is actually relating some profound spiritual knowledge. Later Strieber wrote about the encounter and the Master’s knowledge claims in The Key.

The Pros

The lesson of darkness

The Master says that humanity is in chains, but it is the chains which can teach us freedom:

Love your enemy, for he is your best friend. Without the darkness, you would never know the glory of the firmament… You should bless your jailors, because without them you could never find your freedom. When you, as a species, remember why you have been imprisoned, and you face what you did, you will be free. (no page no.: 50% of the way through Kindle edition)

There’s a lot of truth to this. As I have previously written, the idea of being in chains is an archetypal human motif. In a sense we are all slaves to the limited amount of our innate intelligence that we express and the dark consciousness fields that so many of us are trapped in (despite the fact that most are unaware of their intelligence potential, nor aware of the consciousness fields in which they are entangled).

Learning to love our fear, including the fear of pain and darkness is a key to freedom. To love darkness does not mean to wallow in it or worship it, but merely to accept it for what it is; to hold it close such that we do not need to run and hide from it. It is when we shine the light of awareness upon the darkness that it loses its power over us. Then darkness becomes light. When we try to run and escape from darkness, it overwhelms us.

Intelligence versus consciousness

One distinction that the Master makes is one I have long noted in my own books and writings. He says that while human beings can construct intelligent machines, we are a long way from creating conscious machines.

Intelligence is the manipulator of knowledge, while consciousness knows itself. (56% of the way through Kindle edition)

This observation - relatively simple to any layperson - is the fundamental error that lies behind the transhuman movement – the idea that humans are going to upload their minds onto computers and achieve immortality. (Despite the silliness of this, it would make for an interesting story. Maybe the next of my short stories will deal with this!)

The other major error of the transhumanists is their failure to understand the complex nature of consciousness, and that it is not merely a flat property generated by the physical brain. The non-localised nature of consciousness (extending beyond the brain and into other dimensions) and the existence of the etheric body need to be taken into account. Fascinatingly, the Master touches upon this as he explains how an intelligent machine might be made:

By duplicating the attachments between the elemental and energetic bodies that occur in nature in a purpose-designed machine, a controllable conscious machine can be devised. A living soul attached to a machine will be conscious… (57% of the way through Kindle edition)

This implies a dualist system - mind and brain/machine as separate things - but that in itself is no reason to dismiss it. My experience leads me to conclude that consciousness and the brain are indeed two different phenomena, though intricately interrelated in human life on this planet. It is certainly possible that they may both be an expression of a fundamental underlying construct, but that is purely an intellectualism on my behalf – I have no direct perception of it.

The Master of the Key also says that we need to amplify human intelligence a hundredfold, and that intelligent machines will help in this respect. Fascinatingly, the single event which really launched my own exploration of the frontiers of human intelligence and consciousness occurred about nineteen years ago, when a female spirit guide with long brown hair appeared in my room during light sleep, and passed some important messages to me. She told me that I was using precisely three per cent of my innate intelligence. Since then I have seen that this retardation of our potential intelligence is pervasive right across the human race. I have always maintained that a significant development of Integrated Intelligence can help address this deficit in our innate intelligence. However, the Master indicates that artificial intelligence can also be a powerful boost to intelligence. I have no argument with that, merely to suggest that in order to utilise that machine intelligence appropriately, our spiritual nature must be more fully expressed. As the Master states, we are currently “soul blind”.

Consumerism and death

One other timely warning from the Master is that the consumer society is destructive:

After the suffering you are about to endure, mankind will never again lust after material wealth. You are about to suffocate in your own garbage. (51% of the way through Kindle edition)

Terrible as the metaphor is, this is not an earth shattering conclusion to draw, and I have to concur with the essence of it. It truly amazes me that even as the evidence for the horrendous pollution of oceans, land and air mounts, we are still investing energy into turning the planet into a giant consumer machine. In Asia, almost every nation seems to be following the same insane path to destruction: China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia… Those that follow the path and register high GDP levels are “rewarded” by the economic system. The rest of the world envies their “growth”. Investors from abroad rush in to make a “killing”. Yet these countries are the winners in a loser’s game (as are we all). The irony is that the whole system is rotten. Hyper materialistic futures are what I call “Money and Machines Futures” (as opposed to Deep Futures), and they are “impoverished” futures in the full sense of the word. The filth that is currently being pumped into the rivers, oceans and air in Asia is beyond imagining.

The Master links all this to our having a “death wish”.

People give up on themselves. They do it down deep inside, in places that the elemental mind, that is contained in the brain, cannot access… They do this when they see themselves committing the same errors they have returned to correct. When they give up on ascension, they devote themselves to the ‘acquisition” of material. But what does this really mean – that they can be near coveted objects while they are in the physical? The obsession with material is a symptom of despair. (60%)

The death wish is a genuine component of many a mind. I have found it within my own shadow. Freud was right (and despite the fact that he is out of fashion in mainstream cognitive science, I have seen that Freud was right about many, many things, despite his getting the big picture wrong). The Master may well be correct that the current most common expression of human culture is guiding us towards doom, and that deep down we already know it.

Sin is..

The Master says that sin is “denial of the right to thrive.” Personally, I think this is an excellent working definition of what drives much of human evil. That denial is a function of the desire for power and control over others and nature. But it’s a chicken and egg situation. What came first, the power and control complex, or the rejection of Spirit? My answer is that this problematique represents a dynamic feedback loop, constantly reinforcing itself.

The Cons

Now, let’s take a look at just a few problematic aspects of The Key.

Meditate or disintegrate!

The Master tells Strieber that if a person does not establish a close relationship with the radiant body via meditation or some mindful process, the soul disintegrates and is lost. Personally, I do not feel that this is entirely correct. Firstly, I have had many instances of intuitive communication with relatives of mine who have passed on, including some who I can only describe as “extremely unconscious” – alcoholics, wife bashers, those who committed suicide, the mentally ill and so on (thanks God for the tests!). As one extreme example, my maternal grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and barely had a spiritual molecule in her body. Yet I have directly perceived her psyche on numerous times since she died. If anybody was going to “disintegrate”, it would be her! To be honest, sometimes I wish she would disintegrate, as her psychic projections are very difficult to deal with! What I have seen of her leads me to believe that she may be undergoing some healing in whatever space she finds herself in. Thus it seems to be that we can continue to explore and grow even after death, in the space between lives.

However, it is true that if a person’s psyche becomes extremely scattered, they effectively lose control of their minds. They become insane. Healing is then required. Meditation and mindfulness could be extremely beneficial for such people, but it is also true that some degree of medication may be required to get them to the point where they can assume responsibility for their minds. Once a person reaches a certain point of insanity (disintegration), it is very, very difficult for them to come back. I know this from personal experience with relatives. Thus it is better to be mindful before “losing it”, rather than after!

The dead cannot influence the living

The Master states that the dead cannot influence the living, saying: “They have not the knowledge or wisdom to make themselves heard.” (23%). This is definitely not correct in my experience. The dead continue to influence the energy fields of the living, especially those whom they have had strong relationships with while they were alive. For example, my father’s energy still influences me from time to time, as I have not processed all the emotional issues that I developed with him over the years while he was living; and he has certainly not dealt with all his own baggage! Minds tend to become psychically entangled with those whom they have emotional connections to. For example, if part of you is (consciously or unconsciously) angry at your late mother for her failure to adequately love you, chances are you will retain strong psychic links to her after her death. In some cases such psychic links can be quite destructive, if these issues between the living and dead are intense.

Compassion is giving to others

The Master says that compassion is;

Finding what others need the most and giving it to them…In a (compassionate) world, it is everybody’s duty and delight to find what every other they come into contact with needs most from them, and give it to them.

I think that there is a profound truth in this, and selfishness and narcissism have become real problems, right across the world. Nonetheless, there is the potential for the Master’s definition of compassion to be used in a self-limiting way. Many people do not know what their spirit needs, and simply giving them something they think they want may be assisting them in a self-stultifying behavior. One must exercise discretion, and not simply submit to the will of others’ demands.

The other factor here is that the act of spiritual empowerment is “selfish” in a certain sense of the word. Seekers has to be vigilant in the refusal to submit to the control and power that others attempt to exercise over them. Many others will not understand the journey you take, so saying “no” to them is crucial.

Escaping the earth

There is a recurring theme in The Key that “escaping” the earth is crucial to the survival of our species. For example, the Master says:

Your enemy does not want it to end. They fear you too much. When you see UFOs, you see prison guards. They also act within your society to confuse you about your own past, and to prevent progress in areas such as propulsion, which might enable you to spread into the Heavens. This is all done to prevent you from escaping. (49%)

Perhaps this is true. Yet my own understanding is that enlightenment – “Heaven” if you like – is already here on Earth, right now. We just have to allow Heaven to descend by seeing through the delusions of the mind, and its constant attempts to escape the present moment by moving attention to a non-existent future or a (distorted) remembered past. One of the prime delusions of the mind is that it can escape. The truth is there is no escape. There is no better “up there and beyond.” Again, this is one of the aspects of the text that I feel have been somewhat distorted by Whitley Strieber’s personal issues. And it is an absolutely crucial one. Enlightenment happens here and now, or it never happens.

Conclusion

Despite imperfections, The Key has more than enough stimulation, and more than enough useful information to make it a very worthwhile read for many spiritual seekers. It does not offer any simple solutions, nor offer a definitive roadmap forward. Does this reflect the Master’s lack of desire to spoon feed us? Or Whitley Strieber’s imperfect rendering of his message? I shall leave that for the reader to determine.

Let me just end this post with a quote from the book which sums up for me why this book is well worth reading and contemplating. Strieber writes:

The Master of the Key offers clarity where there is now confusion, and if one is open to his message and the new ideas it contains, unexpected vistas of discovery present themselves, as one is led toward the promise of new knowledge, where questions beckon that are as yet scarcely imagined among us.

I am not sure that the Master’s message is always clear, but he certainly does invite one to open up to new vistas of knowledge, while pointing the reader in directions that are, in my humble opinion, well worth exploring. Finally, one statement of the Master‘s is well worth meditating upon.

You human beings are right on the edge of becoming a conscious species. That is why we are here. We’re midwives to your birth.

            

The Master of the Key says that the fate of humanity will be decided in the next 100 years. There will be, he says, sudden and massive catastrophic changes. If that is correct, it is all the more reason why all of us need to pay careful attention to the voice of Spirit within and beyond us.

Marcus

Intuitive Review of Strieber's "The Key" (3) Darkness & Light

This is the third part of my extended intuitive review of Whitley Strieber’s The Key. Click here for Part 1, click here for Part 2. I will cover quite a few different ideas in this blog post, and the next, which will be the final one in the series.

Although this is my first official intuitive review, I have previously done many intuitive readings of people’s Soul Issues and karma - mostly face to face, but many others by long distance. It’s part of what I do as an intuitive. Readers might be interested to know that I have previously done a similar intuitive reading of Julien Assange of Wikileaks fame, who came out looking slightly less rosy!

I realise readers might not want to read the discussion of every point, so below I have placed the points into subheadings for ease of reading.

There is no “supernatural”

The Master of the Key says that there is no such thing as the supernatural.

…only the natural world exists, some parts of which we understand and some parts of which we don’t. (location 256)

I believe that this is spot on. The labels “supernatural” and “paranormal’ simply highlight the misunderstandings of contemporary science and the limitations of current scientific culture and method. They are a reflection of the limitations of the mechanistic paradigm which dominates not only mainstream science but the way ordinary people in modern cultures have been programmed to see the world.

Consciousness is electromagnetic

One significant claim by the Strieber’s Master of the Key is that conscious energy is essentially electromagnetic in nature. This is interesting because there is the discrepancy that according to experimentation in parapsychology and much common human experience, psi (whatever it is) appears to be non-local, transversing space and time. Conversely, electromagnetism is confined to conventional space-time, as are all the four known forces of nature (gravity, and the strong and weak forces being the others).

Yet I have also seen from many of my own visions and direct intuitions that electromagnetic fields greatly affect the human energy field. For example, if I use a laptop and physically sit it on my lap, it has a significant effect on my energy field. This effect is extremely hard to communicate in writing, and I cannot explain it in scientifically sensible terminology, because such terminology does not exist. What I can say is that there is a kind of “charging” of the consciousness field which opens it up to non-local psychic influences. For me, this involves an increased sense of disembodiment, or consciousness beginning to split off from the physical body. This in turn makes one susceptible to the energy projections of other people’s minds, and from entities in other astral planes. This is why I avoid extended exposure (especially physical contact) to electrical devices.

I have also mentioned how, in out of body experiences, the etheric body is attracted to electricity. So there is definitely a strong connection between the human consciousness field and electromagnetic fields.

The importance of developing a relationship with the radiant body

The Master of the Key calls the soul the “radiant body”, and says it is “formed of conscious energy”. He says that it can be manipulated. The Master adds that that “a relationship must be formed with it if one is to really engage with it” (location 328). Again, this is consistent with my own understanding and work with the human energy field. Your energy field can be very easily manipulated by others via their unconscious projections (they do this unconsciously). Spiritual entities can do the same, and this includes “dead” relatives and friends. In fact this is happening all the time without most people knowing it, because the psyches of human beings are intimately entangled with the minds around and beyond them (mostly via emotional bonds and co-dependencies). Perhaps I should mention that you too are also manipulating the consciousness fields of others, again unconsciously. So you are not merely a victim!

The Master tells Strieber that “the undiscovered country can become your backyard”, and Strieber then adds that this will change “our world in very fundamental ways if it happened”. Strieber writes that for humanity it’s as if two halves of a single brain have been split. I must say that I absolutely concur with all of this. Humanity exists in a state of severe dissociation from the body and spirit, and in turn from the spiritual realms. Part of my work has been to try to get people to realise this, and empower them with processes which can help them connect with Spirit. I agree with The Master and Strieber’s belief that this process of spiritual reconnection is vital if humanity is to survive the present crisis in its cultural and spiritual evolution. I outline simple ways to this in my book Discover Your Soul Template.

Pivotal times

One message that Strieber and The Master consistently repeat is that these are absolutely pivotal times, and that there is a need for a change of vision. Strieber writes that the Master’s teachings:

…come at an opportune time, because the human world and human civilisation face a profound bankruptcy of vision that is sorely in need of renewal. We have done all we can with our ideas of reality as they exist now. If there is to be another step taken in the human journey, a step upward, new visions are essential. (17%)

The phrase that really hits home is “a profound bankruptcy of vision”. This is an accurate description of where we now sit in our history. In my daily life here in Hong Kong I move amongst people who are barely present in their bodies, let alone connected to Spirit. For Hong Kongers there is nothing, absolutely nothing in the twenty odd years of their public education (to university graduation level) that assists in their becoming conscious of any deeper world beyond work, distraction, entertainment and acquisition of wealth. This is a situation that we find throughout the modern world, and it is indeed a bankrupt system. Hong Kong is in many ways an exaggerated caricature of the modern developed world.

The most incredible thing is that people are so blinded by the illusion that they cannot see it. The world is in desperate need of teachers who can communicate spiritual knowledge. Even more, it is in need of cultures and societal systems which permit those teachers to be heard.

Soul blindness and the body

As the Master of the Key says:

There is a much larger world behind your backs. It is the world to which man is blind. Man is soul-blind and God-blind. (19%)

“To gain access to the powers of conscious energy, you must evolve a relationship with it.” (20%)

I couldn’t have put it better myself. However, it is very important that human beings understand that the way to connect with Spirit is not by discarding the body and focusing on something “beyond”. Instead we need to be still, be present, and to develop a strong connection with our bodies and, somewhat ironically, the five senses. The Master appears to understand this, when he tells Whitley Strieber that the way to connect with the radiant body is to pay attention to the immediate perceptual field, to sensory feedback. He refers to “the imprinting of essence with experience” (which requires) “effort and attention”, including “paying attention to physical sensation/energetic sensation.” (21%)

Being awake to oneself and one’s surroundings increases the intensity of the impressions so that they are present in the nervous system. In this context, being awake means being aware of one’s own self while at the same time absorbing impressions from the outside. (21%)

This is precisely true. By bringing attention to what one is in relationship with in the immediate environment and in the present moment, the mind is brought into still presence. The connection with Spirit follows.

It is these kinds of practical truths which lead me to conclude that the content of The Key is not simply creative fiction. The book either describes a genuine encounter with a wise entity, or at the very least represents a channeling of genuinely advanced spiritual consciousness.

Surrender to God within

At one point Strieber asks the Master “How can we change?”, to which the Master responds “Surrender to God.” Again this is true. Releasing the ego’s illusion of control is an absolutely vital part of spiritual awareness.

Strieber then asks the Master why people don’t surrender. He is told:

“Self-will, the illusion that you can act and must act on your own behalf, prevents you from entering the will of God. And the God of which I speak is not a distant being off in some heaven. You yourself are the distant being you seek. (24%)

This is also my understanding. The belief that God and enlightenment are distant in space or time prevents the actualisation of enlightenment.

The Master emphasises that we have a very small sense of ourselves, as the identity we carry in our everyday lives. This prevents us from seeing the full immensity of what we really are. Again, this I sense is true.

Finally in relation to the idea of surrender, the Master highlights one of the great paradoxes of the human journey.

If physical beings don’t struggle, you die. So you cannot surrender. If you continue to struggle against nature, you will die. But if you don’t struggle, you will die. This is tragedy of the word in physical form, and is the essential human problem. This is the problem you must solve, if you are to avoid going extinct. (47%)

This point is relevant for many people in the world who are trapped in dark spaces, physically or metaphysically. Despite the requirement of surrender, intelligent action and even the need to fight are required in certain circumstances. The key is knowing how to bring the right energy to the fight, so that one is not lost in the energy of conflict, rage and blame. In my own life I was born into immense darkness in my energetic environment. I have had to fight hard for my spiritual freedom, and I still have to fight. Learning that aforementioned right relationship with the warrior within is a key part of my journey. I know spiritual teachers who have told me to simply surrender, but their circumstances are quite different from mine. This is something I am still learning about.

Death

The Master’s account of the death process precisely mirrors what I have perceived as an intuitive. The Master also says that the dead cling to the “immediate surroundings of their lives, clinging to what they can of their memories, attempting to preserve their lives…” (22%). This is precisely what I have perceived.

The Master states quite plainly that death does not immediately elevate one into glorious Heaven. He writes that “You die into your expectations” (23%), and that “sin” follows us into the afterlife. As I have written elsewhere on this blog, this is precisely in line with what I have witnessed about the dead. (42%)

Fascinatingly, the Master says about the deceased:

After a time, you will not need instruments to detect them, once you become attuned to their presence around you. But don’t expect them to offer you endless wisdom. Many of the dead who wait in the world have less than you do, by a very great deal. But not all. Some are exceedingly rich, and can report to you even about the true past and the logical future, and can share themselves with you in ways that you can hardly imagine now. (39%)

I concur with the essence of this. Just because one drops dead does not suddenly make one the fountain of all spiritual wisdom. So, for we embodied humans, the information received from “the other side” has to be assessed for its value.

Once what I call Integrated Intelligence is developed, you can become aware of the influence of the departed upon everyday consciousness. Teaching this innate human intuitive intelligence is a big part of what I do. It is possible to call upon the dead to communicate knowledge to them. I do this regularly with some of my own deceased relatives, usually to try to prevent their attempts to seek power and control over my own psyche, which is a game the dead love to play with the living. Communicating compassion and forgiveness is also very important.

The darkness and the light

Strieber asks the Master to name some of the demonic leaders of the world. His response is a wise one.

Find the demon in your own heart, then I will betray the demon rulers of your world to you. Remember that the devil also serves me. Without evil, you could not taste of the good. (45%)

Much of my own work has been with the shadow side of myself, and encouraging others to befriend their own dark side. There is no light without bringing forth the darkness. This does not mean to focus unnecessary attention on it. What we focus upon expands. But we do need to befriend the demon in ourselves, as The Master suggests.

Okay, that’s enough for today. Feel free to discuss any of these points below. I will answer any questions I feel qualified to answer.

Marcus

Egypt, the riots and the soul

A young man is "escorted" by police outside the Peace Cinema in downtown Shanghai during the "Jasmine Revolution" protest.

Large scale events with a strong emotional content inevitably affect the human collective mind. What effect are the curent riots in the Middle east having upon us, including our lives as individuals?

In recent weeks we have been seeing images of unrest in Middle Eastern countries. At first it was Egypt where the riots began to take hold, but now the unrest has spread - to Libya, Morocco, Iran and elsewhere.

As a person currently residing in Hong Kong, and with strong connections to China, I have been very interested to note crowds also gathering in Beijing and Shanghai yesterday. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (you can see the headline here www.scmp.com but you need a subscription to open the story) has reported that there was an online call for a "Jasmine Revolution" in 13 cities in response to the Middle East democracy protests. Predictably, the Chinese authorities have reacted immediately to disperse the crowds, with tens of thousands of police and state security agents mobilised. Universities in Shaanxi and Jiangsu provinces closed their gates to prevent students from leaving campus. Certain rights groups have stated that as many as 80 Chinese citizens, including human rights lawyers, have had their movements restricted, such as being detained at police stations, put under house arrest or forcibly removed from their homes by police.

Although the protests were dispelled relatively quickly, they appear to be a wake-up call to Chinese authorities. There have recently been rising tensions in Chinese society over a number of issues including high inflation, inequality (especially the rich vs poor gap) and injustice.

It is interesting that this has happened in China, because state media have been ordered to tone down reports of the Middle East protests, and knowledge of them is not widespread. Comments and postings on the internet have also been carefully monitored, with many references removed by moderators; with other pro-government posts posted by the so-called "50-cent army" - an estimated 30 000 internet "police" who are paid a small amount for every posting they make on the net. Nevertheless, it is impossible to block every story in every language, and any internet savvy youngster can circumvent the net censors relatively easily.

All this is relatively standard "analysis", and you can read as much elsewhere in the mainstream media. My focus here however is the effect of such mass emotional disturbances on the collective consciousness field of humanity.

If you have read any of my books or academic articles you will be aware that my perception is that consciousness contains non-local potentials. Your personal awareness is infused with a constant stream of "messages" or information from sources outside your conscious awareness (unless you are a “sensitive”). When there are large-scale emotional events they inevitably affect the subconscious of individuals right across the planet. The more closely connected you are to the region or group affected, the greater the effect tends to be. The earthquake in Sichuan in 2008 affected the collective "Chinese" mind more than, say, the French collective. Having said this, the deaths of 100 000 people in such circumstances will affect even the French (though some cynics might argue nothing would shift the French).

The night before news of the first Egyptian riots first made the media, I had strong images of rioting coming through my mind's eye just as I was drifting off to sleep. I didn't see the location, but I knew there were some disturbances coming up.

It did seem to me as if the people involved were Americans, but sometimes the mind relays information of such things in ways that are slightly inaccurate. In this case the idea of "American" pertains to the collective consciousness of the incident, which is related to rebellion against authority, and the USA was founded on just such a consciousness.

Right now you are being affected by the “energy” of these events.