Philippines Bloodbath: Madmen and Their Stories

Be careful what stories you tell, because after a time, they will start to tell you. The dominant narratives in our individual lives, and in our societies tend to be self-perpetuating. They become deeply ingrained in the psyche of the person or the collective. They thus operate largely unconsciously. They become beliefs.

As Simon Buckland reminded me of (http://simonbuc-theblogoflove.blogspot.com/) recently when we were talking about getting rejected as writers, there was a certain woman in the UK who plastered her walls full of rejection slips. Obviously she was using the slips as a motivation, as rejection can be disheartening. In such a situation there is the danger that the story of rejection becomes the informing narrative of one’s life. Apparently, she never did get published.

If you examine your dreams, you will note that there are recurring stories that run through them. Many of these narratives are to do with restrictive beliefs which in turn stem from the pain and hurt which we have suffered in our lives, and (as I believe) in past lives. There are also dominant narratives which run through humanity in general, which stem from genetic memory, or the carryover from latent consciousness fields which have developed through the passing of history.

Here are some of the most common narrative themes that appear in cultures and nations throughout the world (each has a positive expression too, but I will not go into that here).

Theme

The plots

Danger! Xenophobia Lack Victim Possession. Blame Revenge Hopelessness Save me. Guilt Specialness

They are coming to get us. It is not safe. We are doomed. The end is nigh. The foreigners are evil, dirty, racist. You can’t trust them. Kill the outsiders. There isn’t enough to go round. We are going to starve. Oh woe is us! Look what they have done to us! We’ve been robbed! Why do we always get picked on! We are the downtrodden. You are mine. I’ve got you. You will never be free.  Colonisation. It’s all their fault. You’ve got to pay! Kill the infidels! You have got to suffer, just like you made us suffer. The world is a terrible place. All is lost. There’s no way out. There is nothing we can do. Help! You are my savior. I can’t do it on my own. I’m/we’re bad. We’ve got to do penance, suffer for our sins. We are wicked. Let’s beat ourselves. We are the master race. We are chosen by God. We are morally/culturally/socially/intellectually superior.

Because these themes run through the human psyche, policymakers in any given society have to be careful not to play on them too much. These stories can also be reinforced through the media, social networks, and through education.

When children sing the national anthem, they are learning a story. If the story says “We are young and free”, such as with the Australian national anthem, it is relatively harmless. If the lyrics implore the people to build a great wall against the enemy (as the Chinese national anthem does), the dangers are obvious. Here’s an English translation of the Chinese anthem.

March of the Volunteers

Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!
With our flesh and blood, let us build our new Great Wall!
The Chinese nation faces its greatest danger.
From each one the urgent call for action comes forth.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Millions with but one heart,
Braving the enemy's fire.
March on!
Braving the enemy's fire.
March on! March on! On!

Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves;
With our very flesh and blood
Let us build our new Great Wall!
The peoples of China are in the most critical time,
Everybody must roar his defiance.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Millions of hearts with one mind,
Brave the enemy's gunfire,
March on!
Brave the enemy's gunfire,
March on!
March on!
March on, on!

The story is about uniting in the face of evil outsiders who are threatening to destroy us. It tells of a world which is quite literally full of “danger”.

The story of being bullied, abused and humiliated runs right through the central narrative of Chinese history. Historically this is factual, as China has often been invaded and colonised, most recently by the western powers in the 19th century. When violence broke out in Tibet and the far-western province of Xinjiang in the last couple of years, one of the first things the government did was to claim that “hostile anti-China” forces from abroad were involved. This is a clear and systematic policy of the Chinese authorities when faced with internal dissent: to blame outsiders.

There is nothing wrong with telling the story of persecution and tragedy, but when the idea of being victimised becomes the central motif of a cultural narrative, the victim story becomes a worldview.

As with individual people, it is when buttons get pushed that the neurotic belief structures of cultures surface. Just this week there was a tragic incident in Manilla, the Philippines, when a busload of Hong Kong tourists was high jacked by a furious ex police officer, Rolando Mendoza, incensed that he had been laid off on corruption charges. Tragically, the Philippines special task force in charge of dealing with the situation, bungled the operation in utterly incompetent fashion. Eight of the Hong Kong tourists were killed in the ensuing carnage. 

No doubt Ronaldo Mendoza had his won "story" to tell . But that is not what I want to write about here.

Understandably, people in Hong Kong and China were deeply saddened and furious at the incident. This is only to be expected given the great tragedy of events. But what I’d like to discuss here is the way that the cultural narrative of “China” created unnecessary hostility amongst some segments of Hong Kong and Chinese society. This was seen most clearly on internet sites, and in some of the slogans carried by protesters outside the Philippines embassy in Hong Kong. At least two Philippine maids in HK have been fired over the incident. Tomorrow (Sunday, protestors are going to march through Hong Kong, beginning and ending at places where thousands of Philippino maids gather each Sunday (their day off). This does seem like a deliberate provocation. Other locations could have been chosen. Tomorrow will be a real test of Hong Kong’s maturity.

After the event, I was interested to check out the mainland Chinese reaction, so I went to one English language site, the China Daily newspaper’s discussion forum. The internet is the perfect way to ascertain the cultural narratives of peoples, as we are far more likely to speak our deepest, darkest thoughts as an anonymous poster on a web site, than we would in person. The net gives voice to the shadow.

Sure enough a prolonged “thread” on the topic sprang up immediately on the forum, reaching 12 pages in just a few days. And before you read any further, be warned that some of the quotes from the site are rather foul-mouthed. I suspect some posters probably now need to have their "F" and "C" keys replaced, such has been the physical assault upon them. 


Secondly, it should be acknowledged that the internet is a haven for disaffected and socially inept individuals, and permits a free voice for sociopaths to vent their hatred out onto the world. In this sense, the following should not be seen as typical of Chinese reactions to recent events. These are extreme views, but ones which reflect deeper social narratives. There are many Hong Kong and Chinese people who have responded responsibly, and these have included Hong Kong's CEO, Donald Zhang, and even Jackie Chan who proclaimed "Hong Kongers do not hate."

The original post on the forum began with a Chinese netizen expressing outrage and grief, and demanding to know why Chinese people round the world are always persecuted wherever they go (victim: why do we always get picked on?).  Several other posters joined in. Then there was an allegation that the Philippine government had not bothered to help the Hong Kongers because they thought that Chinese lives were not worth saving. This was quickly followed by allegations of a conspiracy by the Philippine government to target Chinese people. Racist epithets were thrown in. Philippinos are primitive, the country is “stone age”. Other posters said the Philippines should be bombed immediately.

Then a foreigner (an expat westerner living in China) joined in and said that there was no evidence that the attack was specifically targeted against Chinese people. The poster was told to “fuck off, and get out of China” (xenophobia). Other western posters joined in and expressed some sympathy for the tragedy, but agreed that there was no evidence of a conspiracy against China. Some pointed out that the Philippines is a violent and sometimes unsafe country, and that other recent massacres in the Philippines have featured far higher death tolls, including one in 2009 when 47 Philippinos were killed. These attempts to contextlise the tragedy were received with further abuse. Here’s a few I have taken from the site. “Hanjian” means “Chinese traitor.

• (responding to a query about Chinese ethnicity) They are 1000 times more Chinese than your prostitute HanJian wife!
  Where is she? How many gweilos' (white foreigners’) lives is she going to make complete today? You are judging who is real Chinese or not according to the criteria of your prostitute HanJian wife and you are completely wrong!
  A non-HanJian woman would have smother your monkey life out long ago!
  Go to hell with your HanJian wife as soon as possible!

• (responding to those saying the attack wasn’t targeting Chinese in particular) Those of you who deny this, you're just as racist as these wicked racist Filipinos!

• I have learned more about the gweilos (white foreigners) since I seriously came to this forum less than two months ago.  In real life, they are almost always all smiles and friendly. But one of them might be the Sneaky Snakey or maybe the German Monkey, etc.  I am trying to figure out who they are.

• Chinese lives are not that important to these Stone Age people (Philippinos).

• Eight now confirmed dead. Why? Why?  These people are always targetting at us Chinese?? This is not the first time. There have been many other cases of Chinese being kidnapped or taken hostage and killed even when ransoms are paid !! Why? Why hate the Chinese so much. What bad things have the Chinese done to these poeple?  Not just the Philippines but also Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam & other KKK (Klu Klux Klan) countries, Chinese are treated with so much hatred. Why?

• (to a non-Chinese poster with a Chinese wife) Your Chinese wife is a Hanjian prostitute. Her cunt smells like a can of rotting fish.

• (responding to a estern poster citing the dangers of Manila) You are politically correct wanker.

• Go back to Thailand and fuck more 7 year olds, you White Anglo pervert.

• Look at what these disgusting barbarian foreigners are doing to our Chinese people. We must rid our country of them!

Most of the non-Chinese posters were actually quite measured in their responses, although some responded by calling the Chinese posters “racist” themselves, and one gave as good as he got.

Remember, this is China’s official English language newspaper and web site, and it is moderated by a team employed by the Chinese government. This means that that these kinds of projections at foreigners are implicitly tolerated by the government. The problems on the site goes back many years, and it has long been dominated by hyper-nationalists and self proclaimed “Chinese patriots”. Many foreigners in China suspect that many of these aggressive Chinese posters are actually part of the China Daily forum moderating team itself.

However, it has to be pointed out that some of the posts by Chinese people were later deleted, resulting in some Chinese posters screaming that the moderating team had been infiltrated by “filthy foreigners”. For example:

• Oh oh, my posts are restricted by racist laowai (foreign) moderators again!

It is easy enough to see how the dominant narrative is that of the victim. We are being suppressed. The world is against us. The outsiders are evil! They are coming to get us. We must purify ourselves and eliminate them!

Here is the key point. Take away the dirty language and insults, and what you have is basically a paraphrase of the Chinese national anthem and its dominant narrative. The Chinese posters are simply regurgitating the contents of their history books, their media, their “story.”

The story of the oppressed victim has been perpetrated by the authorities in China as an attempt to unify a vast and diverse nation via the lowest common denominator: anger and fear of the outsider. The dangers are obvious, and the half-crazed writings on the internet reveal just how deeply this has possessed the psyches of some people in China. There is now a boiling couldren of hate and blame sitting just below the surface, at least in some of the population. The story of the victim is so powerful that the posters are completely incapable of introspection, of seeing that they have become the (verbal0 abusers. The irony is best embodied by the poster screaming that white people are evil and that Chinese women who marry foreigners are prostitutes and traitors – while accusing them of being racist.

Fortunately this victim story is not the only narrative that runs through Chinese culture and history. Another story is that of “the harmonious society”, which has also been used, more responsibly, as an attempt to unify the nation. The harmonious society is an old Confucian concept, where society exists in unity with Heaven and nature. Each class of the social system sits within a very hierarchic social structure, accepting its place in the scheme of things. The collective takes precedence over the wants of the individual. We can only hope this is the story that eventfully prevails.

Unfortunately, human beings love the victim story. We like it because it is an easy cop out. As victims we can simply blame and hate the other. Being a victim permits us to forgo the requirement of emotional and moral self-discipline. The victims’ society is a brick-throwers paradise.  The Chinese “patriots” on the internet are not the only ones guilty of succumbing to its primitive, animalistic call. All over the world, in countless countries and amongst innumerable ethnic groups,  we see similar stories told over and over again.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not denying hurt, suffering and injustice. The anger reaction is wired into our physiology. But when injustice and tragedy strike, it is what we do with our anger that determines whether our futures will be heaven-like, or hell-like.

Injustices do occur, and they occur often. But in the end, if there is going to be anything like a harmonious society within and beyond China, we all have to assume the necessary discipline of spiritual maturity. We have to grow up. There is a price to pay for “civilisation”. We have to reclaim the angry child within us, and teach it to a new story. We have to grow up.

The internet would be a good place to start. If we can be disciplined in what we write as an anonymous web surfer (because every bit of blame and hate is destructive), then we will surely have the moral decency to do likewise in our everyday lives.

The Wisdom Cycle (video)

Wisdom is the accumulated correct knowledge which comes from experience. It is about being able to understand the world and your place in it. It is also about knowing how to make wise decisions.

Wisdom implies self-knowledge. The wise man or women knows him/herself and his/her place in the world. There is a kind of certainty that comes from wisdom. This is not the strong-minded will-power of the warrior, but the relaxed surrender of allowing a greater voice to speak through you. Wisdom is also about having the courage to allow paths to unfold as they come into your sight, and being able to let go of what is behind you.

(If you can't see the video right here, click on "read more", below, then scroll back UP (not down) the page till you see the video).

Wise people tend to be experienced people, which is probably why wise people are usually depicted as old. But you don’t have to wait until you are old enough to grow a white beard or rinse your hair purple to be wise. Here, in this video, I am going to talk about using a greater wisdom than your individual mind – that of Integrated Intelligence (INI). The context is in making important decisions in your life.

The key with using intuition is to use it and then to keep using it. If you ignore your intuition you will lose it. It’s that simple. 

The Wisdom Cycle is a great way to begin expanding your intuition because with any creative act it permits the ongoing use of INI. In other words, it offers lots of opportunity for practicing using intuition.

For a greater appreciation of the theory behind this little talk, click on "read more". It’s an extract from my book Sage of Synchronicity.

Is Education Killing Us?

Thanks to 22c+ member, Karl, for alerting me to this story.

Just how useful is school? According to one now (somewhat) famous recent high school graduate, it's worse than useless - it's actually dangerous! Erica Goldson graduated as valedictorian of Coxsackie-Athens High School just this last month. No doubt she would have been expected to prattle on about how great everyone was and how she became a better person for her years at school. Instead she took the opportunity to trash the system! You can see the video and read the actual speech, below. Here I offer a few insights of my own, taking specific quotes from Erica’s talk, and suggesting some of its limitations.

Erica highlights many of the issues which I have critiqued in my own writings about education and Deep futures. She says that system is dominated by credentialism, and the test has become the focus of the curriculum. Modern education is embedded within an extremely materialistic society, where the dash for cash is the prime motif in many lives (I might point out that I believe this is less so in Australia and New Zealand, where I have also taught high school).

(You should) Demand a setting that will provide you with intellectual capabilities that allow you to expand your mind instead of directing it. 

I would add to what this remarkable young woman has said here. By “intellectual capabilities”, Erica appears to be referring to independence of thought and the ability to individuate as a unique human being. My point is that the analytical mind and intellectual acuity are not enough to empower human beings towards their full potential, to live their Bliss. People also require an enabling of the intuitive mind and Integrated Intelligence.

One crucial issue that Erica fails to address in her speech is that the culture in which her education system is embedded within is often not hostile to individualism and radical thinking. In fact it is one of the major characteristics of the United States as a nation. It's not much different in Australia. I vividly recall the graduating class of my very first teaching post. It was 1992 at Warren Central School in inland New South Wales. The graduates marched into the school hall to the chorus of Pink Floyd's Another brick in the wall ("We don't need no education"). That school was in the tiny town of Warren, with just 2000 people, and in the middle of nowhere. The graduates were basically an unteachable rabble, and this was their way of say “Fuck you!” to the teachers and administrators. This was a phrase directed at teachers at irregular intervals by students expressing dissatisfaction with particular pedagogical processes of which they did not approve.

The Rebel, the Beer, and the Slide

You have probably heard the recent story doing the rounds about Steven Slater, a JetBlue flight attendant who got into an argument with a passenger on a jetliner arriving at JFK International Airport. Slater cursed an allegedly abusive passenger, grabbed a beer from the galley and then deployed an emergency exit slide and took a joyride outa there. That was Slater's rather unique way of saying "Take this job and shove it." Slater  was later arrested and charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing.

Check out this video animation put out by Hong Kong's Apple daily online newspaper (more about this, below). Click on "read more", below, if the video doesn't show up on this page.

There's a couple of things about this story which are quite intriguing from a futures perspective. 

A Lucid Mind

    And while I'm a on a roll... I had ten hours on the train from Geneva to Berlin today. I went through some truly beautiful countryside, especially in Switzerland and southern Germany. The train was very cozy, and I managed to squeeze out this little tale. It's not so much about the future, but touches upon some of the themes I regularly write about.  There's a little bit of the paranormal, an invitation to step into the unknown, and even a little sexual tension. And no, this blog is not going to become a short story blog. I will simply post fiction, and maybe even poetry, here from time to time. 

A Lucid Mind 

By Marcus T. Anthony

“Relax Miss Lee, this won’t hurt a bit”, smiled Martin Ku as he ushered the pretty young woman to her seat.

    “I certainly hope not”, she smiled back. “They aren’t paying me enough for that.”

    “Hmm, we have something else in common then, besides, our distant ancestors in the Far East”. Dr Ku sat down at his desk, some distance from the woman. “So how long has it been since you were in Shanghai?”

    “Haven’t been back since we left when I was six years old. I can barely remember anything,” Veronica Lee confessed. “What about you?”

    “I hate to say, but I have never been to China. I’m third generation Chinese American. In fact my mother was only half Chinese.”

    “Oh, I thought there was something a little mixed up about you the first time I saw you.” Veronica giggled.

    “Too right, Miss Lee. I can’t speak a word of Chinese either. I’m as American as a hot dog at Yankee Stadium.” Dr Ku shuffled his papers. “I’d love to chat some more, but I am on a tight schedule today. I assume you are aware of the procedure?”

    “I believe I’ve been told just about everything.”

    Dr Ku picked up a large, thick envelope. He removed the string around it, and pulled out what looked like an oversized deck of cards. “It’s quite simple really. On the back of these cards there is a single number between one and ten. I’m going to pull one card out at a time. Your job is to guess the number on the card I am holding. Got it?”

Insufficient Data

Here's a little story that came to me as I was riding the fast train from Avignon, France, to Geneva, Switzerland. I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to leave any comments. You may see some more creative writing here in the future! Marcus

 Insufficient Data

 by Marcus T. Anthony

With a thunderous roar the sky’s lone cloud parted and a most unearthly craft veered forth. Radiating an intense light in the daytime sky, it slowed almost as impossibly quickly as it had appeared, and came to rest upon the parched ground. Shortly thereafter the light emanating from the vehicle dimmed, revealing an oddly plastic-looking assemblage in light hues of grey and white. Suddenly a wall split in two, and from the brightness within, two hominid creatures sprang forth, gasping for breath. Tall and slender, the pair was dressed almost completely in white, in complete contrast to the midnight blackness of their faces and hands. Not quite male, and not quite female, their almost feline slenderness would have struck observers as being completely out of place in the dry, hostile heat; if any such observers had been there.

After a short while, the two regained composure, and turned to each other.

“That was certain genius, Dem. We had seconds of oxygen left.”

The shorter and thinner of the two responded shyly. “Thanks Lor, but I confess it was little more than pure self-preservation. Besides, the data processor informed me that there are no other oxygen rich planets with suitable gravity profiles within light years of here.”

Lor, whose stout demeanor indicated that he was clearly the senior authority, breathed deeply. “Not bad air at all, Dem. Slightly putrid, but breathable.” A small , barely visible beam of light suddenly emerged from his forehead, illuminating a screen in front of his face. He ran his hands across it, feeling the ghostly surface of it with his porous fingers.

“A little high in carbon dioxide. Traces of carbon monoxide.” He tiny eyes flittered a little as he sensed the data. “What do you know about carbon monoxide?”

“Never heard of it, sir. I’m no chemist, I’m sorry. But let me check.” A light beam immediately shone from his head and illuminated a device identical to his colleague’s. “Carbon monoxide. Well, it will kill us in sufficient concentrations, but at the levels detected here that would take about fifty years. This freezing air will more likely be the end of us.”

Lor retracted his data processor and stepped forward gingerly, feeling the rough ground with the sensors contained at the soul of his shoes. Dem followed as they moved over the small hill before them, and walked down.

“I can hardly see a thing, it’s so dark here,” lamented Lor. "Sometimes I wish we modern Truans had the eyes like a beasts of Yorda. Not that they would do us much good back home. The sun would burn them white within seconds.” Suddenly he stopped. “Did you hear that?”

Dem stood fully upright, his ears prickling in the too-cold air. “Yes. A definite rumbling sound, sir. Something large is moving this way, and quickly!”

It was too late. Terrified the two Truans stood frozen with fear as the huge, dark object closed in on them. 

Love and the Soul Workshop

Love and the Shadow

A  workshop with Dr Marcus T. Anthony  

www.22cplus.blogspot.com

What does it truly mean to love someone spiritually?

Forgiveness, healing and the ability to love unconditionally lie at the heart of the spiritual journey. There is much talk about being loving in spiritual and New Age circles. Most people on a spiritual journey realise that giving and receiving love are central to their lives, and the futures of the human species. Many spiritual philosophies state that love is the central purpose of existence.

The problem in expressing this ideal is that much of the human mind lies in shadow, or unconsciousness. Despite our conscious attempts to love and be loved, the shadow rises up from within, and we can easily fall back intro fear, anger, blame and hurt. Further, because many spiritual philosophies put pressure on us to be “loving”, many spiritual seekers begin to live a subtle lie, and deny the “darkness” within themselves. This is a spiritual trap. Unless the shadow is allowed to surface with unconditional love, it is impossible to love ourselves, or others unconditionally. This then inevitably results in “drama” – conflict with others as the shadow projects itself out into the world, and onto others.

The other level of the problem is that there are few people who have the courage and commitment to love unconditionally. When those around us are unable to receive us in our vulnerable states, it is simply not safe to express ourselves fully, in all our human imperfection.

In the Love and the Shadow workshop, participants are introduced to ways to allow the deeper and unconscious parts of the mind and soul to emerge, with the love and support of others. It is particularly useful for individuals and couples who have recurring struggles and dramas in their relationships (intimate, family, friends, work), and want to move beyond the issues and into a state of greater “love”.

A key concept of the workshop is spiritual empowerment. Spiritual empowerment is being able to stand in your power as a man or woman. The requirement is that you learn how to assume greater levels of responsibility for your life and your mental projections in a world where most people relate to others by giving their power away, or by manipulating and dominating.

The key to reclaiming the shadow’s power over your life is to embrace the wounded child. This is the deeply hurt part of us which has “split” off from the consciousness mind, and lies trapped in a world of pain, fear, and anger. It is the wounded child which lies behind the ego, and so many of the problems in our relationships.

Love and the Shadow is a deeply moving and inspirational workshop for those wishing to truly commit to a greater spiritual consciousness. In doing so, you will become part of a greater groundswell of humanity moving us towards the greater spiritual evolution of our world.

What will you learn in the Love and the Shadow workshop?

The Sins of the Father

For the last two decades or so, I have used dreams and visions as a guide to understanding the soul. This can be a great way to develop insight into your soul issues, and even those of others whom you are in relationship with. All minds are connected, so sometimes what you see in dreams and visions represents the energies within other people’s minds. Others’ psychological projections can also affect your own mind, and often this will come through in your dreams. When creating our personal futures, our dreams can be a powerful guide.

A vision is a short dream or image which reveals some information to you. They can occur during deep sleep, but they most commonly happen when you are in the drowsy state between sleep and wakefulness, such as just after you awaken, or when you are drifting off to sleep.

Last night I had an interesting vision regarding my wife, when I was not quite asleep. I saw an image of her, and there was an insect on her lower back, just at the base of the spine. She was asking me to help her get it off. I knew immediately that this dream related to an energy which was affecting the base chakra (the energy centre at the base of the spine which deals with sexual issues and empowerment, amongst others).

I then actively participated in the dream, and connected with the energy of that part of my wife’s consciousness system. I saw that i]there was an issue to do with her father. There then began a mini-dream, where I saw her father in a room. He was agitated, and wanted to sit down on a chair. “I want to be the king”. I could sense that he viewed the chair was a kind of throne, when in fact it was just a humble chair. Unfortunately there was a black woman’s handbag on that piece of furniture, so he was unable to sit on it. This caused him great frustration.

Next I channeled the energy of my wife’s father to my wife as a child. I saw that his soul issues were very much about being controlled by women. He has never fully come into his power as a man – or to put it another way, his tendency is to give his power away to women completely (he is still alive). As an adult he has never transcended this issue. When he first had children he related to them more as a child than as an adult. In fact he tried to make them responsible for his own inner child. That means that he dumped his stuff on them. “Here, I don’t want to deal with this. Please save me”, is what he said to his kids metaphysically.

The truth is that all adults have unresolved soul issues, and they project them onto their children. What is disowned forms the shadow of the mind. This is true not merely at a behavioral level (acknowledged by modern psychology), but this also occurs at an energetic level. The energy passes to the child while it is in the womb, at birth, during childhood, and typically right through the lifespan, even after the parent has passed away (there is no such thing as “death”, in the sense of the end of consciousness).

When we take the time to deal with our own issues, it is thus a gift for all those around us, and particularly our children. What you do not heal, you pass on your stuff down the line, not only to your future selves, but to your descendants.

When life seems difficult and we are required to look within and see and feel our own pain and darkness, it helps to remember that our healing work is a gift to ourselves, and to all of humanity. Healing oneself is truly an act of love.

Marcus

Visions of Tomorrow

Where there is no vision, people perish. So it says in the Bible, and there is much truth to the statement. As individuals, as societies, as nations and as a collective species we all require visions of the future. For it is our visions which draw us forward.

The kinds of visions that we are exposed to come from three common sources. These are the visions found in education, those delivered by governments and those found in the popular culture and media.

Visions in education and those of governments tend to be similar. They are usually focused upon building a sense of national unity, via developing a sense of shared history. There is typically a national mythology involved. These mythologies, although based in the past, tend to direct the way policy-makers construct visions in the present. If the vision is too disconnected from the past, the people won’t buy it. In the USA, the idea of freedom and individualism is central to the national psyche, so even a slight turn towards collectivism or socialism can cause significant levels of rejection from many people – a Obama has discovered.

In Australia, the national anthem drums into us Aussies: “Australians all let us rejoice, for we are young and free.” No such sentiments of freedom in the Chinese national anthem, which implores the Chinese people to create a great wall against the enemy. There’s quite a different sense of destiny contained in those stories.

There is a danger when visions fail to materialise. Obama asked the American people to believe in the audacity of hope (dare to dream). In China, President Hiu Jintau put forward the idea of the Harmonious Society. This macropolicy tells the story of Chinese people living together in trust and harmony, and in unity with nature. It even exhorts the value of democracy, believe it or not. Needless to say, the term “harmonious society” has been the object of great derision in China, because the reality and the dream are so vastly different. Whenever someone steps out of line (i.e. challenges the local, provincial or national leaders) the joke goes that they will soon be “harmonised”. Many westerners may not realise that although there is implicit support for the Communist Party amongst most Chinese (if for no other reason than there is no viable alternative), there is also a great cynicism and even distrust of it.

Visions can unite people, but they can also lead to negative consequences, or even disaster. 

Life on Mars, Life in the Cosmos

-->

Mars landscape just beyond the Argyre rim

Marcus T Anthony's new site and blog can be found at www.mind-futures.com.
 
It seems that not a year goes by now without further tantalizing evidence for the existence of life on Mars being brought forward, even if that life is long extinct. 

A recent significant finding has been that water existed on the surface of Mars in large quantities. A little over a month ago, an intriguing study from the European Space Agency found that water existed on the surface of Mars for hundreds of millions of years, mostly in the form of rivers. This was somewhat of a lesser finding than that of an American team, who just a couple of weeks prior to that had published a paper in Nature Geoscience journal, suggesting that a massive ocean had covered about a third of the Martian surface 3.5 billion years ago. 

Now a report published three days ago in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, reports that rocks have been identified on Mars that may contain evidence of life. It’s not quite proof, but close to it.