| Lies, misinformation and misdirection are rapidly | | | | apathy? They are the flip side of spirituality as well. If |
| transforming our society into a no-man's land. | | | | we look at the dark side of spirituality, we see the |
| Between the half-truths, the outright lies, the spinning | | | | qualities of delusion, confusion, deception, often with |
| of facts and news, the diverting of attention and the | | | | an attendant loss of faith. Chasing a pipe dream is |
| attendant knee-jerk responses, what has always | | | | delusional in nature and leads to disillusionment. We |
| been difficult to do now flirts with the impossible. | | | | can use lies, deceit and subterfuge to attain our own |
| How do we view reality and the news in an unbiased | | | | personal dream, but at what cost? Our spirit! |
| and truthful format so we can make legitimate and | | | | There are so many ways to lie, directly and indirectly, |
| thoughtful political decisions? Our Founding Fathers did | | | | and I think we all lie to some degree. Self |
| their very best to form a nation and an opportunity | | | | preservation is strong in humans. There are the little |
| for its citizens to choose their representation based | | | | white lies when you want to surprise someone or |
| on truth and justice for all citizens. How can that | | | | not hurt their feelings. There are lies of omission |
| occur if information becomes misinformation and | | | | where we don't quite tell the truth. There are the |
| leadership is based on misdirection? At the core of | | | | half lies that are part lie and part truth. There are the |
| any nation is the spiritual essence of its people. | | | | "out of context" lies, where words never expressed |
| Spirituality positively expressed operates from truth, | | | | in that manner are placed in someone's mouth. There |
| from an internal sense of fairness and equity for all, | | | | are self-protection lies. There are lies based in the |
| from a desire to advance the cause of all and to | | | | rationale it is wise to protect others. There are lies to |
| benefit the all. As a country, we are all in this | | | | preserve our way of thinking and way of life, not |
| together. We are one people, with the ability to | | | | even proof or the truth matters. There are lies by |
| control much of our destiny. | | | | those whose way of life is to lie. There are lies by |
| However, every front has a back, a flip side to its | | | | those whose personal well-being defines their |
| nature. Human expression has positive characteristics | | | | concept of truth. If it isn't about them, it just doesn't |
| we usually choose to enumerate. But that same | | | | matter. There are lies about all sorts of subjects |
| human expression has a dark side that we usually try | | | | from embarrassment, to greed, to power, to political |
| to avoid discussing. That dark side does exist, even | | | | expediency. The interesting recent political lie is the |
| for such an inspirational quality such as spirituality. | | | | rewriting of history. |
| Spirituality itself does not harm another in any way, | | | | Another form of lie, which is more difficult to |
| but the misapplication of the principles of spirituality | | | | recognize is what I call misinformation. If I knowingly |
| can take on many negative expressions. Here are | | | | tell or circulate what I know is not the truth, that |
| some examples of how negative spirituality would | | | | becomes a lie and I become a liar, If I circulate what |
| express. | | | | I thought to be a truth, discover it is a lie and do |
| Religiously it might express itself as one supposedly | | | | nothing to resolve the lie, I am tacitly lying or |
| spiritual person or group imposing its will on another | | | | agreeing to the lie. It does not matter if it is |
| person, group or on society itself. Throughout the | | | | intentional. If it is not the truth it is a lie. You know all |
| centuries and millenia, religious practices have helped | | | | these email forwards that are going around. I make |
| develop us from our primitive origins to billions of | | | | an attempt to check them out for accuracy and |
| individuals in thousands of established religions. Survival | | | | veracity before I forward. If I find out later that I |
| was the name of that early game, superstition and | | | | was in error, I "fess" up and correct my error |
| ignorance were common; but there was an innate | | | | whenever possible. Will I heal all that the propagation |
| sense of the spiritual and our ancestors did their best | | | | of my inadvertent lie caused? Probably not. But I am |
| to pursue the goal of aligning themselves with what | | | | not a liar. I don't want to be a liar, ever. So I take |
| they did not always understand. Unusual rituals, | | | | the time to fix those I discover. I choose to operate |
| beliefs, and general philosophy developed and | | | | from truth. |
| permeate our current society in thousands of ways. | | | | What about misdirection as a lie? Politically this is a |
| Such a philosophy tends to stay stuck in past | | | | major weapon in the hands of those who know the |
| principles regardless of the evolution of thought, | | | | lie but act on the lie and then do an incredible tap |
| philosophy, circumstance or disprooving facts. | | | | dance to defend the lie. A good example over the |
| Because the principles at the core of the belief are | | | | last few years has been to attack the patriotism of |
| so interdependent, you will hear much rationalizing and | | | | those in disagreement. America has a strong sense |
| justifying as the adherents try desperately to keep | | | | of patriotism. If Americans even think someone is |
| their whole body of information intact. | | | | being unpatriotic, we react. Those who rely on |
| For another example, group philosophy and religion is | | | | misdirection have found a powerful weapon, but it is |
| largely dependent on a founder, a leader, a spiritual | | | | based in lies. |
| avatar or a hierarchy of leaders whose edicts are | | | | Let's just say I question the war for whatever |
| sacrosanct. The legitimacy of that figurehead, alive or | | | | reason, which thinking, reasoning citizens of all shapes |
| in spirit is essential to the quality of that belief | | | | and sizes do on a regular basis. How in the world |
| system. If that figurehead is deluded, egotistical, | | | | does that make me unpatriotic? If I decide I don't |
| power or control hungry, or has a messiah complex, | | | | like lettuce it does not mean that all farmers should |
| the whole of the belief is tainted, The need to | | | | attack or question my loyalty. |
| preserve that particular core can lead to extreme | | | | If I can misdirect your attention, I can short circuit |
| behavior on the part of the followers, with the | | | | hundreds and thousands of minds from dwelling on |
| blinded leading the blind. No other truth, no rationale | | | | the actual subject. I have successfully eliminated the |
| or reasoning can reach those who will not hear. | | | | topic of discussion and branded another human being |
| Notice I did not say cannot, I said will not. There are | | | | unpatriotic, disloyal, and can use the ultimate weapon |
| many who have no physical hearing limitations. They | | | | "non support of our troops." I must know that 24 |
| choose not to hear and that is an act of will. It is also | | | | hours every day, that broadcast and re-broadcast |
| an example of the flip side of spiruality because it | | | | reinforces the misdirection and the lie it tells. I need |
| does not elevate or further the human spirit. | | | | to clearly identify those that misdirect to keep my |
| Should a belief system or a religious leader fail, the | | | | wits about me and not allow any other person or |
| effect on the believers is devastating. Many are | | | | party to hijack my mind, |
| unable to get past the grief to build a new belief | | | | On last point to make is that of apathy. The scariest |
| system based on emerging principles. When we are | | | | thing we as a people can do is nothing, to allow and |
| tested for our beliefs, we have a choice to learn | | | | accept such lies, misinformation, misdirection, rewriting |
| from what didn't work in order to develop new | | | | of history, and the like to stand as truth. We are a |
| beliefs that will work, or to crash and burn in a belief | | | | spiritual people at our core. If we do nothing, we will |
| bonfire, never to rise from the ashes, disillusioned or | | | | kill that internal spirit that characterizes our country. |
| jaded in our outlook. Plus we can turn against the | | | | There will always be those who misuse their |
| subject of our original belief whether that be a | | | | humanity and their citizenry. They are called the "poor |
| person, a group, or a deity. Life is difficult at times | | | | in spirit" and will always be with us. It is our job to |
| and we use our spiritual essence and faith to help us | | | | make sure they don't run the country into the |
| navigate those difficulties. | | | | ground. We must act from our spirituality as |
| What about an example of spirituality that is not | | | | individuals, to speak our voice, cast our vote and |
| about religion. Spirituality is not just about religion or | | | | demand integrity and truth. Apathy is the greater |
| philosophy. To me spirituality is the glorious revelation | | | | enemy. Let someone else do it because I'm too |
| of a human being who has traveled successfully | | | | busy, I'm not educated politically, no one will listen to |
| through life with all its tests and difficulties and has | | | | me. No one can listen to you if you are silent. We |
| come out of the journey with a good heart and a | | | | need to speak up as people, from our hearts, using |
| positive outlook, These people are enjoyable to | | | | the gift of our reasonably educated minds. |
| experience because they move through life with | | | | Life would be amazing if we as a people and all |
| intrinsic faith in the evolving human spirit. My favorite | | | | humans everywhere operated from that spiritual |
| description of a spiritual person is the Alcoholics | | | | center? How do we do that? What does the |
| Anonymous concept of "walking your talk." | | | | concept of spirituality need to succeed? We need |
| What about lies, misinformation, misdirection and | | | | transparency, honesty and integrity. |