Are There Any To Be Counted?
Those patriot crowds, while aware that something is very wrong with the governments of the world, remain mostly tied to the overpowering illusions created by those governments (and the financial/royal powers that have ruled them all along). As long as this remains true, any attempt by supposedly awakened reformers to "fight the system" will be easily manipulated into enhancing a new design of that same oppressive system. If one is to be a true patriot, then seeing though these illusions must be the first step toward any ennobling action one might decide to take with one's life.
The greatest of all illusions is the idea that a patriot exists to defend his Country. Whoever defines the word "Country" can easily usurp the power of a patriot's dedicated loyalty and turn them to ends that a true patriot would cry out against in horror. Note the attitude of many in America during times of war, or during the present post-9/11 silliness. Many are willing to lend their life energies to the genocide the US has been perpetrating in the Middle East for the past 15 years simply because the shared mental image of "Country" has been perceived to be attacked. Even worse, we are ready to do the same harm to ourselves once the opportunistic rulers give the command to do so.
The irony behind it all is that the Country the American people are defending is dedicated to robbing and abusing them, as well as the land and its resources, to no end. The same is true in other Countries, who are just as blind to their own perversions as Americans are to theirs.
A true patriot defends the country in which he immediately lives and works in. This country is spelled with a little "c", as in countryside. Taking care of one's friends, families, and neighbors, as well as the land they all share that supports them, is the highest of all patriot duties. If the land area that you live on is free, happy and prosperous, then you have done your duty to the world, and no more is required of you. We have gotten ourselves into deep trouble because we have allowed our minds to expand the area we think is under our control. As a result of this mental illness, nations have formed that have sought to impose their will upon others. The going seems good when one is "winning" these international pissing contests, but sooner or later, the dominant nation will fall into ruin as the other nations unite to usurp the bully.
Running a close second in the list of cardinal sins committed by patriots is their insistence that a belief in the bible and/or Jesus be strictly adhered to. I've said enough elsewhere on this site about the dog and pony show that is biblical Christianity, so that won't be re-hashed now. The point is that a true patriot is loyal to human freedom, whether that is seen as coming from god or not.
Many of the founding fathers, who are revered by the patriot community, were extremely critical of the bible and Christianity in general. As Masons, many of them were fully aware of the crock-o'-crap the world's religions were and are, since Mason's created them to be that way for the purposes of controlling the ignorant. The American Constitution delineated a strong separation of church and state because they had seen centuries of "god-fearing" rule in Europe and noted the disastrous effects of it. Today's chirping about America's downfall being the result of its straying from it roots as a "Christian nation" is coming from birds that have always been locked in the cage of insidious thoughts and have yet to fly and taste the freedom of their own souls.
Because of this collective blind spot in the patriot mirror, many allies are missed who are working just as hard for the same freedoms they think they alone are defending. Just last month a group of "patriots" solicited my help for their work. As I listened to them and read their literature, it became apparent that these patriots were like all the rest, assuming that good people love Jesus and bad people don't. When I told them I was as critical of religions as I am of governments, all correspondence ceased. This is no complaint on my part, merely an illustration of how easily one's individual or group power is cut off when one chooses to operate from an illusion. The way you can tell if you are in this trap is by using a criteria articulated by philosopher Ken Wilber called not vice versa.
The more powerful one becomes, the more "levels" one is able to access and interact with. Levels can mean anything you are trying to compare on the same scale or set of values. For example, because most Unlearners are willing to see through the illusions of religion, they can operate from a set of values higher than the religions or the scriptures they give authority to. Because most religious people do not see their beliefs as illusions, but as concrete realities, they have a much harder time dealing with those "not on their level". While it is tiresome for Unlearners to sometimes deal with realities they may have once inhabited, they at least have a power over that reality because they have moved beyond it.
In other words, I have no preclusions about working with "patriots" who are sincerely engaged in the cause of freedom, even if they bring their bible with them into the fight. However, because I won't acknowledge Jesus Christ as my lord and savior, or pledge myself to returning America to biblical values, many of these self-righteous patriots will avoid me like the plague.
In one sense, this is the highest irony, because I always thought there wasn't a plague alive that the mythical Jesus was afraid of.
This not vice versa then, is a signal, when you recognize it, that you are in some kind of reality box. If you like that reality, stay in it as long as you like. But the fact that you have sensed that there is a limit means that there is a new reality just beyond your reach…waiting to be discovered…with more power, freedom and joy than you can currently imagine.
And this is the greatest challenge facing all of humanity at this time. Very soon, the world masters will be calling on you, using the tried and true tactics of fear and force, to defend the reality box that you currently find yourselves in. While most of us will acquiesce to these demands, the architects will have then created a new reality box for you, one with less freedom, power and happiness.
This sad trading away of the quality of human life for the security of their physical world is the "deal with the devil" even the most religious among us continue to sign. And the Faust within us all will continue to experience the torment of that bargain when all the vainglory of these deals is used up. Like an addict, we will sign over more power and freedom in desperation, until humanity has finally wasted away.
The ending to this drama need not be so sad. The fact that there exist realms of perception where the world's great illusions are no longer in control means that there is a doorway available for us all to walk through at any moment. Once entered, there is the opportunity for turning back, but you won't want to. Instead, you'll want to invite others in, doing your best to encourage them along the way. It's not an exclusive place by rule, because there is more than enough for everyone to go around.
When you operate from this place, the final illusion of the patriot is busted. That is, the illusion that one must fight in order to be free. Whether this world turns into a police state tomorrow or the paradise earth always knew it could be; the unlearner is capably equipped to live in either of them. This is true because the unlearner knows that she is more than a physical body, more than human. There is a creative power within capable of turning any reality into an untouched paradise, whether the physical body remains long in it or not.
For the record, this unlearner has a strong preference for the paradise over the police state. But that is a question we must collectively answer with the way we live our lives. I'm living from my own power now, and the question remains…..
Whose Life are You Living?
