I am a great admirer
of Ralph Waldo Emerson and have been for many years. His wisdom has led me to many revelations .
I have recently re-read his essay on Illusions and I began to recognize some of my own . I have built up a miriad of illusions throughout my life. Some self imposed and others imposed upon me by parents, teachers, government, media etc. etc.
But of all the illusions I have created and have had
created for me the most fundamental of all
illusions has been to place too much trust in
others , having faith that they know more than
I know or will ever know. For somethings such as
Einstein,s theories I will trust the scientists and
physicists to question. For surgery I will trust a
surgeon of good reputation, but for all else I can
trust very few to accept their theories of selfhood, government, religion , historic fact or ethics. These are etherial areas of knowledge which are
areas where most people must think for themselves
yet this is where they create the greatest illusions. illusions which are
most difficult to unmask because they have been
part of an indiviual'sself image and teachings since
childhood. Identifiers of self such as one's name
or religion or country or ethnicity. One's parents
or grand parents or the school we go to or
university we graduate from,or what a person
does for a living. These are the false illusions built
up over time to hide the individual from himself and others. The false status of any of these illusion
makers create for those who can not or will not
think for themselves, a conveniant illusion, a mask
of self worth to hide a shallow reality.
"A man's illusion is his sport."
"Life will show you masks that are
worth all your carnavals... Whatever
games are played with us, we must play
no games with ourselves, but deal in
our privacy with the lost honesty and
truth....Simple childhood virtues of
verasity and honesty are the roots of all
that is sublime in character- speak as
you think, be what you are, pay your
debts of all kinds..." R.W.Emerson.
American's have lost this noble
virtue of speaking our minds. We have
lost the tenacity, and verasity and courage to fight for our own dignity. Americans teach their children to be silent before erring authority or they will be punished by suspension or receive punishment of some other kind." Be silent and stupid like me" say their parents. Who numb the pain of their silence with antidepressants, alcohol, or a false illusion of Jesus.
We learn to create even greater illusions
than our parents and grand parents do.
But be silent. Say nothing. Join the
chorus if you want to sing. Join the
band if you want to make noise. Join
the football team if you want to express agression.
Become a parrot of a politcian
if you wish to be heard. Appentice to
a world bank or a fortune 500 company
if you want to learn the legal methods
of corruption and bribing governments. Become a
Democrat or Republican if you must not,
Will Not, think for yourself, because your thoughts are invalid, unclean, undisaplined, your thoughts are
underdeveloped as are those of your parents. Only the highly learned teachers,
priests and preachers can teach us of
God and the universe and creation.
The churches say God does
not want their followers to questiion him or his priests, popes
or prophets , we must think about nothing but
our work and our obediance to authority.
This is the only way to live properly and be allowed to enter heaven upon one's death.
So you must love your president though he
steals from you and sends you to your
death in war or sells you and your children into
financial slavery for the duration of your lives.
.Love your father and mother though
they beat you and starve you and abandon you. Love everyone who defiles
you, lies to you, cheats you, rapes you,
attempts to kill you.
Give your heart and soul to the Church that
molests you or your children. Trust all who represent the great evil which resides on earth
listen and obey them who ask for your life, your
money, your trust, your eternal soul, for this is the way to peace on earth and the promise of heaven.
Emerson states" Every moment , new
changes, new showers of deception, to
baffle and distant him. And when , by and by, for an instant the air clears, and
clouds lift a little, there are the gods still
sitting around the their thrones- they
alone with him alone."
" Everyone fixes their fortune in absolute
nature."
Have Americans fixed their fortunes in
absolute nature or in absolute folly,
absolute deception, absolute hypocrisy?
Illusions built upon delusions designed to deceive ourselves and others. All must Break the glass walls that
imprison them and shout against evil and
injustices, the horrors created by madmen and
monsterous institutions. Shout out against the
hypocrisy that surrounds you. Demand honesty
and integrity in all institutions, friends and family,
never fear the wrath of God or man, when you demand truth and embrace reality.