Thanks again, Samrat, for another thought-provoking essay in which I'm sure all readers can see themselves (maybe their surrogate activity is blog-reading/blog-critiquing). I notice that obsession is not mentioned once directly although it surely is implied. Creative "flow" as described and developed by the Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a psychological state where high skill is required to accomplish a high challenge. That the person loses track of time and even place (she/he is in a sort of virtual space?) and even biological needs of dinner or sleep indicates that this state of mind is its own reward. (May I humbly suggest that my "Paranormal Panorama of Creative Flow" on YouTube will explore this concept.) You have addressed an important phenomenon that may be of great service to humanity to maintain what will pass for mental health in the declining years of unraveling in the not too distant future when Nature will finally adjust humanity to its carrying capacity despite our wishes. If it is not already being done I wonder if these current and coming, new surrogate activities can be designed to minimize energy use thereby adjusting to the new realities.
Judeo-messianism has been spreading its poisonous message among us for nearly two thousand years. Democratic and communist universalisms are more recent, but they have only reinforced the old Jewish narrative. They are the same ideals.
The transnational, transracial, transsexual, transcultural ideals that these ideologies preach to us (beyond peoples, races, cultures) and that are the daily sustenance of our schools, in our media, in our popular culture, at our universities, and on our streets have ended up reducing our bio-symbolic identity and our ethnic pride to its minimum expression.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are death cults originating in the Middle East and totally alien to Europe and its peoples.
Sometimes we wonder why the European left gets along so well with Muslims. Why does an often overtly anti-religious movement side with a fierce religiosity that seems to oppose almost everything the left has always sought to defend? Part of the explanation lies in the fact that Islam and Marxism have a common ideological root: Judaism.
Don Rumsfeld was right when he said, "Europe has shifted on its axis," was the wrong side that won World War II, and it becomes clearer every day . . . What has NATO done to defend Europe? Absolutely nothing . . . My enemies are not in Moscow, Damascus, Tehran, Riyadh or some ethereal Teutonic bogeyman, my enemies are in Washington, Brussels and Tel Aviv.
I remember your posting a little while ago about Ellul and I've thought much recently about his description of jazz music's vicarious false freedom. Nothing offers greater challenge to artists than this desolate conception of the arts. I agree with Ellul and wish to prove him wrong nonetheless. Even failing, such a thing would be a worthwhile endeavor.
It is not only self-generated though, this tendency towards the ease of surrogate activity. It is harnessed and encouraged. I wrote this piece, on those who hold the reigns:
Thanks again, Samrat, for another thought-provoking essay in which I'm sure all readers can see themselves (maybe their surrogate activity is blog-reading/blog-critiquing). I notice that obsession is not mentioned once directly although it surely is implied. Creative "flow" as described and developed by the Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a psychological state where high skill is required to accomplish a high challenge. That the person loses track of time and even place (she/he is in a sort of virtual space?) and even biological needs of dinner or sleep indicates that this state of mind is its own reward. (May I humbly suggest that my "Paranormal Panorama of Creative Flow" on YouTube will explore this concept.) You have addressed an important phenomenon that may be of great service to humanity to maintain what will pass for mental health in the declining years of unraveling in the not too distant future when Nature will finally adjust humanity to its carrying capacity despite our wishes. If it is not already being done I wonder if these current and coming, new surrogate activities can be designed to minimize energy use thereby adjusting to the new realities.
Judeo-messianism has been spreading its poisonous message among us for nearly two thousand years. Democratic and communist universalisms are more recent, but they have only reinforced the old Jewish narrative. They are the same ideals.
The transnational, transracial, transsexual, transcultural ideals that these ideologies preach to us (beyond peoples, races, cultures) and that are the daily sustenance of our schools, in our media, in our popular culture, at our universities, and on our streets have ended up reducing our bio-symbolic identity and our ethnic pride to its minimum expression.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are death cults originating in the Middle East and totally alien to Europe and its peoples.
Sometimes we wonder why the European left gets along so well with Muslims. Why does an often overtly anti-religious movement side with a fierce religiosity that seems to oppose almost everything the left has always sought to defend? Part of the explanation lies in the fact that Islam and Marxism have a common ideological root: Judaism.
Don Rumsfeld was right when he said, "Europe has shifted on its axis," was the wrong side that won World War II, and it becomes clearer every day . . . What has NATO done to defend Europe? Absolutely nothing . . . My enemies are not in Moscow, Damascus, Tehran, Riyadh or some ethereal Teutonic bogeyman, my enemies are in Washington, Brussels and Tel Aviv.
https://cwspangle.substack.com/p/pardonne-mon-francais-va-te-faire
I remember your posting a little while ago about Ellul and I've thought much recently about his description of jazz music's vicarious false freedom. Nothing offers greater challenge to artists than this desolate conception of the arts. I agree with Ellul and wish to prove him wrong nonetheless. Even failing, such a thing would be a worthwhile endeavor.
It is not only self-generated though, this tendency towards the ease of surrogate activity. It is harnessed and encouraged. I wrote this piece, on those who hold the reigns:
https://walkingwithgoats.substack.com/p/the-tale-of-an-indian-runner