strawdog65

Lets make some class friends, Starting from straw we are made, Fire consumes this life.

As Chuang Tzu so aptly wrote in his story of a butterfly Dream: I dreamed I was a Butterfly and upon awakening I was unsure if I were in fact a Man who dreamed he was a Butterfly, or a Butterfly who had dreamed he was a Man. Reality is a term that indicates only what the observer/experiencer witnesses. change the perception of what is observed/experienced and you change the Reality. Back to sleep now....I think I'll fly over to that flower....

Awesome! Very inspirational.

Wow!...Now that's a good read! "supply and demand" for the USA, does not take into account what is "needed" in other countries. The determining factor in this is "who can afford to pay". When farms are paid to not grow food, in esscence they are pawns in creating scarcity and profitable greed somewhere else. When all peoples of the world do what is best for the world society, rather than bow to the orders of corporations as the lackeys they become, then it will become obvious that there are food and resources available for everyone. Profit and greed must be removed from providing the essential necessities of human living.

TzuJanLi, I have been following this thread since you have become involved in it, because I see you are earnest about real solutions to a worldwide dilemma. There is an overwhelming number of people in western countries who will never see clearly what you have said in this thread. They will not willingly part with their "things" and their lives of comfort based on the continued servitude of the masses doing the work no one sees, or would ever want to do from a wealthy country. The underlying reason for the resistance I see when bringing this argument out into the open is... FEAR. So many people are afraid to lose what they have. The equalization of world wealth would mean they would do without many of the things that make their lives so incredibly comfortable. Some of the viewpoints expressed here are so handicapped by their own experiential limitations, that they have a complete inability to "see" anything other than what continues to assure the security of the lives they now lead. I applaud your sharp and insightful posting, it assures an awakening for those that read and open their minds to other possibilities. The world is the way it is because we allow it to be so through our quiet inaction and continued servitude. It is the awakening of the mind to the fallacies that we are controlled by that will cause the future changes to come about. Sleepers....Awaken!

Wow! Clear as crystal. Reality has no political basis, it just IS. I respect the fact that you Tzu jan Li, have taken this to task and made so may valid and truly meaningful points. I think it takes a sense of impartiality to view this situation in a way that takes into account what would be best when special interest groups are not the controlling factors. The controllers, the .05% or 1%, are finally being seen hiding behind their curtain, as people worldwide become educated to know that they have been lied to for generations. The world works the way it does because we are ASLEEP. It is when people awaken that the ones in power become most afraid.

Presently that would be, "Chronicles of Tao" The secret life of a Taoist master. By: Deng Ming Dao

Ahhh.... The voice of reason and compassion is not only alive and well, but eloquently spoken. Thank you for posting this Tzu Jan Li! It ironically, should be apparently obvious to anyone who takes the practice of compassion and understanding to heart. Sadly, because so many of us live within our own bubble of "stuff", we measure the health of the system we exist within, by the ability to have the very stuff that is part of the disease of all mankind. Insulated from the true world reality, we blindly say, "all is well".

First chews are better, Destiny and happenstance, We're grist for the mill.

Please take a look.

Imagine: A world not based on greed. A world where doing for others is just an everyday thing. Giving freely what gifts we have to offer, and never having to worry about where we will sleep or how we will come by our next meal. A world into which the children(all children) are given an education because it benefits the entire world to have educated inhabitants. A world in which all people have lives of meaning and are able to contribute to the world society with their own skills. Remove the "need" for what is needed. Freedom is a lightness of being, because worry has been removed. Picture this, Imagine more, Stretch beyond, What we were before.

With all of these protests... Do people "know" what they want? They say they want change, they want to remove corporate greed from the system. Do they even have an inkling of a plan? The movement is good. But having a goal, a plan is even better. The following is from the "Venus Project" website. http://www.thevenusproject.com/ -------------------------------------------- The Venus Project is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, one that works towards a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are no longer paper proclamations but a way of life. We operate out of a 21.5-acre Research Center located in Venus, Florida. When one considers the enormity of the challenges facing society today, we can safely conclude that the time is long overdue for us to re-examine our values and to reflect upon and evaluate some of the underlying issues and assumptions we have as a society. This self-analysis calls into question the very nature of what it means to be human, what it means to be a member of a "civilization," and what choices we can make today to ensure a prosperous future for all the world's people. At present we are left with very few alternatives. The answers of yesterday are no longer relevant. Either we continue as we have been with our outmoded social customs and habits of thought, in which case our future will be threatened, or we can apply a more appropriate set of values that are relevant to an emergent society. Experience tells us that human behavior can be modified, either toward constructive or destructive activity. This is what The Venus Project is all about - directing our technology and resources toward the positive, for the maximum benefit of people and planet, and seeking out new ways of thinking and living that emphasize and celebrate the vast potential of the human spirit. We have the tools at hand to design and build a future that is worthy of the human potential. The Venus Project presents a bold, new direction for humanity that entails nothing less than the total redesign of our culture. What follows is not an attempt to predict what will be done, only what could be done. The responsibility for our future is in our hands, and depends on the decisions that we make today. The greatest resource that is available today is our own ingenuity. While social reformers and think tanks formulate strategies that treat only superficial symptoms, without touching the basic social operation, The Venus Project approaches these problems somewhat differently. We feel we cannot eliminate these problems within the framework of the present political and monetary establishment. It would take too many years to accomplish any significant change. Most likely they would be watered down and thinned out to such an extent that the changes would be indistinguishable. The Venus Project advocates an alternative vision for a sustainable new world civilization unlike any social system that has gone before. Although this description is highly condensed, it is based upon years of study and experimental research by many, many people from many scientific disciplines.

People! Yes You! Look at the discord of our present world. Look at the injustice of our present system of governing. Isn't it time for some change? The Venus project is an Idea we should all look at more closely. All of the "occupy" movements all over the world, seek change, moving away from corporate greed, to a better life for all people. Who really believes that our present form of governing, world wide, is the system that will satisfy the needs of the future world? The Venus Project is an Idea. It is not perfect in any sense. It is a good place to start.

Hi Aaron, Thanks for posting this. It is entirely ironic that a reminder of this sort would even need to be posted on a forum like TTB. The obviousness of what you are saying hits home. I agree that when a person has lost their home/job and can see the world with new eyes, it opens them to what the reality of the world really is. Many people on this thread have argued that the economic freedom of the USA is the reason for our success and that all people have the equal opportunity to become rich and successful. This is a LIE. It is a fairy tale told to prove to the weakest minded individuals, that because we call ourselves free,we are the best nation in the world. Poppycock. I know that the reality of the world is vastly different from what we would want the world to be in a Humanistic sense. That being that all people have equal and protected rights without question, to Live, Learn, and be the very best person they are able to. It is the fact that basic needs like, Food, Shelter, and Education are not available to so many people of this world, based entirely on the principle that these things must be "paid" for, that holds us back from a world community that works together rather than at odds with one another. I believe that Nationalism, and too much pride in "your" country, rather than pride in the family of Humanity as the world is seen from space, is a lot to blame. It is an easy prospect to put other people down when you push your own "type" of people up. I am constantly saddened to read so many replies on TTB that are so concentrated with a materialistic world viewpoint. I believe we all, deep down know better than this. I have presented the Idea that is the "Venus Project" many times here at TTB, and I continue to believe that this Idea holds much promise for some future time when man/womankind finally gets over the hurdle of looking beyond their own self and can focus on the concerns of Humanity itself.

The Buffalo's empty, Pull over, let's fill'er up! Cud chewers unite!

Internalism, What's inside...always comes out, Please excuse my gas;-))

Cobwebs soften fall, Fractals reflected within, Facets, spider's eye.

(thrown out the window...) Anamatva you're too kind, Cobwebs soften fall.

The answer is now? Which now would that be? Now? Now? How Now, my brown cow.

The wolf to the sheep, We are just grist for the mill, Welcome the Machine.

Accidental snack, Hydrogen gas streaming down, Event Horizon.

Bundle up. She's here... Frightful icicle harvest, Hanging from one's beard.