How To Get Rid Of A Song Stuck In Your Head (the right way)

TL;DR: First read the lyrics. Then sit in silence, let the song run through your head freely, and let your brain figure out whatever it's trying to figure out.

**This is a method to use when the Zeigarnik effect doesnt work, that doesn't require you to just drown it out with something else or destroy memories, both of which can be a very unhealthy habits to develop. This method cuts to the real core of the issue.**

Don't you love it when you get a great song stuck in your head? It just kinda keeps going. And at first you're like, "Ok, this is cool. No problem." But a part of you is afraid. You know what's going to happen. You're afraid it won't go away. That the sweet serenade will turn into a lyrical browbeating that makes you want to throw yourself into the Potomac, and it'll end up being a song you hate the life out of. But you just accept it for now, you try to listen to some other stuff and forget about it. "It'll go away," you tell yourself.

Well, wouldn't it be nice to know that it's gone for real, and that you WON'T find yourself playing hot potato hand grenade in a cold sweat under your uncle's staircase in a week? Wouldn't it be nice to know that no song will EVER plague you like that again? Music is a really great way to deal with our demons and grow as individuals. And songs like this that get stuck in your head are WHERE IT IS AT. Here's what I think is going on and what to do.

Why The Song is Stuck in Your Head:

What I have found is that when a song is stuck in your head it means there's something your brain is trying to figure out, and that song has something to do with it. It doesn't matter if you like the song or not. There's something in you that's trying to speak, and it's found a voice through that song because you won't listen otherwise. There's something in you that needs your attention.


The solution: Listen.

As in most cases, taking "control" really means taking responsibility, letting go of your egos, and then being open to whatever you may be about to learn from within.

First, go read the lyrics, following along with the song as it plays. Just google the song name and "lyrics", and then find the song on youtube. (if you haven't already compulsively bought fifteen thousands copies of it) I prefer to not watch the music video, but that's up to you.

Then give yourself some time to just sit in silence with your thoughts and no external stimulation. This is basically a mini-meditation. Just let the song run through your head freely as it will and just let your thoughts do what they will do. In no time, you will have an "ah-hah" or a "holy crap" moment. You might even get a paradigm shift. I can't tell  you what your revelation will be, but you will definitely know it when you see it.

Of course the ultimate proof is if the song starts playing in your head a minute later. If you found the right thing, it definitely will not.

Some caviats: sometimes it's not just a thought, but a "do". It might bug you until you apologize to your friend, or return the book you stole. It might be that you have to grieve, so you need to go grieve before the song leaves your mind. Whatever it is, you'll know what needs to be done from this five minute exercise.

The last step is to give some sort of thanks. Just thank yourself, whoever, or whatever you feel is partly responsible for your revelation. Appreciate it. Feel that appreciation. Reflect. Done.

No method is completely foolproof--I have been running from the Mattress Giant song for the last 15+ years and it still haunts me to this day. I just can't sit with the song long enough to figure it out--it's so damn unnerving. But for every other song that has ever been stuck in my head, this method has worked. We all have our demons, and music is a great  way to deal with them. I could write endlessly about the perplexing magicality of music. Good luck!
(cue reading rainbow)

Honne, My Purpose, This Blog, Inspirations, Future Posts 150327

In Japan, they have two concepts known as honne and tatemae. Honne is the real truth, while tatemae is the facade. Tatemae is how the truth appears on the surface, the facade, the "official story", or what we choose to tell ourselves. Corruption lives in the gap between the honne and tatemae. Government, culture, soul, mind, body... When the gap grows two wide, corrections happen. Conflict, lawsuits, wars, revolutions, disasters, depression, pain, destruction. My job is to reduce that gap down to a crack, peacefully as possible.

But as we have now seen with religion, corporate and government leadership, and even science, the illusion of purity can not only hide corruption, but encourage it.

So while I do think technical clarity is an important part of speaking honestly, I also think unceremoniousness is just as important, especially in pursuit of the truth. It keeps the ego in check and we should celebrate the raw honesty of our feelings. Often times the funniest comedians are funny just because they tell the truth. The beautiful thing about unceremonious truth is that it's untaintable because it was never serious enough to taint in the first place. So sometimes I will be ceremonious and loving, and other times I will make up words, curse, tell stupid tasteless jokes, or hate everything. I love all of me and I know what I live for. I don't care if I never get a job again for it; this is the life we are meant to live. If you want freedom, live in freedom.

Therefore, I will speak as I speak. I will explore all levels of honesty and truth here with you. I will not hide my demons because I want you to see me deal with them. I will not hide my failures because I want you to see me turn them into successes. I will show you everything I can. I guess that's what a blog is supposed to be.

"Sunlight is the best disinfectant"
- quote from someone; Lewis Grandise? Idk, I stole it from the Freakonomics documentary.

It's my destiny to be a voice in the wilderness. I've always felt like there's so much about our society that's so damn wrong. And I feel like everyone else in my generation feels it, too. I'm seeing a lot of artwork about it. But it seems like nobody really knows how to put it all into words. I think that's my job. I want to write and speak the kind of words that can change the world, and solidify a new epoch in the history of humanity. The world is thirsty for a revolution of the spirit. A revolution of truth. I want to be a part of quenching that thirst.

But there's nothing I can tell you that you don't already know. My job is to expose it within you and offer resolution. Only unified people can unify the world.

My purpose is to solve really fucking difficult existential puzzles. To discover and expose the truth. To figure out the universe. Observation and thinking are the only things I've never stopped doing. It is the most consistent part me. Ever since high school, I've always known my destiny was this, and it still is. I may have too much to share through art or video games, and if I die tomorrow, I have to know that at least some of it is out there for others to find. It's time to start sharing my discoveries, as well as my failures, as new discoveries come up and I realize old conclusions were wrong. I want this struggle to be visible. I want someone to look at all this, and know they're not stupid. Because I have discovered incredible things that I never would have if I was not open to being wrong, or comfortable with uncertainty, or if I had ever stopped pursuing the truth.

Because the greatest thing any philosopher has ever taught me was that there is validity to my thoughts.

Posts like this may come fairly often. I think a person should be constantly re-evaluating their purpose and path in life. Coming to the same conclusion means you're on the right track, but this time you understand it even more.

I will be diving head-first into into scary and impossible subjects nobody wants to talk about, from the nature of existence to abortion. There may be articles you can't read because your current understanding of things is too far removed, or you just can't stand them. Maybe you have a better solution to a problem. I'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments.


Future articles:

- How to find your destiny
- The difference between destiny and purpose
- A brief history of my discoveries; why I was not a christian, then became one, and I'm now kinda not again
- How to stimulate positive cultural progress
- Corporate culture in the United States
- The answer to the abortion debate
- The truth about knowledge
- The pursuit of truth or the pursuit of knowledge?
- The human condition, v1, v2, idk
- The truth about right and left brain thinking
- Yoga With Adriene
- Various design reports/reviews (mostly video games)
- The destruction of inductive, deductive, and logical reasoning
- Why a mirror reflects your image horizontally, but not vertically
- Brain Teasers by Sal
- Original Jokes by Sal
- My 4 Fundamental Meditations
- Good Luck Chuck Syndrome Solved (Hopefully)
- How to instantly get control of your sex drive/addiction
- or, How to stop masturbating right now
- How to stop hiccuping immediately using only your breath
- Is porn destroying sex? Is it destroying intimacy?
- or, Is porn why we all suck in bed? Is it why we suck at love?
- My creative design process
- or, How to come up with badass ideas inside any box
- My favorite quotes
- My favorite pickup lines
- My favorite everythings
- My random ideas list
- My video game ideas
- My list of 3d portfolio ideas
- How to identify real love (pursuit revised)
- What I think the future would really be like
- Maybe also some critical reviews of other futurism renditions
- Why the invention of teleportation would end our world
- My board games
- The Salvatorian Verbal Standard
- How to remove LinkedIn contacts if the piece of crap isn't working
- Why haters hate
- What I've learned about success
- The Truth About the Sexodus and Male Rights Activism
- Meta Totems and Fractal Philosophy
- How to fight
- Why I love debate, and hate arguing
- How to never get a sunburn
- How to never stink (without perfume or weird chemicals)
- My ultimate healing tea recipe
- Undervalued clear speaking tricks
- How to solve depression without drugs
- Why I don't believe in belief
- What I do believe in
- What I would do with financial freedom
- Don't listen to anyone (not even me)
- The solution to suicide
- My education philosophy
- Human Time Dilation (how to feel like a kid again, where a week feels like a year, but you're not bored)
- Are antiquated Intellectual Property beliefs starving our future?
- Where I think the information age is heading
- SalvatoreArt.com
- My crazy dances


My Inspirations:
Freakonomics (Dubner & Levitt)
Oscar Wilde
Sherlock
Hemingway
Banksy
The Joker, but also Batman
Christopher Nolan
Socrates
Nietzsche
Sartre
Kierkegaard
Kant
Descartes
Derrida
Zeno
Cyanide & Happiness
The Office
Ricky Gervais
JRR Tolkien
Fight Club
John Oliver
Stephen Colbert
Steve Jobs



I intend to speak frankly, clearly, and concisely. I also intend to litter this blog with original art. I'm not giving up this time.

A Rhapsody About the Pursuit of Truth

Wrote this last year in the middle of a bunch of stuff.


Don't know what I would do if it weren't for the life.
Lighting the way, one step at a time.
To the secret places, right before everyone's eyes.
You pass them every day,
and use them on your way, never knowing the very ground
on which your life is laid.
You see, but do you observe?
The secret passages are curious, tempting, addictive.
Exploring rabbit holes to infinity,
discovering creativity.
Can you find your way back
when all you see is black?
Do you know this space?
Is something on your face?
Your friends can't come to your quiet place.
Thinking "shortcuts in the underbelly", but the truth is in the feeling.
Just beneath the surface,
everything's inertial.
You see the light,
but nothing is right.
Next time you come, it'll be night.
Back on the surface you can hardly stand it.
This dude and that noose walking all over what was commanded.
You're not on the surface,
you're still swimming in subversion.
You'll never be the same,
you've seen from where it all came.
You'll carry it with you wherever you move.
The depth in your eyes is something too soon for the moos that presume they are made to be food.
You've exhumed the roots and brought them with you.
See, everything's fine as long as they continue to work for a dime, sell all their time,
and pretend that the momentary thrill of a shrill fake other life is the bottom line.
They'll see your tricks and thoughts
and be moved with emotion,
but when a change needs to be made,
it might as well be an explosion.
"It's about to collapse!",
but they clap at the calamity befalling your hat,
while the underbelly moves and shifts.
Things start to crumble,
the people stumble,
the humble fumble
and bumble their way.
Death, loss, might as well be moss.
They throw you on the pavement and tell you it's your fault,
"We told you not to go".
And it's all you can do not to slit their fucking throats.
If it weren't for you they would have never been warned,
and they have no idea what you've been doing to keep their families warm.
You've been doing a job no one wanted to do,
facing things alone you should've never gone through.
A part of you loved it, loved every minute,
but the world's on your shoulders when you're down in the pit.
You're in the most dangerous spot,
but it's nothing compared to being called what you're not.

You are right in the middle of everything, in a place nobody will ever be able to find. Not for those who see, but for those who observe. Not just for those who observe, but for those who explore. And not just those who explore, but those who discover.

Cheap Prosthetic Limbs; The Info Age Offers Hope for the World

(TL;DR at bottom)

http://garbimba.com/2015/02/19-year-old-who-built-a-350-robotic-arm-teaches-you-how-to-build-it-free/

People wonder why I am so bitter. I've been called a "hater" many times. I've argued against that, but I'm really trying to cleanse myself of that behavior right now and become a more positive person. But this is why it's so difficult for me. I knew about this technology and about how cheaply it could be made when I first ever heard about prosthetic limbs and learned how much they cost. My father and grandfather were inventors, I studied to be an engineer for a while, and my entire life revolves around learning everything and figuring out the impossible problems. So when I heard, and hear, that the standard price for a prosthetic limb can be 6 figures, it takes everything in me not to go absolutely fucking apeshit with anger.

I'm like Bruce Banter; peaceful scientist who just wants to figure shit out and help the world, who believes in so much. He wants to cure the evil. But when so many do not, and stand in his way of helping, for no good reason, he flips out and turns into the Hulk, instead attempting to destroy the evil, with little regard to collateral damage. My philosophy name (like a rap name) happens to be "Destroyer of Knowledge". "Hater of Haters". "Bitter Bemoaner of Bitterness".

It's hard for me not to be angry because I know what we are capable of, I know what is possible, and perhaps more pertinently, I know what we've already done (and btw, what this kid did, had already been done several times with older tech). But people don't believe in anything. Money? They fight each other, they put each other down, companies and governments suppress innovation and consolidate power... This is the third or fourth time we have had electric cars in this country--Tesla is not the first; just the first to not get erased from existence by big oil and big auto, but I respect them for choosing such a defiant name. There's just so much useless hate. And in my foolishness, I respond to it with more hate.

I am not a terrorist, but I tell you honestly that I can sympathize with a certain brand of terrorist. Because I feel so powerless, useless, against a world that is against everything I stand for. I have fantasized about watching an entire building of some evil corporation explode. I have sworn to myself that if I ever meet certain individuals in real life that I will thrust my fist straight into their face. I've even thought about hanging myself in a place where people would notice and the scene would make an important statement. These aren't acts of hate so much as they are feelings of desperation. I would never do any of those things. I've only raised my hand to another human being twice, in self defense in a bad neighborhood (and I was punished for it, btw). It's emotions. I feel completely powerless. It's like the world is against LIFE, so if I want to live, I have to fight for it. I hate fighting, so I hate the world.

I have seen people in my life who stand for love and spread that love message, but I just don't see them making a big impact, compared to the hate. People don't listen. I don't listen. And when I do spread a message of love, people don't seem to hear it. Maybe I'm not paying attention. Maybe I can bring some innovation to the "love strategy". Maybe I should pay more attention to my heroes like Martin Luther King Jr, Burzynski, Aaron Swartz, Elon Musk, Ensemble Studios, Jesus... The love that the close friends in my life have given me is very precious, but maybe I'm underestimating the impact those small instances have on the bigger picture.

I feel like I can't even write this candid post--which could be a reassuring, cathartic, empowering read for many--without losing out on job opportunities, getting harassed by the TSA at the airport, losing business, or being judged as "unfriendable" and "undateable". But I'm doing it anyways because I choose to live my life and fulfill my purpose. Not the right time or place? Maybe the right time and place is when you feel it.


TL;DR:

My current theory is this: it's not love or hate that will change the world, but truth. There is a time and place for both love and hate. But it does a person no good to live in hate. The individual should live in love for the sake of life. Whatever life they can claim or create, it comes from love. Perhaps lies are the only thing worth hating--but really we should love them for forcing us to grow and explore our minds. We are in the information age, so the truth will come out, even if it has to be re-discovered, like with this prosthetic. I think we will work our way out of our big problems because of it. From these recent observations, like the prosthetic limb, my faith has grown. I am so deeply thankful for the progress I am observing, and the potential that is emerging. It's very subtle, but it's very much there. We are laying the foundation for real growth in the next epoch of human existence. Digging the well toward the water of new life. The human spirit is truly undying. It is clear to me now that our progress is an unstoppable force. And from this mental place I will continue to grow my faith and love. I'm really starting to feel like the world can take care of itself and my ego can take a rest (permanently, please). I cannot wait to see what my generation does in my lifetime. I will focus at ease on my part. And I hope if you're reading this, you'll be around for everything.

Sincerely,
Salvatore

My Year-Long Sugar Fast of 2014

Last year my 2014 resolution was to break whatever addiction my body had to sugar and observe the health benefits. What I found was, everyone should do it.

In 2013 it had been a growing concern that they put too much sugar and sweeteners in everything we eat, to the point of toxicity in some cases. If my body was encumbered by this in any way, I wanted to be free. So I figured a sugar fast for 2014 must have good results. It did. The experiment went very well. And I didn't even do it perfectly. So before you go thinking "there's no way I could last a whole year without sugar", you should read on for more details about how exactly I accomplished this. It's a lot easier than you think. Here's a short report about my experience and what you can probably expect if you decide to try it.



Major Findings:

- My addiction to sugar was real even though I already had a pretty healthy diet low in sugar.

- My addiction to sugar has almost completely disappeared. Definitely at a realistic level.

- I have a lot more energy.

- 10 days will definitely not do it. (as recommended by the documentary 'Fed Up')

- I feel way more in-touch with my body. I feel like it's more disciplined and primed for success. I think that's why I now have a growing aversion to beef and grease.



Diet Guidelines:

- No sugar as an ingredient to anything. Even if it's organic cane sugar or cane syrup. As much as you can help it.

- No corn syrup as an ingredient in anything.

- No artificial sweeteners. These will jack you up worse than sugar. Splenda, Nutrasweet, Equal, SweetNLow, sucrose, sucralose, aspartame-- all off-limits. Btw, nothing--NOTHING--just "passes through your system".

- Yes to sugar that naturally occurs, like in fruit or vegetables. So fruit is okay. Just maintain a reasonable portion of it. Remember that fruit is very rare in the wild. NO to any juice product that adds sugar.

- Yes to real local honey, especially if it's just a little bit once every few days in some tea or something. Again, just don't overdo it. Treat it like a delicacy. But it is natural enough that my system had no issues with it.

- Generally, no dessert. If you have to, have a banana and a protein shake before bed and it'll knock you right out.

- Remember soda and other drinks have sugar and aspartame too (but this is for you because I already hated soda)


Also I did eat Clif bars from time to time, which are made with organic cane syrup. I go on too many adventures to deal with life without them. But I will say they are the most healthy portable food of their kind. I kept them to a minimum, and I stayed away from the flavors with extra icing and chocolate.



TIMELINE
--------------------------------------------
My philosophy with new years resolutions is to not make them about just doing a thing religiously. Instead, I see the turn of a new year as a developmental checkpoint. Am I better off than I was last year at this time? Have I grown and developed closer to the person I really want to be? What can I do this year that will make me feel better about who I am becoming this time next year? It's about improving my quality of life.

Therefore, I've already decided I'm not going to beat myself up every time I accidentally eat sweets. The resolution isn't a failure just because I messed up a few times. It's only a failure if I don't feel like I made real progress by the end of the year. You should never let your resolution ruin your quality of life as you try to carry it out.

One way you do that is choosing the right resolutions. So my resolution isn't really  "I'm not going to eat sugar the entire year." Its "I want to free my body from sugar addiction".



The First 3 Months:

With that philosophy in mind, the first step was to start reading labels as I buy food, removing and replacing things from my diet that have sugar in them as they come up. I thought this would take about a month, and the real test would begin probably at the start of February. So If I accidentally ate sugar, or just succumbed to temptation, I wasn't going to beat myself up. January is my time to adapt to my new resolution.

And it's a good thing because I can't tell you how many times I was offered free dessert within the first two weeks. The universe always does that, right? Well finally someone offered me an entire chocolate cake they were going to throw out, and I said "yes". I went home and ate that entire goddamn cake. The entire thing. One sitting. Take that, universe. And I think that even broke the curse because after that it was easy.

Well, it took three. Three months just to replace everything in my diet with food that didn't have added sugar or artificial sweeteners. I had no idea just how extensive this problem with our food was.

But at the end of 3 months, not even being fully off sugar yet, I was already experiencing withdrawal. You would not believe how many ice cream trucks are on the road that you just never notice. I caught myself unconsciously fixating on Blue Bell and Ben & Jerry's logos.

I also noticed that whenever I would accidentally eat something sugary, my stomach would get upset within a few minutes, and then the next day my energy would be completely shot. Later on I figured out why this was.



6 Months, June:

The same symptoms of energy crashes persisted for a while, but there was a good 6 week period where I had no sweets at all. Then I did have some accidentally, but the next-day crash was significantly less.

The withdrawal tapered off during this time and I was no longer noticing ice cream trucks around town.

Progress!



9 Months, September:

It was some time during this period that I noticed a documentary about added sugar and artificial sweeteners had been released earlier in the year called "Fed Up". It's with Katie Couric. And in that documentary they encouraged everyone to take the "challenge" of going 10 days without added sugar or artificial sweeteners. The diet was exactly like mine.

I can't even begin to tell you the thoughts I had about that. I'll just say this. It took me 3 months just to get the sugar out of my diet; just to stop saying "oops, looks like I can't eat that, oops, not that either". And another 3 for it to even start doing any good. And these guys are suggesting 10 days... let's just move on.

By now I could actually taste the sugar or sweetener in something without even looking at the label. Like at restaurants or at a friend's house. It always had a subtle cheap taste to it.

I realized also that whenever I would accidentally have sweets, I didn't have any crash the next day. None.

I really wasn't expecting that. So I did some research and came to the understanding that when you have a lot of sugar in your diet, your body gets used to that and becomes lazy about breaking down carbohydrates into sugars like it's supposed to. Often it just stores those carbs as fat for a rainy day. The carbs you eat have a lot more energy potential than straight sugars, so when your body is relying on straight sugar, you have less energy. Your body basically gets "spoiled". But if you take away the sugar long enough, it'll get accustomed to carbs. It won't just drop everything at the sight of sugar anymore. It'll take that sugar and just throw it in the mix with the other sugar it's getting from the carbs.

This is exactly what had happened to me. My body was no longer addicted to sugar!



12 Months, December:

I was able to enjoy the holidays, with sweets in moderation, with virtually no negative effects.

I have a lot more energy. My body seems more awake, alive, and adaptable. It's also a little easier for me to feel what my body needs.

Sweets simply don't have that same punch that they used to when I taste them. I have a scoop of ice cream every once in a while, and I gotta tell ya, it's a pretty forgettable experience.

The only other weird finding is that I just don't like red meat as much anymore. I haven't done the research to see what that might have to do with sugar, but I suspect that my body simply "leveled up" to a higher state of health and awareness, and that maybe there's some truth to the theory that red meat is bad for you.



Why I recommend the diet:

1) All the health! Good feels! More energy! Weight loss!
2) It will encourage food producers to stop pumping their products full of sugar and make our food more healthy!

Let's support brands that actually care about what they're doing, and the others to follow suit. In the meantime, we can all become healthier, happier, more free individuals.

Why My Generation Doesn't Want to Work

I have a very long answer to this, but today I had a very short experience that captured it perfectly. Brought back all the memories, and the ache in my stomach. Why don't we want to work? This shit.

Today I noticed that a small flyer for a job hiring event had been slipped into one of my bags at Kroger.

It is January 25th, 2:55pm.

I've been looking for a little extra money in between jobs, and a temp job day-stocking a brand new store would be perfect. So I threw on some clothes, grabbed a resume, and flew out the door to make the last hiring event.

I get there at 3:27pm, no cars, no nothing, just this sign on the door:

Here?? Where "here"??! There's nothing fucking here!

The building isn't even finished!

No indication of today's events, but there's a bunch of info about future events. Wondering, "WTF?", I look around, reconsider a white tent by the Kroger gas station, and decide drive over there to ask if this is it. There are no signs or indications of any kind on or near the tent.

I park, get out and approach a lady near the tent. She's probably in her 50s, dressed about as casual as it gets.

"Is this the Hiring Event?"
"Yeah" (with attitude)
"Oh ok there--"
"Did you fill out the online application?"
"No I did not."
"You have to fill out the online application before we can interview you here."
"Oh, that's required?"
"Yes, you have to fill out the online application before we can interview you here."
"Oh, okay, I'm sorry, the flyer didn't say it--"
"You have to fill out the online application before we can interview you here."
"Okay thanks."
"There is a schedule of future hiring events posted on the door of the store over there."
"Okay thank you."

I walk away, pissed and offended. As I drive away, I notice the bitch is still staring at me. Seriously?

Let's go over all the communication errors that occurred in this hour:

1. The implication on the flyer that this was the last hiring event.
2. The implication on the flyer that the online application was optional. (Standard connotative meaning; "Pre-Apply Online", not "Must Apply Online") How about "Must Apply Online", and then don't even mention the hiring events to the applicant until after the application process, totally digital. Might also be a good time to mention the white tent.
3. Communication inconsistency concerning dates and times from the original flyer to the window poster.
4. No indication that the hiring event still even existed on the window poster.
5. No indication on the tent on the other side of the parking lot that it had anything to do with Kroger or the hiring event.
6. Don't even get me started on tent bitch.

I can already tell this is going to be yet another quality-of-life-draining job if I take it.

I hate having my time wasted and being treated like I don't matter, while simultaneously being forced to kiss the ass of those people or companies who regard me that way. They have no intention of making those things better. Oh I'm sure there are people in management trying to make it better, but the big guys really don't care if they do. They only care about their numbers. And as long as every other company in our country that these people can get jobs at treats them the same way--"worship thy ass, for thine ass has no choice"--the numbers will not change, and growth will continue. The big guys will continue to ignore pleas from management and spurn their great ideas.

You might say, this is why we have unions. But unions can go bad, too. And you can't just apply unions as a fix-all band-aid to everything. A unified, healthy, alive society and culture would be more than enough to counteract abusive employers. But this is an aching, decaying culture.

Communication. Accountability. Respect. Things our society is severely in need of.

There are many more facets to this answer that have a lot more to do with post-modernism/post-functionalism, and especially the information technology that has allowed us to find out just how easily technology could take care of so many problems and replace the worst low level jobs, but also just how much the system and powers that be have been keeping these technologies from us, starving our economy, wallets, and souls. Suffice it to say there's a lot of shit that doesn't work, and we just don't see the point in participating. There's no point in living your life if you can't LIVE life. We don't have the answer, but we know this isn't it. Maybe if our culture had a little accountability and a little less ego, we could at least stomach these jobs when we had to.

I hope I never have to deal with one again.

The Five Phrases that Can Change Your Life: Adam Braun

THIS.

Social Dogma Debunked: "Kill Them With Kindness"

I hate the idea of "killing someone with kindness" or never getting upset because it burns so much more for the other guy when you don't react. I think this phrase needs to be replaced.

The sentiment that this phrase was born from is great (the idea of responding to hate with love), but the propagation of the phrase itself creates a different sentiment of "winning" and "fighting back" that is bad. As people take it and use it for themselves, it gets used to disguise or enable their own hate in a self-righteous manner. All it does is bury the truth, prolong the grieving process, and undermine the real intention of the phrase. I love the idea of pursuing yourself and everyone, including your enemies, with love. But we need a different phrase for this idea that might be more healthy for our culture in the long run.

Is hurting someone, getting back at someone for something they did to you really the point of "taking the moral high ground"? Is it even really taking the moral high ground? Even THAT phrase, with the "high ground", implies that you are preparing for and engaging in war. Which is not the morally, ethically better place to be if someone is trying to start a fight or there's a problem.

Don't get me wrong, I think in most cases that the peaceful course of action suggested is the best one. But the motive is the worst. And motive is the most important part. You might as well just start throwing punches. Because it shouldn't be about getting back at someone, teaching them a lesson or getting what you want. That motive undermines the very principles that I suspect those sayings were intended to uphold.

You don't do it for your ego or for anyone else. You do it for the sake of your personal dignity, respect, and integrity. You do it because it's honestly the right thing to do by your heart. You do it because you have a responsibility to your community and yourself to stand as an example of peaceful integrity.

What you do is make a better decision with this current situation than your pursuer made with the problem under discussion. The decision is not better because you are better than them. It's better because their decision did not work. Better because if you throw the fight right back at them, it would just be your ego, and the fight would just continue, and the situation would end worse than it began.

So what about the old phrase, "turn the other cheek" from the Bible? I think people have misinterpreted this phrase in our generation to fit with the dogmas suggested by "kill them with kindness". I don't think Jesus meant turning your head, sticking your nose in the air, and walking away like a self-righteous prick. I think he meant to give the ultimate love--that if the person really wants to slap you in the face (and already did), turn the other cheek out and let them slap that one, too. Of course, doing this in real life requires an extremely high level of self respect and self love for it to not make you self-implode in depressive misery. And I don't think Jesus would expect you to turn the other cheek if you couldn't handle it. But we actually have examples of activists doing things like this today, chaining themselves to trees, standing in front of tanks, or lying down in front of construction equipment.

"Love your enemies as yourself." Much better. Also from the Bible.

When you are attacked, you choose to be better. Not better than them. Better than you. For you. For your attacker. For the greater good. The only way we can progress toward peace as a world is if each individual person makes this decision in those moments. Taking care of yourself is a responsibility you have to your world.

I love the idea of pursuing yourself and your attacker with love. If you'd like to explore that concept more, look into Aikido, a martial art based on love.

I would love to hear your ideas on a better phrase to capture this philosophy in a contemporary way.

PB n' BS: Honest Voices Need Honest Listeners

SOTU Yesterday

I long for a world where public figures feel like they can be themselves and speak and act honestly. I rail against them for not having more integrity, but we as the community are just as responsible for this problem. Because you can't expect a person to be real if they don't feel like the listeners intend to be understanding. If you want honest speakers, you need honest listeners.

Call it the media, the other politicians, or the people at large... truth is, everyone with a voice has a responsibility to have an ear. We all have a responsibility to pay the respect of an understanding, open heart and mind to whoever is speaking.

We've all had that experience: You're really nice and understanding with someone you just met. To the point where we wonder if we should be piping up and refuting their thoughts. But within 5 minutes, they end up spilling their guts. They get really comfortable and say things like, "I can't believe I'm about to tell you this, but...", while you think things like, "I can't believe this person is telling me this, but..." "Honest" listening creates an environment for honest speaking.

I think what's really happening is the more honest politicians just aren't winning elections because our culture can't handle that kind of honesty yet--we aren't good listeners. Perhaps the one place where we should react with strong sanctions is against anyone or anything whose ear is not at least as large as their voice. And perhaps selective hearing should not be tolerated.

I still think the best leaders should speak with integrity, even in the face of bad listeners. But it's a lot easier for them if we create the environment for that. The entire world will move forward if we all take responsibility for our part. If we want honest leaders, we have to become honest listeners.

Reposted from:
http://salscribbles.blogspot.com/2015/01/day-21-pb-n-bs.html

http://jonikcartoons.blogspot.com/

Sexodus Prequel: Hate + Hate = Hate; My Rant

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren/this-is-what-happens-when-women-actually-accept-a-compliment#.vd209Ox1YN

Women: do not let this catch on. Share and squelch this now amongst each other, because it's only going to make things worse. I'm preparing a lot of shit on this topic for my blog, but this needs to be responded to now.

This is exactly the kind of religious dogmatic crap that I'm talking about. Right now the female culture seems to be clinging to an ideology of hating men to validate themselves, and I'm going to show you how this experiment proves it.

In short, this was not an experiment. It was a lashing out and a fighting back, goading their opponent into saying something mean so that they can validate their hate.

Social experiments are great. They can be very informative--I do them. But if you're going to approach something scientifically, you do it to give benefit of the doubt. You do it because you're trying to fairly see if there's an exception to the rule that you've come to accept. If you can't find the exception, your argument is strengthened. If you can, then you've discovered a flaw in your rule. Either way is a win because experiments get you closer to the truth. A real experiment is done in the spirit of the truth, with no other motive but to pursue the truth.

Now, without reading this article, you tell me what the fuck you think "accepting a compliment" means. I tell you you're pretty. You accept the compliment. What are your words?

Because I'm going to bet that your words are, "thank you". That's what a person who's not trying to start a fight says. It is a socially established way of accepting a compliment.

But that's not what these girls said. Instead of accepting a compliment, they agreed with the compliment in a sarcastic way, but sold it as acceptance. Their answer was "yes". And they weren't joking. Totally different message.

Now if they had thanked AND agreed, that's different. "Thanks, yeah I'm very fortunate" or "Thanks, I like my eyes too". No problem. Perfectly polite and normal, and it invites a conversation.

But they weren't interested in conversations. They were interested in proving that guys that give you compliments are just assholes. (I mean right there, isn't that about as religiously--ridiculously--dogmatic as a pile of shit could be?) Nope, they wanted to feel better about rejecting men they weren't interested in.

But instead of owning up to the TRUTH and taking responsibility for their feelings by maybe saying "thanks but I'm not interested", they'd rather just talk back like a spoiled twelve-year-old.

I am so fucking sick of people giving women credit for being the "community glue". Not in this country. Not in this culture. If aliens were to look at our situation objectively, trying to figure out which sex was trying to bring the world together more in this instance, I'm pretty sure they'd be looking at the sex who's initiating contact and pursuing the other one with nice things to say. And I really don't fucking think they'd blame the first for getting upset if the second responds with an egotistical sarcastic message.

And do you really fucking think that responding with hate will help the issue of hate that you're trying to resolve? Or, like this chick, are you really just interested in saying "fuck you" to any man who puts you in a situation you're to dishonest and immature to deal with?

http://thetruthiswithyou.blogspot.com/

Art: Why So Serious?

This was today's entry for my creation-a-day challenge.

One of my tricks as a designer for keeping the spontaneous creative inspiration flowing is that whatever projects I'm doing, try to alternate one project serious, one project funny/stupid/not serious. Such a key part of unlocking your ability to create original ideas out of thin air is to allow in your mind even the dumbest of ideas. Creating something that's genuinely funny to you supercharges and motivates you, but letting yourself play with some ideas that are just dumb lays a foundation for a healthy relationship with the inner workings of your mind. Because you want your subconscious mind to feel the freedom to hurl tons of ideas at you when you need them.

There are even a ton of examples in fine art. But that's enough of that. Let's look at something funny.

Someone punched a hole in a $10 million Monet and recently went to jail for it. You can read about it here (brace yourself). But this is the most hilarious thing I've read in a long time. Now you're probably thinking, "Has Sal gone crazy? He is an artist--shouldn't he be upset?" It is definitely a travesty of art, Monet is possibly my favorite painter ever, and I am also an expressionist (salvatoreart.com), but read the rest of the story.

The guy claimed to have accidentally fallen over and hit the painting with his elbow due to a heart condition. But a witness told the court that he lunged at the painting with a clenched fist like a hammer. Like superman. But he's trying to tell the court it was a heart condition. He had 48 -- 48! -- prior convictions that included having stolen maps from the 1600s worth thousands of dollars in his possession, and damaging other artwork. But he's saying it was a heart condition! He just does not stand a chance! There's no way. The event was even captured on camera, clearly showing him lunge like MegaMan at the painting. And his story is, "heart condition". He's just so screwed, the whole thing is hysterical to me.

To make it even funnier, you only have to search "monet punch" in google and it comes right up.

Rest assured, the incident was actually two years ago and the painting has since been repaired. I would be honored if one of my pieces was taken off this planet like this. It'll all eventually turn to dust; might as well happen in a fun way.

More about humor in art. Many of the pieces in the reactionary movements across art history are actually making fun of what they're reacting to. Even Whistler's Mother was deadpan (my theory). The easiest to look at is the current reactionary movement in contemporary art: postmodernism. We've been seeing it for decades en masse now, and now it's in all our media and art. It's all about questioning the established systems, exposing the problems, and trying to find the next step. There is perhaps no better tool for exposing and talking about those things than humor. There's so much truth in humor. Sitcoms, cartoons, comics, movies, music--in our generation humor is everywhere.






I always think of Calvin and Hobbes. A great example about how easy it is to hear a serious message from someone or something that is not usually serious. People are often most impressed by serious performances by famous comics. I think their craft in comedy requires them to work more closely with the truth than they get credit for.

In the high art / fine art world you've got names like Paul McCarthy, Jeff Koons, and Banksy. All that create work that's funny. It's not all funny, and sometimes the piece wasn't meant to be funny, but it is. I think that's a side effect of hitting you in the face with that much truth in that way that happens to be your sense of humor. And it is acceptable to laugh.

Train, Paul McCarthy

Banksy, Graffiti Artist

Banksy, Street Artist

On honesty and comedy, even your own train of thought is often funny if you just let it go word-vomit style.

Some day I will write a post with my full treatise on how to generate creative and original ideas, but for now, know the most important part, of everything, of it all: enjoy it. To what end is life if not to live?

Perhaps there can be no true art apart from comedy.

The Difference Between Tolerance and Love

Credit to Reddit user, thesockbunny

The difference is one word: Pursuit.

If you have a friend who never initiates contact with you, I don't think you can call that person a friend. Because that's not love. But it might be tolerance.

Have you ever had a friend who says that they love you so much and think of you so often and they seem so genuine, but as soon as you walk away from them, it's as if you never existed? A friend who never calls, texts, sends an email, or even mentions you on facebook? But maybe they seem so genuinely true and real when you have their attention? The one who's only there when you put yourself in front of them? Yeah, that's not love. That's tolerance. And I don't think its a real friend.

I've read about the 5 love languages--I know everyone has their way of feeling loved, and everyone has their ways of showing love that they're good at or comfortable with. I think the 5 love languages theory has true merit. But there's one love "language" everyone has in common, and it wasn't mentioned in that book: everyone wants to feel wanted.

How do you make someone feel wanted? Pursuit. Initiate contact. You just ask for them. You call them by name, you seek them out, you send them a text or give them a call... You feel wanted when someone--one way or another--invites you into their life. You feel wanted when someone sends you a text for no reason. Just to say hi, see how you're doing, or share a laugh.

When we feel genuine love for someone, we want to share it with them. Initiating contact with that person is natural and healthy. Both as a desire and an action.

So, while you might think, "maybe that person is just not comfortable with using the 'words of affirmation' love language," it's not that simple. In fact, what I have found is that these people are usually extremely loving with their words when you have their attention. And when confronted with the situation, they use a lot of words to try to prove their love. But every time, YOU have to get THEIR attention. You have to put yourself in front of them. And after all the conversation about the issue, they still don't initiate contact.

And don't get me started on the friends that get on your case because you haven't called them with an update on your life. As if it's your duty to keep them abreast by way of their own personal daily digest.

Here's what I think. When this is happening, one of three things must be true:

1) The person doesn't love you, doesn't like you, and doesn't want you in their life, but can't admit it to you or themselves.

2) They really do love you, but they don't want the responsibility or accountability that a real friendship requires. In other words, they want one-way relationships. And they want to be on the receiving end. They also don't appreciate the responsibility they have to be honest with people, especially friends.

3) They really do love you, maybe they really do want a relationship with you, but they simply don't have time for you. Usually these people have so many friends it's a sin. They're very genuine and loving, but they don't know how to say "no".

In all cases, being in a friendship with that person is very unhealthy. Because it's not a real friendship. Especially if the person isn't willing to acknowledge or work on these issues with you.

So what should you do in a culture where this kind of broken entitlement is so common? Sit back, fold your arms and say, "fuck it, I'll wait for someone to pursue me"? Hah! Don't make me laugh. No, don't do that. Why? Because it's the most socially irresponsible solution. And you would end up doing to everyone what all the people who have hurt you did to you. And you already know you can't create real friendships out of that, right? So don't go thinking you should never pursue. Giving up even more social responsibility is exactly how to screw up the world even more. Don't be a part of the problem.

Here's my philosophy so far:

If you're grieving from some love pain, take some time for yourself. Don't pursue anyone but you. Grieve. But don't grieve for too long. Heal, but be eager to get back up and then point your energy and love to the people who you know will give it back. Always be willing to initiate contact the first time. Even the first few times. Give new people an honest chance to come around. Just don't ever let it go nearly as far as you did with these other people. I'm thinking, don't initiate more than 3 times with a new person if they have not yet initiated back. If they still haven't, take that energy you have for them, and give it instead to people you know love you for real. You'll forget about the first person in no time.

I think the trick is to cut yourself off early, but never stop believing--never stop trying to make new friends. This alone is may not be the key to world peace, but I think it's part of the solution.

----------------------------------
Some Epilogue thoughts:

I'm a Christian, but it is not at all surprising to me that this is happening in a culture that is so rooted in Christian religiousness. Religiousness. Ya know, one of the big things that the Bible and most "religious" texts actually warn against. Doing whatever you want and never taking responsibility. Surrounding yourself with people that buy into the same denial that you do, who have all the right answers but none of the actions to back it up. Their words say one thing, their actions say another, and anyone who points it out is stupid. This is very religious behavior of the Christian flavor. My friends who were church leaders were among the most un-loving, "tolerant" friends I've ever had.

I also wonder what applications this train of thought has for understanding race issues in the US. I mean, England was way worse when it came to slavery, and yet their country has grieved through it, and the black community there seems fine. Correct me if I'm wrong, but racism in the US is the worst in the world, when it should be the one place that it isn't an issue at all. Is this why? Is it because we keep pushing for "tolerance" instead of "love"? To speculate further, I wonder if there is a direct connection between the protestant christian foundations of America and race issues today. I think it makes sense, but it would require more research. And I would definitely want to hear more of my black friends thoughts on it before I made any confident claims.

Another afterthought:
I forgot to mention a very important part of this topic often times these "friends" will drop everything to help you if you are dying--if you're in a crisis of some kind. That can't count for nothing. But I don't like it. Because it smells like they're only helping because if they don't, then they're definitely NOT your friend. If they do help, they can always use it as a sort of ultimate proof of their friendship, even though they never seem to care about you when you're not throwing yourself in front of them. But here's the fundamental core of why that kind of behavior is wrong and unhealthy: Any health or medicinal practitioner of any kind will tell you that the best treatment is prevention. Too often, these crises could have been easily avoided had the victim had a healthy, actively-in-their-life circle of friends. Friends that might have helped this person identify and avoid a problematic situation in advance, or kept them from falling into a downward spiral of suicidal thoughts. Even on a metaphysical level, surrounding a person with active positivity only does good things for their life and keeps them away from crises.

In other words, a real friend is not the one who's only there for you at the last minute when you're about to die; a real friend is the one who keeps you miles away from death by being an active, regular part of your life.

The River and the Beasts

Recurring dream. This time I was able to experience the largest portion of the story arc. The night of 141106.

Arturo and I were messing around in a rocky canyon / ravine area with tall bouldered walls. No water. No plants or animals. Just looking around. I had set all my stuff down on the ground in a certain spot (wallet,phone,pad,etc). Arturo had set his up higher in a recessed portion of the stone before the rock wall jutted out and went straight up, out of frame. We were in the shadow of a wall, just past a bend of the ravine. The rocks and stones were red and orange and brown, a lot like Arizona. Walking around, inspecting the stuff on the ground in the middle of the ravine. Pebbles, rocks, naturally carved areas. Arturo about 40 feet down the ravine from me.

I saw a trickle of water flow past me, between my feet, as if from a spill or something. I look up to see from where it's coming, and it's coming from beyond the bend. And it's slowly growing. It swells and branches into other parts of the rock. It's a small stream or creek now. Still growing. Arturo starts moving back up toward his stuff, saying something to me. I say "No I think it's just a little stream, dude, this is probably it." The stream swells more and starts to make noise. Suddenly I'm worried my stuff on the floor, as it is now on the shore of this new stream, and another branch of water just went around it, isolating it on a rock in the water. My wallet is wet. I run over there and put everything in my pockets. Arturo is now where he set his stuff down in the recess. He looks up and around at what's going on. So do I. We are in our bathing suits.

A new surge of water comes and the water swells significantly. I head for the slightly higher ground that Arturo is at, while we start moving. Right now we're trapped on this wall and we just need to get out of there. We can't go around the bend so we are walking downstream along the rock wall and rock shore. The water has now surged and swelled to the point that it would be dangerous to cross. It's not very deep, but it's moving very fast.

We walk down the shore a distance and are now surrounded by trees and greenery. The red rocky environment is gone, except there may have been a wall still on our left. There are lots of other people, mostly on the other side, and it's clear the water is a problem for them, too. Kids have been swept away. We come up on a walled bridge. Probably for a train because we gathered it would not be easy to cross for some reason, and argued for a second about whether to attempt to swim across the river. "Fuck that, I'm gonna climb across the bridge," he said. At that moment, I saw in the water, heading our way fast from upstream, a kid's shorts somehow I knew it had valuable stuff in it. It would cross under the bridge within seconds at this speed. In that moment I saw that I could not hesitate, and I didn't. With a "fuck it" attitude to my fear of the water, and a vision of how I could grab the shorts if I jumped now, I dove straight toward the water. My hands hit the shorts square on, and I was in the water. I was instantly swept under the bridge, but somehow made it to the other side without a problem and without a ton of distance. The people on the other side seemed really impressed. And thankful.

I remember seeing more of Arturo for this next part, but after that I don't know what happened to him. I guess some time had passed, but all of a sudden it had become a fun challenge for people to cross the river. It was like a mini water park. There were two "rides" --really obstacles--for crossing the river, the challenging being to not fall in the rapid water below. Both obstacles were trying to have you cross it toward the side that we had come from. The bridge was now be easily walked across and was full of people watching. Both rides were on the far side of the bridge, facing the original side of the river. Both had long lines, and platforms two stories high that you had to walk up to in order to begin the task. The first was a launcher. A launch pad or slingshot seat or something, that you had to jump on in just the right way to catapult yourself across the river to a soft spot on the other side. One lifeguard. The banks of the river here were tall and steep. Soil and dirt and roots. It was right next to the bridge. The farther one was more simple. It was a swing, with a ladder rope below strung across the river. You had to hang off the swing and fling yourself as far as you could, land on the ladder rope, and climb your way the other side of the river, with the thick waters rushing just beneath you.

All I remember of this part was all the people there like it was a water park, and that I only tried the swing ride a single time. I flung myself off the swing and didn't go very far. But I landed square on the ladder rope with my feet. I just focused and continued moving my feet to keep the forward momentum. I managed to run all the way across the ladder rope to the other bank with perfect balance. I didn't try to do it again.

Now, I'm guessing these to dreams are the same dream, but my mind certainly strung them together as if they were.

The far river bank that I now occupied was full of trees and had an even, but challenging slope that went up probably 150 feet from the water. Everything from here on out takes place in that space, along the slope, upstream from the bridge. I remember being part of a band or community of people where I was an outsider. It was mostly kids, and the adult and older-kid leaders were rarely seen. It  was like a camp or something, and I was considered a kid. But it wasn't a camp, because we were also trying to survive. At disconnected times it seemed like there were very few people in the band, at others there were a ton. I figured the whole community was just never in one spot and such a thing would be a luxury. At times it was like there was plenty of food, and feasts, and it was a regular thing, at other times, I was starving. I could never make heads or tails of what was going on in this camp, but I was trying to survive, too, so I just had to make do. I couldn't leave. There were beasts roaming the forest. During the day, everything was fine. The beasts were nowhere to be found. But at night, if you were travelling by yourself or with one or two others, you could hear them or see them running. And the others you were with were usually so scared that they would start running, and could leave you behind on your own out of fear. And this is all on that slope, so it was easy to slip. The camp had several locations and points of interest along the bank, none of which could house everyone, or all the supplies, so everyone was constantly moving themselves and supplies back and forth, but constantly had to go out for more wood or supplies in the forest. They were far enough apart that you could not see one from the other. People were having to constantly run out to fix the power lines, too, and there were weird, changing rules about when we were allowed to use power. All of these duties rotated amongst the people, and I had my share.

The reason we had to keep fixing the power lines, and the rules about electricity, was that the beasts would feed on the power lines. It seemed like they were mostly interested in feeding on the electricity from the lines, but would also eat meat. And people would definitely disappear. The thing about the night was that you wanted to use the lights, but the electricity itself, being on, would attract the beasts. Not to mention the lights. We didn't want them to screw up the power lines or generators, and we couldn't have them sensing the meat inside (us). And these one-off buildings in the middle of nowhere were never very well barricaded. Nighttime was stressful and a good sleep was never had. It seemed like if we had a lot of people, and a lot of lights at night, they would keep their distance. But inevitably a kids would play, get comfortable and venture just a little too far away from camp. Someone would always get eaten. So we just never did that anymore.

Between supplies, wood, fire, food, electricity, defense, and very limited communications with each other, the whole thing was a mess. Kids were dying every night. I lived in constant fear.

The legends about how the beasts looked turned out to be accurate when I finally saw them myself. They were long fox-like creatures. Like dogs, with a smooth pale head and snout, and bushy long tail, but no taller than two or three feet. They had a long torso and legs, pale beige, but with leopard-skin print. The leopard print was not on their tails or their head. On the head instead were light faded brown speckles and spots. Their eyes were all small and black, but could glow like lights at will. They always traveled in pairs and never separated. But they only had one eye. One dog in the pair would have one eye on the left side, and the other on it's right side. The side of the head that had no eye was simply smooth, perfect fur. They would flank their prey, one on each side, from great distances, each eye pointing toward the prey. It was believed that each pair was connected telepathically, like one they were animal. And if they were telepathic, maybe they could read your thoughts, or see where you were from great distances, even when they weren't looking.

It was extremely rare to see them during the day, but if you did see them, you would simply never be seen or heard from again. It was accepted that they always traveled in pairs at least, but it was difficult to tell just how many there were because of their weird sounds and stealthy maneuverings. They never howled or barked like dogs. Ever. Sometimes you would hear a sound that was maybe electric, like a light snap or a pop. Which could easily be confused with the snap of a branch under someone's feet. And another sound soft and indescribable, except that it was eerie. At night you had to watch for their flickering flashing eyes, and that creepy ass light sound, which you would hear in your own head even if they weren't there. There was virtually no warning when they would attack. It was their own paranoia that would get people killed. They were easily 4 times as fast as any human, but they never looked tired, and rarely ran more than a trot.

We had no weapons. No guns. Maybe a few knives.

The legend gets thicker. Two of these dogs (one of the pairs) were believed to be against the rest, and tried to protect the humans. This is where the descriptions come from. It seemed as though there were a few instances where a band was being preyed on (they suspected) or attacked, when two dogs came out of nowhere and cleared the rest away. There was another story of when a guy was approached by both sides by the dogs and led along a different path, and then the dogs left, as if they helped him avoid some great blunder or trap. But there was so little to be seen, and so much uncertainty in these instances that it was still possible to me that there were only two of these beasts in the forest. One pair. And there's just a lot about them we don't understand. It could also be that they were using us to continue producing electricity, but also scaring us and herding us enough to keep us in this forest.

I remember hiding one night in the building farthest up the river on the bank, where I was usually stationed. I was by myself with one other kid and we couldn't get the damn candles to work. We had to crawl everywhere so that the dogs wouldn't see us through the windows. We used the electricity for a little while and then turned it off. But we heard the dogs approach and then munch on the power lines outside the walls. The other kid crawled into another room and stopped responding, went silent. One of the dogs came inside and sniffed around. I saw him with my own two eyes not ten feet from me. He didn't look directly at me, but I knew in my gut that he knew I was there. After about an hour the dogs left and we fell asleep. I found my partner the next morning in the next room, untouched and fine. The whole time I was starving.

Another instance, in the same building, there were a lot of us. It was a feast. There was so much food of every kind. The kitchens inside were fully utilized. When I was surprised about how much food we had available, everyone just looked at me like I was crazy. As if to say "duh" or "of course". But I had been without food for a couple days. Don't they go through that? I just couldn't understand them. I kept eating. I felt guilty a little, not saving more of it for later, when we may not have it. But I had gotten used to following instructions. I had to. We all had to. We had to trust whatever communications we had. And I was told to eat as much as I could stomach.

The last time, I was walking through the forest in the daylight with two other guys, gathering wood. We were on our way back, branches in hand, when we heard them. Remember, it was extremely rare to run into them during the day, but if you did, it was guaranteed death. We decided to step it up, but the others were in front of me and couldn't contain their fear--they started running, sprinting and tripping over each other as they ran along the side of the great slope through the forest, dropping wood along the way. I waited. Contained my fear and controlled my quick steps.

But then I saw one. Directly to my left on the top of the slope. Looking right at me. And the other was directly to my right, halfway between me and the water. Black eyes staring right at me out the side of their heads. Like birds. I moved faster and started dropping the wood. They moved faster and closer to me. I started running. They started running. They began closing in. Accepting that I couldn't outrun them, I shifted my fear into determination, eyed a good spot of ground for footing nearby, and started feeling the wood in my arms for the best branch to use as a weapon. With perfect timing, I had my hand on the "hilt" of my weapon just as I reached the location, dropped the wood, and raised the branch over my head in an attack pose, pointing right at the dog coming from above, the other dog behind me. They're only about 7 feet from me. My arm is up and ready to strike it's head in that instant. I've concentrated all my strength--everything I am--into that hand. I know the one behind me will probably take me out, but I'm gonna take down this motherfucker right now. The dogs both stop and rear back before the one I'm aiming for is in place for me to strike.

And the dog in front of me says, "Wait!"

...I'm thinking "wtf??"

He says, "Come with us. Just follow us."

They keep their distance--and I keep my stick--, but lead me to the top of the slope, over the ridge.

The dream was over before I could see what was on the other side.



Edit (150103): The two people in real life that I thought the beasts represented are no longer my friends.

What the Hell is Going on Here?

A concise, comprehensive collection of documentaries and research material for those who want the truth.

Look around you. Things don't make sense. It seems like if you ask enough questions about anything these days, nothing ever adds up. This list is my attempt to explain why, through the research and work that many others have already done. I am not an expert myself--I'm only good at explaining the big-picture high-level dynamics of this situation. So this is merely one beggar's effort to tell other beggars where he found bread.  I've designed this special list of documentaries and information to fully educate a newbie who knows nothing about any of this, from the ground up, in the most concise fashion possible. Some are slightly outdated, but are kept in this list because their information is so eclectic and clearly explained. There are hundreds of documentaries (and millions of pages of text) relating to the subject, but the documentaries I've chosen here encapsulate most of that into just a few sources.

This list provides critical information for every freedom loving human being in the world. It is ultimately a matter of life and death, as it involves situations that, in history, have resulted in the slaughtering of millions of innocent people. For my fellow American citizens: if we don't wake up our country to this information very soon, the country itself may very well be gone in as little as 2-3 years, and at war with itself even sooner. But do not take my word for it. Check out the documentaries and info here and evaluate the situation for yourself. Before action can be taken, we must first disseminate the information. By the time you read this, you may be the one grain of rice needed to tip the scale and thus avoid all armed conflict and oppression entirely.

Make whatever conclusion you want from this information, but my conclusion is that there is a real conspiracy to take over the world, it is in action as we speak, doing a dangerously good job of executing it's plans, and it is a menace to the safety and freedom of everyone in the world. But even if I'm wrong (and I hope I am), it's still very important that every American know the information contained here.

First, remember a few things:

- Just because you want something to be true doesn't make it true. That includes conspiracy theories. Make honest observations and evaluations for yourself.

- Terrible, unspeakable, unbelievable things have happened over and over and over again in history. Do not fall prey to the idea that it will never happen again. And consider what it will look like the next time it does happen. It is of critical importance that you take the time to sit down and really consider this.

- A claim may be incorrect, but the evidence will still leave a smoking gun. If something doesn't make sense, do not settle the issue in your mind until you figure it out.

- Do not believe anything that does not connect to anything you have seen evidence of in your life with your own two eyes. But do not discount testimonials as being anything less than a testimonial. Do your fact-checking.

- Just because something sounds stupid doesn't mean it is.
- Just because something doesn't make sense doesn't make it false. The difference between truth and fiction: fiction has to make sense. The truth about the world is the truth about the world, whether it makes sense to us or not.

- Have patience. Some things are better explained in other documentaries and info sources than others.

Some (Alex Jones, especially) will sound hokey and, frankly, stupid in their presentation style. Fair warning. But it's just the presentation style. You have to fairly look at the facts and evidence objectively for yourself. Think through it. Ask questions. If something isn't properly explained, find an explanation for it. For a newbie, a lot of this stuff is not easy to understand at first, and even if you understand it, not easy to swallow. In order to find the truth, you must align yourself with and commit to nothing less than the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Otherwise you will reject these claims simply because you don't want them to be true. I've arranged this list in an order that I hope makes that learning process easier, but we'll just have to see how it goes.

I am always open to answer questions and read comments, and I would love to make this list more rich, comprehensive, and concise. So please send me any other ideas or documentaries you find. This is intended to be a rolling, constantly updated tool for enlightening people to the dangers hiding in plain view. Let's keep it up to-date.

Please report any dead links. Also, please save copies of these documentaries if you have the ability to do so - if my conclusions are correct, it may only be a matter of time before these videos are censored.

Spread this around, change it, steal the credit --I don't care. Just get this out to as many people as you can.

The list is meant to be watched in order, from top to bottom.

My "Big Three" Documentaries

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you watch or read nothing else, watch these.

The World According to Monsanto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvGddgHRQyg

Related vigilant citizen report:http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/irrational-consumerism-or-the-few-companies-who-feed-the-world/

- "Food, Inc" is a good documentary, too (available on netflix)

What in the World Are they Spraying?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf0khstYDLA

The Obama Deception (Alex Jones):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaQNACwaLw

- Released in 2009, almost 4 years ago

- Note: this list is not about Obama, but the bigger picture. Obama is just an example.

The Global Bankers' Strategy For World Takeover (short videos):

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Extremely important that you understand this thoroughly. If needed, pause the videos, think about them, and watch them several times. Talk to me about it if you have questions. Do not gloss over anything. These videos are short and clean up a lot of the mess other documentaries leave behind. So make sure you understand every detail. The particular subject of this part lies at the core of how everything in this list works.

How "it" works (The American Dream):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tGk5ioEXlIM 

Economic Hitmen Animation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7Fzm1hEiDQ&feature=player_embedded

The Original Interview with John Perkins by RT America:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CofEbxtIxI&feature=player_embedded

Evidence of FEMA's Concentration Camps:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Also called "detention centers" and "re-education camps"

Banned-By-Congress episode of Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axWAGSSB8cQ

Documentary: Police State 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klqv9t1zVww

Also note the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011 (S.1867), signed into law December 31, 2011 by Barack Obama, which allows the indefinite detention of american citizens without due process, trial, evidence, or probable cause. It allows the military to snatch anyone off the street without ever having to disclose your location or status to any government agency at any point in time.

The next level of power - British and Masonic/Illuminati Control; the truth behind the founding fathers, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Short Video: List of official laws, edicts, and other fact-checkable documents showing that the US has been debased, is legally no longer under constitutional law, and is actually a corporation owned by British/foreign entities, on paper:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91qs9v-upWI 

- Despite this fact, remember that we are still a sovereign nation if we say so. We can cut ties and do what we want if the power is restored once again to us, the people. Don't be pushed around by ink on paper.

Documentary: Secret Mysteries of America's Beginnings, Part 1:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5498106693746597344# 

Also watch part 2 and 3 if you have time (they're long, so you can skip them):

- Riddles In Stone: The Secret Architecture of Washington DC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gVQsEO-rIc&feature=gv#!

- Symbols on the one dollar bill: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4746728395965847122#

The "next-next level" of power - who (or what) controls the Illuminati:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You don't have to have any particular spiritual beliefs, but you should know that "they" have very specific ones, and what those beliefs are. If you think radical Islam is bad, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Dark Secrets Inside Bohemian Grove  (Alex Jones) (Don't really have to watch this one - just look up pictures on the internet of the giant owl; the video is just for documented evidence that many of our major political/industry leaders do, in fact, meet in Northern California to worship a giant owl)

vigilantcitizen.com (reading)

secretarcana.com

Important vigilant citizen article:http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/irrational-consumerism-or-the-few-companies-who-feed-the-world/

Occult Symbols in Corporate Logos:

http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/occult-symbols-in-corporate-logos-pt-1/

More Sinister Corporate Logos:

http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/top-5-most-sinister-corporate-logos/

How they've gotten this far, and how they maintain control:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Articles: The Dumbing Down of Society via Biochemistry:

http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/dumbing-down-society-part-i-foods-beverages-and-meds/

http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/dumbing-down-society-pt-2-mercury-in-foods-and-vaccines/

- also remember What In The World Are They Spraying?

Documentry: Thrive - Evidence that infinite energy sources have been discovered, but suppressed for 50+ years (when you consider Nikola Tesla, whose papers and belongings were confiscated and classified by the US government as soon as he died)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEV5AFFcZ-s

Documentary: Who Killed the Electric Car - 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTHsTCBxDM8

- Example of how they restrict technological advancement by buying up patents and just locking them away - they can't have a smart population of people that do not need "them" to survive

Proof that Science has been hijacked by the propaganda machine:

Documentary: Scientists Under Attack:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xl17bh_scientists-under-attack-part-1_tech

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xl17ka_scientists-under-attack-part-2_tech

Clinical psychopathy in Wall Street:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/28/wall-street-psychopaths_n_1307168.html#s481152&title=10_France

Also lots of brainwashing through the entertainment media: http://vigilantcitizen.com/

Short Video: 9/11 Summary:

http://www.infowars.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-911-conspiracy-theory-in-under-5-minutes/

- They create a problem (or the illusion of one), and then pose as the saviors, allowing them to establish a stronger and stronger police state. Now we have the TSA, DHS, and every other government agency getting way out of control despite having no terrorist attacks.

- There are 20+ documentaries I've found on exposing the truth behind the 9/11 attacks, all with basically the same info

And now the police state is rising...

Now they just call anyone they want to disappear a "terrorist", including whistleblowers:

FBI Suspected Terrorist Flyers downloadable here:

http://publicintelligence.net/fbi-suspicious-activity-reporting-flyers/

MIAC Report downloadable:

http://publicintelligence.net/ufouo-lulzsec-release-miac-anarchist-movement-report/

Illegal Everything, John Stossel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OuIahM4mB-8

Officials who refuse to answer questions:

$9Tril Missing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=36EX11kD2E4 

Military official basically says they don't need congressional approval, and that legality of military action only comes from international organizations (treason):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5zNwOeyuG84  

Action:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Young girl lays out what's important: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TQmz6Rbpnu0#!

Napolitano: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3ExfQ6qobw

Evidence that Gaddafi was fighting against the Illuminati, but was painted as a black sheep by the media to validate erasing him. If you're wondering why not a single person at the high levels of power stand up against them, it could be because they're just not telling you. They'd rather you think that these people were evil terrorists and that nobody is really fighting back:

Documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DawvDXiay3o

Reverse the effects of poisons in our food, water, and air for yourself:

http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/dumbing-down-society-part-3-how-to-reverse-its-effects/

Let's stop this while we can. Tune into alternative media, like Alex Jones radio show and podcast at infowars.com (or shoutcast.com, local am/fm radio, and Sirius satellite radio) to stay abreast and strong in this information war. Other god alternative media outlets include RT America (http://www.youtube.com/user/RTAmerica), http://www.naturalnews.com/, http://vigilantcitizen.com/. Read your US Constitution and know it. It may not have any technical legal power anymore, but it's still a strong symbol and code of ethics and behavior that effectively carries real authority with it. We are the resistance. Truth is our weapon. An awake and enlightened population is so threatening to an oppressive regime that it can make an armed conflict unnecessary. And that's the goal. But the choice is yours: fight in the info war now, or fight on the battlefield later. I don't think anybody wants another civil war. So let's stop this now.

Files and archives, alternative media:

http://publicintelligence.net/

infowars.com

vigilantcitizen.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/RTAmerica 

http://www.naturalnews.com/