Curious Doubt and the flame of Uncertainty

The manipulation of the many by the few was evident at the start of the United States. "We the people" was a sovereign to replace the King of the old monarchy, but it only included white, male, landowners in the 18th century. Elite groups with power sought to maintain control, but because people spoke up and made their voices heard, "We the people" eventually broadened to include all races, males, females, and poor people with no land ownership. The elites did not give up, nor have they lost much, if any ground. Maybe they've progressed...

Residents of the North American continent fell prey to occupation by various European countries, starting in the 16th century. England's colonization of the "new world" lost steam in the 18th century as the European colonists themselves revolted in favor of the United States of America, which then proceeded to take over a vast section of the continent. (Howard Zinn, "History is a Weapon")

The current occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan with their flimsy justifications are essentially the same brutal colonizations that Europeans practiced for thousands of years. While it's true that elite forces are still creating a lot of suffering in the world, it's also true that the rise of massive public opinion can reverse the tide of those efforts. Citizens support, ignore, or work against the various efforts of the elites. Today, new technologies and techniques of manufacturing public consent create opportunities that we must all pay some attention to, or become manipulated by, through our ignorance.
Noam Chomsky RSS feeds - The Imperial Presidency: Sovereignty, Terror and the "Second Superpower" Tracks

Stoking the flame of uncertainty and encouraging curious inspection of assumed truths and status quo versions of reality is the purpose of this tiny little blog. Socrates, Maslow, Watts, Krishnamurti and many others have advocated the individual pursuit of awareness and balance. It can function like an antibody in an immune system, fighting off harmful viruses.