Tuesday, 11 August, 1998
J. Harmon Grahn, Editor
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"Corruption"
Last edition (tnp vol. I #29, 8/2/98) I remarked that "I hereby resolve to focus my attention (on these pages and off them) upon the empowering, ennobling, liberating thoughts of our (your and my) capacity as co-creators of limitless creativity, power and virtue." So an essay on "Corruption" may seem at first glance a departure from that. I think you will find, however, as you read the following take on "Corruption," a slant you may not expect, and one in alignment with my overall objective. The word "corrupt" denotes something literally "rotten," "putrid." It comes from the Latin corrumpere, "destroy." Common synonyms would be words like "debase," "debauch," "deprave," "pervert," "vitiate." It calls to mind thoughts in particular of a "corrupt politician," or a "corrupt judge," i.e. a person in a responsible position who violates the trust or the purpose of that position, usually for personal gain. Also, in the world of computers and digital information one encounters the concept of "corrupt data," which would be digital information in some way altered or scrambled due to a hardware or software malfunction in such a way as to be unreliable or useless for its intended purpose; and might look something like this:
The Latin is most suggestive, for "corruption" literally "destroys" the meaning, purpose, effectiveness, of any system in which it occurs. The idea I would like to suggest at this time is that "corruption," in the sense in which it is most often employed, is self-destructive, and ultimately self-correcting; so in the largest sense, "It's nothing to worry about." But it takes a broader perspective than usual to see it this way. In particular, it takes a "new paradigm" perspective which comprehends All That Is as One; not as a collection of disparate, and desperately competing, antagonists. The latter view is strictly "old paradigm" and directly responsible for endless mischief and corruption in this world. It's time to shift paradigms. There is no intermediate or "moderate" remedy for "what ails you," and what ails the world. Many related thoughts have been discussed in prior articles, notably in "Priesthoods," tnp #14, 2/24/98; "Money and Metabolism," tnp #15, 3/2/98; "Morality and Law." tnp #18, 3/24/98; "Open Letter to the De Facto 'Leaders' of the World," tnp #21, 4/20/98; "Hidden Agendas," tnp #23, 5/13/98; "Civilization and Anarchy," tnp #25, 6/2/98; among others. But a summary overview may be in order here, by way of sketching a broad picture for your consideration. The "old paradigm," or "Law of the Jungle" paradigm, or "Hobbesian / Malthusian / Darwinian" paradigm creates a mental image of "reality" in which virtually everything in the conduct of life consists of a desperate, mutually antagonistic struggle for "survival" among all participants; whose participation is in any case terminated eventually, and inevitably, by "death." "...for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." [Genesis 3:19] This is the Gospel of the "old paradigm." As has been repeatedly stated here, that has been the operational paradigm, in endless variety of detail, but of invariable core essence, throughout human culture and recorded history; and it leads inevitably to one variation or another upon the "reality" we experience in the world today. Stripped of its "illusions," contemporary "reality" consists of a global economic slave society in which less than 2% of the human population "own" more than 98% of the combined wealth of the Planetary Human Race. This condition has evolved through a combination of the willful, persistent striving of the "Masters" ("the 2%") and the somnambulant acquiescence of the "Slaves" ("the 98%"); but it is important to note that the "old paradigm" is universally shared by both components of the equation ("the 100%"). The "Masters" claim that without their (benevolent) intervention and "wise leadership" the "Slaves" will naturally tear themselves and one another to pieces; so their (the "Slaves'") survival and welfare absolutely depends upon their docile acquiescence to the rule of the "Masters;" who have the inherent "wisdom" and "nobility" needed to maintain some measure of civil order in an otherwise hostile and chaotic world. This is essentially what "Masters" and "Slaves" alike have believed throughout historical Human memory. It matters little how the "Masters" achieved their stupendous wealth and power; "by hook or by crook" about sums it up for the most part; for the "old paradigm" dictates that wealth and power validate themselves: they are the badges that identify the "Masters," as their absence identify the "Slaves." Anybody who achieves wealth and power (it matters not one whit how) is by definition a "Master" and is welcomed into the fold of the Aristocracy. Conversely, anybody who loses or fails to achieve wealth and power is by deffinition a "Slave," full stop. It's a simple game with simple rules; and so we have (tra-la) "reality." This is the distilled essence of corruption; not in the "moral" sense, but in the simple sense of the Latin root of the word; and in the more contemporary sense of "corrupt data." It is fundamentally and unswervingly destructive: of life, of meaning, of purpose, of value, and ultimately, of itself; for it inevitably leads to a social gridlock in which "everything not compulsory is prohibited." The Human Race is rapidly approaching this crystallized state right now; which of course is universally intolerable, and so it cannot be achieved or sustained. It self-destructs, which is what is happening now; which leads to a Super-Nova of Awakening and Liberation within a very brief span of time. The Awakening is to the "new paradigm" awareness of the Oneness of All That Is, and of the free, unfettered existence of each individual. It is the realization that our natural state of Being is not one of antagonism and cut-throat competition in an ultimately futile struggle for "survival," but an harmonious symphony in which every thing works together for the benefit, evolution and development of One and All. Even the corrupt "old paradigm" system occupies a positive place in the Cosmic Scheme; for it creates circumstances of increasing tension and stress which, like the coils of an enormous clock spring, bind each person and the world in tightening bands of steel; with the result an intolerable situation which must sometime be released with the explosive energy needed to propel the entire Human Race into an entirely "new" dimension of experience. Behold the "old paradigm" system in which every institutional function (government, taxes, law, currency, commerce, education, religion, science, medicine, media, entertainment, politics, warfare, transportation, communication, ...and on and on) is under the direct or proxy control of "the 2%." All these institutions are "wired together" so that in effect, "I am Pharaoh, and without [me] shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." [Genesis 41:44] No matter where you turn or what you undertake to do in the "old paradigm" world, if you are of "the 98%" you find yourself faced by an agent of "the 2%" with some excuse to "license" and siphon off your productivity. For "the 98%" "reality" consists of a Gulag Archipelago of global scope; although these circumstances are so cunningly disguised that most are oblivious of their status as abject "Slaves." Nevertheless, there is no life form on the face of the Earth that does not enjoy greater liberty than "98%" of the Human Race today. Why is this? Simply, it is the unavoidable destiny of the "old paradigm," which is corrupt; destructive; contrary to All That Is; and consequently incapable of prevailing or sustaining. As the coils draw tighter and the tension mounts, people everywhere are forced by desperate circumstances unique to each, to release their tenacious grip upon the "old paradigm." People are very reluctant to take such a step. Somnambulant complacency, tradition, the hypnotic drone of daily routine, and ubiquitous mind control (e.g. television) combine to preserve the status quo. Yet the bands of steel ratchet ever tighter; the tension mounts; the grip of the "old paradigm" slips.... It may be a terrifying moment, but at some point each person reaches a threshold beyond which the "old paradigm" has no power. Fortunately, the "new paradigm" is already in place within the heart and soul of every individual ("the 100%"), and primed to leap into operation like an agile, intelligent, loving Being; because the "new paradigm" is not "new" at all, but older than the universe, and tried, and true, and flawless. It is the foundation upon which All That Is was built, and is as natural and free as air to every existing Being. As simply and as quietly as awakening from a dream, each one of us opens our eyes and remembers in an instant Who We Are, why We are here, what We are about. No longer must We rely upon the tender mercies of a "benevolent" Aristocracy for Our governance; for We are Self-governing and Cosmically Sovereign. That is what We Are; that is what We have always Been; that is what We will always Be. We are One with All That Is, and now We know it. This is Our Day of Cosmic Liberation, and already the "old paradigm" "virtual reality" is falling away like a disremembered dream. That is what the corrupt "old paradigm" is moving us to, right now. Because of our intransigence a great deal of energy is needed to jar us loose; so a great deal of energy is what is accumulating as the "old paradigm" continues to do what it has always done, which is create tension and strife among every component on the Planet. This is necessary because the "new paradigm" will not "descend upon us" without invitation; it's not a matter of, "Wake me when the 'new paradigm' comes." Each of us must deliberately seek it for shimself; and our "old paradigm" habits are so thoroughly entrenched that we must summon a good deal of focused intent to overcome them. That takes energy. For many, it takes utter desperation; so, here it comes: the self-destruction of the "old paradigm." That should about do it, don't you think? Then like a sunny day in early Spring, when billions of tiny green leaves simultaneously discover they no longer have to remain hunched up within tight buds against the ravages of Frost, inidvidual Human Beings, first in twos, then in fours, eights, sixteens,...hundreds, thousands, millions... discover the boundless Liberty of the familiar but long forgotten, newly remembered old "new paradigm." That's what is happening, painfully or painlessly, right now. Just remember, whatever you experience, "It's nothing to worry about." Because, believe it or not, You are an existing Cosmic Being, and Your existence has no opposite. If You can grasp that, even conceptually, already You have disarmed the major source of fear that energizes the corrupt "old paradigm." Again: Is this true? I make no such claim. It is for You to determine for Yourself whether it is true, and what, if anything, it means. Love & Light, -- Harmon |
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