WHAT I THINK I KNOW

by Ray Jason

Ray on his birthday 2014

Today is my birthday, and as might be expected, I am in a particularly reflective mood.  As a gift to myself – and hopefully to you as well – I am going to attempt to clarify my current beliefs about “How the world works.”  This is not an easy task because those who are actually in charge of the planet relentlessly conceal their true motivations and methods.  If this subject proves intriguing to you folks out there, I will revisit it each year on my birthday.

                                                   

                                             *******          

But first, here is a short meditation on birthdays and age.  Because I am zealous about staying in shape, I am often asked how old I am.  My usual answer is, “I am in my Middle Years.”  Although this answer sounds evasive, it actually stems from a deeper inquiry into this topic.  My analysis is that there are four elements to human aging.

THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE DECEPTION

by Ray Jason

         Every October I foolishly get my hopes up as the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize approaches.  My dream is that the committee will finally proclaim that the greatest obstacle to world peace is American Imperialism.  And then they will elaborate on this by insisting that only when the U.S. Empire has vanished, can global harmony and justice prevail.  Therefore, they award the prize to some courageous writer or film-maker or activist who has been battling this death-spewing Leviathan.  

            But once more they have refused to notice the 800 pound War Lord in the middle of the room.   They have again chosen the “path most taken – the spineless one,” and bestowed the award on some noble but uncontroversial candidates.  By misdirecting our attention away from the indisputably evil scourge that is U.S. foreign policy, they have once again blockaded the road to actual Peace on Earth.

           

THE POWER OF SIMPLICITY

by Ray Jason

Part of AVENTURA'S library

When guests visit AVENTURA for the first time, there is often an awkward silence as they look around my small but beautiful cabin.  It usually takes about a minute as they try to understand what is so odd about my boat.  Finally, they usually will say something like this:

“Ray, where’s all your stuff?” 

My honest reply is “This IS ALL MY STUFF; and there’s far too much of it!”

“But where’s your entertainment center?” 

“Right there,” I answer, as I point to my bookshelves.

This tiny vignette serves to illustrate how addicted we are to stuff in the modern world.  And it is also a reminder that many people end up being possessed by their possessions.  I discuss this tragic situation in considerable detail at my earlier essay which is entitled “Enslaved by Our Stuff.”  I hope you will read it.  And to make it easy, here is the direct link to it.

                                 *******

But in this meditation on Simplicity, I want to focus on how our rulers use Materialism as a control mechanism.  In my essays, I refer to these manipulators as The Malignant Overlords - although in private conversation I frequently use more colorful and sailor-like terminology to describe them.  Certainly they trumpet their message of “BUY… BUY… BUY!!!” to engorge themselves in riches. But I contend that there is a more sinister motive behind their crusade to reduce us to mindless consumers.  Their deeper strategy is to enfeeble us into impotent dependency.