Morphic Resonance

Let’s step back for a moment. I’ve written about it before: ‘morphic resonance', a term coined by Rupert Sheldrake to explain some instances of paranormal experience. Sheldrake notes that there are ‘morphic (memory) fields’ that surround organisms; that these can and do bleed what can be termed knowledge stemming from the ‘memory’ of collective experience. He came upon it when he noted that a particular species of birds in one part of England had learned to pry the tops off of milk bottles. Shortly thereafter, a group of the same species in another part of England were doing the same.

There may be other explanations for such phenomenon which have since the publication of Sheldrake’s first book on the subject (1981) been developed and expanded, touching other areas; and argued about - both by Sheldrake and his numerous critics - and may not really represent anything more than a shorthand - ‘a way of talking’, if you wish - about something for which there are as of yet no words. Nevertheless, it’s a fascinating subject and does make sense to some degree.

Linguists too may have something to say in parallel when claiming that the human brain is hard-wired for language - not for any specific language (otherwise there would only be one language) but for the grammatical structure that supports it.

As we look around, the world seems in great upheaval. All of us sense that something is afoot. The optimists among us welcome it, trying hard to fall in stride; while the pessimists fear and resist it. The fatalists are content to absorb whatever buffeting may ensue.

This (what’s coming) seems bigger than just the traditional conflicts that have arisen here and there in the past. The modern explanation for it is that the world has grown smaller (metaphorically speaking) and that what happens in heretofore inaccessible parts is now instantly known to all (via the internet). But this approaching storm seems bigger even than a quarrel between nations. It is like the shadow of the spaceship ‘Armageddon' that all but eclipses reason and civility. And we scurry hither and thither, struggling to explain it. There are conflicts on the brink of breaking out all over the place.

Some might point to the inexplicable, seemingly voluntary withdrawal of the United States from the world stage. Surely, they claim, this would cast ripples across the globe as nations scramble to re-tune their alliances. Others point to the Mayan calendar. But this still falls short of explaining the ubiquitous nature of the thing. It is shallow thinking to finger some individual part as a cause when this part, and every other part, are parts of a whole.

Enter ‘morphic resonance’. The divide appears to be between the privileged - the self-proclaimed (often illegitimate) - leaders and the masses that feel themselves somehow disconnected from their leadership and oppressed. We see it in the Middle East; we see it in Asia; we see it in America itself with the rise of the Tea Parties. There appears to be a universal dissatisfaction with leadership in general.

Leadership, in turn, desperately seeks to preserve the status quo. It cajoles; it threatens; it paints any departure from the norm as ominous. Nevertheless, most of those now in power, know that their days are numbered. Chinese leadership knows. They are preparing, as we speak, to hold back the tide. We watch them prepare and think that they are planning to attack us. Clearly, we both know that neither we nor they are a threat to each other. So, we are puzzled. China knows that the threat comes from within. It is already palpable.

While we are still in the process of finishing off what remains of our individual soma rations, our president concerns himself primarily with staying in power. To this end, he has falsely co-opted the idea of ‘change’, never considering that he himself is its target. The next two (or six) years will bring change alright, but it will not be due to Obama.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Even As Everything Else Lies In Ruins

The unspoken voice in every region (of the world) is the U.S.’s It is the dog that isn’t barking. Every one of our foreign policy thrusts in recent years has failed precisely because we have refused to back it up with sufficient resolve, especially in terms of military power. In an effort to appease the anti-war crowd, we have hamstrung ourselves, bending our worldview into utopian hookah smoke rings. We have come to rely solely on empty rhetoric, endless negotiations, and paying out IOU bribes and/or ransom.

It’s all come to a head under Obama who will not even defend America’s political parties, its people and borders. He asserts time and time again that war is never an option; that we can and should not interfere; that our interference is (and always has been) intrinsically evil; that he will now lead by example; that we will disarm unilaterally; get out of the Middle East; continue to whittle down Israel’s defenses; and leave Asia to sort out its own. The planet can ultimately only benefit if mass slaughter should ensue.

We have boldly retreated from the world of Maya. If there are battles to be fought, they are to be fought here at home. We must accommodate the lecherous demands of thieves and tyrants. We must abandon our principles. We must surrender.

Any opposition to our new, progressive policy of appeasement must be severely dealt with; backbones surgically paralyzed. We must shun nationalism - especially our own. Tyranny is relative and will play itself out when one of the combatants - under spell of epiphany - voluntarily leaves the ring.

The world has noted the change. Though it’s been long in coming, under Obama it’s now official. This is why now all the would-be tyrants are making their moves. They’re out looting the granary while the going is good.

I’m not saying there’s not a kind of textbook elegance to what Obama believes. However, it’s a fiction. It can never be real. While the people can absorb a good fight for God and country, they will never stand idly by and watch their identity be trampled. In this, the leaders of Russia, Japan, China and Iran are far more ’democratic’ than our highly ‘enlightened’ ivory tower policy wonks. They are playing to their people directly, while we leave ours dangling over the abyss - with nothing to believe in; nothing to fight for or hold dear.

The end game is at hand. Both, the king and queen are in mortal danger. Once the queen is sacrificed, checkmate is at hand. Game over never involves the actual taking of the king. Obama is betting that this last convention will hold. He means to remain, even as everything else lies in ruins.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

I Ching

Asia (and the rest of the world) is in trouble alright. America’s withdrawing from the world stage is having the effect of casting yarrow stalks. It is now open season; anything goes. The game of 'pick up sticks' will consume the rest of the century. Old and new players will attempt to fill the vacuum and dominate. It is unclear who will prevail. India is not yet ready; China will screw it up; Russia will end up eating itself. Israel has been left to dangle in the breeze. Iran is making big, strategic moves. At least I Ching can predict an outcome. I see only chaos for the foreseeable future.

Unless America can re-establish some semblance of gravitas, notwithstanding its hopelessly intellectually impoverished population, she will be left in the dust, exposed to plunder and the enslavement of her people. Obama will stand by and mock her humiliation. He will miss no opportunity to fan the flames of chaos. He will encourage the forces that are dead-set of her total destruction. He will proceed with his mandate (as he sees it) to wipe her off the face of the earth, after which he hopes to flee into the embrace of the last tyrant left standing.

When I was back in high school one of the factoids we were taught was of the role of the Nazi propaganda machine that turned an entire nation into salivating Pavlovian dogs. We dismissed it summarily and thought, “How stupid!” - thinking we were so far above it; that we ourselves would never fall for something as ridiculously obvious as The Big Lie. And yet, we are seeing it every day. The propaganda mills are working incessantly; with considerable success, I might add. It comes from distrust; refusing to talk with one another; from ideology having trumped all reason.

Post-Modern Maps

Both Russia and China have come to recognize America's present weakness and are making strategic moves to divide up the world between them. Their aim is to position themselves as to make it so that America will never again be able to act as an obstacle to their expansionist plans. Both countries recognize that now is their chance to set the table to their liking. America will not interfere as long as Obama remains in office. Chances are that after the next presidential election America’s leadership will not be quite as forgiving.

As such, China has been positioning itself in Asia and Africa, forming alliances and settling scores; buying up all the natural resources it can get its hands on with what it knows will soon be the worthless dollars it has stashed away in its vaults. In addition, China has its jaundiced eye set on Taiwan and India.

Russia continues to lust after the eastern block which it seeks to bring back under its influence. It also 'owns' Europe as the West continues to be so shamelessly dependent on Russian gas.

Trouble in the Middle East is tolerated - even stoked - for now as it serves to keep the U.S. distracted. After the two heirs apparent have successfully dispatched of the U.S. economically and politically, and put their own affairs in order (vis-a-vis each other), the Islamists can expect to suffer a virtual bloodbath. Radical Islam will no longer be appeased. It will be stamped out. There will be no pretense of observing human rights; no ponderous crafting of a two-state solution. Russia and China will tolerate no hint of trouble. They will wipe them out should they find it expedient to do so. They won't even send in their soldiers; they'll just bomb them back into stone.

Americans will be forced to work to pay off their debt until so diminished as to allow open entry to their new masters. And a new age will have begun, with old books re-written and maps re-drawn to reflect new realities.

I remember going to a fancy new restaurant in Chennai that featured Mediterranean food. The printed menu showed a map of the region. It was a post modern map in that it did not include Israel. I’m now wondering if similar maps (of the world) would also fail to include America.

America Watching from the Sidelines

Pundits agonizing over what seems like a flurry of year-end diplomatic activity between sovreign states reflects the current trend of nations on every continent scrambling to re-fashion their alliances in light of U.S abdication of its traditional dominant role. The vacuum that has been created, either by ineptness or intent, since Barack Hussein Obama came to power is beginning to cause global concern. Unease has followed hope and ridicule. America is beginning to be perceived as ‘changed’, quite without the assurance that this change will translate into something better. Quite to the contrary, there is every indication that America is heading for something worse. It is time for the rest of the world to divest itself of its reliance on America’s teat or, at the very least, to begin scouting around for alternatives.

Specifically with respect to Asia, what is happening there is way overdue. Systems of governance should determine which countries should align and which should not. Democracies such as Japan, Australia, Israel, and India would make for a natural alliance. Authoritarian governments, of which China is the biggest in the region, make for an obvious counterpoint. Though some may see the democratic model as messy, history has shown that the democratic template generally yields greater and more profound advances in the long run. A profitable alliance between democracies in the Far East may even convince its non-democratic neighbors to adopt some democratic measures; that is, provided that ideology – often closely linked with corruption - does not cloud the obvious.

Unless America can regain some sense of its former confident self, she will be relegated to watching from the sidelines while the rest of the world advances through the next century.