“Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle” is a 2009 book by Pulitzer Prize winner, Chris Hedges.  He makes a very detailed and persuasive case that the majority of Americans (and those enthralled by American culture, which includes very many Canadians) can no longer distinguish between Reality and Illusion, which has historically signaled the death knell for cultures and empires.  The most obvious parallel is the “Bread and Circuses” policy used to distract the citizens of the Roman Empire as it crumbled.  Our present distractions/ entertainments are not that much different from the Romans 2000 years ago – sex, violence, pre-occupation with spectacle and the lives the famous.. in our case even the fleetingly famous, as in “reality stars”. 

However, our technology is able to deliver these distractions much more powerfully, 24 hours a day and wherever we are, especially if hooked up by i-phones, blackberries etc. Movies, TV, wrestling, professional sport, pornography (especially internet), video games, gambling, alcohol and drugs etc. all combine to put us into an over- stimulated, stressed and distracted state, which has become an addiction.. we can’t do without it. An increasing number of personal addictions are being (belatedly) identified: drugs, alcohol, eating, gambling, pornography, sex, prescription drugs, video games and much more.  2500 years ago, the Buddha pointed out that we suffer when we become attached.  Addiction is overwhelming attachment.

If “entertainment” preoccupies us, at the very least, we have less time and energy to devote to the challenges of real life, which are neglected and subsequently turn into crise (and often are still ignored!).  This numbness and desire to escape is obvious and widespread throughout North America.  No one wants to be “bothered” or “bored” by seeming complex and “remote” or “far off” problems..

However, Pop Culture is not only a passive escape, but is often used to deliberately distortion reality by the Power Elite and the Corporations ---which own and monopolize all the major news/ communication,/marketing/ entertainment organizations.  Have you ever wondered how come a certain person (or product) suddenly appears in all the magazines, TV shows etc and is proclaimed a “star” or a “hit”?  There are just a handful of companies controlling the Biz and everyone in that industry depends on them directly or indirectly.  Those who are a nuisance or threat are simply ignored, shut out or in extreme cases, crushed.

The power of media manipulation has of course moved into politics and government.  The Republicans are far more aggressive in using this power and more openly aligned with the Corporations as the Bush-Cheney administration showed.  The Iraqi invasion was sold to the American people (and the world) on blatantly false “facts” – there were never any ‘weapons of mass destruction’ and the administration know this.  Bush, Cheney, Rove, and Rumsfeld simply wanted to take out Iraq for oil and other personal reasons like avenging Bush’s father and getting work for companies like Haliburton, which Cheney used to run.

What is even more shocking than this deception is that the average American has failed to hold them accountable!!... even though thousands of American soldiers were killed and injured and the Treasury depleted by $ hundreds of billions (which could have pumped up the economy, Education or Medicare).  The same thing is happening now with the Depression/ Recession.  People have forgotten (or have bought the Republican diversionary spin) that it was Bush’s de-regulation and Corporations-first policy which was responsible for the crash.  Such disasters cannot be fixed within a year, but that is what people expect and have been turning on Obama for months – well short of a year when many of those same people were escatic over his election.   All this suggests to Hedges – and to me – that Illusion is indeed gradually replacing Reality in North America (and elsewhere).  The techniques that are used to distract and manipulate us when we watch a movie or play a video game are now being effectively used in every aspect of our culture and society.

In my last post, “Is Democracy in Danger”, I pointed my finger mostly at Corporate Society.  Corporations are also manipulating Popular Culture, media etc, but individuals must take responsibility.  We spend our hard-earned $ on all the garbage that the Entertainment industry throws at us and we make the decision not to investigate (or even bother to remember) the issues that are challenging us. We decide to numb out.  Happiness, whether individual or collective, will never come about through numbness, dumbness, meanness, exploitation and violence.  On the contrary, that is the path to collapse…the signs of which are becoming increasingly frequent.

The greatest spiritual teachers and philosophers over the millenia have taught greater self-understanding and awareness, which if skillfully practiced, lead to higher levels of morality, compassion and wisdom – understanding ourselves, the world and how they are intricately interconnected.  They recommend living fully in each moment – the Now -instead of trying to escape it.

Having been invited to teach a Tai Chi master class workshop in Newcastle, England this last weekend, I had the opportunity to spend five days in the country in which I lived for 20 years until 1981.  The overall impression was very positive and strangely refreshing, reminding me that my travel in the last decade has been limited to North America.

The first thing that struck me about Newcastle was that it seemed prosperous and the people seemed relatively cosmopolitan and cheery.  I later had the same impression of Glasgow whence my plane departed.  Newcastle and especially Glasgow in the 1970s and 1980s were depressed areas because their traditional industries - coal, steel, shipbuilding etc. – were dying or dead. Glasgow used to look like a World War 2 bombsite with many buildings in central Glasgow crumbled in decay or bulldozed.  The people were rather insular and suspicious of strangers.  I know this first hand because I am Chinese and have traveled throughout the UK.

It seems to me that two main factors have contributed to this turnaround - firstly, acceptance of the need for change; secondly, money and people from the EU (European Union).  Both of these hold valuable lessons for us in North America, presently clinging on to fading industries like cars and oil and fighting each other for local scraps rather than agreeing to pool our resources and share.  The latter is likely to be demonized in America (and increasingly so in Canada under Harper’s Tories) as “socialism and communism” and the interference of “big government” in our individual freedoms and rights.  In all the hysterical talk about individual rights, no one seems to talk of individual responsibilities.

In Newcastle, service industries, especially IT, have sprung up; there are now two new universities in the city. “Foreigners” abound, not only from the former colonies of the British Empire but from various parts of Europe.  EU money has been used to revive the old quayside area in the middle of the city, bringing restaurants, shops, arts and crafts, an impressive, modernistic concert hall and an elegant bridge that tilts to let ships by. 

In public projects, there seems to be a conscious effort to keep some continuity with the past and to use local skills.  The most impressive example of this is The Angel of the North, a massive public art work mounted on a hill overlooking an old coal mine.  It is 66 ft tall with a wingspan of 178 ft and can be seen from miles away.  Its steel construction made use of local steel making skills.

Life is nothing if not change, yet we so commonly and vehemently resist it.  The Past and the Future never really exist, only the Now, which deserves much more of our attention…both individually and collectively.

The level of anger within society seems to be constantly rising and we don’t seem to have any real concerns, or if we do, any way of inquiring into it, much less finding a solution.

In the Toronto area, seemingly random shootings and other acts of violence no longer surprise us, unless they are particularly extreme or someone famous is involved.  We’ve had a couple of those recently – the Ontario ex-Attorney General killing the bicycle courier gone amok; the bus passenger torching an expensive hybrid bus at Yonge and Bloor, because someone wouldn’t give him a cigarette.

In the USA, from which we increasingly seem to take our lead, partisan politics has become particularly nasty, with some people openly depicting President Obama in an insulting racist manner.  Town hall meetings are packed by people who are there just to shout down the speakers; Americans are taking to the street for the first time in a long time.  The reason?  Improved, possibly government-backed health care for the ordinary person!!  It is interesting that George W. Bush faced no such reaction when he took America into two wars, using (as has been proven and at the time was being questioned) misleading or false “facts”.  He even escaped censure for using torture… which incidentally enmeshed individual Canadians and the Canadian government.  Many lives were needlessly lost, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan.  No one complained then (or now) about America’s federal military budget, which is larger than health care.

In Canada, Stephen Harper bases his (so far successful) political tactics on the aggressive (sold as “committed” or “passionate”), hard-nosed, Bush-Cheney style and he also takes his policies from them – especially the no government/ no regulation part.  Despite this stance, however, Harper obviously loves the power that comes with government and has shown no reluctance to spend money on his favourite projects and to throw fat consulting contracts and jobs to his supporters.

What can be done?  We need much more compassion and cooperation all around, but way before that, we need to listen to each other with open hearts and open minds. We need to find some deeper meaning and fulfillment in our personal lives… otherwise we just get frustrated and angry, taking it out on the nearest person.  Sounds simplistic, but that is what commonly happens to even the most educated, priveleged and sophisticated.

Unfortunately, we seem to be moving in the other direction, partly driven by technology and the media.  Technology is a tool, but is not completely neutral, since it has definite characteristics, which include complexity. The internet, for example, has both positive and negative aspects.  Among the positive is the ability for the downtrodden to broadcast their plight and for people to network and share information. On the negative side, you have hackers, (child) porn sites, identity theft etc.  In terms of news and even politics, people are encouraged to give their opinions immediately, but what are these opinions worth if there is no introspection or if they are relatively uninformed i.e. people are just spewing out their unexamined biases… republican vs democrat, Christian vs Muslim etc.  If there is too much information or if there is no information, in the end, the result will be the same.  People will just go with what they already feel, albeit unexamined.

Especially since Bush-Cheney, there are signs that in American (and possibly Canadian) politics, an aggressive, partisan, even lying approach is effective.  This is a complex issue, but here are just a few reasons why this is happening.

1. On national TV, most programs invite the two opposing sides to state their case.  If one side is more aggressive, sensational and deceptive, then they tend not to get penalized for their behaviour because the “2-sides” format subconsciously suggests parity and also it is easy for the “nastier” side to find some small, even isolated example to “prove” that the other side does the same thing.  A classic example of this 2-sides effect was the issue of Global Warming.  The vast majority of scientists accepted global warming as a fact, but polls showed that the average person thought that scientists were evenly divided in their opinions. Another continuing example is Fox news, which routinely spews lies and invective with no real backlash or consequence whatsoever.
2. The Republicans started deliberately manipulating public opinion, consciously employing specious and illogical arguments and appealing to emotion rather than logic.  One of their chief strategists and consultants during Bush-Cheney and up to the present is Frank Luntz, who specializes in finding (through focus groups) “hot button issues” – single words or concepts that will trigger people’s emotions and override their logic.  Such words have included “elites”, “socialism”, “communism” and recently in connection with health care, “Washington takeover” or “Government takeover”.  In a recent strategy paper, Luntz advised Republicans to employ 4 strategies: appeal to jingoism/ Americanism; personalize issues ( e.g. Frank the plumber); stay away from facts and adopt misleading slogans; focus on taxation rather than spending; use fear to pass legislation (which has worked so well for them).  There are signs that Harper is also pursuing a similar strategy with his control of the PMO and all statements coming from his ministers.  Stay “on message” with the “hot button”(?) Harper-defined issues.
3. The competitive media market place demands continuous “content”, regardless of relative importance.  This means that the distinction between what is truly important and what is not is blurred.  Life is being trivialized and our attention spans are shrinking….which means we find it harder to distinguish innate Quality in a person (apart from the voice coach, designer, stager, speech writer etc) or issue.  Thus Michael Jackson is much more important (in terms of media coverage) than Obama, Korea, Israel, Iran etc.
4. One of the big political issues in the USA is government control or no government control.  The biggest winners in the no-control game are corporations, including media corporations.  Fox is an obvious example, but there are many others.  Do you think if anti-corporation legislation is being passed, the managements of the media corporations are going to idly stand by?  Do you think that if a giant advertiser (say a corporation like Monsanto) is being investigated by some of its journalists for questionable conduct, the management of a media corporation won’t step in and squash the investigation?

As I said, this is a complex issue and I could go on, as I have done in my book, “Ageless Wisdom Spirituality: Investing in Human Evolution”.  I would welcome feedback and if any readers want to take these matters further.

Andy James

PS  A major contributor to violence not mentioned above (it’s a vast subject by itself) is the impact of the Entertainment industry and popular culture: movies, TV, print media, music, video games and the internet.  From a very early age, we expose our children to violence (and also sex, often perverted) as a form of entertainment, so it shouldn’t be surprising that we see it enacted on our streets and in our homes.  Studies have shown that exposure to violent images does increase our own violent tendencies and the effect is stronger is there is interaction, as in video games.

We act from ideas and impulses tumbling out hap hazardously from within us, yet our education and upbringing rarely help us understand these inner forces or even encourage exploration. We’re focused on mastering the “external” world and getting ahead of the next person, without really understanding the source or suitability of our non-stop impulses and actions.  As our technology and weapons grow ever more powerful, our inner neglect keeps us at a level wherein we continue to make short-sighted, emotional, contradictory and sometimes, outright destructive choices.  The growing gap between the power of our technology and our ability to use it wisely is volatile and dangerous (at both the individual and collective levels), because it is akin to a child wielding a powerful, automatic weapon… which is actually now happening with increasing frequency around the world.  Over 2000 years ago, Socrates observed, “The unexamined life is not worth living”.

In considering our vast, inner potential, I like to distinguish between two types of potential: 1) Skills, tools and power.  2) Wisdom concerning who or what is using the tools etc. and why.  2500 years ago, the Buddha made a similar distinction between the two main streams of meditation: Samatha (focus, one-pointedness, concentration) and Vipassana (direct-seeing wisdom), which is a pre-requisite to enlightenment.  The former practice can lead to trance states and extraordinary abilities, but by itself, not to enlightenment.

It seems that the overwhelming majority of human beings is seeking greater power in order to fulfill their desires.  In the “external” world, this may mean greater wealth, beauty, fame etc. at whatever cost and via whatever means. In the “internal” world, it may mean extraordinary powers, which may of course also lead to fame and wealth.  Thinner, more muscular bodies and good-looking “charisma” do not necessarily lead to enlightenment, even if touting yoga, meditation etc..  Indeed, they may be just a subtler form of conventional, egotistic marketing.

The Buddha’s Four Noble Truths point out that we suffer because we are attached - we tend to hold on to what we like and run away from what we dislike.  Buddha explains that since all things are impermanent and insubstantial, there is nothing that we can really grasp and hold on to.  I quote the Buddha here not because I believe the Buddha and am a formal “Buddhist”, but because I have, over decades of meditative inquiry, personally explored these dynamics and found them to be true.   Power, tools or abilities in themselves do not guarantee happiness or even appropriate action, since they have no innate direction.  Thus, there may be the benevolent or malevolent dictator; the black or white magician or sorcerer, the integrated or disintegrated martial arts master etc.

Deep Wisdom is the ability to act with a more evolved consciousness of who you really are and the many ways you are interconnected with the planet and the cosmos – it usually expands the sense of “I” and “We”. The conventional “reality” that “I am an island, enclosed within my skin”, bumping up against other islands is substantially inaccurate.  The great wisdom teachers long ago told us that we are all interconnected and interdependent, and modern science and technology is verifying that fact more and more.

So in caring for your “internal environment” or practicing “internal or integral ecology”, remember to distinguish between new, exciting Tools and the User of those tools.  Inquiry into the User is less “sexy” and market-friendly, but far deeper and in the end, more rewarding.   This usually takes guidance from an experienced teacher.

Any ideas or questions on this subject?

Our society is so preoccupied with physical beauty (mostly female), I wonder whether this is “par for the course”, common to all ages, or whether something extraordinary is happening.

Just within my own lifetime, there has been a major reaction to beauty stereotypes during the 60s and 70s and since then, a reaction against that reaction, which has brought us full circle and perhaps beyond.  Both the Hippie movement and the so-called Second Wave of Feminism sought, among other things, to de-emphasize female stereotyping, not only in behaviour but in appearance.  Probably to the disgust of many women today, bras were burned, removal of body hair decreased, and all body shapes and types were welcomed.  It was a time that sought liberation from stereotypes – sexual, gender and racial - and it seemed to work well for a time.

In the 1980s, there was a huge cultural reaction, which is still not yet clearly understood.  In my mind, (which I noted at the time) much of this was sparked by the de-regulation “Free Market” policies promoted by Conservative governments in the USA and UK, led respectively by Reagan and Thatcher.  I couldn’t see how you could build a strong society through policies which promoted self-interest and greed as a good (for the economy and society), and which led to expectations that everybody could get richer.  It seemed to me that since supply is relatively fixed, when some people get more (a lot more!), others will get less.  The gap between rich and poor will keep increasing, and eventually de-stabilize society.  Our current economic meltdown to a large extent justifies my doubts … and it isn’t over yet.

Many ex-hippies became the new corporate leaders and it was then chic to flaunt your toys, whether clothing, houses, cars, boats, planes, extravagant parties or trophy wives (and eventually husbands).  Conspicuous spending to impress other people became the norm. The cultural impact of the advertising, entertainment and fashion industries exploded through corporate monopoly and rapidly advancing communication technologies.  To stay ahead of the competition, the media needed ever more content and they soon discovered that sensationalism sold very well, which of course led to ever more extreme measures, including the paparazzi hounding to death of Princess Di.

In this climate, emphasis on celebrity (media content) exploded and with it, absurd cultural expectations about beauty.  Model Thin eventually approached skeletal; a Playboy-inspired variation of model thin required huge breasts, an anatomical abnormality; to top it all, women were expected to be fashionable, changing with each year’s designer whim (or carefully executed strategy?).  Not surprisingly, various eating disorders (together with the diet industry) and cosmetic surgery have exploded apace.  Between 2000 and 2007, cosmetic surgery in the USA increased more than 50% and totaled nearly 20 million annually.  A significant portion of cosmetic surgery is racially motivated, since Caucasian stereotypes of beauty predominate, despite the appearance of Black and Asian celebrities (often looking quite Caucasian). Ironically, many of the directors of the fashion industry were and are women and “gay” men, who in the 60s and 70s were regarded as victims of stereotyping.

Is there anything wrong with this?  Apart from the fact that we spend an inordinate amount of time and money (think African and Third World countries) to be physically attractive or at least not un-attractive, it does not guarantee us happiness or piece of mind, since the judge is always outside of us, whether tabloids, Oscar Red Carpet critique, your designer, your media director and producer, your fashion editor etc.   I am aware that many people with eating disorders or cosmetic surgery addictions assertively proclaim they are doing it for themselves, but how come what they are seeking conforms with what is currently, culturally attractive and desirable (to others)?

The historical, Gautama Buddha was a pampered prince who was deliberately insulated by his father (the King) in secluded ‘pleasure palaces’ in order to head off what was predicted to be his destiny as a spiritual, world leader.  Eventually, the story goes, the prince was curious to see what life was like outside his palaces and was distraught to discover the harsh realities of sickness, old age and death.  The Buddha’s solution was not cosmetic surgery, cryogenics, robotics, genetics or nanotechnology, but the simple fact of acceptance.  If we let go of our attachments to security, beliefs, ideas, images etc., we come to an ever deeper appreciation and exploration of “Who am I?” and the corollary question, “What is my purpose in this life?”

In my own experience, the Buddha was right.  We can be beautiful, meaningful and interconnected without any monetary expense or cultural conformity.  We can feel comfortable in our skins, even as human and other beings – animals, fish, insects, etc – feel comfortable in theirs.. and we can all live together and support each other.  However, that does require some committed and skilful introspection, which is probably what we need anyway.

Or do you disagree with a vengeance?