Nietzsche & Rand, Sinners & Criminals

“The Christian resolve to find the world evil and ugly, has made the world evil and ugly.”  ~ Friedrich Nietzsche “There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be [...]

Death: PKD, WSB, & Derrick Jensen

Fred: D… Substance D. “D” is dumbness, and despair, desertion-desertion of you from your friends, your friends from you, everyone from everyone. Isolation and loneliness… and hating and suspecting each other, “D” is finally death. Slow death from the head down. Well… that’s it. Why does Control need humans, as you call them? Answer: Wait… [...]

Derrick Jensen (& Henry David Thoreau)

Playing for Keeps By Derrick Jensen “PEOPLE WHO READ MY WORK often say, “Okay, so it’s clear you don’t like this culture, but what do you want to replace it?” The answer is that I don’t want any one culture to replace this culture. I want ten thousand cultures to replace this culture, each one [...]

Victims & Silence

“If the first rule of a dysfunctional system is ‘Don’t talk about it,’ then our primary goal should be to tell the truth, to be as honest as we can manage to be.  When I read something truthful, something real, I breathe a deep sigh and say, ‘Fantastic — I wasn’t mad or alone in [...]

JFK: Assassination of a Nation’s Soul

Here is an awesome JFK quote from Matt Cardin’s In serving his vision of truth, the artist best serves his nation: These may be my favorite words ever spoken by an American President. They come from a speech delivered by John F. Kennedy on October 26, 1963 — less than a month before his death — [...]

Pretend

I’ve just pissed in my pants…

“I’ve just pissed in my pants and nobody can do anything about it.” I love that scene and that line.  No truer statement has ever been spoken.  Major Fambrough says it like a simple statement of fact as he presents the crotch of his pants for viewing.  It’s a pivotal moment and he seemingly comes to a realization.  [...]

Development of Christian Mysticism

Pre-Nicene New Testament by Robert M. Price p. 335, note about The First Epistle to the Corinthians “Valentinians were the first to write commentaries on the Pauline letters.  Thus, along with the Marcionites, Valentinians are the earliest Pauline Christians we know of.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinius His Alexandrian followers said that Valentinus was a follower of Theudas and [...]

Jung and Typology, Gnosticism and Christianity

The following are excerpts that I thought were related.  I specifically was considering Jung and his views on various ideas.  These excerpts give an interesting context to how Jung came to his understanding about the structure and development of the individual.  In particular, I found fascinating the connection between trinity as representing hierarchy (including hierarchy [...]

Alchemy and Suffering

The Philosopher’s Secret Fire by Patrick Harpur Page 32:  “Besides, it is doubtful whether voluntary disciplines can ever do more than prepare the way for initiation – which, like the shaman’s call, is, finally, involuntary.  We cannot will to die to ourselves.” Page 33:  “There are the experiences we must not seek to cure or [...]