The Perversion of Common Sense

I have often thought about the location in the US called “Slab City”. I’ve seen some video footage of it’s inhabitants over the years, the guy that has solar panels and doesn’t mind others using his spare power for gaming on console or watching TV. He had a neat little area where people could come and have coffee and use the equipment for free.

The lady who runs the library, taken over from a chap that built it up over the years and either left or departed. It is made up of titles, discarded or donated, and is entirely built upon trust, to return the books, and for how long is generally up to the person.

I’m sure life there is not easy, by any mark. The struggles there, are probably similar to other places, on the streets, in other much poorer countries. Complete strangers crossing paths, forging lasting friendships, connected by the struggles of life, and if they’re lucky enough, finding a place somewhere where they can have a little peace and a more frugal, simplistic life.

I often wonder how they overcome their difficulties, and whether they are even there still. I’ll no doubt look for some recent updates soon and maybe update the article with any new information I come across. I wonder whether the more successful of the group work locally, choosing to live there away from society, out in the desert.

The site is owned by the US military, originally an Army camp (Camp Dunlap), abandoned and left with no buildings on site, just a few concrete foundations left, hence the name.

I have a few observations, which I’ve noted down throughout an otherwise busy day .....

There was also a film that reminded me of these thoughts – also set in the US, called “Nomadland”, the central character, a woman who lives in her van and travels around looking for work. Staying overnight in trailer parks and desert areas, reminiscent of Slab City. I will have to re-watch the film as it’s been a few years now since I had the pleasure of seeing it for the first time.

The comradery amongst travellers is very inspiring indeed, with nothing to prove, just friendships formed and strengthened through the need to survive. Proper human interaction at its finest.

The “buy this” “do this” mentality, is not for everyone. We are often told how free we are but it’s not freedom as our ancestors knew it, that’s for certain.

Here in Philippines (and indeed other parts of Asia), you see a distinct difference in mindset that really makes you think about the track you have been on during your life. As the country looks outwards, finding its identity in the world, it’s interesting to experience the inner, everyday life of Filipinos.

Surviving through growing food, most people, even youngsters, have a very good knowledge with home grown produce, or at the very least the supplies from the local market. It was perhaps the first thing that struck me, the knowledge of each plant and vegetable and the correct cooking method. I respected this, after living in the “west” where most people rely on fast food and have less idea of where their food actually comes from, who prepared it and how it was made.

Most Filipinos have their own farm lots, ranging from a hundred square metres to perhaps tens of hectares in size.

My experience of the “mall” is one of much lower prices on processed food compared to the local shops, often around half of the price. Secondly, they are usually empty, with far more staff than customers.

For two reasons I think. People just can’t afford to pay for a weekly or monthly shop, having very little to buy bulk items especially, so they are mainly used by the rich and “successful”, and of course the tourists. I think the meat was far more expensive compared to the local markets, which is hardly surprising, as alot of filipinos are also very capable in husbandry and raising their own animals.

For me, the differences between the cultures were becoming very evident within quite a short period of time.

The influences left behind by the “empires” of Spain, Japan (during WW2) and America, paved the way for the countries independence (in 1946). Although the Spanish had perhaps the biggest impact on the country, there still exists today a culture that has it’s own identity and way of life that only Filipinos will fully understand and appreciate.

I think the developed nations could learn a great deal from this and other countries that have been at the mercy of the empires throughout history. The changes that faced India comes to mind, another interesting culture of note.

The levels of exploitation over the centuries have indeed left their mark on many cultures. As independence has been realised for these countries, they are able to fully reflect on their history, and ultimately their often abusive treatment by the larger nations.

Another example could perhaps be Wales, a part of the United Kingdom, currently fiercely contending their independence, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Scotland to the North.

The Welsh people also have a dark historical relationship with the English, which is perhaps less evident from the outside. They were heavily exploited, for their large deposits of coal and other ores (including Gold) for centuries. Allowing the British to conquer and plunder these resources, becoming richer and more powerful as a result. The strict control by the English naturally caused alot of hatred from the Welsh, often still visible in the North, although with the coming of indepedence there will surely be a revisiting of Welsh values and broadening of the culture that never withered under harsh rule, and Wales still remains an almost magical place of discovery, if you have the time to visit and take it all in.

I’m sure there are many more examples of the resilience of cultures, straining under the ill-effects of exploitation by the high and mighty “richer” nations. The beaches of India, where they illegally run aground cruise ships and tankers for scrap “recycling”, offering a meagre living wage for the workers and their families, and the high risks of death associated with such practices.

The places in Africa, where young children can be found among the fields of burning waste plastic and electrical waste from the West, hoping to earn a dollar for the copper wire and valuable metals they can extract.

The governments of these countries are rarely any different to those of the richer nations, adopting the same, and often worse levels of corruption over their own citizens. Often turning turn a blind eye to the welfare of their people, indeed the plight of the many is mostly off their radar, which is primed and focussed on the activities of self-interest.

If they can find a benefit in “appearing” to be philanthropic, they will unashamedly use that narrative to the best of their ability. Portraying the lie that they are doing good in the world, whereas in truth, they are selfishly procurring the suffering and death of millions of people across all cultures.

Indeed, this “propaganda” is spread by social media, making the false reality believable on all levels of the users experience, and subsequently emulated across the many “walks” of life. Allowing people to adopt similar attitudes towards their fellow citizens, furthering the rise in mental health problems and the conjuring of fake identities (and even sexes) for political and economic gain by the few, fuelling “anti-human” activities. Since investing in real human beings is no longer profitable, more so with the rising tide of AI, which I would suggest to be the final step in our “human” demise.

Like a billion silent deaths, we have lost our humanity, our “common sense”, our ability to discern good from bad, our choice is to unconciously distract from the horrors, instead giving the insidious “false” reality the life it needs to propagate and grow, allowing the mechanised mind virus to formulate new counter narratives, all the while changing the rules and engaging us, seeking to remove the senses we are born with, our ability to find truth within ourselves and to share that truth.

The walls and barriers, both physical and within our psyche, are made by our own doing, chosen by us, our own freewill is manipulated by this external force, which seeks to eradicate the human “spirit” and our ability to connect with it.

The tribulations of the family, causing a separation from our natural instincts to preserve and survive, to nurture and to celebrate. Fake narratives telling us how we should live become widespread across the network, our minds constantly engaging with it, instead of ignoring it and seeing it for what it really is.

Our plane-t has ultimately become a prison without bars, unconciously our blind perceptions become truth. We suckle and feed the “society” believing it to be good, all the while knowing that something is not quite right, willingly ignoring all of the red flags, bringing it further into our spoon-fed reality.

The machinistic response to someone that recognises this false narrative, is to infect the real truth with more propaganda to obscure and obfuscate, leaving the observer to question further his own realizations, the purpose to destroy his or her identity. Using fear of being cast out as the most effective weapon.

However, for those that continue to question the intent behind the narrative , even the seemingly trivial, this can also strengthen their ability to see the real truth. They are on the top of the mountain watching others below as the landslide nears. Unable to reach them, they bear witness to the tragedy of it all.

I could list many examples, some more notable than others, of recent years. Bascially anything that focusses our attention away from our present, day to day activities. Causing us to deviate from our instinctual course, we are faced with a threat that needs our compliance, or at the very least, our undivided attention.

Unaware that we are part of a “project”, the name or indeed purpose of which is only known by a select few, the purporters are compartmentalised, in true military fashion, in order to do its bidding.

Using wealth and fortune to gain a person’s intent, to obfuscate, to delay, to propagandize, to kill.

The silent battle rages, the narrative causing two opposing divisions, black and white thinking prevails, causing the “pick a side” approach, unaware that both sides are “rigged” and are intent on keeping us away from the real truths, indeed as well as our truer path.

What then is Common Sense?

As humans, we learn to be logical. Almost like a biological computer, we have life experiences and reflect on them. Using those experiences to build up our sense of what’s around us and how best to survive in our environment.

We use common sense to survive and to adapt to threats. We overcome our fear through knowledge, as we learn throughout our lives how to become reliant on our own. A friend can become an enemy, and so is true of the opposite. But ultimately, our common sense will guide us towards making more informed decisions about the many choices that we can make.

So what is a threat to common sense? What seeks to change our perceptions of what is good for us.

The knowledge is the key to unlocking this truth. Finding intention in others, through their actions not their words. Being able to see contradictions allows you to discern the truth and you can build a picture of reality according to your experience.

If we allow others to “gaslight” us into believing a narrative, as is often the case with the media, we no longer have access to the tools that leads us to common sense. When our experience is tainted with echoes of false belief and purposeful accounts, we lose any sense of what is real and what is not.

In our personal, “close-up” experience, we are able to discern truth easily and adopt a strategy to counter any threat, as well as supporting an agreeable solution. Our fear is engaged and we rise to the challenge, it’s a natural state that has enabled us to survive for thousands of years.

However, our lives have now been saturated with other issues. These issues often taking precedence over the mundane. The effects are that we soak it all up like a sponge, we are keen to learn and absorb, without realising the dangers ahead. We seek the knowledge, a natural yearning of all intelligent beings, as we strive to become more connected than ever before. Unaware of the impact and subsequent disconnection from ourselves, our psyche changing for the better or worse as a result.

Our task at hand, as with any “local” situation, is to bring about a result that utilizes our common sense. Our need to “question everything” has never been greater than it is now.

Using logic and intent are key to understanding the many stories that are propagated. Often 12 months or indeed 5 years after an occurence, the narrative will have changed in many ways. As a result, we need to learn about the source of the narratives and their true intentions. Remembering that obfuscation may be used to portray false beliefs.

The result of believing everything, from often second-hand sources, is that you end up circumventing common sense altogether. You are no longer in charge of your emotions, your fear AND your reactions. You come to develop a persona, knowing full well that it isn’t even real, based on these supposed truths. Your true self is disconnected from any connections, as the ability to evaluate something that is devoid of “proper” feedback, often the “he-said she-said” narrative prevails, without obtaining any real insight into the matter.

There are many things in the world that you may not be able to discern the actual truth. Often you react unconciously to a “situation” based on very little, just someone’s words. They say that the pen is mightier than the sword. It’s never been more truer than now. We end up in a situation that we are believing the hype and becoming an “automated reactionary puppet”. Instead of evaluating fully the situation, we are no longer in control of our true selves, a dangerous place indeed.

With successive generations, this has become the new normal way to behave. Our exploiters turning the human “real estate” into a desert, devoid of any real truth, constantly conflating their incessant demoralizing “spells”.

Lastly, I find it quite bemusing that the amount of articles that utilize AI, even though the original concept is creatively human in origin, are increasing ten fold daily. The swathes of writers perhaps seeing AI as a “tool”, and not a threat to creativity. There are many good tools that AI has contributed, such as way finding, but as text and graphic generation has increased so much, it would seem that another human trait is being willfully handed over to something that is devoid of emotional intelligence, just 1’s and 0’s.

Thank you for reading ...