John Pilger's documentary, The War on Democracy

Astonishing. That is one word to describe film-maker John Pilger's documentary masterpiece The War on Democracy. In this remarkable work, Pilger draws on historical, political and social evidence, to clearly illustrate the role of the US government, directly and indirectly, in over-throwing democratically elected Latin American governments, and effectively replacing them with pseudo-democracies, satisfactory only to elitist groups and the interests of the American state.
Without exerting his opinion on the viewer, Pilger cleverly weaves all strands of evidence to illustrate his contention and does so in a powerful way that emotively moves the viewer.
He highlights explicitly the power struggle between the elite who seek to dominate the government and control all affairs of state and the grass-roots who demand true democracy that serves the interests of the people as an entirety. Pilger also shows the effects of these pseudo-democracies and the lust for power which drives them, manifest in the suffering and death of people, particularly those who are vulnerable and those who refuse to bow before the powers that be.
The documentary film

The War on Democracy

serves as a testament not only to the mass corruption and web of deception propagated by the high cabal, but also to the power of the people and the enduring strength and resilience of the human spirit to overcome the dehumanising effects of deceit and greed.

The needs of others

How different is our perception compared to others? Very, when you don't know all the facts that influence the situation. I know I shouldn't have, but I looked at my girlfriend's online diary, which I know she intended to be away from my eyes. Reading it, only then did I see how fully she felt and how such feelings contrasted my own. More than ever, now, I know that I am not at all fulfilling her needs. She needs someone there to support her, care and love her. In the last few months, I have done very little of that. I have not fulfilled her needs as I should have, as a friend and boyfriend- I've been found lacking. I'm so sorry. In actuality, I've focused more on my own because I did not know the situations playing-out in her life and the outcomes and effects they have had on her. I feel ashamed at myself for not placing her needs, for support and care, above my own for attention and affection. What love have my actions portrayed other than ruthless self-love? I'm not sure what's going on anymore in our relationship. I want to be there for her, but now I don't even know how. I'm ashamed for not placing her needs above my own. I feel like I've been not only a bad boyfriend, but a bad person. I feel as though I have yet again failed someone so dear, all for the sake of wreckless pride. To close this seemingly rant-like post, I shall once again affirm, I'm ashamed for not placing Ash's needs above my own.

Window to understanding personality

In psychology, we are currently studying personality. Below is a copy of my interactive Johari window. Kinda' gives you insight on the traits known and unknown that you possess. 

Arena (known to self and others) caring, friendly, intelligent, sentimental	Blind Spot (known only to others) clever, complex, dependable, kind, loving, nervous, responsive, searching, sensible, silly, tense, warm, wise
Façade (known only to self) introverted, spontaneous	Unknown (known to nobody) able, accepting, adaptable, bold, brave, calm, cheerful, confident, dignified, energetic, extroverted, giving, happy, helpful, idealistic, independent, ingenious, knowledgeable, logical, mature, modest, observant, organised, patient, powerful, proud, quiet, reflective, relaxed, religious, self-assertive, self-conscious, shy, sympathetic, trustworthy, witty

Dominant Traits

75% of people agree that Ben is intelligent

All Percentages

able (0%) accepting (0%) adaptable (0%) bold (0%) brave (0%) calm (0%) caring (25%) cheerful (0%) clever (25%) complex (25%) confident (0%) dependable (25%) dignified (0%) energetic (0%) extroverted (0%) friendly (50%) giving (0%) happy (0%) helpful (0%) idealistic (0%) independent (0%) ingenious (0%) intelligent (75%) introverted (0%) kind (50%) knowledgeable (0%) logical (0%) loving (25%) mature (0%) modest (0%) nervous (25%) observant (0%) organised (0%) patient (0%) powerful (0%) proud (0%) quiet (0%) reflective (0%) relaxed (0%) religious (0%) responsive (25%) searching (25%) self-assertive (0%) self-conscious (0%) sensible (25%) sentimental (25%) shy (0%) silly (25%) spontaneous (0%) sympathetic (0%) tense (50%) trustworthy (0%) warm (50%) wise (25%) witty (0%)

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 21.9.2007, using data from 4 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view Ben's full data.

Rambling...

Spring-cleaning with my grand-mother today I found an interesting little book, completely by chance. My baka read it and told me of the story- of a young boy who lived in utter simplicity. It sounded touching just hearing about it. I wish I could read it, but my Croatian literacy is not so keen.

Makes think however... Here I am, fortunate probably more than I deserve. My life is filled with such wonderful people. I have an education that stimulates my keen mind. Food on the table each day. People to talk to. A school to go to. Friends who support me. I really am lucky. 

But then why do I feel guilty? Especially when I receive a material gift. I sometimes fear that all this material extravagance will place a veil before my eyes, making me forget what's really important- the people in my life that make it what it is. I feel like a hypocrite, struggling to practice what I say. I don't want to get caught-up with things of material luxury. I want to contribute to making a difference for the better- to helping people. I've always believed that there is greatness in humility.

I hope this post makes sense. It does to myself, but it's difficult to articulate what crowds my mind at the present.

Night

After reading Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel's emotive novel, Night and viewing Oprah's interview of the author as they together walked through Auschwitz, I feel torn. Torn and horrified that the innate dignity of the person could be so brutally subject to terrible cruelty- disrespected and completely stripped of all identity.

I am shocked and utterly appalled that such madness could ever have erupted in humanity's conscience and history, and even more-so, I am terrified at merely seeing the imagery of the capacity of the dark side of humanity, which seems rife with such bitter anger and hatred. It is made all the more terrifying when I consider that the perpetrators of these atrocities were human, as too were the victims.

As I consider all the discarded shoes and those who wore them, as I consider all the lives lost in this factory of death, I can not help but ponder how many opportunities were taken away from each person. How much happiness was drained from them and how the capacity to make a difference disappeared as each one fell to death.

Considering the statement, 'Work makes you free' atop the gates of hell, I ponder it to be exactly the opposite in the case of Auschwitz. There, work enslaved them. Unethical medical experiments and torture mutilated them and all dreams turned to ashes in the intense blaze of the crematorium. 

Whatever little hope that may have been left would probably have been like a tiny ration of bread for the entire massive camp or like a simple beam of light from heaven, piercing the immense darkness of hell.  

Behind the scenes

Ever ponder what happens behind the scenes?

Corruption seems to permeate the governments of the world which are shrouded in conspiracy. Who really rules? I'll tell you who- the shadow government of invisibles and untouchables- the globalist elite who drive the gears of the economy and the centralisation of media and government to the formation of a new world order, behind the scenes.

We seem to stand on the brink of destruction; the demise of liberty which is so oft forsaken. Where will this path lead? To a scientific dictatorship of relativism, where Big Brother (the elite-controlled state) rules and the masses are considered mere cattle- manipulated, controlled, conditioned by the media and tagged. We stand on the edge of a surveillance society, with a micro-chipped population. Already has life been discounted in value and even aspects of life have been sold off, piece by piece. Everything has become a commodity, and the media warps our perceptions of beauty and reality as governments justify terror by terror, seemingly unopposed in lordship. Who benefits from these wars? Who gains the profits? And of course, who dies in these wars? Do the elite fight in these bloody battles? No! 

The corporate giants rule the economy, feeding on money, billions by the day, whilst children in all corners of the world die of preventable disease. Corrupt governments initiate wars for profits, while children are sent off to fight their dirty wars.

Some would argue that the aristocracies of old have disappeared and that there is no ruling class. However, this is not the case. The aristocracies of old are the globalist elite of today, driving the agenda of a new world order, comprising of an utterly controlled micro-chipped conditioned population under total enslavement beneath Big Brother's ever watching surveillant eye. 

How do you fight it? As I mentioned in a previous post, how do you seek to find clarity amid such distortion? To find truth amid such deceit and trickery. 

Once more I ask, is Western society superficial?

I recently watched a program on television called Sunday, and one particularly story grasped my interest. The story of Fr. Themi; a former member of the Australian pop-group The Flies, and formerly devout atheist and communist, turned Orthodox priest and missionary in the slums of Kenya, where he works there helping the children to attain an education. 

One particular thing he said caught my interest and it was about Australian society. He said, that when he returned, arriving at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, he was disappointed at the superficiality that he saw in Australian society, especially portrayed in the media. An example, he pointed out, was the media's pre-occupation with what Paris Hilton, Madonna and other celebrities were doing. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is suffering from appalling depravity and injustice. 

What he said ringed true. The media does not portray reality as is. What is called 'reality tv' is not even such. The reality is not that Paris Hilton spent less than a month in jail, but rather, that children are in the prison of poverty. Our view of the world should extend beyond that of fame, fortune and celebrity- beyond the superficiality which plagues our minds and warps our collective perception of what is beautiful. 

Our minds are being shaped by our absorption of media. Each typical day, in an urban setting, one is likely to receive, either consciously or sub-consciously, billions of codified messages, slowly conditioning us, our perception of the world. How does one fight it? How does one seek clarity amid such distortion, or truth amid such deceit? 

"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell

I guess what Fr. Themi was trying to say is that we, as a society and individually, should not being subject to such conditioning of minds and warped perceptions of reality. I think he was trying to say that we must never forget the truth of love. 

www.paradisekids4africa.org.au

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