In Sweden the municipalities are putting up signposts with hearts on the streets and parks saying: "take care of each other, keep distance". To me, it comes across as some sort of satanic irony. It also seems superfluous, since 'social distancing' and personal space has always been commonplace here. So for anyone who had any illusions about Sweden, we are so good at self-policing that we don't even need authorities for us to do it. Except the youth who can't bother about the situation and go out anyway. The elderly will sometimes wave you off if you walk by too close, apparently believing that they're never going to die? Western society has become pathetic, the insulated city-folk expect to go through life without ever getting their hands dirty. Soon they won't even have to go out. I guess it's better to procrastinate death than to go to hell.
One thing that strikes me is the current situation reveals how much of apparent virtue is (and presumably always was) merely obedience to external authority. As soon as the external authority orders evil, then the merely-passively-obedient seamlessly shift from the side of good to that of evil.
We are discovering who (and how few!) are internally-motivated to the side of Good, God, creation - when the rich, powerful, famous are on the side of evil.
How few people recognise evil motivation - how few even recognise the *possibility* of evil motivation - among the rich, powerful and famous.
I do notice a generational divide. I went to the coffee shop downtown yesterday to order coffee (they have to bring it out to the sidewalk), and a few older than Millennial generation men and women were sitting around on the outdoor chairs near me, totally unconcerned. A young Millennial woman came to pick up her coffee, and stood at least six feet away from us. Her social distancing behavior caused a strange, constant irritation in me. The older people and I just sat a few feet from each other, chatting. I guess younger people in general are more "programmable," especially with the constant input of social media into their brains.
@Jake - The recent Western youth lack the basic biological instincts of humans through history. Some of this is probably due to mass-social media; but I suspect that some is due to genetic decline: http://mouseutopia.blogspot.com/ - because in general instincts are stronger than culture; 'basic instincts' can be and are always shaped by culture, but not (as seems to be the case now) all-but eliminated.
For example, the evolutionary psychology of sexual attraction was based on data from before the 1990s - but as I taught the subject across 25 years, the hypotheses became less and less explanatory of actual youth behaviour.
As an example, the fact that more than half of young women are tattooed should not be happening, since asymmetrical mutilation and skin defacement are evolutionarily objectively repellant, and young women are (hypothetically) supposed to be focused on attracting long-term (marriage) partners.
You're welcome. Make no mistake about Sweden, it is rather the lack of authority and decisiveness than any benevolent, freedom oriented policies that allows us to roam around freely here. The Swedish government progressively cut down the national stockpiles and defense while pouring money on gender studies. Swedish neutrality (or complacency) is also a historical phenomenon, for good or for worse. In Finland (nowadays the pioneers of socialism) there is harder sanctions because there still exists a militaristic thinking there and politics which are more straight to the point. Many Swedes are fond of the Finnish totalitarianism since it has prevented more deaths and the general consensus has been that the Swedish health minister and politicians are risking everyone's lives.
It is altogether too prevalent here in Southern California. Over the last week I have hiked in a wildlife preserve, and ridden my bike along several of the many bike paths we have around here. In every case I saw dozens of people masked up like plague doctors while out alone in the fresh air, wind, and sunshine. At the wildlife preserve in the hills I saw a family cower at the trail side at my unmasked approach. They averted their well masked faces, while the woman clutched her child to her as if I were an axe murderer. Our corrupt and evil media have done their job too well. I cannot escape the conclusion that the purpose has nothing to do with the virus, and everything to do with causing mistrust, division, and discord. The purpose, it seems to me is to un-make the social order, to separate people into warring camps. Those claiming the moral high ground signal their compliance with authority by becoming faceless. There is a nightmarish quality to all this. I do not see it ending anytime soon.
@I - People believe two Big Lies - 1. It's an exceptionaly deadly plague (rather than a normally/ averagely-deadly plague) and 2. That wearing a mask protects from it (rather than making things worse/ doing nothing/ somewhat reducing the probability of catching/ spreading the virus today - but you will certainly get it soon; because you can't stop respiratory viruses unless you wear a space suit).
Lie upon Lie.
27 May 2020 at 08:04
Jason Steiner said...
The U.S city I live in has a large Mexican population and my impression is they are a little less likely to wear masks or social distance. They overall seem less scared to me.
27 May 2020 at 12:53
There are no plans to remove the regulations on 'social-distancing' - the laws by which every person must (with a handful of exemptions) treat every other person as if ritually unclean.
And there is little apparent desire from people that this should change. People are self-policing at all times, including in private and outdoors.
I went on a walk in Northumberland during which I saw just six people in two hours - two of them were coming along the path towards us; and they laboriously stopped and stepped-back a couple of yards to let us pass without breaching regulations.
This was in the middle of a forest, in the middle of nowhere, with nobody else around; and the attitude of the interaction was clearly one of being polite and considerate - as if this was the proper way for human beings to interact, and as if anything else would be rude, aggressive and reckless.
You see how a Godless people are helpless putty in the claws of evil? They have (we British have) long-since embraced evil in our hearts; by our solid belief in the meaninglessness and purposelessness of life - and consequently the mass of people experience very little friction when asked to treat themselves and each other as plague rats.
As Steiner correctly said a century ago; atheism is a disease, a sickness, a disability (albeit chosen, self-inflicted) - and it is no stretch at all for a society of atheists to live by their belief that sickness is primary and disease is universal.
The lesson? There is no resistance to evil when evil is regarded as good.
If we are (personally, socially) to escape the universal self-damnation of actively preferring this demon-administered totalitarian world; awakening must come first. There can be no positive change without motivation and courage for the Good.
As I have been saying for a decade - atheism is not viable, atheism is despair and death; religion is essential, non-optional.
The primary task for everyone who has not already done it, is to
Choose Your Religion.
Note - I would add that CYR is only a beginning; and having chosen, one must strive (daily, hourly) to put it first. The birdemic crisis has revealed that merely-self-identified religion (such as that of Bishops) is merely-atheism - indistinguishable in practice and under stress.
"We are all Untouchables now (and for the foreseeable)"
9 Comments -
In Sweden the municipalities are putting up signposts with hearts on the streets and parks saying: "take care of each other, keep distance". To me, it comes across as some sort of satanic irony. It also seems superfluous, since 'social distancing' and personal space has always been commonplace here. So for anyone who had any illusions about Sweden, we are so good at self-policing that we don't even need authorities for us to do it. Except the youth who can't bother about the situation and go out anyway. The elderly will sometimes wave you off if you walk by too close, apparently believing that they're never going to die? Western society has become pathetic, the insulated city-folk expect to go through life without ever getting their hands dirty. Soon they won't even have to go out. I guess it's better to procrastinate death than to go to hell.
26 May 2020 at 12:44
@Eric - Thanks for that report.
One thing that strikes me is the current situation reveals how much of apparent virtue is (and presumably always was) merely obedience to external authority. As soon as the external authority orders evil, then the merely-passively-obedient seamlessly shift from the side of good to that of evil.
We are discovering who (and how few!) are internally-motivated to the side of Good, God, creation - when the rich, powerful, famous are on the side of evil.
How few people recognise evil motivation - how few even recognise the *possibility* of evil motivation - among the rich, powerful and famous.
26 May 2020 at 13:00
I do notice a generational divide. I went to the coffee shop downtown yesterday to order coffee (they have to bring it out to the sidewalk), and a few older than Millennial generation men and women were sitting around on the outdoor chairs near me, totally unconcerned. A young Millennial woman came to pick up her coffee, and stood at least six feet away from us. Her social distancing behavior caused a strange, constant irritation in me.
The older people and I just sat a few feet from each other, chatting.
I guess younger people in general are more "programmable," especially with the constant input of social media into their brains.
26 May 2020 at 13:53
@Jake - The recent Western youth lack the basic biological instincts of humans through history. Some of this is probably due to mass-social media; but I suspect that some is due to genetic decline: http://mouseutopia.blogspot.com/ - because in general instincts are stronger than culture; 'basic instincts' can be and are always shaped by culture, but not (as seems to be the case now) all-but eliminated.
For example, the evolutionary psychology of sexual attraction was based on data from before the 1990s - but as I taught the subject across 25 years, the hypotheses became less and less explanatory of actual youth behaviour.
As an example, the fact that more than half of young women are tattooed should not be happening, since asymmetrical mutilation and skin defacement are evolutionarily objectively repellant, and young women are (hypothetically) supposed to be focused on attracting long-term (marriage) partners.
26 May 2020 at 14:23
@BC
You're welcome. Make no mistake about Sweden, it is rather the lack of authority and decisiveness than any benevolent, freedom oriented policies that allows us to roam around freely here. The Swedish government progressively cut down the national stockpiles and defense while pouring money on gender studies. Swedish neutrality (or complacency) is also a historical phenomenon, for good or for worse. In Finland (nowadays the pioneers of socialism) there is harder sanctions because there still exists a militaristic thinking there and politics which are more straight to the point. Many Swedes are fond of the Finnish totalitarianism since it has prevented more deaths and the general consensus has been that the Swedish health minister and politicians are risking everyone's lives.
26 May 2020 at 14:48
It is altogether too prevalent here in Southern California. Over the last week I have hiked in a wildlife preserve, and ridden my bike along several of the many bike paths we have around here. In every case I saw dozens of people masked up like plague doctors while out alone in the fresh air, wind, and sunshine. At the wildlife preserve in the hills I saw a family cower at the trail side at my unmasked approach. They averted their well masked faces, while the woman clutched her child to her as if I were an axe murderer. Our corrupt and evil media have done their job too well. I cannot escape the conclusion that the purpose has nothing to do with the virus, and everything to do with causing mistrust, division, and discord. The purpose, it seems to me is to un-make the social order, to separate people into warring camps. Those claiming the moral high ground signal their compliance with authority by becoming faceless. There is a nightmarish quality to all this. I do not see it ending anytime soon.
JWM
26 May 2020 at 16:04
I've been harangued about not wearing masks by Mexicans... who are generally reputed not to be in this country legally.
Why does following the "law" matter to them now?
27 May 2020 at 00:29
@I - People believe two Big Lies - 1. It's an exceptionaly deadly plague (rather than a normally/ averagely-deadly plague) and 2. That wearing a mask protects from it (rather than making things worse/ doing nothing/ somewhat reducing the probability of catching/ spreading the virus today - but you will certainly get it soon; because you can't stop respiratory viruses unless you wear a space suit).
Lie upon Lie.
27 May 2020 at 08:04
The U.S city I live in has a large Mexican population and my impression is they are a little less likely to wear masks or social distance. They overall seem less scared to me.
27 May 2020 at 12:53