Fear Is The Weapon Of Control

Fear is alive and rampant in our society and every day life. Most of us go through life, not even recognizing just how intimately involved we are with fear. It is as if we are having a secret affair with fear, yet no one including our self knows about it.

Where does fear show up? There are so many ways that it is hard to list them all. However, let me start with some of the top ones that I see displayed throughout our society.


The Government
The government which is by the people, for the people and of the people or namely, each one of us, is one of the greatest sources of fear. Through our "boogieman" that has been created, we are scared into complacency. Since our government has the truth and information that we are all led to believe in, we succumb to the fear that the "boogieman" is around the corner, hiding and waiting to attack us. One could argue that this is truly the case but just as I want to believe that, I so remember the drills in elementary school of getting under the desk in case the communists came and bombed us. Of course, I never did know what a communist was but I was taught to be very afraid of it. Today, we have replaced the communists with other "boogieman" as fear is the weapon of control.



The Media
One of the biggest purveyors of fear is the media. They have this down to a science. The stories are about the most sensationalized events. Often, they talk about the what if scenarios and the calamity that would follow if a fictionalized event unfolded. Day in and day out, the media does this with graphic images that captivate our brain and seize every logical thought we hold. The repetition of these stories of calamity adds to the imprint of fears that we live with in our day. In fact, the fears that are reported begin to feed off of one another until they take on a life of their own. Again, fear is the weapon of control.


The Church
While I realize many people follow the tenants of church, at the heart of religious institutions, fear is used to control the masses. The fear of dying and spending an eternity in a lake of fiery hell is a strong motivation for people to donate to the church, follow without question what they say or hold the church and its leaders up on pedestals. I realize that many people who go to church and attend religious institutions claim to think logically for themselves but in many ways, they are only fooling themselves. If you are an observer, you will see quickly how much fear rules the lives of the church followers. Of course, this does not just stop with the church but it has permeated the new age practices of the day. Fear is the weapon of control in the church.


The Economic Markets
In our day and age where the economy and the markets have taken a beating, we are taught that if we don't do our part and spend our money, the economic conditions of this country will decline. I am still mesmerized by the movie, I Am, where the person was demonstrating how the Stock Markets were created as if they were a human entity. When in fact, we as humans created this system and we control it. Yet, we live in fear of this system as it appears to control each one of us, whether we invest or we don't invest our money. As I go around a city on trash day, or to the thrift stores, or even view the stuff being given away online, I see the evidence of what consumerism does to us as a people. We have so much stuff and we are so attracted to our stuff that we are losing sight of what really matters. The fear of the economy has attacked us and I don't believe it is for the best. Again, fear is the weapon of control to keep us spending more so that the collective "we" don't let the economy crumble!


The Medical Establishment
One of the greatest weapons of fear in the medical establishment is that the medical establishment holds all the answers to our health. What happens when you get a cold or get sick, you run to the medicine cabinet or the pharmacy or health care provider and get something to take, to get rid of what it is that you have. Unfortunately, many things that make us sick are a result of stress, overworking and past traumas that have went unresolved. Yet, we don't stop and take an inventory of our life or see what may be linked to these moments. All we do is run to someone or something to relieve us from what we fear most, our health. Today, there are drugs and procedures and practices for everything that promise to make you better. The sad part is, unless we go in and do what we need to for our body, all the health care practices in the world will not make us well. They will just mask the underlying problem until something else comes along and gets our attention.

I could go on and on about the fears that permeate every part of our society. They are the weapons of control and if we don't begin to become aware of them, they will be our biggest enemies. It does not mean we have to throw everything away that we have come to know and believe in our lives. However, if we do not evolve and grow in awareness of reality, than none of it will matter any longer. If we continue on the path we are on, we will succumb to the fears and it will no longer be just a weapon of control. It will be one and the same.


Further Reading:
1) Fear Not (Blog Post Mar 26, 2011)
2) The Fear Of The Climb (Blog Post Sep 28, 2010)



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What Do You Believe?

Sometimes people believe in many things and yet there are things that don't fit into their view box of the way life should be. We as humans tend to discount those things or we put rules in place to keep them at a safe distance. People in churches, new age philosophies, rulers, government officials and ordinary people do this all this all the time. Much of the time, it goes unnoticed by the people who subscribe to these rules and beliefs.

Yes, there are things being expounded upon that really do not hold up to the test of time. However, to pick and choose what is proper for others to believe or accept is different for all of us. We should not all be the same. Yet, too often in our world we push everyone to be in lockstep with the mainstream society or with the subculture we are part of.

Each of us must find the truth within ourselves. We must go in and feel it within our body. When we find the existence of it deep within ourselves and we can connect with that biologically, we have found a truth for our life. This requires us to become more aware and more conscious of all parts of our life. If we sit only at the surface of our life, we will not travel inward through all the parts of our life. To not travel within, is keeping us from truly knowing our self and finding our truth.

What we believe is what we have discovered to this point in our life. Some of the these things will become our foundation to further understanding while some will not. We must never stop searching and growing in our life. We must never stop challenging all we hold sacred so we don't make the error of becoming anything less than human and what we possibly can become.


Blog Post & Images (c) 12/6/10 Don Shetterly - use by permission only

Are You Brainwashed?

I am constantly amazed when I just observe people and humanity, just how much we follow things without question. Of course, if you're reading this, I'm sure the first reaction is, others do this but not me for I know when someone is trying to get one over on me. However, I think we all follow to some degree without question.

For me when I grew up, I was heavily brainwashed in the ways of one particular church denomination. Now it wasn't like someone strapped me to a table and put electrodes into my brain forcing me to follow what they said. It was more subtle than that. It was much more subtle than that. The brainwashing occurred in small and tiny little pieces that were almost too small to see with the naked eye. I'm not sure a microscope would have picked it up either. These things were cloaked around acceptance into the group. The acceptance into the group was not that anyone was allowed or not allowed in the doors, but that once they were allowed in the doors, there was a degree to which people were accepted or somewhat shunned in the group dynamics. Yes, there were things that were stated outright in many of the sermons, but they were the overall structure given to the brainwashing.

While you may be ready to say, I know of churches that do this and focus on the churches, this is not where brainwashing stops. We are involved in it every day of our life whether it is in an office we work or a job that we go to. It could be in some organization that we are a part of or it could be a community we are aligned with in some manner. While some of these may not necessarily denote a horrible ideal of brainwashing, they are in fact imposing some of the same things. It is up to each individual to not follow the unspoken truths of each source that I mentioned without pause but to question that which is presented as truth. Questioning these things through the sensing of our bodies can be one of the most important truth detectors for us.

Let's go one step further though in where you might find brainwashing. Have you ever stopped to think what the advertisements on the internet or on TV are doing to you? They have the right music, the right beat, the right images and emotions depicted to implant in your mind, the need to buy or use whatever it is that they are offering. What about the news? You know the source that tells you everything that is going on in the country and supposedly the world. Have you ever noticed though that the percentage of raw news facts is a fraction of the overall reported opinion by whichever news host you're listening to? If you haven't, put your critical glasses on and watch the news. Let me know what you see because I'm sure it will be different than what you have seen before.

Even in the new age enlightenment camps of our society, there is brainwashing. Maybe it doesn't appear that way but if you look closely you will see it. They often replace so many of the ideals and concepts in churches for a "more enlightened" version as they would say. However, as long as you follow their truths, and their origins, you'll be fine. The minute you start to question these things, it will be proclaimed that you are just not enlightened or you still have a ways to go on your journey. There can be a lot of good in these new age things but make sure you're just not following them blindly. It is ok to question, to ponder and not be in agreement with them. That is part of our human experience. It is part of our growth and our journey.

We can also look at governments from the United States to those around the world. Have you noticed how close Chavez is taking Venezuela to socialism? Some may disagree with that but there have been many changes Chavez has done all in the name of helping people and yet I feel the people are blindly being led down a road that is going to close in on them one of these days. Yet, our own government, The United States has in effect brainwashed us. From having our freedoms eroded day by day to looking to the government to solve our problems, we are following blindly to every bit and morsel they feed us. I'm not talking politics here either as I'm pointing out just how much the government gets away with. Again, put on your critical glasses and take another look. Let me know what you see because I'm sure it will be different than what you have seen before.

There are many examples around us and much of what I'm sharing or what I see comes out of my own personal experience growing up in a family where my father was a master manipulator. It was so subtle, yet so powerful. It has taken me years to rid myself of those things and begin seeing life through a much more clear set of lenses.

One important thing to remember is that if you are told something, taught something or asked to follow something, make sure it fits. What I mean by that is if it feels like you're trying to shove a round peg in a square hole, than question it. If you hear the words or thoughts and your first gut reaction is to say, that doesn't add up, than question it. If you are being taught something or fed an offer of some sort, check it out in your body. What does your body say about it? How does your body react? If you quietly listen, you will understand what your body is saying. The body is one of the best truth reactors there is, that is if the fears of the past are not standing in the way. So, in addition to listening to your body, work to rid the body of the fears that distort what you are able to see through the lens of your life.

While you may be questioning many things around, know that sometimes the process doesn't unfold immediately before your eyes. This is not about correcting yourself because you are wrong but learning more about yourself and allowing yourself the understanding of what you may or may not see in this moment. There is not necessarily right and wrong in concepts such as this but allowance and awareness in the understanding of them. Questioning is a healthy thing to do and awareness is the key to growth.