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How Manipulated are You?

Posted By: Randy GageApril 14, 2019

Last week I said that a person without solid self-awareness is a robotic, reflexive, and manipulated one.  That post got a strong response, so let’s explore the subject deeper.

Go to the barrios of San Salvador as I have and you will witness thousands of people living lifestyles of meager subsistence.  They toil very long hours (in difficult tasks like scrubbing bathrooms, digging ditches, or washing dishes), sleep, then arise to do it all over again.  It’s easy to feel empathy for them, thinking that they are helpless pawns in an almost comatose state.

Yet when I drink in the view from my high-rise apartment in San Diego, and see all my neighbors in their expensive homes here in the East Village, I realize that most of them are living in a similar oblivion.   Sure, they’re driving BMWs, shopping at Fashion Valley Mall, and have a premium package on Netflix. But they’re still worker drones in the collective – figuratively assimilated by the Borg – living a life without self-awareness.

They don’t know this of course.  Because the people in the Matrix never realize they’re in the Matrix...

An overwhelming majority of people are mindlessly being jerked on puppet strings and have no idea.  He’s the rancher in Colorado who fears black and brown people and doesn’t know it’s because he watches FOX News channel.  She’s the corporate HR director who thinks she’s hungry again at 9 pm, but doesn’t understand it’s because she’s been exposed to 18 fast food commercials during her evening television viewing.  He’s the broke wannabe entrepreneur who swipes up on Instagram, to buy yet another get rich quick e-book.

Each of these people believe they are free thinkers and independent beings, because they have found a meme to describe themselves that fosters this delusion of liberation.

Memes like, “I’m a doctor (lawyer, Ph.D., etc.). I was willing to eat more shit for a longer time than most people, so I must be better than them.”

Memes like, “I’m popular. My cat video went viral on YouTube.  Looks at how many ‘likes’ I’m getting on Instagram.”

Memes like, “I’m successful. I live on the penthouse floor and the other people live below me.  I have a 60” flat screen TV and most people only have a 40” one.”

Here’s the problem with all of these memes…

They’re created by the collective consciousness.  And the actual function of collective consciousness, is to keep people unconscious.

Hopefully all this doesn’t just come across as dark to you.  The goal of this discussion isn’t to be a downer, but to recognize the opportunity for awakening...

Which we’ll explore on the next post.  In the meantime, any thoughts?

- RG

11 comments on “How Manipulated are You?”

  1. Wow! A punch in the face for sure. I bought into the material stuff, bigger house and all that goes with it....living the so called dream, until it wasn't! Looking forward to unwinding my thinking and living MY dream!

  2. It is dark. And self- awareness is only the beginning. If you stay there, it’s the same as laying in a crappy old hammock- you acknowledge where you are, and then say that is WHY you are the way you are. The crucial next step is development of the self. And that is far more work than we should let on to a beginner

  3. The culture you are in influences your decisions, your moral and ethical decisions. If someone in your group cheats, it influences the entire group. The farther away from money you are (like dealing in stokes, points, tokens, etc, the more unethical decisions are made. If you are reminded of morality ( code of ethics ), less unethical decisions are made.
    Culture is important. More specifically the leaders of culture are keys to creating an ethical culture. Religion may be the basis of many people's morality and culture.

  4. So patriarchal religions hate women and discriminate against women. Christianity makes everyone born sinners that are not capable of saving themselves. Baptism is required and the sacrifice of Jesus is requires. Even then, you are sinners and are only saved by the death of Jesus. And God sent Jesus to die. Then Christians are told to go out and turn everyone else into sorry sinners not capable of saving themselves. Not a God I want.
    The truth is we are all born good and equal. We believed lies that we weren't. You can change your beliefs at any time.

    1. Actually these stations don't have different owners. They have different networks they are affiliated for Prime Time programming. But they are all owned by Sinclair Broadcasting, which requires all of them to read these propaganda pieces.

  5. So, even as I'm reading this post, I'm thinking, if we all see our reality as 'reality' (the truth based on our beliefs) how can we ever escape? Is there even anything to escape from? And (with the greatest respect RG) what makes you confident that you aren't also being jerked around on puppet strings? After all, you invest in the same tools on social nedia to get your message out there and 'we' rock rock up every week to hear your words. What a conundrum! The mind is a powerful tool and because of it's complexity, even the most genuine of intention suggestions can totally confuse a mind that constantly questions

  6. this is wild when it gets to the freedom "free thinking," guise, but is really still a meme. ideally, from what I get, the solution is staying in the pocket of what actually serves me, vs endlessly running bad loops and running into walls on impulse, vs taking time to bring it to the logical conclusion. staying on top of that awareness.

    definitely have had to revisit your book on the smart healthy rich, working in the airport. catching myself going on those fast food binges that used to fog my brain and hinder my sales results, and having the hardest energy crashes. amongst other things.

    goin back through these chapters and writing out the key messege so I can lock this shit in. just now realizing my mistakes and unconscious behavior over the past two years and beyond.

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  • 11 comments on “How Manipulated are You?”

    1. Wow! A punch in the face for sure. I bought into the material stuff, bigger house and all that goes with it....living the so called dream, until it wasn't! Looking forward to unwinding my thinking and living MY dream!

    2. It is dark. And self- awareness is only the beginning. If you stay there, it’s the same as laying in a crappy old hammock- you acknowledge where you are, and then say that is WHY you are the way you are. The crucial next step is development of the self. And that is far more work than we should let on to a beginner

    3. The culture you are in influences your decisions, your moral and ethical decisions. If someone in your group cheats, it influences the entire group. The farther away from money you are (like dealing in stokes, points, tokens, etc, the more unethical decisions are made. If you are reminded of morality ( code of ethics ), less unethical decisions are made.
      Culture is important. More specifically the leaders of culture are keys to creating an ethical culture. Religion may be the basis of many people's morality and culture.

    4. So patriarchal religions hate women and discriminate against women. Christianity makes everyone born sinners that are not capable of saving themselves. Baptism is required and the sacrifice of Jesus is requires. Even then, you are sinners and are only saved by the death of Jesus. And God sent Jesus to die. Then Christians are told to go out and turn everyone else into sorry sinners not capable of saving themselves. Not a God I want.
      The truth is we are all born good and equal. We believed lies that we weren't. You can change your beliefs at any time.

      1. Actually these stations don't have different owners. They have different networks they are affiliated for Prime Time programming. But they are all owned by Sinclair Broadcasting, which requires all of them to read these propaganda pieces.

    5. So, even as I'm reading this post, I'm thinking, if we all see our reality as 'reality' (the truth based on our beliefs) how can we ever escape? Is there even anything to escape from? And (with the greatest respect RG) what makes you confident that you aren't also being jerked around on puppet strings? After all, you invest in the same tools on social nedia to get your message out there and 'we' rock rock up every week to hear your words. What a conundrum! The mind is a powerful tool and because of it's complexity, even the most genuine of intention suggestions can totally confuse a mind that constantly questions

    6. this is wild when it gets to the freedom "free thinking," guise, but is really still a meme. ideally, from what I get, the solution is staying in the pocket of what actually serves me, vs endlessly running bad loops and running into walls on impulse, vs taking time to bring it to the logical conclusion. staying on top of that awareness.

      definitely have had to revisit your book on the smart healthy rich, working in the airport. catching myself going on those fast food binges that used to fog my brain and hinder my sales results, and having the hardest energy crashes. amongst other things.

      goin back through these chapters and writing out the key messege so I can lock this shit in. just now realizing my mistakes and unconscious behavior over the past two years and beyond.

    Leave a Reply to Bernice Alive Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


    Warning: Undefined variable $key in /nas/content/live/randygagedev/wp-content/plugins/honeypot-comments/honeypot-comments.php on line 63

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