Am I Being Manipulated?

 

Mongolia - photo credit: Aaron Springston

Most of us acknowledge that some prescription drugs cause adverse reactions, perhaps rendering us out of control and sleep-driving or eating. We know this and have a choice in whether or not to reap the meager benefits anyway. But what if we were told that our favorite food causes us to believe things which simply are not true, or made us buy things, or think the earth was flat? Would we stop eating it, or would we say, "Oh, I know when I'm being manipulated and I can eat chocolate and still think independently."? There is a new documentary out called "The Social Dilemma" and it tells us in detail how we are being manipulated by Facebook, in particular. This platform is the reason many people have become flat earthers, believing the world is flat and there is a great ice wall at the perimeter and you will be put into jail if you get there. Others believe in pizzagate and think there is a network of well-known people kidnapping children and performing horrendous atrocities. These are the extremes, but what of the influences which are much more subtle? I leave you with this quote from a review posted at Independent.co.uk, of this NetFlix documentary: "“It’s easy to think that it’s just a few stupid people who get convinced,” warns the engineer who created the rogue Youtube algorithm, “but the algorithm is getting smarter and smarter every day. Today they’re convincing people that the Earth is flat, but tomorrow they will be convincing you of something.” I'm not sure where I come down on this theory, but certainly will think seriously about it.

"As named in Christian Science, animal magnetism or hypnotism is the specific term for error, or mortal mind. It is the false belief that mind is in matter, and is both evil and good; that evil is as real as good and more powerful. This belief has not one quality of Truth. It is either ignorant or malicious. The malicious form of hypnotism ultimates in moral idiocy." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 103:18

Made a Difference to That One!

 

It takes so little to help someone, to make them more comfortable, perhaps to ease their mind. Someone who lives close to us was outside when Kevin was walking our dogs up the street. She seemed a little peaked and so he asked her how she was doing. She said she wasn't feeling well, but wanted to get some fresh air. He offered to walk with her and they went up to the Crescent Hotel and looked around at the flowers. She mentioned that she needed to go to the grocery store as she had nothing for dinner. This is not the weekend to be getting out, even if you feel good, as there are hundreds of motorcycles in our town. So he told her that I always cook and he'd see what I had planned and he would deliver some to her in a little while. It was plain old brown beans and cornbread and apple crisp. But she was so happy with it, and he was happy to have helped her, and I was gratified to have supplied a need so easily. I was reminded of the story of the little boy throwing starfish back into the ocean, which were stranded on the shore. There were hundreds of them and a man came by and asked the child if he really thought he could make a difference to them. "I made a difference to that one!", he said as he happily flung one back into the sea. And there you are: we can make a difference, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant. Have a beautiful Sunday, Friends ~~~

"The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother's need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another's good." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 518:15

The Three Stages of Believing Truth

 

How many people need to repeat the truth before everyone begins to see it? Supposedly, Mark Twain jokingly said a lie would travel around the world while the truth was still lacing up its boots. I'm not sure that's true today with the internet connecting everyone in its web. I'd bet the truth will travel just as fast if enough people speak/write it!  It seems Aristarchus first noticed the sun was stationary somewhere around 300 B.C., then it took a few centuries before Copernicus revealed this truth, with a mathematical model in the 1500s. Even then, Copernicus was so afraid of religious leaders, who thought everything was centered around them, that he didn't tell anyone until he was on his deathbed. Sound familiar? What about the earth being flat, railroad tracks coming together, mirages, and other such illusions? How long did it take for us to understand what was happening? While most of us know these things, I saw a horrifying statistic recently which said that 1/4 of the people still believe the sun revolves around the earth every 24 hours. Hearing things like this make it even more important for each and every one of us to speak out about things we know to be true. Research is easier than ever and more fun than it was 50 years ago. So pick a fact, study up, and tell everyone you know! 

 "Agassiz, the celebrated naturalist and author, has wisely said, 'Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. First, people say it conflicts with the Bible. Next, they say it has been discovered before. Lastly, they say they have always believed it." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 104:8

Moment of Lift

 

"Women of Eureka Springs"

photo credit: Richard Quick

Few things bring me more sorrow than to hear of a fine woman running for public office being called a baby killer. I'm reading a book by Melinda Gates titled "The Moment of Lift". In this informative and frank writing, she tells of visiting African countries and realizing what was holding people in their poverty-stricken lives. She saw women carrying water on their heads and babies in their arms, while the men sat and smoked and told stories. She talked to women about their lives, and time and again it came back to the fact that they had no control over how many babies they had. Maybe they were too young, or too old, or too sick to be having a baby, but they had no choice. Oddly enough, many were expected to have as many children as possible because most of them would die. And herein lay the solution: better health care, more abundant birth control, and education were the keys to uplifting these and other societies. This is what her foundation has been doing for more than a decade. For those who believe abortion should be illegal, I urge them to watch the PBS series, "Call the Midwife". This is a show about Catholic nuns and nurses dealing with the same issues -- lack of birth control, education, and health care -- but in 1960s England. What a difference it has made to get these issues out into the open, discuss them, and find solutions! No one wants to abort a pregnancy, and it hurts me when I hear people say that Democrats love abortions. This type of disconnect must stop. How? Education, empathy, facts, truth, love: those are the antidotes as I see them. We must talk about these things and understand that organizations such as Planned Parenthood contribute to lower abortion rates, not higher. Let's choose love over fear!

"Think of this, dear reader, for it will lift the sackcloth from your eyes, and you will behold the soft-winged dove descending upon you. The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 574:25

Things Are Not Always As They Appear

Many times, things appear to be what they are not. Take this photograph, for instance. It looks as though this young man is doing something dangerous; jumping over a great abyss and courting disaster. He is not. This was taken in Mongolia when my son, Aaron, was there on a college trip. They spent 6 weeks in that country, with two weeks spent in the city and four in the wilds of what we think of as outer Mongolia. What an experience for them! Three teachers and 18 students were involved in this adventure. Aaron shaved his head because they knew they would have a period of time when showering was not possible, and miles of hiking and climbing up hills would be happening. They learned to help each other. They saw the Mongolian people invite them into their huts and offer food when it appeared they had very little. They faced their fears and nurtured their compassionate natures. We can't all go on a trip such as this one, but we can reap the benefits by realizing what is really happening and what is simply an illusion being perpetuated by people wanting to mislead us. We can demonstrate compassion and love everyone, even while recognizing they may not seem deserving of it. There is nothing to forgive if there is no blame in the first place. Today I'm going to look closely at situations, desiring truth above all else, while seeing Love instead of fear. Namaste...

"The earth's diurnal rotation is invisible to the physical eye, and the sun seems to move from east to west, instead of the earth from west to east. Until rebuked by clearer views of the everlasting facts, this false testimony of the eye deluded the judgment and induced false conclusions." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 121:17

 

Living Expressions of Love

 

I'm thinking of people I know who are living expressions of Love. There is the local woman who makes others happy by dressing up as a beautiful clown for various events and, on the side, cares for the elderly.  Many have joined with our humane society to help dogs and cats regain health and find homes. A big cat rescue routinely brings in lions and tigers and bears in need of salvation. Organizations, such as our small independent school, provide children an education in an open atmosphere, allowing them to develop in a joyous way that may not have been possible otherwise. Eureka Methodists have been joined by people in surrounding counties, and many non-church-goers, to feed those in need during this tough time. I'm sure you can name a multitude of people who are examples of Love's reflection. Let's spend today noticing examples of compassionate caring in others -- and in ourselves, too!

“Love giveth to the least spiritual idea might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through all as the blossom shines through the bud. All the varied expressions of God reflect health, holiness, immortality-- infinite Life, Truth, and Love." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 518:18-22

Fooled By Believing or Not Believing?

 

The quote currently at the bottom of my emails caught my attention when I opened this window: "There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true." Soren Kierkegaard  -- Social media, to me, is a way to keep up with loved ones far away, people close by, events around town, and wonderful musical events, such as The Big Barn Dance in Taos, New Mexico. Of course, it is also the avenue for conspiracy theories and purveyors of horrid happenings. There is a story going around about animal mutilations in our neighborhood, which is, of course, horrifying whether it is happening or not. It has caused me to examine why people say these things, and I truly believe most folks think they are helping others by warning them about trouble. Which is the same thing as folks warning us that Tom Hanks is a pedophile and that Hillary Clinton runs prostitutes out of a pizza joint. Here is why the Kierkegaard quote jumped out at me: Am I being fooled by believing or not believing?? It's always seemed to me that truth just feels true. But with so much misinformation going around in everyone's heads, I think it's easier to be pulled into swirling chaotic thought than ever before. It's kind of like an approaching storm with its electric, exciting expectancy: will it be beautiful and cleansing or are we going to Oz? And, is that necessarily a bad thing? Hum...

"Science only can explain the incredible good and evil elements now coming to the surface. Mortals must find refuge in Truth in order to escape the error of these latter days. Nothing is more antagonistic to Christian Science than a blind belief without understanding, for such a belief hides Truth and builds on error." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 83:6