“Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state. “
Thomas Jefferson – 3rd president of US (1743 – 1826)

I’ve never really been one to join into the hysteria, on either the Right or the Left, regarding politics. I’ve been able to see both sides and usually, I take my time making my judgments about things. I believe that there’s one side, and another, and somewhere, beyond it all, there is a truth.

A friend passed on to me the Zeitgeist Movie. If you haven’t seen it, I do recommend watching it. If the current King of the U.S.A. would have us believe that we are living in a time of fear, the makers of this movie would have us living in anger. Nothing stirs people up like a good bit of anger, fear, or hatred. Trouble is, emotion tends to shoo aside that pesky logic process and eschews facts. This movie is filled with opinion and stated “facts.” Like anything, though, that people would desire my belief in, I need to be sold.

If there’s one thing I agree with on this movie, it is the fact that we need to get out from behind the TV, behind the media we are provided, and dig deeper for answers. Fears come from the presentation of evidence as “real.” Anger comes from the expectations we place on others to do what we would have them do. Rather than being opposites, they are another end of the spectrum of the positive things we would like in our lives. Having said that, it falls upon us to create a reality with which we can live. Did I just say create “a” reality? Yes. If you believe that you will ever have all the facts, I think you are wrong. Even being in the same room where an act is committed, you have possibilities:

1. The fact that you are there affects the situation and outcome. (Usually I don’t use Wikipedia for a direct reference, but this isn’t a bad article as it stands.)

2. Quantum physics states that if there is no observer, it doesn’t happen. Ergo, there must be someone to have seen something happen for it to have happened (makes your mind hurt, doesn’t it?)

3. What you observe changes as the situation changes and any one moment in time is different than any other. (Doppler Effect)

Soooo, what is truth and what is reality? Okay, Okay, I get that we have to get to some point to agree upon for the sake of human communication. However, I don’t think we should ever forget that there are as many realities out there as there are human beings (or other organic life forms, for that matter.)

Facts are… well, pieces of information presented as having objective reality. Again, we have to be careful with reality but I think we can agree upon something that appears to be authentic is factual. A memo written by someone is certainly written but the question becomes (and should always be) who wrote it and whence came it?

Now I’m on a binge about the Federal Reserve Bank, the World Banking System, and all those other things that people have relied upon for years but know nothing about. There are reams of information about all the things that impact us and yet, we never really read them. I think one could go crazy if one tried; yet, the fact does remain that most of us (it’s estimated that 98.5% of Americans own a TV and watch 51 hours per week. Over 85% have two TVs!) are addicted to the TV. How do we get our news and information about the place where we live? Ask yourself that and ask yourself if that company which provides it to you doesn’t have its own agenda? Of course it does.

I think that’s what Zeitgeist – the Movie is really all about; it should be about asking questions, reading, learning about the things that impact you deeply. Do you care about your retirement? Then care enough to figure it out and figure the system out. Do you care about your civil liberties? Then care enough to read the Patriot Act (yeah, right) and see what the officials YOU elected are doing with them.

It shouldn’t make you mad. It should make you active. The best way I think we can do that is by voting. It’s one vote, sure, but it makes a difference. Remember to not believe every thing you read, hear, or see. I don’t believe in conspiracy theories: I believe everyone has their own agendas and the facts, however you perceive them to be, may be difficult to find short of being “the” observer. We can only do what we can do. In the end, we all play the game and have to live by the rules. But, as my old friend Dan Simmons would say…. if you don’t like it…

Choose Again.

–TDD