Markji wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:

Markji wrote:Here's an interesting concept from ancient India - "As are the ruled, so is the ruler" ... and also it holds that "As is the ruler, so are the ruled."

Basically saying the collective consciousness of the people determines the ruler they get. So therefore, the solution to having better, more competent rulers is to raise the collective consciousness of the people.

I like it. To continue quoting classics (Art of War) though:

10. Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.

11. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause the people's substance to be drained away.

12. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry will be afflicted by heavy exactions.

13,14. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated; while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses, breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields, protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons, will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.

hard to raise the collective consciosness of the people, when people are more concerned with the immediate, in large part due to overextension of our assets

(10 - 14) That is very true and it's the state of our present economy. It's a downward spiral. We need to cut military spending.

To answer your 2nd part - The people can transcend the level of incompetence of the gov't by raising their own individual consciousness. The sum total of the consciousness of all of the people equals the national consciousness. To enliven one's own consciousness, a person needs to experience Pure Consciousness at the basis of one's mind. Transcendental Meditation, which is part of Yoga, enlivens a person's consciousness, and therefore, drop by drop, enlivens the collective consciousness of the nation. This is the way out of our current dilemma.

I agree that this is possible, as it was proven by Dr. Martine LUther King employing Hendry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" and Mohandas Gandhi employing Leo Tolstoy's "The Kingdom of GOd is Within You", raising the collective consciousness, and effectively ending eras.

These events, however, had something on the present--people were willing to risk the status quo. The discomfort of resfuisng society was an marginal improvement on the status quo. Whereas it is difficult to make the sacrifices necessary to raise a person's consciousness if they are happy, indifferent, or disappointed.

Individual suffering is the primary input into raising the collective consciousness, due to the people's refusal to acquiesce to such senselessness. But, when comfortable, instead of contributing to the collective consciousness, the people seek upward social mobility. Money, cash, hoes, money, cash, hoes, WHAT!

SupremeCommander wrote:

Markji wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:

Markji wrote:Here's an interesting concept from ancient India - "As are the ruled, so is the ruler" ... and also it holds that "As is the ruler, so are the ruled."

Basically saying the collective consciousness of the people determines the ruler they get. So therefore, the solution to having better, more competent rulers is to raise the collective consciousness of the people.

I like it. To continue quoting classics (Art of War) though:

10. Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.

11. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause the people's substance to be drained away.

12. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry will be afflicted by heavy exactions.

13,14. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated; while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses, breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields, protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons, will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.

hard to raise the collective consciosness of the people, when people are more concerned with the immediate, in large part due to overextension of our assets

(10 - 14) That is very true and it's the state of our present economy. It's a downward spiral. We need to cut military spending.

To answer your 2nd part - The people can transcend the level of incompetence of the gov't by raising their own individual consciousness. The sum total of the consciousness of all of the people equals the national consciousness. To enliven one's own consciousness, a person needs to experience Pure Consciousness at the basis of one's mind. Transcendental Meditation, which is part of Yoga, enlivens a person's consciousness, and therefore, drop by drop, enlivens the collective consciousness of the nation. This is the way out of our current dilemma.

I agree that this is possible, as it was proven by Dr. Martine LUther King employing Hendry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" and Mohandas Gandhi employing Leo Tolstoy's "The Kingdom of GOd is Within You", raising the collective consciousness, and effectively ending eras.

These events, however, had something on the present--people were willing to risk the status quo. The discomfort of resfuisng society was an marginal improvement on the status quo. Whereas it is difficult to make the sacrifices necessary to raise a person's consciousness if they are happy, indifferent, or disappointed.

Individual suffering is the primary input into raising the collective consciousness, due to the people's refusal to acquiesce to such senselessness. But, when comfortable, instead of contributing to the collective consciousness, the people seek upward social mobility. Money, cash, hoes, money, cash, hoes, WHAT!

For the individual, the experience of Ananda, or Bliss, in Transcendental Consciousness, gives the experience of unsurpassable happiness. So once experienced, people want it again and again. Therefore, the continuation of Transcendental Meditation resulting automatically in the raising of individual consciousness. The key here is the experience.