How the World operates ...

The Way of the World.

Consider the way we have been trained, schooled and brought up, all within certain time frames, generations and cultures. We have been taught almost everything within those parameters and to a certain extent experienced our own self realizations, by means of our travels, schooling, relationships and so forth. Some we accept and some we reject but overall we manage the input to our brain rationally based on our education and exposure to life.

So here we stand on the brink of life and eventually the questioning starts. Among the obvious questions is WHY? Do not fix a period in your life for this task as everyone’s questioning comes at different times. As Kids the questions range from insects, animals and then to nature and the world in general below the one meter high level. Then we progress to children where they become more aware of both themselves and their surrounding, especially in respect to people. The birds and the bees explanation to life develops from a somewhat mythical imagery into a more practical encyclopedia version and as the onset of becoming a teenager sets in, then the start of the real questions begin. What is Love? Who and where is God? Origin of the Earth and the Human race, all become struggle points to ponder.

Now consider the fact that the Human race has yet to establish the origin of our planet and palm us off with the “Big bang” theory and a myriad of equally dubious explanations such as, well let me see now – damn I can’t think of another easily accessible theory right now. Anyway we ponder on and accept certain things in our world as, well, just acceptable. Now that too has become the way of the world. Accepting explanations from “learned” folk based on their standing in the community and their additional lettering denoting their academic qualifications after the name on their business card.

Now at the age of Forty One years I have a question and that is WHY? Why do we accept explanations to life from others that have theorized, based on books and various sources of material written by others who based their findings on an even older human’s theory? So I challenge as such, in every aspect of my life and with my dealings in this world I shall request proof beyond a doubt, as to the authenticity of the comment, theory, explanation or service received.

I have discovered of late, when applying this theory that very few facts I took to be true are in fact true, but rather an assumption made by one individual or group of individuals that have decided between themselves that the statement made is true. Now as scary as this is, some people actually get paid to deceive us with elaborate claims or statements and purely because of our conditioning we sheepishly accept, mumble and carry on. Take a look at the various religions with their facts and doctrines that we must just accept, blanketed in explanation of a man seeing a vision four hundred years ago. Has anyone alive seen or spoken to that man. Again to simplify this theory we as children played broken telephone at school where a message was whispered to a kid in the front row and by the time it had made its way around the class a completely jumbled message came out at the other end. Now some churches are asking us to believe and follow scriptures that were only compiled some Seventy five years after the death of the teacher. I have not personally studied the scriptures or met the people concerned but must from personal experience conclude that I dare not comment or lecture anyone on the subject until meeting and acquiring the truth first hand.

The media and marketing people thrive on this delusional acceptance people have of anything they eat, smell, touch and see.
Please! Take my money, out of my wallet, and allow me, to let you, spend it on my behalf.
I need that pen set with fourteen different colors and a nib for each day of the week. And yes because I am ordering straight away please include the glow in the dark ink absolutely free because as you say I may one night need to write in the dark. I after forty one years have never written in the dark, or for that matter needed too.

An advert on television shows a car driving under water, and a small print caption is inserted below stating “This car does not drive under water!” Are we so stupid that they, the manufacturers and advertising agency, think that we would? But here is the thing; there are those well conditioned sheep out there that will try to drive the car underwater because the advert showed it could. The latest dog food advert shows new improved dog food with added beef flavor. Now dare I ask who tasted the original? Who requested that extra beef flavor be added and why? And lastly who says the taste has improved?

Now I have reached an age where maybe I have become cynical and emotionless to an over abundance of falsehoods and un-kept promises in my life. People say “ We have your best interest at heart” on a letter informing me that there is yet another increase in my phone levy, which is already ranked one of the three highest in the world. The examples abound from, restaurants that claim they boast the freshest fish in town, yet they have the same product delivered together from the same supplier as fifteen other restaurants in the area. Other examples include toothpaste that contains fluoride for combating the germs and tartar that attacks our teeth. It has been proven that Fluoride is an element that destroys your stomach lining yet the advertising shows generous helpings applied to toothbrushes, and to make it even worse they are making flavored toothpaste for kids to boost usage. So let’s catch them early shall we!? So from little people to big people we consume Fluoride twice a day and accept that, this behavior is good for us. My childhood dentist gave me a lollipop every time he finished working on my teeth. What a way to guarantee return customers, help them rot their teeth. “See you again in six months son”, still rings in my ears.

There was an anti acid tablet that upon reading the side effects stated in black and white that it may, in severe cases lead to heart palpitations and or organ failure. We buy it to solve indigestion from the weird food we eat only to potentially die from organ failure. How weird is that? Please do not misinterpret this narrative as a ‘bash the advertisers’ campaign but rather a ‘become aware’ statement. We are conditioned to act and react in a pre-described manner and follow a certain trail of thought. If we are to accept the statements ‘they’ proclaim, then surely we are entitled to occasionally question the authenticity of that statement. It has come down to a choice for me personally and though it may take me a bit longer to buy a vehicle or choose a restaurant I have concluded that there are two ways of tackling the scenario.

Firstly accept the jargon and handle the disappointments as and when they occur or take a stand and actually choose what it is you want and what it is you are willing to accept. With the latter it has an empowering effect and I find that I am actually becoming more and more alert and attentive to what it is that I want and why I am spending the money I do and what value I am prepared to attach to that product or service.
SO my stand and closing statement is as follows. Do not let the world dictate to you and determine who you should be, where you should stay, what facility you should stay in or what car you are expected to drive. Consider the following!
The majority of the working world is paid to get up in the morning in time for work. You kiss your loving wife and statistically measured 2.4 kids’ goodbye because that is what your parents did to you. You growl at the dog mess on the lawn just as your neighbor does. You drive to work with millions of other people all jostling for the same parking spaces. You get to work and well, work! Spend your days making other people wealthy and bowing down at the end of the month in gratitude for the sum of money called your salary. Get home, hand over the money to your wife directly or indirectly and get your pocket money from the change, if there is any. It reminds one of the pocket money you got from your parents as you did as a kid you spend it on food and drink as you did at the tuck shop at school. The cycle continues through the first property purchase to the first overseas holiday and then the holiday home or retirement village. You get old …
Seriously I think you get the picture and I could carry on for an indefinite period of time but I have chosen this time to be more constructive. Do not allow the world to dictate to you what you can and can’t do. They love sheep and generate an income and lifestyle from those sheep amongst us. STOP! right now and consider, are you doing what YOU want to do with your life.
If you answer yes – tear this document up and throw it away, but if not consider that
you are where you are in life, entirely through your own doing.

So choose what you will accept and what you will not accept and start making a difference to your life from this moment onward. Believe you me when I tell you it takes practice and determination to change a lifetime of acceptance into a decisive evaluation and decision making existence. Do not step back and just accept because it is too much trouble or effort. You are not only cheating yourself but those around you including your kids will also bleat (Baaaa) at you one day. Unless you act now you will never change the cycle or break the chain.

Stand tall and seek out the Charm, Grace and Attitude from those around you and dig deep into your soul and let confidence replace simple acceptance.
‘Squire’ Duncan B. Taylor