Reflections on Peace, Philosophy, and Life
Wikipedia uses the phrase "Wilful Blindness" which is, apparently, also used as a legal term!
Wilful blindness (sometimes called ignorance of law, wilful ignorance or contrived ignorance or Nelsonian knowledge) is a term used in law to describe a situation in which a person seeks to avoid civil or criminal liability for a wrongful act by intentionally keeping himself or herself unaware of facts that would render him or her liable or implicated. In United States v. Jewell, the court held that proof of wilful ignorance satisfied the requirement of knowledge as to criminal possession and importation of drugs.
Although the term was originally—and still is—used in legal contexts, the phrase "wilful ignorance" has come to mean any situation in which people intentionally turn their attention away from an ethical problem that is believed to be important by those using the phrase (for instance, because the problem is too disturbing for people to want it dominating their thoughts, or from the knowledge that solving the problem would require extensive effort).
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The biggest illusion dictating our lives is Expectations. We expect life to follow a certain path: that was good enough for my grandfather, and it's good enough for me.
In all aspects of our lives, we have expectations. My children should be a certain way, my partner is supposed to be like something, my job is supposed to fulfil me, my house, my dog, my life.... Everything is supposed to fit into my expectations. And, does it?
Almost never. But that doesn't stop us. If once in 100 times, an expectation is fulfilled, we take that as being the norm and all the 99 other times when our expectations weren't fulfilled, we pretend they are the exceptions.
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I listen to the radio quite a lot, these days, mostly Ska - great radio station for that is Bob's Ska Radio - and I like Music Night on BBC4. Last night they had on the soul queens and that reminded me of my teenage years when Soul Music first came up. That music helped me get through the emotional roller coaster of feelings which were so powerful at that time. It also reminded me of how crazy that time is.
And the craziest emotion we have is love. It can feel like heaven and like hell - even at the same time! Listening to the lyrics of these "Love Songs", also leads to a reflection on that time and other times when I "fell in love". And it is a falling!
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EACH SOUL, IS POTENTIALLY DIVINE.
THE GOAL IS TO MANIFEST THIS DIVINITY WITHIN, BY CONTROLLING NATURE. EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL.
DO THIS EITHER BY WORK, OR WORSHIP, OR PSYCHIC CONTROL, OR PHILOSOPHY, BY ONE, OR MORE, OR ALL OF THESE AND BE FREE.THIS IS THE WHOLE OF RELIGION. DOCTRINES, OR DOGMAS, OR RITUALS, OR BOOKS, OR TEMPLES, OR FORMS, ARE BUT SECONDARY DETAILS.
Swami Vivekananda - Frontispiece, Raja Yoga, 1897
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The headlines are full of the latest illness to be discovered by humans and named. Panic is causing disruptions on an unprecedented scale other than through a major war. But why?
As my teacher once put it: nobody thinks they are going to die until the doctor says so. And currently, the doctors are all saying it. But what exactly is new?
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The media is currently full of information regarding the Coronavirus. The impact is huge, with millions of countries and their peoples reacting in all sorts of ways. Panic buying of face masks and disinfection liquids, as well as stockpiling in case of there being nothing to eat or drink.
And now the finance markets are recording huge losses, as worries increase as to the effect of the virus and the measures being taken by governments.
The one thing it demonstrates, really clearly, is that we cannot predict the future.
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