Becoming Open to Fringe Subjects

Posted on September 27, 2007
Filed Under Society |

Clockwork Mind Just what are fringe subjects anyway? Basically, they are topics, issues or ways of thinking that are not usually openly considered in the mainstream. The mainstream being the main media and general everyday life (the sleep, eat, work treadmill). From birth we are educated by our parents and then society to view the world in a certain manner. This perspective generally integrates us as an individual into the roll of a productive worker. There are a number of ways in which our views on life are kept inside a certain structured frame of reference, thus encouraging us to remain on the thought treadmill. Fringe subjects then, fall outside of this structured world-view, they cover everything and anything that is either different or unusual.

Most of the regulars here will be well aware of all this, so why am I writing it? There are two reasons, firstly because this is a fringe subject in itself, and secondly I have long sought how and why people are resistant to these ideas.

Waking up from clockwork life

So yes, even the topic of fringe subjects is a fringe subject. The average person doesn’t really want to talk about even the presence of these subjects - they are viewed as wacky, pointless and perhaps on some level dangerous. They certainly don’t want to face the idea that some people actively think about these things - after all there is clearly something wrong with those of us that think like this. Now I realise the many ways we are conditioned into not facing these ideas, and in many cases we all have our individual stories of what caused us to wake up. But conditioning aside, is there a deeper more fundamental reason for the herd mentality? (I don’t mean to be derivative with that term). What is it precisely that compels a fractional percentage of us onto a path of “awakening awareness”? And are these two elements compatible? That is; if we were to understand on a deep level what causes some of us to wake up - would that knowledge be useful in making fringe subjects more palatable for those that sleep-live?

To me, these are very important questions, and ones that close in on the root of many of the worlds problems. I know in the end this subject will eventually move onto the grounds of ‘free-will’ and all the package that comes with it. But is that really the ultimate explanation for why some people are more aware / awake than others?

Clockwork answer bugs In many ways, it seems to me that questions are more important than answers. I remember a few decades ago - and albeit that I was very young - I thought I had all the answers, and if I didn’t have an answer then it could either be found or was irrelevant. So the short of it was, I either knew something (in which case it was worth knowing), or I didn’t know something (in which case it was pointless and may have even met with derision).

Eventually, I started asking questions. To start with I got a few answers, but those answers led to more questions (is that a familiar path to anyone?). At some point I found I was more interested in asking questions than I was in the so called “answers” people had - which weren’t really answers at all, but simply assumptions.

Clockwork Angel

So perhaps it revolves around possessing a sense of curiosity, discovery and exploration? It is true to say that all children have those three faculties, and much more. I don’t like the common use of the word “mature”, because it implies the absence of those things, i.e. the world is knowable, boring and dull. That reflects a closure of the senses. We start out using the body and senses as tools to explore the world, and end up trying to understanding the world in third person. It is the ultimate in materialistic notions; to ignore what our senses are telling us, because we already know about the world.

That’s a big part of developing awareness isn’t it? Questioning those things that your senses report - strange sounds, objects on the corner of you vision, synchronicities. All the things that our senses confirm, yet our minds are taught to ignore.

Is it all really just a matter of brain-washing and conditioning? Is there something going on at a genetic level? Or is it something else entirely that makes us so susceptible to sleep-living? And how is this related to the fact that what wakes one person up - another is totally oblivious too?

Comments

3 Responses to “Becoming Open to Fringe Subjects”

Attila Borcsa on September 27th, 2007 10:59 am

Good post, good questions!
I tend to believe that questions might be enough as the answer is usually within them.
Don’t think there is a default brain-washing. Although rarely can we say that one is awake at an early age or stage of life. If so, then one has great difficulties in expressing the state of being awake. There seems to be a need for effort in order to get creative in this. I am curious what do you think on the role of effort. You see, there is this lawofattraction obsession these days…

Sleep-living: yes. Not just susceptible, I’d rather say it as a fact. Regarding waking up, that is relative. What do you consider waking up? Getting out of the sleep-living is one. Even realizing the sleep-living is a form of waking up.
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Marcus on September 27th, 2007 8:33 pm

“Don’t think there is a default brain-washing. Although rarely can we say that one is awake at an early age or stage of life. If so, then one has great difficulties in expressing the state of being awake. There seems to be a need for effort in order to get creative in this. I am curious what do you think on the role of effort. You see, there is this lawofattraction obsession these days…”

Whoa, a whole load of points and ideas all put together there! I see what you are getting at - but most of those ideas could do with a bit of separation. I will try and reply as best I can:

Ok - so my reply extended into an entire post. It would be great to hear your thoughts via the comments…

Fringe Subjects - Revisited
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Marcus on September 27th, 2007 8:38 pm

Regarding the current obsession with The Law of Attraction as shown in the likes of “The Secret”. This is merely a form of materialistic-spiritualism.

That is, the belief that setting your physical actions will manifest a desired physical reality. It’s about as materialistic as you can get, and has nothing to do with “waking-up”.

As you have said yourself many times; the Law of Attraction is thousands of years old. This modern re-interpretation is just a case of keeping people asleep with dis-information.
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