Pearls Before Breakfast
April 9th, 2007Most people are trained, from a very early age, to stop noticing goodness and beauty. People who don’t notice goodness and beauty don’t notice evil and lies either. The Machine doesn’t want you dead, per se, but it wants to rewire your brain so that you forget that you’re alive. It wants you undead, because you’re really only useful to it as an easily programmed zombie.
Life is difficult for people who refuse the programming. The path of least resistance is to embrace the ignoramus zombie scripts and hope that the resulting mental illness, chronic disease and financial ruin don’t make things too unpleasant. But that’s what the drugs and gadgets are for…
I’m struggling a lot with the commentary on this, probably because this article is an absolute shocker. The phenomenon described just might be the key to understanding the whole damn show. It shook me up quite a bit. It’s the total oblivion of modern life, on the one hand, and the realization that absolutely anything is possible, in terms of mass deception and psychological operations, on the other.
Ironically, many of you will want to read this article at work, but try to resist the urge to do that. The piece is too important (and long) to read in your cubical between phone calls and emails, etc.
Via: Washington Post:
If we can’t take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that — then what else are we missing?
Yeah, and who are we serving?
Related: Change Blindness
would you have stopped and listened?
Great article (and concept).
Thanks for the post, Kevin!
Hello Kevin,
I’ve been a professional musician for over thirty years, and I’ve noticed just in the past few years that live music is increasingly being treated as background at best and an irritant at worst. It’s not just context as this article would have you believe. One indicator is most music performance venues (restaurants and bars) have one or more TVs as well. In the old days they were turned off when the bands started, but no longer. Sometimes the TVs are above the stage, and sometimes they don’t even lower the volume. Another indicator is people don’t applaud after songs.
Some weeks ago I brought in an internationally acclaimed, top shelf vocalist to perform at the venue I work at every week. A well-dressed patron took one look at us and told the bartender “tell the band to set up outside.” It was 45 degrees Fahrenheit at the time. This is but one blatant example of what now occurs regularly, treating highly skilled professionals as though they were low wage hired help.
This of course is reflected on all levels – closing of theaters and art film houses, tearing up vast tracts of beautiful land to build strip malls and condos, libraries closing, and so on. As you said, it’s very difficult to deal with if you’re not drinking the Kool Aid.
That article made me weep. Weep while sitting in a shitty office-park cafe while their radio bleated out some Phil Collins tripe I know all of the words to, even though I don’t give a damn about Phil Collins.
It’s clearer now why I’ve been at this job for only a single week, yet every ten minutes I have to fight back the urge to leave.
The people here are perfectly nice, the work mildly interesting, and the pay necessary for keeping me sheltered. And there’s a Starbucks with a drive-through within walking distance, if you cut through the woods.
Selling my life to buy back my survival. Why can’t we buy Prozac OTC yet?
[Socrates is speaking with Glaucon]
[Socrates:] And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: –Behold! human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets.
[Glaucon:] I see.
And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.
You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.
Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave?
True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?
And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows?
Yes, he said.
And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them?
Very true.
And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow?
No question, he replied.
To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.
That is certain.
And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, — will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?
Far truer.
And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him?
True, he said.
And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he ‘s forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities.
Not all in a moment, he said.
He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?
Certainly.
Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is.
Certainly.
He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?
Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him.
And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the den and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?
Certainly, he would.
And if they were in the habit of conferring honours among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honours and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer,
Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner?
Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner.
Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness?
To be sure, he said.
And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the den, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death.
No question, he said.
This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed.
courtesy http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/platoscave.html
Same as it ever was. In olden days, most people never looked up from behind the plow. In defense of the commuter slaves, a Friday after work crowd might have been slightly more receptive.
In July 1054 AD a blazing supernova was visible even in daylight for over 3 weeks. It was clearly recorded by Chinese and Arab (elite) astronomers, and possibly depicted in petrogylphs in New Mexico (by elite astronomer-priests?)
No one in Europe bothered to record this event, there is no historical evidence that anyone in Europe even noticed. A bright star was visible in broad daylight for three weeks in midsummer and nobody made a written note of it.
>>>would you have stopped and listened?
If this was directed at me: I almost always stopped to listen. When I was at USC, music majors would frequently be out in one of the courtyards practicing. There were lots of places to sit. For some reason, I didn’t want the person to know that I was listening. I don’t know why. But neither did the 5 to 10 other people who seemed to be sitting in a loose orbit around the musician.
It’s an unbelievable treat to hear stringed instruments up close. I never had before. (The instrument murder I heard in high school doesn’t count.) I’d seen performances in big halls before, and even chamber music a couple of times, but that’s not close. You can hear more, I don’t know, complexity and richness, when you’re closer.
My favorite were the cellists, but I didn’t see them out there too often.
There’s also a kind of outdoor stage thing in the area. A couple of times, someone would walk up there and just go for it. Now that would attract more of a crowd.
Most people, though, they wouldn’t even notice. They’d just barrel right through. Late for this, stressed about that, etc.
In Santa Monica, on 3rd Street, there was a girl who used to play the harp (maybe she still does). I probably wouldn’t know good harp from bad harp, but she sounded pretty damn good to me. I put a couple of bucks in her till after I’d listened for a few minutes once, and felt kinda crappy because there were many $20s and $10s and $5s in there.
Being from a place where any musician performing in public without a permit would be arrested, yeah, I listen when I get the chance.
Thanks, Kevin. What struck the most were the children all wanting to stop and watch, then being shuttled away by the parents. Someone wrote that every baby born is actually a stone-age animal thrown into a culture that warps, transforms them into civilized humans. This traumatic experience makes them completely psychotic by their teenage years.
The children knew intuitively that something special was happening at that metro stop – it’s so so sad.
I am a percussionist and play in a drum group that plays West African rhythms on traditional drums and can relate to this story. Admittedly, we aren’t nearly as good as Joshua Bell is on his instrument, but we noticed similar parellels to this story. We were hired to play for a newly built library’s grand opening reception, with the audience being the big dollar donors, essentially the movers and shakers of our city. We set up at the entrances to welcome in the guests with drumming. When we play these drums it can get very loud, so it’s not like we got drowned out by the background noise. We estimated of the hundreds of people who passed us by that night, roughly 1/4 walk by pretending not to notice us, 1/2 acknowledged us with brief eye contact, but kept walking and the other 1/4 acknowledged us with longer eye contact and usually smiled at us. Only a few groups of people stopped and listened for any amount of time. We thought the people were just rich, uppity snobs who wouldn’t give “the hired help” the time of day. I see that night, and other times playing in public with similar fanfare, in a different light now. I also agree with Clay’s assessment of music becoming background noise to most people’s ears, unless American Idol is on the idiot box.
@ kev t-I’ve also noticed when playing in public that kids will intuitively dance and bop to the rhythm while walking and most parents will wisk them away when they stop and listen. For crying out loud, let them dance and have fun, for who else besides children can teach us how to laugh more and enjoy life?
@ Kevin-Our city recently approved permits for muscians to play in the downtown/entertainment area, as long as they only accept tips and don’t sell any merchandise (don’t get me started on that one). We had been driven away by the city’s finest a couple times before the permits were created. It’s ludicrous to have to pay to play in public, even when we aren’t playing for tips.
[…] Pearls Before Breakfast, I wrote: The Machine doesn’t want you dead, per se, but it wants to rewire your brain so that […]
Alek Hidell Says:
No one in Europe bothered to record this event, there is no historical evidence that anyone in Europe even noticed. A bright star was visible in broad daylight for three weeks in midsummer and nobody made a written note of it.
Maybe everybody in europe saw it, but we had the old roman emperor family/vatican church nazi repression of the day, and the elites might not have liked an unannounced message from god. And of course the serfs couldnt write or read, dunno maybe they could have made some sculpture or a rock painting. Or maybe the records are in the vaticans vaults , just like everything important.
.. I’m just thinking cause I live in EU, lol its always been like that over here and still is. Anything out of the elites hive mind, not good. Or maybe everybody was too depressed to write/paint anything rofl. Or maybe if they did that, they would have been burned or something.
I’m sure they noticed, but when theres a knight with a sword a cross and a bible that says u didnt, theres not gonna be many serfs that disagree.
oh yeah, and rewriting history, thats also been perfected in europe. maybe the thing just got edited out of history.