Media Meditation 8

Of course it is important to fill in the boxes of our overly full and accessible online media world, but I must highlight what can be a healthy mediation that does not involve a screen and interactive facade. The world in which we have virtually constructed could go at anytime. Any chance of leaving a record, best to do it in hard copy. 

The History Channel and geo physicists, astrologist and scientists give us an in-depth look into multiple theories dating back before time, and deals with scientific cosmic alliance. We may have heard about the Mya and how they were interested in time and how they fit into it, giving us the date December 12,2012 for when the world might feel a little shook up.  It is all very interesting from a pure scientific standpoint, what multiple theorist have had in common when looking at the alignment of the earth and what role the galaxy, stars, and sun have in human existence. everything? making me think I might be better off trying to understand science rather than my own government. Today, I think it is important to keep a hand written journal also of your thoughts, fears, and aspirations it can be a very therapeutic routine. 

I took a picture to share all of the journaling I've done over my life and its a great introspective tool to have to remind myself of how fierce I was as a middle schooler in all aspects of life. Putting pen to paper can be a great way to reconnect with your thoughts, while disconnecting from online! 

The fun part about keep journals over the years is that if and when I find it necessary to write a book about myself  I will have most of it done. I have been able to mediate with my media and myself through these 8 indepth posts capturing all sorts of different information from many different sources, and opened a new door into becoming an educated media citizen, and created a platform through the making of my blog to join others in the conversation! 

Media Meditation 7

I wanted to look further into Noam Chomsky's- Manufactured Consent after two things happened. I was introduced to the movie The Insider, with Al Pacino. I also learned of a new tool that Twitter users can look into called Klout. 

I found a great youtube video that gave insight into how this has become possible in what is suppose to be a nation of democracy. He talks about influencers like Walter Lippmann, and the work of Reinhold Niebuhr in Moral Man, Immoral Society. Lippmann, in 1913 founded the New Republic Magazine, and worked as an advisor to President Woodrow Wilson. Also was the first to bring in the term "cold war" during the writing of an also titled book in 1947. Niebuhr, a theologist, wrote about how we need to take down that which allows injustices. Realizing that rationality belongs to the "cool observer" stupidity of average man then creates and follows a naive faith, not reason. Then of course needing a "emotionally potent illusion" to then just really become marginalized and breed apathy. Thanks to the work of public relations and propaganda going off into the sunset. 

To relate to the movie we watched with Amy Goodman and Democracy now, I felt it was important to know where we have come from to know where we might be headed. I began to paint myself a better picture of what was happening in the United States and also in East Timor when in August of 1975 civil war broke up and mass killings were taking place. The Propaganda News Model appears. 

Followed by the startling realization that it is mostly aimed at only 20% of the population the ones who are "deeply" embedded into society, the teachers, writers, students...where as the other 80% of the population are more trained to follow orders, not to think. Then of course...

FAIR did the study above. 

The website is a great tool to learn more about censorship in the media. In the case in East Timor, and many examples even in today's conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan my government is not allowing me access to a moral obligation I have because I live in a democracy. Chomsky notes that your responsible for your actions and to forsee any consequences of those actions. I am directly involved then in what current situations my government is engaging in and they won't give me the floor or knowledge of human suffering, taking from me my chance to act and to fulfill my responsibilities!! 

My final thought on all this and to link it back to web friendly 2.0 Twitter/Klout is when we are forming short bits of concision, like saying something in 30 seconds on a tv commercial, or 140 words via Twitter we then are only leaving room within that constructed constraint for conventional thoughts. Narrowing the scope, like Klout. 

Media Meditation 6

I wanted to continue my new insight into Noetic study in relation to media and found this book. I read the first chapter and thought it would be interesting to highlight what we all have...

The chapter helped to put into perspective what is going on up in your brain and how to become aware of it. When thinking of it in terms of media I felt like I had a million fire flies in my head at one, each individual one important but couldn't fulfill the role of connecting to all of them. I think I had it all backwards. I think of  Nicholas Carr, from the article is Google Making Us Stupid?  When he talks about how the Net absorbs a medium, the medium is re-created in the Net's image. Here is what I'll share from the book- 

We are in a continuous dialogue with ourselves that never stops. 

It is incredibly important for us to take time to listen, that can be difficult because we feel to close to it to be objective. We must then step back, and watch it converse as it takes on both sides of any thought. Frankly, then, why are you still listening? If all it does is disturb everything your doing! The chapter explains, how can you be talking and listening at the same time? You would know what your going to say before you say it, it is simply looking for a simple place to rest. The voice then can be a vocalizing mechanism to make it seem like there is a voice inside your head. So you are not the voice of the mind, you are the one who hears it. Your thoughts have far less impact on this world than one would like to think.  

Although through watching the Persuaders and watching clips from The Media Education foundation, we see that the world of public relations and marketing has done an amazing job keeping the voice in our head driving us to stores to buy things we don't need! Consume more than we need! Finally stealing time from us that could be used for greater human growth. I completely understand why you, Dr. Williams haven't had a TV in decades, and why my brother and I as kids were put outside A LOT by our parents. 

 Incessant internal chatter, and the commotion the mind makes about life is what causes problems, not life itself. The book uses a teakettle example, which I think I can relate to the web 2.0, 21st century of media. Basically when we are exposed to something we are hearing the voice inside narrating for how we-saw-labeled- and judged it. All occurring in a split second. Then this builds up inside and we become "not okay" we feel we have to release energy and we do that by talking. With what we are "fed" by media conglomerates today and 24/7 has the potential to set off a lot of steaming tea kettles, and quick. Sounds loud, and scary, and insignificant to human civilization. 

Lastly, I wanted to mention Rene Girard's work, especially his theory of mimetic desire, an aspect of behavior that affects learning and desire. We take our direct experiences into our realm of thoughts and they interact with our value system and historical experiences. Being aware of experiences with outside world, then interact with the mental world. In the thought world there's always something you can do to control the experience. Enters, Dr. Clotaire Rapaille, from the Persuaders. Calling the attention to our brains and how they function, he is certainly a genius for finding the white space of how to control the thoughts that occur when we experience the rush of purchasing products. This gave me a different perspective on mind media and allowed to me to make connections in the world of epistemology, branching off into other areas of study. 

Media Meditation 5

This media meditation came full circle for me. I went from one thing to the next and feel like I painted a full picture for myself. I was thinking about what meditation actually means and then wanted to look more into the brain part of this stuff, I find that to be really interesting. Here it goes. First I came across this book The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.  I picked it up and read what it was about, and for the sake of time came to the internet to see what audio I could find. I found this interview that aired on Dateline, NBC. 

I watched the interview online and learned of something called Noetic Research. This sent me back to the bing.com board to see what I could find out about it. 

First you should know that noetic refers to knowledge that comes to us directly through our subjective experiences or inner authority. I spent time on the Institute of Noetic Science website, and found it to be somewhat stimulating, and a different approach to thought. I heard the word noetic for the first time from the Dateline interview. I found this poem in one of the online publications by Bill Plotkin. 

The story covered some basic points I related to my relationship with media. 

Making choices offers

•  Creating an experience
  
•  Ending an experience
  
•  Maintaining or sustaining an experience 
  

We have begun as a human race to shut down or tamper heavily with the following systems 

1. Water cycles
   
2. Atmospheres
   
3. Soils
   
4. Oceans
   
5. Thermal Balance 
   

We have seen vast distractions from how our species originally held intimacy with the natural world and also our own unique individual nature of our own being. Here is the Wheel Of Life 

"The Forest, The World, knows where you are and who you are. You must let it find you" 

Then I was thinking how important it is to know the definition of inhabit, what does that mean, or look like? To inhabit a particular place is to have the potential to do and observe in that specific place. It is astounding to me now having looked into a more spiritual side of the brain and body and to think I am surround by noise, materials, and objects not helping me on my journey of psychological maturity. I also wanted to note that the author mentions also in the article how we in the Western world usually see things as a time line, linear visuals, where has in the image above it is circular. How important is it then to view the whole journey rather than one notch at a time racing forward instead of around. It in the end will come back to only you, you must then be comfortable and prepared for that moment. Media then, ultimately is creating a less desirable habitat for sure. To be living in a society robbing me any introspection to my moral compass. I knew I always wanted a tree farm...filled with books!