Torn Curtains Forever Open
A Sundance editorial by John Hutchinson
Why do some people consider Julian Assange*, the Wikileaks’ founder, editor-in-chief, and spokesperson, more of a hero than a criminal or traitor?
In my opinion, the answer is quite simple.
Most people have experienced governments, politicians, bankers, corporations, and others in influential positions communicating information that was either completely false or meant to lead public opinion and understanding in one direction while at the same time acting covertly in a completely opposite direction.
So for these folks, Wikileaks can be seen as a breath of fresh air that provides a window into actual uncensored communications rather than just the releases that are cleaned for public relations purposes… the politically correct versions.
For some, Wikileaks, provides truth and transparency.
We often trust those who tend to share our beliefs and views. The more I have experienced in life and have learned through disclosures and research, the more I realize that anything must be fact-checked… and even then we must know the biases of those who we rely upon to check the facts. We live in the 24 hour news cycle and sound bites designed to paint a picture in a few seconds. Where has discourse and reason gone in our daily life, in our governing bodies, in our corporate and financial sectors.
In my opinion, self-interest, self-centeredness, and selfishness rule the day in many cases… both in the corporate and individual realms.
If we are to be honest at the most inclusive levels, we will recognize that the best for us as individuals in the long run is to act in ways that are best for all of Life. If we act according to what is best for our individual wants and interests only, we are living out a lie. Life is an interdependent and interconnected organism… One living Being… A good part of the scientific and spiritual community would agree on the ecological and organismic nature of Life, no matter how you refer to the Source of this one Life.
The sooner we find the curtains that hide the ‘wizards of Oz,’ the sooner we will see the reality of ‘what is.’ We can feel betrayed, anger, depressed, despair, and whatever else our reactions may be… and then we have a choice to either deny and avoid what has been revealed… or we can choose to act in ways that move life in a healing and ameliorating direction. Once the curtain is torn down exposing the mysterious ‘wizard’ as just another person trying to control and manipulate others, replacing the curtain will not bring back ignorance and innocence.
The wizards of our modern world are being exposed… the bankers and moneychangers… the political puppets… the corporate and financial gamblers… the paper currencies printed from raped forests and backed by polluted thin air… the systems and structures will continue to be laid bare.
We live in an growing atmosphere where dialogue equals weakness in the minds of many… getting our information from one dimensional electronic signals forming human heads and sounds…
People with different beliefs will reason differently. If we are honest, we will admit that we have all used some reason to justify an action that was not the exact truth. Sometimes we just make something up because we are really not in touch with the actual reason we are doing something…. Other times, we do not want to admit the real reason since it may be embarrassing, unethical, against social rules, or even illegal… What we want can lead to emotional arguments based on premeditated conclusions replacing discourse about the ‘facts’… which may be too absolute a descriptive word… How do we determine facts from opinion? So even making the facts fuzzy or confusing can provide cover and justification…
We too often have lost the will to decide together and to come to common interests. Mediation, negotiating, and compromise have been reduced to the adversarial game of win-lose in modern politics and in many areas of life. Hierarchical and dictatorial structures are the governing model of most corporations, with no one really being accountable or responsible. When corporate CEOs take the fall for some illegal, unpopular, or unethical activity, boards reward him or her with enormous severance packages that ease the falls from power.
Personally, I do the best I can each day while doing what I choose to do. It seems almost an impossible task to reshape the systems in place.
Where have the discussions gone about the meaning of our lives… our common values… our humanitarianism… our spiritual respect for all of life?
What does it mean to be Republican? Democratic? Where are the common interests? What are our economic game guidelines and underlying philosophy of economic activity? What are our values and what is most important? It seems like we need a country retreat to clarify our group values and mission.
What is currency based on… confidence, military might, and good will? Anyone who has watched the gambling process of the currency FX markets knows that the currencies are as volatile as an amusement park ride and can be manipulated by the institutional players and affected by any number of world events… in addition to the actual manipulation of various trading platforms…
We know that all major events get their official commissions and reports that tend to be designed to nail down the official ‘history’ of the event and often neglect and cover over other facts and queries brought up by others. The others are then called conspiracy theorists with the implication that unofficial reports are simply off-base if not crazy and part of fringe elements or groups.
So, why do some people see Julian Assange as a hero rather than villain? Mistrust and cynicism based on experience welcome anyone who is willing to rip down the curtain and expose what is really real…
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Note: See more about Julian Assange at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange
Whether what has been is deemed good or bad… I simply see it as something that ‘is.’ I neither condemn or applaud the action…it’s not my job!
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