Realism

What would the world look like, if no one was there who could see it? There would be no colors, no fragrances, no sounds and no beautiful sunsets. It would be neither hot, nor cold. The moon would not be there.

Matter, as most people know these days, consists of practically nothing, void, empty space between the electrons and the atomic nucleus.

What are electrons made of? What is empty space really? What do you mean when you talk about the reality? Do you mean the void and a few vibrating strings here and there?

Realism and materialism are outdated worldviews, as far as I can see. Spirit and matter, the observer and the observed, are two sides of the same coin. One side cannot exist without the other.

To cheat or to be cheated

All people lie
and all people get upset when others are lying.
This is ridiculous.
To lie is the most natural thing in the world.

Don't try to get to know yourself.
Don't try to uncover yourself.
Don't throw a spanner in the works.
This is truly idiotic.

It's not the lies that causes problems,
it's the truths.
Have you noticed that those who take life too seriously
often become too hard headed?
It's not good to be too hard headed.

Lies serve a purpose.
They help us to survive.
They help us to endure.
Without lies and self-deceptions
what would be left to live for?

Yes, of course I'm lying.
You're stupid if you believe what I'm saying.

Life

You are born somewhere and you will die somewhere.
In life we wander about and give each other good advice,
like hens. Cluck cluck, cluck cluck.

We're so sensible.
We write books and articles,
we organize workshops and conferences;
we comfort each other and tell each other what to do.
Cluck cluck.

An oak tree grows where it grows.
It may have been planted there by a jay or a little girl,
but there is no ultimate reason why it stands where it stands.
There is no director who has placed it there.
There is no plan behind its existence
other than the growing instructions
that was written in the chromosomes in the acorn
three or four hundred years ago.

Of course there is no ultimate meaning with your life.
You just happen to be where you happen to be.
Right now, you happen to be here.
Cluck cluck.
The seed that gave rise to the universe contained no instructions
no genetic code, no blueprint.
Everything has just become as it has become.

All living things originate from one single cell
that happened to be formed, by chance, more than three billion years ago.
Cats and dogs, birds and bees, flowers and trees...

There are majestic oak trees, and tragic old oak trees
and there are newly planted oak trees from good German nurseries
with good genes and good crown structure
almost like young elite soldiers lined up in a row
outside well-planned residential areas.

The universe is not like a well-planned residential area.
Nothing is predetermined.
Everything just gets as it gets.

WWI

In the beginning of August 1914, people rejoiced in the streets.

In Germany, Austria, England and France, patriotic euphoria erupted.

At last, there would be war. Hooray! Hooray!

People longed for purification, in a noble fight for their fatherland.

They longed for a meaning to their meaningless lives,

Thomas Mann, Ludwig Wittgenstein, The Red Cross and the Churches,

all the cheering little women...

“I didn't like you much before you joined the army, John.

But I do like you, cocky, now you've got your khaki on.”

The enthusiasm didn't last long.
The front turned out to be hell.

Ten million men allowed themselves to be slaughtered.

Twenty million were seriously injured.

In March 1917, the Russians had had enough.

They refused to obey orders. Many went home.

Mutinies broke out, also in France.

In October 1918, even the Germans had had it.

Sailors and soldiers rebelled and Kaiser Wilhelm was dethroned.
The party was over.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/first_world_war/origins_conflict.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I

Walls

Many insects can see ultraviolet light,

but this is not something you can do.

Dogs can hear sounds that you can't hear.

They can also perceive scents that don't exist for you.

In addition, the brain filters away large parts of what you can see and hear,
in order to not get overwhelmed.

This happens automatically, without your conscious influence.

What you perceive, is just a tiny fragment of the reality.

But not only that,

in order to make the reality that you can perceive less terrifying,

you also try to make it smaller and more manageable.

You create a small world that you protect behind high walls.

These walls consist of prejudices, preconceptions

imaginations and simplified explanations.

After a few decades in there

you can not even peek through the embrasures.

because they have also been bricked in.

Unfortunately, if you begin to feel trapped and desperately need some fresh air,
then there are no longer any doors or windows that you can open.

Only a major life crisis can now come to your rescue.
Positive thinking, mindfulness meditation and psychotherapy
will not be of any help for you.

Your whole world must crumble.

Obsessions

It's perfectly normal to enjoy good food

but the food interest can also turn into a disease,

it can turn into an obsession.

Many people eat themselves to death. They need help.

To wish for power and money is also normal.

Nobody wants to feel penniless and powerless.

But the pursuit of power and money can also turn into a disease.

It can turn into an obsession.