There is a very simple process that tells you exactly how you feel about your Self, the world within which you dwell as well as the life you live. Just because its simple doesn’t mean it can’t make you prickle. Actually, based on experience I’m quite certain it will do this in a large percent of the readers. Usually those invested in the opposite image. Intriguingly there are those who will read, Thunk a bit and shake their heads saying “Not me in the slightest” whereas if you ask another they’ll paint a vastly different pic. Such is the power of self decep and these are the two poles via which it can manifest as one is as numb as the other over sensitive. Approaching the mid we’ll see those who hear the truth but will make excuses, others will place blame for their actions on events or circumstances beyond them and once we are Centered we meet that tiny few percent, a single digit of the whole world, at best, who nod their heads, class it as Self evident, accept it thoroughly and, more often than not, have been working on improving it.
What is the question? This:
In every factor of your life, all spheres of influence from relationships to business, how you are around friends and acquaintances, what you do and say on the web as well as the thoughts you think – actually, any parameters you can pick as all they radiate out from Self and thus are manifestations of that which is within and your relation to it – how do they calibrate, on a scale of One to Ten with your moral compass if Ten was you doing the absolute best, treating as you wish to be treat, honest and rest you expect.
Hoo! Watch them foreheads scrunch as they didn’t expect this. Usually I hand them a sheet upon which is printed a point in the mid and various axis for them to plot where they sit in relation to their potential. Its not always clear cut and never truly simple. Case in point:
A smack dealer marked himself as a nine in ethics whereas an exec for a charity foundation was a one on the same scale. How is this possible? Well, the street pharmacist never sold product that wasn’t tested and verified authentic as, whilst he was in the business of pushing poisons, he made sure they got what it said on the tin and not a bit of that, some of this and a whole load of research chemicals that may kill them if they don’t know what they’re taking. “Sure, I make a little bit less than the rest who do it but I can’t have that on my conscience, ya dig?” he said as I nodded my head. On the flip the exec regularly fiddled his expenses by double billing and various other tricks designed to boost his standard income via such deviousness.
If both the said were lined up with their morals list presented and you were offered a prize in the millions for assigning the right chart to right respondent I can be fairly confident that most would think the dude with a good education, corporate clothing and air of genuineness was most ethical and the guy chain smoking with prison tatts is as shady as they get.
Just goes to show how appearances can be deceptive. Especially since the net stepped in and took this selling of delusions that people posting then buy in and start believing their hype to another level. Its often been said that the prettiest of people are willing to do the ugliest of things to get ahead and this is why I tend to totally discount folks surfaces as I’m after depth. Thing is there are many, many attractive women in this world who are actually ugly as sin. Never trust a big butt and a smile, that girl is poison! What do I mean by this?
An insta model fills out the list. She marks herself as an earnest eight when it comes to being authentic. I actually started laughing when I read this, totally unprofessional I know, but you would have done the same thing as you looked at a set of plastic tits, fake lips, various augmentations, tanning injections, hair and nail extensions and this is before all of the post processing editing and filters as well.
“Really?”.
“What? I am totally authentic. You can ask anyone, they’ll tell you I’m as real as it gets”.
“Are they your friends?”.
“Yeah, they know me best”.
“Are they like you” I said gesturing at the ensemble present.
“Most of them. What a silly question. I don’t get the meaning or why you’re laughing?”.
“What if your collective realness was just a level of fakeness you all accepted? What then? Let me make it simple. Have you ever posted a pic or vid that was totally spontaneous, not edited or picked from a thousand takes for the one that looks the best and, on top of all this, was you au naturel without the bolt ons and accessories?”.
“You know, you really are a prick. That isn’t what I meant and you know it. I don’t know why I wasted my time with this. I shouldn’t have bothered. You don’t know anything. I know I’m real, I know I’m authentic. F you and this stupid test!” she said as she teetered out onto the pavement before I could ask:
“By the way, here you marked a ten for compassion. Could you give me an example?”.
That was a funny afternoon. Just think this gen is going to create little versions of them in a few and they’ll go on to birth kids that step in with augments to their consciousness as the level of awareness of the populace drives off a cliff. Welcome to the digital future. Best book a reality test whilst its still an option.
There was a guy who responded. Super smart, not just broke as a joke but also broken and unlike the girl who firmly believed the image she projects his scores were the inverse of his actual as he’d dealt with rejection so long that he’d internalized it and could no longer accept himself. Very uncomfortable in his skin, all he saw was the flaws and imperfections because the rest of the questions in the test are mere window dressing. Checksums that are thrown in as noise to obscure the only one that counts for anything and everything in the end:
Morals.
The dealer had had nothing but bad breaks, been dealt a crooked hand as he inherited the business his father made via selling smack to fiends. Even if he wanted to escape the options were limited and thus he followed in his footsteps. “The game changed so much between now and then” he said “There once was a time when cuts were inactive and everyone stepped on it a bit to stretch the profits but that changed over the past few years”. He went on to detail the boom in research chemicals and the recent blight of Fentanyl that had people either dropping dead or doing things super wicked to get another hit. “I didn’t want no part of that and stick to my connect whose gear may not be the best but its always certain not to kill because he tests it before selling and we both know the deal because whilst this may be a crappy business I don’t want anyones death on my head if I could have prevented it. I might as well have killed someone for twenty quid. That really what it is, isn’t it?” he stared out of the window as he was chain smoking with a look that was pensive as he felt trapped into a life he wouldn’t wish on anyone else and yet had children and wanted better for them than he’d been given so he did what he did in order to provide an education that would take them far, far from here.
“Everyone does it. Its a perk of the job. I thought someone like you that was well traveled would know all about the racket” the exec said as he sat in his well tailored suit and immaculate presentation. “Run it by me again, like I know nothing. How, exactly, does this scheme work?”. He rolled his eyes which said “I’m wasting my time talking to this idiot” before launching into his explanation:
“All of my family, wife, children and myself bill all of our mileage. Thats a pretty decent flip for doing nothing. Same with lunches, we have a limit we can spend and I’ve got an arrangement with this gent where we split the profits for meals I’ve ordered as he over bills the company, as instructed”.
He went on to detail the grift which was akin to stealing millions by rounding up pennies to the nearest decimal as it was obviously coolly calculated and aims to be within the tolerances expected whilst maximizing his profit. Granted this conversation took place long before the days of digital and full account trails but where there is a will a way will be forthcoming. There was a dizzying array of tricks that ranged from quite slick to downright stupid as he said he often edited and resubmitted slips, asked for advances before a trip then claimed again on the back end as well as the ultimate grift:
“On a lot of trips we get to pick our hotels at the exec level. Well, actually the secretary is supposed to handle this, but it was too much of a win to let slip. That is probably my greatest hustle as I’d make the reservation, submit the ticket with the cost projections then actually stay some place else and pocket the difference. Genius!” he grinned, obviously pleased with himself. I asked him how he’d manage to get away with it for long:
“Everyone is doing it. Everyone. This isn’t our money. Think anyone cares? Who is going to call an audit? I’m telling you, charity cases are licenses to steal for people like me and best believe whilst the folks on the ads may be homeless and starving don’t think for a moment the execs are because we’re all rich and well fed. Its just business” he added, like it was all obvious.
Six figures a year, first class trips across the world for many conferences and meetings that show lots of hand wringing and media trained messages when its open season on the coffers of those donating. Many people don’t realize that these deals are actually the same as any other business and whilst they may have troops on the ground running circles to collect when it comes to the upper level of execs its all about the standard practice they’d expect in any sector they’re employed in. “Its a perk of the job. Thats all it is. I work my balls off for this firm so I deserve it. Is it ethical? Who cares? I don’t” he said and I truly believed it. “Listen, its just the way the world is. You’re young now, idealistic. You’re asking the right questions if you want to get ahead because one hand washes the other and this way everyone is fed. Besides, its not like anyone is missing it and if I don’t some one else dives in and gets their fill. Everyones at it. Everyone. And thats not even the half of it” he added, in a tone ominous.
What he didn’t mention but I later found was that his wife was a “consultant” who ran various shell corporations and that bought another layer to the skim that no one questioned because this was a new invention and he was quite proud of it. Wishing to keep it secret he played that card close to his chest during his impromptu bragging session whilst slightly lubricated to a mind curious that was asking questions about the world and people in it to learn what made who tick.
Morals aren’t something you can broadcast on the socials. Nor are they written on your forehead and, for all intents and purposes, they’re entirely optional in the world at the moment. Especially if you want to get ahead. A heavyweight criminal once said:
“Keep your hands off the civilians, let them have a good night, get wrecked, try and dip their wick and get home in order to come back again” after he took over a club which had previously been ran like the wild west. There had been a string of problems that led to its closure which presented a golden opportunity for him as he’d always coveted the spot, for his own reasons:
“I started out here, you know?” he said as he motioned at the building he’d just purchased. “Everything I am now I owe to that door, its experiences, connections and, most of all, the lessons I learned. Or should I say, were drilled into my head by the gaffer. He was a real piece of work. Anyone in the biz was fair game to get clipped but anyone messing with a punter or doing too much weight throwing would have to answer to him. His reasons weren’t ethical or anything, pure self interest, as he’d bought the place so his kids could come with their friends and he didn’t have to worry about them getting into static as he had a lot of enemies in town that might have hurt them to get at him. Thing is, what he said made loads of sense. I’d seen loads of roided up meatheads that would give it the big un and try and snap the pencil neck of some drunk student as well all the rest of the antics. Thats why this place went fell to bits. Too busy trying to be gangsters instead of businessmen”.
He took over the place, gave it a lick of paint and some renovation and soon the place was jumping as people made trips from all ends of the UK to come party at a club which was not only safe, a great rave and filled with people who mostly behaved plus the drinks weren’t expensive, no watering down or anything else except what it was labeled and thus it became the top pick for hen dos and stag nights as everyone knows the girls up North are gagging for it and quick to spread after a few drinks plus the lads aren’t shy when it comes to asking for a piece of the action and can talk you out of your undergarments before your wedding ring slips and will leave you walking bow legged well into the next evening.
What was this mans worth? If you asked those who’d got on the wrong side of him they’d claim he was the devil incarnated and yet not one of them could ever say he’d been unfair or cheated. His friends say “He’s a gem, he is. Does what it says on the tin. Wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him, mind. But as long as you’re on the up and up he’s the first one to do you a solid”. The kids at the gym he funded would say the same thing as he picked up the tab to ensure they had discipline and place to meet. That and it was an excellent place to spot up and coming talent, put em on the door and commence their training as they were inducted into the criminal empire he’d been building. Now, where do his ethics sit, from your perspective?
“Hmm, I don’t know really. Never stopped to think about. You’ve got some funny old things in that noggin, kid” he said, with a grin. “I’ve never lied. Don’t need to when you’re this big” wink, wink. “Sure I’ve walloped a few people but they were all in the business and thats the way its played, innit? Never ripped anyone off. Always paid for my drinks, never skipped out on a bill. Heck, I even pay most of my taxes. If you ask me its the government thats the real criminals”. He went off on a tirade about how Tony Blair is simply a puppet for secretive elements that pull the strings of influence in the order to ensure what they want happens and how he sends good young men off to their deaths and uses their blood to sign cheques he then cashes himself and blames someone else.
He had a point. On the flip this man, who was a known criminal, actually had a very strong code when it came to yes and no as there were certain things he did whilst others were totally off limits and unacceptable and, from his lens, it was the politicians who were the biggest hypocrites and thieves he’d ever seen. “They’d take the last from your granny, they would. I’ve seen it. Seen it happen with my own eyes, I did. They only care about themselves but they’re good at pretending and lying. Shoveling a load of BS to anyone who’ll buy it when, in reality, they’re the worst you can get. Pure filth”. He spat on the pavement to make his intent clear in case that wasn’t obvious to anyone listening as his voice bellowed recounting the ills of people in positions of influence and their intent about those they represent and profess to protect.
And yet, he had a point that was a clear as it was cogent because time proves that truth, again and again, as those you elect say X, Y, Z to get on the ticket and then come back with an eventual A, raggedy B and C thats seen better times. By that time the opposition is in and they pull the same grift. “Filthy baskets, the lot of them. Ask yourself this, yeah, we’ve seen those poor starving Black kids with files on their faces on the set. Broke my heart it did, couldn’t believe people were still living like this whilst my fridge was filled and I had a roof over my head. I made my donations, read about the success in the press and thought that was pretty decent. The other day, I kid you not, I saw the same ad still running. Can you believe it? I mean, what happened to all that record breaking money they said they’d coined? All the celebs? The song and dance and the rest? You mean to tell me you made a hundred million off donations, no taxes needed and ten years later the same people have still got the same problems? Sort it out, ref! Where’s all that money went? I’m telling you, they’re the biggest thieves. They’re all in on it. They’re the true criminals. We’re just the victims of their tricks and most people are too stupid to even spot the grift”.
Even though that was nearly three decades ago his words are as poignant now as they were then because as much as things have changed they’ve stayed the same in many respects. Got worse in plenty of others, despite our seeming progress as one thing I can attest from my own imperience is people had a lot more Self awareness, back when, than they do in comparison as people seem far more easily influenced, swayed and manipulated as they buy in to the image they’re creating and thus, in the end, totally estranged from Self. And yet, if you point this out to them the reactions are often dramatic. Like I said at the head of this article, when you pull out that moral compass and what how it spins in terms of your conduct and decisions as well as thought processes and the rest there are two kinds of pics you can see:
One fosters the delusions you possess and the other paints a scene based on reality. Then there are further variances in interpretation ranging from the guy who deals to the one who runs a charity. There is no greater beast than man in this realm and it seems his capacity for self deception swells in an inverse ratio to his morals as well as countless camera tricks like the “Everyones doing it!” justification and many other examples.
As the examples attest it has a lot to do with environment and considering that these days most children are captives of the net which instill a “YOLO!” mindset along with “Anything for clicks” thinking as they compete globally for validation and the hope to live their dreams in ways that make others envious of their success and riches it really makes one think that this isn’t some kind of planned destruction because each gen that comes compounds the errors of the ones that bought them in and then adds their own bit in for next Souls drawn in to the Game which uses them as credits. As the doorman turned good in the land where the bad keep the wicked in check said:
“Its all going to hell in a hand-basket. I’ve seen it. Listen, I came from nothing. Nowt. Not a thing. But we had each other. Now I’ve got something but its this” he said tapping the side of my head. “Thats whats important. If that isn’t working like it should then the rest is F’d and they won’t even know it because they’ll think its decent. It worries me, it does”.
They say you know you’re from the streets when you can see all the angles and predict the outcomes before they happen. I wonder what he would have said had he lived to see the digital revolution unfold and the number it did on the heads of those who won’t be content until their iPhone is embedded in their head. The Idiocracy Effect I call it. The evidence is all around to be seen but who truly cares and wants to do a thing in order to make a difference?
I do. Thats why its called willhelp. Me, thee, we, anybody really. You’re all welcome. Charities are thieves, designed to fleece the ignorant. In many ways they are the OG pimps as what came with the web didn’t burst out of nothing but when you don’t question the false so long who accepts the authentic?
Till we meet again
