How much of what is considered entertainment, substance, or of some importance in your life, is actually noise; white noise with no information content? What percentage is detrious we use to fill up the brain and stop ourselves thinking? How many of the things you spend your time and energy on are distractions from doing something worthwhile? Some subjects obvious targets: those informed on the minutiae of lobotomised soap operas, or the arcane statistics of spectator sports. Star Trek, ironically kitsch crap television, Bjorn Again. These may be obvious targets, but let me get the idea on paper and then I will go deeper. The point is that these things are deliberate distractions. It is not done to us, we willingly create these abominations, we go looking for them of our own volition. Using these interference signals we cut ourselves off from the parts of ourselves we dont want to face, or cant understand, or are embarrassed by. It is hide and seek in our brains. We fill the spaces up with Gladiators and conspiracy theory and theology and ideologies, so the treasures of the self are buried or disguised. These things are detrious we pile up inside our minds to avoid doing anything real. 90% of all entertainment is thus tainted, it is no longer a complimentary part of our lives, an element of human fulfilment. It is a shitheap designed to prevent fulfilment. Evolutionary actions are necessary for everyone, we are all in need of elevation. Even if you think you are right on, radical and active you still arent achieving what you could or should. Most of the attitudes of the right on ( anti-racism, anti-homophobia etc.) havent been radical for about 25 years. Even when bigotry is still rife within the flat world, non-bigotry, p.c. or whatever is actually old news. There are probably only a few people on the planet worthy of consideration as full human beings, and they have to work at it every day. Ask the buddha, SHe understood. The work necessary for personal evolution can be simple. It is work, not like a job, not like a chore, and it is not some impossible New Age vision. It is just that all the shit we store and pride ourselves in gets in the way. We are too busy with fripperies and fashions and shallow nonsense: and it is deliberate- a deliberate self censorship mechanism, convincing us that moving beyond our current state is not possible because the real world intrudes too much. But it is not real, we only make it seem that way, by acting like it is. Every now and then a little twinge of guilt escapes and we make some little effort, most likely a token gesture. For most it is a small rebellion with no passion behind it, a fashion statement, punk nihilism, neo-marxist sloganeering, or p.c. baiting ironic bigotry. You fools- this is all a fucking con. Every three months I fight my lethargy and think a little and do a little work, and along with Stuart ( and the all important cash), we produce a Data Base: and I could feel smug about doing that but I dont. At last ( and at least) I do something that I value as constructive. We make an effort but it is just a little effort: every now and then I feel shit because its only 1/10th or 1/100th of what we could or should do. Look at the culture we live in- the majority people put all their effort into finding excuses not to do things to better themselves and the world around them. The quality of education and entertainment is so low, the available information is so tightly controlled, the ability to think logically and compassionately is discouraged and the fact that we, that I, can and should be smarter, better informed, calmer, more productive, more active , sexier, and more fulfilled, is ridiculed, suppressed, distorted, destroyed and humorised. We all claim to care about so many things but in the end all we only really care about ourselves, yet we cannot do those things which would make a positive difference to ourselves. And dont think that you dont need to be different, better, to evolve; dont fucking kid yourself. Admit that you worry about who people think you are, admit that you define yourself by your job, your social status, your so called friends and your worthless achievements. Admit that you reject new ideas because you dont want to think about them. You want to punish the criminal and the guilty because you see in them parts of yourself that you cannot face or understand. Admit that you cannot imagine what you would do with real freedom, and it doesnt bother you because you feel sure things will never change. I wont get smug about Thee Data Base, in fact I will worry about finding something to write about, regurgitating other peoples ideas that maybe i dont really understand, about being self indulgent, about being able to afford the next print run, about leaving Stuart to do most of the work, about not getting across what it is about, how important it is and yet how inconsequential it is. I want to get to everyone, right inside their heads if necessary, and i want to say What the fuck are you doing? Why are you wasting our time? If you dont like the bad stuff STOP DOING IT!! I want to argue with the cynics and the bigots and the fundamentalists, and say Who gave you the right, are you so perfect? Stop pissing around and see why you are here and DO IT NOW!! Most of all I want to say this to myself, to get a commitment from myself that lasts longer than one weekend, to really recognise and cut out the distractions, to make the most of what is worthwhile and stop fooling myself that i can carry on like this and the world will change around about me. They wont. We all have to do it for ourselves. Those T-Shirts that say Same Shit -Different Day they disgust me. I want to go up to people wearing them and tell them if they dont like their shit they should change it. Dont celebrate it- change it. Only you can. You are no more or less important or significant than anyone else on the planet, so change things. People claim they dont want wars... so stop fighting you stupid fuckers. It is that simple. And those sad fuck neo-nazi, natural law advocates, social darwinists and misanthropes who celebrate war and death (Stand up Boyd Rice ). Why dont you all go and practice what you preach, fight each other, and leave the rest of us out of it. Leave the innocents, the women and children ( You are after all mostly male!) , and go and shoot and maim and kill each other and leave us in peace to make things better. Actually Id rather you didnt kill each other. Id rather you realised that your obsession with violence is just another distraction. It is defeatism because you cannot see any hope for humanity while you cannot bring yourself to change things, to work, to transcend the shit and EVOLVE. So instead you look backwards to mammalian territorialism, barbarism and violence, and you celebrate it so that you think you are smart and superior and aloof and deep. GROW UP!!!. And all the religious, the faithful who reject their own power , to worship the con tricks of others. Whether your guru is Christ, Allah, Science, Tarot, New Age navel gazing, Karl Marx or Kurt Cobain- please please realise that what you look for, what you worship, is within yourself. Faith is a sham. It relies on a lack of proof that what you believe can, will or has happened. It relies on the distractions of dogma and tradition. Maybe only the buddha recognised that religion, spirituality, philosophy or whatever you want to call it, was a means and not and end. Dont believe because you are told, because you accept it or because you think everyone else sees it that way. Dont even believe that you see and feel because you reality is only a perception. Experience, as a verb, is the key- whatever you look for is within yourself and no-one else can give it to you- no gimmicks, no death/resurrection tricks, no laws, no rules. Anyone who offers them to you is lying. Ignore them and think for yourself. And recognise that beyond kitsch TV., pop culture and spectator sports the distractions are only a little bit cleverer and cooler. Dont think that reading this is enough, dont think that just voting or selling papers makes a difference. Most people involved in politics seem to exist in a 19th century timewarp, and they all want to sell you an easy answer for an easy life. They think they know how you should live your life. Dont imagine that having piercing and dreadlocks will discourage the leeches of our culture, dont run away from what you dont like, and live in a commune or a croft or a caravan. Dont think that by rejecting flat society you are doing something positive. Dont think that the New Wave of New Wave or Riot Grrrl or Megadog or Senser or Slayer, scare the warmongers and the parasites and the controllers. The anarchy of dance music irritates them and some aspects of rap worry them a little, but they know how to dissolve and absorb and create bigger, better, more sophisticated distractions. Dont get your pop culture entertainment confused with anything worthwhile. Look at the entertainers who are attacked by the establishment ( Public Enemy, Genesis P-Orridge, Spiral Tribe and the dance music underground), Whether right or wrong, good or bad look at the intensity of what they did, how they present themselves and how they live their lives. I want to do more and know more and love more and create more and I know Im too fucking lazy and I want to change, but I keep saying Ill do it tomorrow, and I get distracted and a little guilty and Ill do it tomorrow. What will it take to get me off my arse and focus. Focus my will. Do it every day and not be a fool or a victim or a disciple. Not waiting or resting or putting it off. Placing no false values on whats around me and what I need. Will I really do it, will I fool myself that I need to change in stages, over a period of time, convince myself Im doing well and I can relax because I feel somehow more aware than the average Xtian, lager lout or man in the street. Its not good enough. Our responsibility, only to ourselves, is to fulfil our potential and make our lives worthwhile. Dont be distracted by the trivial and inconsequential. This is not a dress rehearsal. Dont be fooled by the death worshipper, the shallow happy -go-lucky New Age hippy. There is a point to your existence but you must find it and define it and then carry it out. The only crime is to live short of your potential. [alan b]