The International Writers Magazine - Our Tenth Year: Faith

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Past, Present and Future Dangers From Self Delusions • Michael levy Four hundred years ago, in Hamlet, the Shakespearean character Polonius remarked, "To thine own self be true."Over eons of time, numerous individually contrived Perceptions, Ideas, Thoughts and Suggestions have fabricated many pitfalls... This has led a vast assortment of communities into the PITS of Hell.

Great dynasties have come and gone, all the while, the sophistication of human thought, that was not true to self, has increased in stature, inducing large-scale devastations in every corner of the globe. In every past generation, the seeds of havoc were sown mostly by well respected people of academia, religion and government, whom society deemed to be proficient in teaching what is important to succeed and prosper. Unfortunately for humanity, wisdom was (and still is) always lacking. It was replaced with knowledge that stems from an over-active brain, hardwired by egotistical/intellectual thinking. Inbred doctrines, idle dogma and formulated belief systems took the place of simple truth. Time has only increased sophisticate thinking, in a way that people have no awareness they are slaves to their own, out of tune cleverness, that is detached from their true self of naturalness. In this day and age, rogue nations seek to destroy the world via the teachings in their holy books. Power mad dictators still try any devious means they can conceive to bring humanity to the brink of war.

Closer to home, the new normal contains vast amounts of erroneousness, and it is becoming harder to know who or what to trust. Bernie Maddof conned many investors, who were deemed to be well informed, educated people and the scam ruined their lives. At the same time, a whole host of erroneous (rhymes with Polonius) financial institutions, who were deemed to be well respected, have brought the world financial system to the brink of disintegration. No doubt, many future scandals will remain undercover, until, discovered, and more mayhem is sure to follow.
When and how did the current slew of massive financial ruination start?

In a few weeks, it will be the third anniversary of Ken Lay's death. It was he who began a new era of villainy on a massive scale in a company named Enron. Therefore, it may be a good idea to find the true cause of his early departure from earth. His extinction played out like a Shakespearean tragedy and was a timely reflection on how not to be true to self. The devious infamy was acutely covered by the media for all humanity to take heed. However, instead of caution in future deals, financial scoundrels decided they relished greed more. Thus, further acts of deception and cunning played out their roles all around the world.

Kenneth Lay, believed he was a good, righteous person, who did the best he could for his family, friends and the business he governed. His father was a minister, so he grew up in a religious, moral environment. He progressed from a humble background, fashioning his own way in the business world, ending up as the founder and CEO of the now bankrupt Enron.

In mid May 2006, he was found guilty on all accounts of fraud. When he came out of the court room he declared his shock and dismay at the verdict. In his mind's perspective, he could not accept how he had done any wrong. In his belief system, he felt that he was a victim of circumstances and innocent as charged. In a way, he was correct; he was a victim of circumstances, however, similar to millions of others who meet an early demise by the disregard they give their true selves...

The circumstances were of self-delusory, egotistical making. Therefore, he was correct to declare innocence, for it was the image he had built up in his mind, built from ignorance of truth, which made him do all the erroneous actions that brought about his demise. Right up to his death (July 2006), he never realized he was a victim of his narcissistic minds dominance over his heart and everything he held dear, within his intrinsic values of life. He was faithful to his fallacious ego/intellect, but treacherous to his valid hearts intelligent contentment.

It was a warning to every CEO and business person, sadly, it was mostly ignored. Indeed, it should have been an alarm bell that went off in every persons mind. Everyone needs to ask themselves if their egos' values are telling them to do things their heart does not agree with. The present moment reveals, very few do understand their inner intelligence. The seven questions that every person on earth needs to answer, to be true to themselves now, are:
1 Is the need for greed more significant to them, than the importance of their personal health and the well-being of other human beings?
2 Are they slaves to their egos, so much so, that they can no longer locate the difference between expert opinions (which are just opinions) and the truth of each point in their lives, which requires trustworthy, affirmative actions?
3 Do they consume foods and drinks that may upset the biological chemical balance of their mind and body, yet is enjoyed by the taste buds? Has alcohol, smoking or junk food become so habitual that they no longer consider changing until catastrophic illness strikes them down?
4 Does their social lifestyle and media, influence their decision making in every area of everyday living? Are their thoughts soaking up all the toxic sensational hype that the media feel they need to digest?
5 Does their belief system help or hinder their true enjoyment of life, so much so, that being correct in other people's eyes is more important than living in serene genuineness.
6 Do they feel stress and try to mask it with medication and advice that does not solve the cause of their distress.
7 Most significantly, can a person define who it is, inside their head, which is making their decisions for them?

Shakespeare has the final 400 year old words.
"Neither a borrower, nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all... to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!"


Michael Levy is the author of nine inspirational books and radio talk show host. Michael's poetry and essays now grace many web sites, newspapers, journals and magazines throughout the world. He is a prominent speaker on health maintenance, stress eradication, wealth development, authentic happiness and inspirational poetry.
Michael's web site: http://www.pointoflife.com/

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