Francis Berger
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Re-illusionment Offers No Solution to  Disillusionment-Induced Depression and Despair

10/30/2022

10 Comments

 
A little over two years ago, I argued that recognizing and acknowledging "things coming to a point" was the point of 2020.  

Recognizing and acknowledging things coming to a point can be a painful experience for some because it entails the recognizing and acknowledging that the trust, faith, and confidence one invested into most of the people and things that comprise the world were built upon illusions, not reality.

From a spiritual perspective, this sort of comprehensive disillusionment must be considered a great blessing rather than a curse, as Dr. Charlton noted in the linked post above (bold added):

In sum, when things have come to a point - life-choices will be substantially (this can never be absolute, due to our mixed-nature and mixed-motives) simple, dichotomous and direct. The choices will be between God, Love, Beauty, Truth, Virtue, Harmony... and the negation of these.

Once we have people choosing against-Good, against God, consciously and with their eyes wide-open; then that will also be the situation when people will choose eternal damnation in preference to the gift of salvation and eternal life as Sons and Daughters of God - they will reject Heaven and choose to reign in their own personal Hell.

This is the end game; yet we can see that this must be carefully prepared if the situation is not to 'backfire' from the perspective of evil...

The clearer that choices become, the more likely that the mass of distracted, cloudy-minded, muddled, partly conscious and not-yet-fully-corrupted people will perceive the situation and choose Good.

So - a world of things coming to a point is also a world in which it is easier to discern Good. Much easier...

The iron fist has emerged from its velvet glove; the wolf has shrugged of his sheep's clothing. Strategic deception becomes a thing of the past.

For Men of Good intent - life becomes clear and simple - right choices are easy to recognise.

After that - it is up-to-us, each as individuals. 

Dr. Charlton further clarifies the matter in the following:

The Good side are those who support the goals of God's creation, and who hope to join with God in the eternal work of creation - the evil side are those who oppose this.

Things coming to a point mean that it is becoming ever-more clear cut whether we choose the Good side or the evil. There is less blurring, less chance of confusion. Our choices, therefore, cluster - since the Goodness and evil are so clear and separated; when we choose, therefore, we know what we are doing.

Our choices are more conscious, more deliberate - more significant.

Unfortunately, as I noted in a post from March of this year, choosing Good remains a challenge for many who (finally) perceive the situation the point has "thrust" upon them. Instead rising to overcome disillusionment, many allow themselves to sink into depression and, eventually, despair -- which places them on the path toward potential damnation and spiritual death:

 . . . the disillusioned -- that slowly increasing and expanding patchwork assembly of people experiencing varying degrees of disappointment, despondency, and dismay at the discovery that many things of the world are not as good as they hoped or believed they would be.

They are confused and mortified by the failure of democracy, the cratering of free markets, the trampling of human rights, the encroachments upon individual liberty, the splintering of society, and all the rest of it.

Like betrayed lovers, they feel as if their entire world has been wrenched out from beneath them, and they look around frantically for someone or something to trust, to commit to, to believe in.


Even worse, many of the disillusioned begin to regard a state of "re-illusionment" as the only possible solution to the agonizing disillusionment inflicted by their recognition and acknowledgement of "things coming to a point":

Deep down, the disillusioned know the System has not lived up to its promises, but they can think of no alternative beyond the possibility of a reformed or improved System.

The disillusioned understand that they have been deceived and cheated, but they refuse to recognize the illusions as illusions and remain committed to the "reality" of everything that led to their disillusionment.


I make note of all of this now because I believe we are entering a dangerous new phase of the massive assault against God and Creation that began in 2020 with the highly publicized and propagandized birdemic fear campaigns, and continued into 2021 via the botched attempts to install an overarching system of surveillance and control through the peck under the banner of "none are safe until all are safe".

Many of those who have entered the ranks of the disillusioned succumbed to birdemic fear campaigns and/or allowed themselves to be manipulated, coerced, or rationalized into taking the peck and supporting the peck agenda.

Increasing numbers of people have joined (or are currently in the process of joining) the disillusioned because they have become or are becoming acutely aware that they have been tricked and lied to.

As noted above, this kind of disillusionment can clear the way to the possibility of an incalculably positive spiritual choice for Good. However, it also opens up the possibility of negative choices that lead to negative spiritual states, including depression and despair.

To make matters even worse, those in the grips of depression and despair often look to “re-illusionment” as the only possible solution to the suffering their disillusionment has inflicted upon them.

With this in mind, I would like turn your attention to a Scott Adams video I happened to stumble upon via one of the “anti-peck blogs” I visit from time to time.

For those of you that may not know, Scott Adams is the creator of the Dilbert comic strip. He is active on social media sites and has a You Tube channel through which he offers social and political commentary. Though I have appreciated his Dilbert work over the years, I have not paid much attention to nor followed any of Adams’ other endeavors.

Through Vox Day’s site, I learned that Adams’ took the peck and was generally supportive of the peck agenda.

Today I read Vox’s reaction to the Scott Adams video I mentioned above. In that post, Vox writes:

The countdown has begun. Scott Adams is giving himself just one more year to live after life punctured his Delusion Bubble.

Vox then lists some of the highlights of the video segment in which Scott Adams reveals the details of his disillusionment (bold added):

So here’s what happened to me in the past years.
 
That matrix-like mask kind of fell off. And I lost my illusion for a while.
 
So being depressed is not about being in the wrong state of mind, which is the problem.
 
In my case, being depressed was being in the right state of mind. …
 
The part that made me depressed is when I saw things clearly.
 
And I worked since then to rebuild my illusions.

 
So when you ask me if I’m feeling better or depressed, I’m sort of in the process of rebuilding an illusion that I can live in without pain.
 
And I’m not quite there yet because I could still see too much ugly.
 
And I can’t live happily in a world with this much ugly around me.
 
I don’t mean physically ugly. I mean ugly ideas and thoughts.
 
And I’m trying as hard as I can to rebuild a protective, imaginary shield of “everything’s fine” when it isn’t. It definitely isn’t.
 
But you have to build up a little wall of imaginary protection.
 
So I’m building up a little wall of imaginary protection as efficiently as I can. But it’s hard work.
 
Then physically, I haven’t figured out how to fix my physical problem.
 
So, exercise — I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to exercise again.
 
Let me just give you an idea. It’s possible that I will never have another personal relationship for the rest of my life.
 
It’s possible that I’ll never exercise again for the rest of my life. Because that’s my current physical situation.
 
Now, it could be that I can work through those things and everything will be fine. I can do better by next week.
 
But the length of time it’s been, and the fact that I don’t even have a clue of what’s wrong — and I’m at that that certain age where things will fall apart — suggest that I could be at the end of my life.
 
And on top of that, [I’m] feeling physically that I’m literally at the end of my life.
 
But let me also tell you that I have a sort of at least a one-year minimum optimism buffer.
 
So my one year optimism about it works like this. If it looks impossible, I still give myself a year. That’s like a rule.
 
So the system —doesn’t matter what the problem is. Doesn’t matter how much it hurts. Doesn’t matter how much I want to stop.
 
I’ll give myself one year to just fix that thing.

 
Vox is on point when it comes to understanding what Adams really needs:

What Scott actually needs is Jesus Christ, hope, and love, in that order. But unfortunately, he’s turning inward, toward himself, again, and relying upon the hope that he can reconstruct his Delusion Bubble in order to protect himself from the unpleasant realities of life.

Jesus Christ, hope and love are characteristic of the third group of post-point individuals I categorized in my disillusionment post back in March:

The first group of disillusioned are the Scott Adams of the world.

The second group comprises the un-dillusioned – the nothing’s really changed, everything is still normal, muddle-headed, despiritualized, mindless drone types.
​
I described the third group of individuals in the following manner:

The third and final group is not really a group at all but more of a miscellany of individuals sprinkled thinly over the vast surface of the world. Like the disillusioned, the individuals in the third group are acutely aware that many of the things of this world are not as good as they previously believed them to be.
 
Unlike the disillusioned group, the third group has moved past all despondency, bitterness, discouragement, and dismay. For them, disillusionment is not a let down, but a "raise up".
 
Instead of brooding on the loss of cherished illusions, individuals in the third group are becoming aware of the reality beyond the illusions. The wrenching away of the world amounts to little more than the wrenching away of untruth.
 
Individuals in the third group are free to act, learn, love, and believe in ways individuals in the other two groups cannot even begin to fathom. Rather than brood on disillusionment, individuals in the third group quietly work toward a new revelation that can only arise from freedom, creativity, and love.
 
For them, the end of illusion marks the beginning of creation.

 
I would classify the third group as Romantic Christians – those who are able to follow Jesus Christ in hope and love AND in freedom and creativity -- regardless of external circumstances in the world; regardless of personal difficulties, suffering, and challenges.

I mention this because I am becoming increasingly convinced that some of my co-religionists may be in or may soon find themselves in a situation that is similar to one Scott Adams is currently experiencing:

“in the process of rebuilding an illusion where I can live in without pain . . . but I’m not quite there yet because I can still see too much ugly. I can’t live happily in a world with this much ugly around me – not physically ugly, but ugly ideas and thoughts and stuff. I’m trying as hard as I can to rebuild a protective imaginary shield of everything’s fine when it isn’t . . it definitely isn’t . . .”

For a Romantic Christian, a world where everything isn’t fine does not represent an end – but a beginning . . .

Where the illusions fall away is where Christ lives and breathes!
 
Note added: I urge to watch the 46:00 to 54:00-minute segment of the video below. I post this not to "knock down" Scott Adams but to draw attention to a crucial spiritual challenge in this time and place. Take heed. 
10 Comments
bruce g charlton
10/31/2022 07:07:02

It seems as if SA is on a cusp. He is so self-aware of constructing his own illusion, that it cannot possibly be psychologically effective.

I was in a broadly similar phase in the early 2000s, which reached a climax in 2008 when I realized that either one lived nihilistically/ hedonically like an animal (in a transhumanist spirit - indifferent to the self, consciousness etc) -- or else it had to be God.

But it took a few years for me! I suspect that such things would, necessarily, be greatly accelerated nowadays. The prospects of successfully choosing to live hedonically are much less than they were in 2008; since so many good things have been damaged or eliminated

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bruce g charlton
10/31/2022 10:20:08

It is interesting to consider what faces SA if he was considering becoming a Christian.

If he equated being a Christian with converting to membership of one of the main 'Christian' churches; he would be confronted by a 'package deal' of one sort or another - every aspect of which he would be expected to swear to.

He would also be confronted by corrupt church leadership, and left-moving churches already substantially assimilated to exactly that corrupt worldliness that is tormenting him.

The old idea of becoming a Christian by deciding which is the true church, and then promising to submit to the whole package (including obediently submitting to that churches leadership) - is no answer at all in 2022.

Only insofar as SA can separate the reality of being a Christian from membership of any church or denomination, could he *really* convert to Christianity.

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Francis Berger
10/31/2022 10:55:24

@ Bruce - "He is so self-aware of constructing his own illusion, that it cannot possibly be psychologically effective."

That's a valid point! Concerning SA possible conversion to Christianity, I don't know enough about the man to say anything with certainty, but based on the criteria you've mentioned, I would have to agree. If SA -- or anyone like him -- were to consider Christianity now, he would have to separate the reality of being a Christian from church membership. If he failed to do so, he would, sooner rather than later, find himself back in disillusionment,albeit by a different route.

And that touches upon the point I address at the end of the post -- I sense there are many Church Christians out there who are in the same situation SA is, the only difference being the source of the disillusionment. There are probably many Christians who, upon following the advice of their church leaderships, went along with the peck agenda, and who are now either experiencing negative health effects or pangs of conscience as the lies of the birdemic and the peck become increasingly apparent and undeniable.

Barely any (if any) of the churches have formally repented, which leaves churchgoers in a precarious position. Will they bow their heads, remain in obedience mode, and attempt to re-illusion their idea of Christianity, or will they seek other alternatives?

I've had discussions with Catholics who claim that they cannot be held personally accountable for agreeing to the peck and the peck agenda. They were simply obeying their priests/bishops. Thus, if anyone is to blame, it is the priests and bishops and not them. But this stance does not address what happens when it turns out that the bishops/priests were wrong, as is happening/bound to happen.

Christians are in dangerous territory here. Some tough decisions lie ahead -- re-illusioning the faith in the way SA is attempting to re-illusion his mainstream/hedonic/Western/secular life is not a viable option.

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Todd
10/31/2022 15:31:23

Interesting. Scott says at about 48' that his main goal is to rebuild illusions so he can avoid pain. Avoidance of pain is a purely negative goal. That's not enough, though, is it, for effective motivation.

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Francis Berger
10/31/2022 17:26:27

@ Todd - No, it isn't. I agree. Not only is pain avoidance a purely negative goal within this context -- it is also a futile "ultimate" goal to pursue in mortal life.

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Lady Mermaid link
11/1/2022 01:16:00

I'll definitely pray for Scott Adams to find Christ and hope as Vox Day states. On some level, I understand where he is coming from. Prior to last year, I used to believe in vaccines and the narrative about their greatness. I was one of those who even got the flu shot. While I have not suffered nearly to the extent that SA has, I did develop an autoimmune disorder (Grave's disease) five years ago. While I cannot prove it was related to the number of shots I had, I have to wonder why autoimmune diseases have continually risen in the population.

2021 was when things came to a point when the peck shots did not eradicate the birdflu even though the liararchy promised they would. So many took the pecks hoping to protect their jobs and try to get back to normal. Shamefully, I was one of those. However, the man behind the curtain was quickly revealed when venues continued to be closed w/ 100% pecked staff.

While disillusionment can be disconcerting, the truth will set you free if you align w/ God and creation. Since then I have been learning the real sordid history behind other more popular peck shots. Learning the truth about the horrific coercions behind the smallpox pecks was sobering. However, the good news is that the medical taliban was defeated. Satan wants your consent. The scary mandates were pulled back as people refused the pecks.

https://amidwesterndoctor.substack.com/p/the-smallpox-pandemic-response-was

Apocalypse means unveiling. The truth about so many beloved institutions has been revealed in these past two years. However, this does not need to lead to despair.

I feel a strange sense of liberation when I decided to walk away from the peck cult entirely. SA needs admit he was wrong and reach out to the few doctors not enslaved by the system to seek help for his peck injuries. Repentance is the easiest yet hardest aspect of being a Christian. However, it is truly liberating.

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Francis Berger
11/1/2022 17:59:11

@ Lady Mermaid - I appreciate what you have shared in your comment.

The biggest problem with re-illusionment is that it is works against spiritual learning, which is a core purpose of our mortal lives.

No one gets through mortal life without making mistakes or being hoodwinked at some time or other. What really matters is that we learn from these experiences. What we do and think afterward also matters. At the risk of being presumptuous, and without wading into your personal circumstances too deeply, I would say you are doing the right thing (at least as it pertains to your individual situation). Unfortunately, SA does not appear to be doing the right thing, but he still has time.

Repentance is indeed one of the hardest parts of being a Christian. We all sin, every day -- but few of us truly repent. I can understand why this is. At the same time, it bewilders me sometimes because it is so liberating. But that may just be the crux of the matter -- people don't want to be free, not even in Christ. Most would rather continue to live in their illusions, and I sense that many Christians will choose re-illusion over repentance/reality in the coming weeks and months.

I sense we are entering a precarious time regarding the birdemic. The "amnesty" article in the Atlantic that lit up the internet recently appears to be prelude to some greater System machinations.

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Anti-Gnostic
11/1/2022 16:11:07

My personal outlook and praxis has definitely got more Epicurean since the watershed year of 2020. After the Church declared the State the Head of the Church, being a faithful Christian just means the extra burden of religious practice in addition to being a serf on the tax farm. So I quit. The sheep are not being fed and when they bleat for hunger, they are told they are just very bad sheep. The hierarchs can find someone else to pay their salaries.

Agree about poor Scott Adams, a smart man who had faith in a seemingly honest institution, medical science. Like conservatives still pinning their hopes on the military and first-responders. (Pro-tip, men in their 30s with families to support will shoot you in the head to keep their pensions).

Scott also should have married a nice, conservative woman in his age cohort instead of an adventuress 30 years his junior.

Reply
Francis Berger
11/1/2022 18:04:16

@ Anti-Gnostic - As long as we don't quit Christ, we are fine.

For me, the more the illusions fall away, the more the reality and truth of Christ shines through. But reality and truth is not for everyone. Some prefer re-illusionment. I don't know if SA believes in Christ or not, but I hope he turns a corner in the near future.

Reply
lea
11/2/2022 05:29:28

To start in platitudes, its a bit of an 'ignorance is bliss until you take the red pill' thing. You cannot unsee what you have seen. Trying to rebuild the illusion correlates to the denial stage of grief. If we are here in a kind of five-stage play, quest, hero's journey; trying to revert into a previous act is quite literally self-deception.

As you noted, since Scott seems to realize that to some extent, it will not work. There is a lot of linguistical 'magic' and cultural/ societal pressure bearing down on people's potential discernment, that can lead to despair of a mostly 'non-physical' type. A yearning for what was lost and a better past, which has been expertly hijacked with phrases like 'the new normal' and many similar ones.
The implied notions conveniently gloss over the fact that the inherent human duality of logic/ ratio versus intuition/ creativity/ feeling in broad strokes, has been out of balance for several hundred years at least. Instead of integration we have seen separation.

It might even be the case that things went fundamentally wrong a lot earlier in history, harking back to some fairly early descriptions of kabbalah related cosmology that argue somewhat similarly to some of the veda's (and many other sources) that material pursuits are always substitutes and/ or ways to fill the gap between us and divinity.

However the key difference between these descriptions is that some sound very hierarchical and basically analogous to Maslow, with an added repressive intent; primary, secondary, tertiary needs and so on 'required to ascend' towards the spiritual, as if it were a literal pyramid scheme.

This is patently absurd; basically asserting that 'stacking possesions and power' long enough will bring one closer to God, a sort of infinitesimal Jenga game where if you build long enough, then it will stand. (This notion has close relations to the idea that stacking computing power will eventually lead to consciousness. As Lex Fridman once said; We don't need to understand it if we can build it.)

Of course there is an almost unforgivable inherent exclusion/ discrimination tied to that line of thinking. 'Wisdom for me and none for thee'. Almost every civilization that devolved into arbitrary authoritarianism turned to judging their fellow man based on self-perpetuating imaginary nonsense, attempting to 'exclude the unworthy' from the intricacies of how our reality seemingly operates.

A lot of people have been snapped up into that line of thinking and it's 'ultimate expression' as of late. It's not because they want to, or feel it is truthful, but because it is the dominant trend, and the 'alternatives' have been purposely diminished. With despiritualization still very widespread, the acceptance of a technocratic 'utopia' as the only vision for the future leads to despair.

All we have to do is offer a better tomorrow, convincingly.

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