Should We Trust Media

Date: Sat Aug 22 2009 4:38:11 -0000 From: P. Maher Subject: Should We Trust Media To: AM-GLOBAL Baba "A'loker ya'tra' pathe, tumi prabhu theko sa'the..." (P.S. 2779) Purport: O' Baba, please remain along with me on the path of this effulgent journey. By Your grace, do not allow me to lag behind and get caught in the crest & troughs of my forward movement. Let my pathway be smooth by Your grace. Baba, I do not care about any bondages or samskaras. My only request is that You please give me strength to do Your work and serve Your mission. This single request I humbly make at Your lotus feet. O' my Dearmost Baba, this whole entire creation is revolving round and round-- propelled by the laws of karma. The great Cosmic Entity and the unit being exist in this system of brahmacakra. The divine Entity is that nucleus that the jiivas rotate around. So now Baba, in this very cycle of brahmacakra, please also include me. Make it so that I shall always remain as Your designated machine (yantra). In that way I will go on executing Your task. Let my life be completely devoted unto You. Baba, by Your grace, please remain with me on this journey of effulgence-- all the while keeping me moving ahead in an unhindered way...

== SHOULD WE TRUST MEDIA ==

Namaskar, As Obama tries and struggles to push through his health care proposals, we should all pay heed to Baba's eternal teaching and guideline. Namely, whenever one has an idea to put forth to the society, one must have their own media output. How far Obama's plan is good or not is a separate matter, but he is in the midst of an uphill battle because the capitalist corporations - not the government - control the media. Such corporations have a different agenda for their so-called health care reform. The micro issue here is that the medical industry should not be a for-profit enterprise. That is Baba's strict guideline. Neither Obama nor the corporate world is entirely in line with Baba's point. The macro issue that we Ananda Margiis must learn from this recent public battle of health care reform is that no new idea can properly reach the people if one does not have their own clear-cut media outlets.

BABA'S DIVINE EXAMPLE

As soon as Baba gave Prout then immediately He detailed that our own media must be developed. At first the margiis felt overwhelmed, even confused, thinking that this was beyond their means and abilities. But soon enough, with Baba's pressure and grace, we had our own Prout newspapers and soundboards. And via this experience we all got the teaching that to propagate any new idea having mass media outlets is a must. Whenever Baba would arrive in any unit or locale, then He would often insist on reading our local Proutistic newspaper or magazine before taking food. Then after reading our own periodicals He would read the local or national newspaper. Baba did all this to practically show us how important it was to have our own independent news outlets and be aware about what is happening with the media. Today, every margii knows that we must have our own Prout journals, websites, films, talk shows, and printed media etc. Only by this way can we get our message out to the common people.

REALLY, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS?

Baba's overall guideline about the mass media is quite straightforward. Baba says, "Radio, television, films and other media must be free from exploitation and vested interests." (PNS-18) By the talk on the street in the US and other democratic states where they tout freedom of the press, one would be led to believe that the press is totally free - neither purchased nor affected by the ruling vaeshyas. This is what one is "told" & "taught", but even in places like the US, the media is tightly run by capitalist enterprises. On the outside everything looks glossy and free but it is not. Baba says, "In liberal democracies, capitalists manipulate the mass media such as the radio, television and newspapers." (PNS-21) The sad thing is that the general public is not aware about this, so they innocently rely on the media thinking they are getting spoon-fed the truth. Neither do the people have the inside facts on health care nor do they realise that the media is in the hands of the capitalist interest groups. In that case, they are bound to be duped and manipulated. Baba says, "Demons in human framework – are really responsible. They come to the world and leave it in great ruins. During their lifetime, they fully utilize all the mass media. The common people become confused and cannot think beyond that which the mass media tell them. It is a general weakness of common people that they are inclined to believe whatever is printed in books and journals." (NH-LOI, Disc 10) In so many ways, the so-called freedom and justice of the US democracy gets painted up to the sky and people end up believing this because that is what they hear 24 / 7 in the mass media markets. Yet if one takes a careful look, it is quite clear that the US is neither able to care for its own citizens nor any other. In the US, housing, food production, medical care, schooling and every other basic requirement of life is in a state of shambles, plus wherever the US goes abroad, chaos results. Even then, the citizens in this so-called great democracy naively and innocently believe that the powers-that-be hold the people's interest at heart. Health care is a major issue in the US - there is a health care crisis if not total meltdown - yet people are scared to change the so-called system because the media has painted any type of moderate change in a horrifying manner. The masses think that if they deviate from the present capitalist model then aged people will be sacrificed to the god of death. This and so many other falsehoods are generated by the media. In result, the population prefers to stick with the status-quo, i.e. a health care system that offers nothing at all. All because drug companies, pharmaceutical giants, and other capitalist powers do not want to see profits wane so they flex their muscles via suave control of the media, from behind the scenes. Plus they severely influence the vote in congress. Yet all along, the people are thinking that the media will guide them in the right direction, as if no vested interest controls the newspapers, radio, television etc. So the people end up foolishly supporting the status quo, i.e. keeping the dysfunctional health care system as is. The situation can be likened to cows and goats on the slaughter farm praising the butchers, i.e. the very captors who are going to destroy them. Same is the case of health care reform in the US. The capitalists are strangling the people, yet the people cry out, "Let's keep things the way they are." The whole scene is quite ridiculous - and the purchased media is the force behind it all. This is the ongoing play in countries like the US, where the media is "totally free". For all these reasons and more, Obama's proposals are bound to be railroaded. Though none should think that this letter is a support of Obama's plan per se, just we are commenting on the dynamics at work.

A FEW OF BABA'S MANDATES ON HEALTH CARE

Here Baba guides us that even where doctors are prevalent, like in the US, medical care is not accessible due to the astronomical costs. Baba says, "In those countries where there is little or no shortage of doctors, ordinary people are often unable to get medical help because of financial difficulties." (HS-1) Then Baba gives the key for solving this crisis. Baba says, "The key to solving the medical problem is in the hands of the public. This is the actual truth of the matter. One may ask, “Why does the public not do something to rectify the situation?"" (HS-1) Baba's response, of course, is that when the capitalist enterprises control the media, and when the media is guiding the public about health care reform, then it is a no-brainer that the people will not be able to move the issue in the right direction. And in the end their needs will not be met. They will continue to be beggars for basic medical and dental services. Our Proutistic approach is for basic human services to be administered by the government, and not private interests, yet when the government itself is lacking integrity and/or ability then it is hopeless to think it can bring about the right change. Baba says, "So it is madness to hope that the efforts of the government alone will eliminate the problems in the medical profession, as if by magic." (HS-1) Thus for proper health care reform, a properly run government needs the support of the masses in order to get their plan into action. And for that to happen, clear-cut media channels are the need of the day. Without that, the message will be distorted by nay-sayers and special interest groups.

BABA'S FINAL WARNING

Here again is a final warning by Baba about the dangers of letting the media fall into the hands of the exploiters. Baba says, 'Psycho-economic exploitation is the latest form of dangerous and all-devouring capitalist exploitation. It is a special type of exploitation which first weakens and paralyses people psychologically in various ways, and then exploits them economically...placing the control of different mass media, such as newspapers, radio and television, in the hands of capitalists." (AFPS-9)

BABA'S BLESSING

Baba has given the proper technique for doing AM pracar: media controlled and run by sadvipras. In democracy, capitalists run the media; in communism the state controls the media, in totalitarian or theocratic regimes, the ruling dogmatic heads control the media. Exploiters know that to keep control having the media in their pocket is a must. The day is not far when the revolutionary ways of Proutists will deliver the right message to the people. Once educated and mobilised, the people will have the requisite knowledge and courage to stand up and fight for justice in all the spheres of life, including proper health care. It is our duty to empower the people with the right ideas via our media outlets. Baba says, "Carry the message of PROUT to the people." (PNS-18) Baba says, "We are near the last stage of the Vaeshya Era. If an impact is created, it will help the suffering humanity. It is the most opportune moment for creating an all-round revolution. This is a new sub-theory under Proutistic theory and may be called gati vijina'na – the science of dynamics in PROUT." (AFPS-9) Namaskar, Prakash

****************************************** Ultravarious to Ideology

Baba says, "You should remember that a situation will never arise in this world which will give you cause for fear. It has been said that Parama Purusa is the fear of fear. That is, fear is as afraid of Parama Purusa as humans are afraid of fear." "Ananda Marga is essentially Tantra-orientated, it too, has a few special features of its own. As I have said previously, our ideology maintains that no-one need be afraid of anything under any circumstances. If anyone does get afraid, it should be understood that he is doing something ultravarious to our ideology." (Kolkata, 14 November 1978)

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