As we attempt to navigate and cope with the modern world of “identity politics,” and try to make sense of the many countless conflicts between certain self-identified oppositional groups—including the ongoing cultural war between “fandom” and those seemingly hell-bent on deconstructing culture, history, tradition, religion, nationalism, Gender, et al—let us contemplate the underlying phenomena at work and see if we can identify the root causes of today’s turmoil, without making the mistake of falling into the trap of identification OURSELVES.
Disclaimer
Language has power and meaning, and while we do not wish to fall into the trap of identification (as is clearly intimated at in the title and will become abundantly clear by the end of this article), practically speaking, we have no choice but to use labels provisionally for the sake of discussion of the topic at hand. It just so happens that it is far easier to refer to “PC Gamers” or “fans” than it is to refer to “individuals who play PC games” or “individuals who are passionate about their entertainment,” and certain individuals and groups self-identify according to said labels. Also, we cannot deny that we all play various ROLES throughout the course of our lives: man, woman, husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, friend, citizen, owner, employee…the list is endless, and working their way into that same list invariably come labels such as…conservative, liberal, optimist, pessimist, feminist, misogynist, racist, white supremacist, believer, follower, devotee, member, etc. Now, to what degree these are or are not valid roles/labels is in part what we shall be exploring through this discourse: a case study in identification.
The challenge, of course, is this: how does one objectively explore any label, unveil the esoteric causes and implications of it, and reveal the hard Truth regarding identification without offending someone who is identified with said label? With the understanding that all such labels are entirely PROVISIONAL, related solely to an individual’s fleeting PERSONA and in no way, shape, or form do they ultimately define anyone where their True Self is concerned, the fact is, the very nature of identification makes it extremely difficult to perform any case study without losing an entire contingent of readers who might most benefit from the case study! Our solution is to pick a niche label, one whose group members wear as a badge of honor (privately at least, if not publicly), and whose stereotypical attitudes and behaviors reveal the nature of ALL forms of identification. Now of course, not all members of any group think and behave the same, but all individuals who are identified with any group/label/role will suffer the same esoteric tendencies behind the dominant attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of the group/label/role they are identified with. So, with that caveat on the table, let us dive right in by examining a common attitude and behavior exhibited by a specific group of individuals who wear their moniker as a badge of honor…
“git gud”
Unless you play videogames and partake in online discussion forums with other gamers, you have likely never come across the sentiment git gud before. It is a colloquial term which reads “get good,” but whose meaning and purpose goes much deeper than that. A dismissive slang phrase used by hardcore gamers, it is used to belittle more casual players who complain a game’s difficulty is too high, unbalanced, or simply unfair. To put the phrase into context, it would be the equivalent of telling a newbie asking for advice on how to spec-out their character—a prerequisite to playing an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game)—to “play the game more.” It is both condescending and patronizing, in addition to putting the newbie player in a catch-22. Of course, there is some Truth to git gud—practice makes perfect—but there is much more to becoming an elite gamer, athlete, chef, or anything for that matter…and we will delve into all that soon enough. But before we do, let us take a closer look at these so-called elite gamers and the outright contempt the phrase git gud expresses toward casual gamers, newbs, the pleb, et al.
The use of git gud is particularly common among PC gamers and is a favorite expression employed by the so-called PC Master Race—itself intended at times as a satirical and derogatory term poking fun at hardcore PC gamers and their belief in the inherent supremacy of PC gaming and PC gamers to console gaming, mobile games, et al. Strangely, most serious PC gamers wear the PC Master Race moniker with pride, either unaware of its passing reference to that other supposed “master race” borne in Germany in the mid-20th Century, or uncaring of the implications of said association.
Image Source: Are the PC Master Race Right?
What is more, many hardcore PC gamers take the moniker as seriously as gaming itself. They take immense pride in their multi-thousand-dollar gaming rigs outfitted with the latest in bleeding-edge computing technology including lightning-fast graphics cards, immense hard drives for storing their enormous library of games, elaborate cooling solutions for keeping all that horsepower operating at peak efficiency during intense gaming sessions, all illuminated with night-club-envy-inducing LEDs and brought to life in full 3D surround sound.
YouTube Video: My Furious PC Gaming Rig 2016 | Ultimate Gaming Setup
To be clear: let us take nothing away from the time, dedication, effort, energy, and indeed, money such gamers put into their passion. For it does indeed take a great deal of devotion to, in their own words, “git gud.” And nothing short of such immense investments can account for the achievements and success some gamers are able to attain and showcase online—some even monetizing their passion into a viable career of sorts. The following video features records by both PC and console gamers, and is by no means an exhaustive list of records or record-holders:
YouTube Video: 10 Video Game WORLD RECORDS Set by Youtubers | Chaos
High-scores, speed runs, kill-streaks, marathon-sessions, max-levels, kill screens, top mods…unless you are a gamer, these terms may mean little to you. But if you are a member of the hardcore gaming community, and especially the PC Master Race, you will find endless videos online, with players showcasing their skills, often in real-time. The entire streaming platform Twitch began exclusively for video gamers to stream their gaming sessions live to the world. As a matter of fact, with the advance of live streaming came the rise of professional e-sports; some gamers have found themselves competing for record purses at tournaments, including World Championships, all streamed live around the world—a veritable video game World Cup.
YouTube Video: A Record-Breaking World Championship
And as is readily apparent from the above videos, be they online or in person, these high-ranking, world-dominating, overachieving gamers have legions of followers and fans. Many are, in gaming circles at least, bona fide celebrities with some teetering on the precipice of outright legend.
But one need not ascend to such stratospheric heights in the gaming world to enjoy the self-satisfaction which comes from attaining videogame achievements. From the very inception of video games in the days of 1980’s arcades, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Colecovision, and eventually the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System then later Sony PlayStation and Xbox, players competed to beat their previous high score and win the right to enter their initials into the game. This has been a defining feature of videogames since day one (as in sports: keeping score, progressing, competition and winning are baked into the activity). Every modern game ships today not only with multiple different achievements players can pursue and attain, but also regional and global rankings for said achievements, levels attained, hours played, scores reached, and many other statistics and variables players can compete on. And for what? For little more than some bragging rights among a community of players and/or a tight-knit group of gaming friends; and again, the self-satisfaction of having successfully accomplished x, y, z achievement(s).
What all this boils down to then, is the temporary fulfillment of some longing to get gud: to see oneself as having gotten gud as it were; to see oneself as a hardcore gamer, an expert player—perhaps even a pro-gamer—or, if taken online for the sake of entertaining a growing audience of followers, a live streamer, Twitch celebrity and/or YouTuber. But even without the online gaming community, publicity, or any externalized forms of validation whatsoever, many gamers can and do still quietly, privately, solely, and without any fanfare whatsoever, get gud in their bedrooms, basements, “man-caves,” home offices, or in the case of mobile games, just about anywhere. The self-satisfaction they get from beating a game or dominating within a game—“owning” it or other players of it—is all they desire. They don’t need their name and face up in lights. That is why in the online gaming world, people use gamertags, and within the gaming community their gamertag signifies their alter-ego. Like the anonymity afforded users of most online forums, such aliases allow gamers to behave in ways which they would never do in their real life. For many—but certainly not all—gamers, their gamertag is akin to the character of a professional wrestler: the bravado, trash-talking, bluster, and amateurish theatrics of an alter-ego designed to be both intimidating and entertaining…a kind of game about gaming; play-acting among players. It’s fun, but only meaningful if players can “walk their talk.” Any self-respecting hardcore gamer knows that one must earn the right to trash-talk other players; and, that one had better be able to back-up their tough talk with in-game performance. Here again, we see a return to bragging rights and a kind of minor celebrity status, even if it is anonymous fame, or the completely private offline fame of one: simply a player owning a game, dominating it: completing it, unlocking all the achievements, beating their previous high score, and knowing they have truly gotten gud.
There is, of course, one unique brand of elite gamer we have not mentioned yet, one who exhibits precious few of the typical characteristics and behaviors, but instead chooses to get gud for what can seem like entirely altruistic reasons. We will euphemistically refer to one such individual as a Master Gamer and will address their unique qualities later in this discourse. First, let us address the one thing which unites all gamers of elite level and ability.
what’s it really take to gIt gud?
It’s no secret: to master anything takes time, effort, and energy. It also takes skill (and/or skill development), practice, focus, concentration, discipline, commitment, drive, a willingness to fail often, a thick skin in the face of constant failure and defeat, and many more attributes and factors. No one can git gud overnight or without an enormous investment of themselves. This fact alone makes the git gud putdown by hardcore gamers toward their less-skilled brethren far more insidious than it appears on the surface, because it entirely takes for granted the costs associated with rising to elite levels of skill. What’s more, the derogatory nature of the insult derives from the derision of the casual gamer for lacking in dedication, devotion, and discipline. It masks an inherent accusation of laziness and passes judgment on someone for lacking the commitment and drive necessary to reach mastery, even as it trivializes the years of commitment they had to devote to the pursuit of gaming to be at the level they are at. Git gud is a patronizing insult in reaction to what the elite gamer feels is a whining, vain, ignorant sense of entitlement by a casual player who either believes they should be a better player without having to put in the requisite effort; or, that game developers should design games to be easier to accommodate their lower skill level (or at the very least include multiple difficulty settings ranging from easy to punishing) so casual players can also enjoy them.
Still, many hardcore gaming “purists” believe catering to casual gamers is eating into their ability to enjoy more challenging games which they see as being “dumbed down for the pleb,” in much the same way that literary scholars look down on pulp fiction or auteur filmmakers largely look down upon television and, say, superhero movies. Whether or not auteur films are actually “better” than TV or big tent-pole films is irrelevant. To “true film afficionados” auteur films are more challenging and that alone makes them objectively better. In fact, by any objective measure, auteur films speak to fewer people and have less of an impact, financially, socially, and culturally than do big blockbuster movie franchises (consider Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or James Bond). Both have their fans, no-doubt. In videogames, too, mobile hits like the Nintendo GameBoy’s classic Tetris or the more contemporary Candy Crush Saga have far out-sold hardcore auteur games such as Cuphead—a beautifully crafted, exquisitely animated, and notoriously challenging game which lured casual players in with its charming visuals only to crush their hopes of enjoyment due to punishingly difficult gameplay.
YouTube Video: Cuphead Launch Trailer
“Git gud” was not only the response of the PC Master Race toward the disillusioned pleb unable to get past even the first level of Cuphead; it was also the response of the developers, who stated unapologetically that they set out to make a hardcore game for hardcore gamers. And certainly, were they makers of an art-house film instead of an indie video game, they would never have been asked to defend their creative decisions. That said, we are not sure how many filmmakers take the attitude that if audiences cannot make sense of their films, viewers should take steps to develop their cinematic appreciation skills. Some most certainly do. A recent author of Star Wars: The High Republic proclaimed, “if you don’t like my politics, don’t buy my book,” suggesting that in her case, what matters most as a creator is infusing politics into the story, and that if readers do not like it, they should either change their politics or avoid her book entirely.
The point is this: elite gamers feel they have earned the right to enjoy a return on investment when it comes to gaming. They didn’t dedicate their lives to “getting gud,” only to have that time and effort wasted playing games which present no challenge. And they cannot stand watching entitled half-wits and casuals beating games, then bragging or trash-talking online as if they possessed any real skills or had accomplished something of note. “Modern games are too easy” is a mantra echoed by hardcore gamers online constantly. They feel entitled to their own exclusive gaming experiences befitting their elite status, tailor-made to their skill level, featuring unique art, graphics, gameplay, fun, and rewards which none but those who have paid their dues should be able to enjoy. And in the case of a handful of developers, they are more than willing to cater their games to the niche market of hardcore gamers. In no uncertain terms,
“Elite gaming’s a club: until you git gud, you ain’t a member; and cousin, until you git gud, you ain’t welcome.” – PC Master Race
putting “The other” in their place
By this point, dear reader, you probably have a sense of what this discourse about hardcore gamers’ expression git gud has been revealing. If the terms superiority complex, arrogance, snobbery, and elitism haven’t come to mind yet, then surely the time has come to contemplate the attitudes of any elite group toward those who are not members of their group—those who are not just other than but inferior in their eyes. What’s more, now is the time to extrapolate our discussion of hardcore gamers and casual gamers (and/or the PC Master Race versus console and mobile gamers) to encompass not merely all elite groups and their perceived inferiors, but all identities and their perceived other(s).
Here is where our case study on elite gamers offers you, dear reader, a non-confrontational analysis through which to evaluate your personal Self-Evident Experiential Knowledge of in-crowds and outcasts, to SEEK discoveries of similar attitudes, characteristics, and behaviours prevalent in many (but we emphasize: not all) members of said groups. Surely it requires no great effort on your part to survey your experiential knowledge to see the universal hallmarks so vividly expressed in the status of elite gamers toward their casual counterparts. Certainly, you see similar oppositional group dynamics expressed throughout the history and geography encompassing the whole of the human condition, be they differences in race, creed, culture, religion, class, politics, gender, philosophy, ability, appearance, fashion, interests, hobbies, et al…groups, cliques, clubs, tribes, legions, and nations of every conceivable shape, size, and defining characteristics. This humanity is nothing if not about putting others in their place, and that place is usually one or more steps beneath and behind themselves. Why must it be so?
Deconstructing Us and Them
Enter Critical Theory, the self-styled luminaries Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, and the rest of the post-modernists, not to mention their legions of devoted followers, who we will refer to as SJWs—Social Justice Warriors. Critical Theory begins with the assumption that all language is dialectic, that all meaning is derived not merely by a word’s definition, but by virtue of not being another word and/or definition. This is essentially the foundation of Derrida’s theory of differénce: a clever pun (in French) which states that the meaning of a word comes from both its difference from all other words, and also its deference to all other words. This makes all language subjective (thus making all knowledge subjective, since knowledge exists in language, according to Derrida—an assertion which is flatly incorrect, and illuminates Derrida’s biases in trying to make sense of the world through the narrow viewpoint of a linguist). To this Foucault added, that it is not just that words differ and defer between one another (and words are merely labels), but there automatically emerges a dynamic of dominance hierarchies with every identification of difference. So, it’s not simply a matter of black or white; one is always dominant over the other, and that dominance is deferred according to the subjective biases of the reader (which are what constitute their identity). Thus, when one identifies oneself with either black or white, one automatically assumes one is superior to the other; and, naturally, historically, and politically, the dominant half of the dichotomy is often that which one identifies with…placing oneself in the position of dominance. Unless, that is, one identifies as a victim, in which case one will identify with the repressed half of the dialectic, placing oneself in the position of victim of whoever/whatever is in the position of dominance. In other words, it’s never just black or white, it’s always us and them.
It is on this us and them reasoning that SJWs proceed to deconstruct every tradition, religion, culture, gender, structure, nation, et al. Their worldview is predicated on putting all those in their place who they judge to have been putting all others in their place historically (i.e. post-colonialism, the white male heterosexual patriarchy, “toxic fandom,” et al.)
Here is the problem with their reasoning…like Derrida and Foucault, they are wholly identified with and ignorant of the true source of the dominance hierarchy dynamic us and them…their own egos. They fail to look within themselves, and see the forces within corralling them to become what they behold as unjust in the name of justice; succumbing to groupthink, mob rule, and unrighteous action in the name of righteousness. And they do all this because their underlying philosophy, post-modernism, lays the blame for all of the world’s ills at the foot of language, instead of where it belongs (egos).
Post-Modernism’s ignorance of EGO
Language doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it’s true. The post-modernists were onto something when they noticed the subjective nature of language and the dominance hierarchies which seem to appear naturally as a matter of course through the application of semiotics of any kind. The post-modern linguists weren’t entirely wrong in their observations. Where they went horribly wrong was in their conclusions: asserting that subjectivity and dominance hierarchies are inherent to and produced by language, instead of merely a feature of language, which, as a product of humanity, was itself reflecting and expressing an inherent characteristic of the human psyche itself…namely, ego. This is the classic correlation-causality fallacy so well-documented in the physical sciences, but which goes unheeded and ignored in the soft sciences for the most part, and is all but completely ignored in the annals of Critical Theory. It should not be surprising, dear reader, that with two whole generations raised and educated under the umbrella of post-modernism, gun-control advocates continually and unabashedly affirm that guns kill people, when any reasonable person with one iota of common sense knows full well that guns are incapable of killing anyone unless there is a person present to pull the trigger. Ergo: people kill people—with or without guns. So too, language is utterly empty and impotent, all but devoid of power, meaning, cause, or effect, without the psychologies of the person(s) expressing and receiving information through language. Any effect of language is not born in the nature of language itself, but within the mind(s) which conceived, deployed, employed, received, processed, and reacted to said language. Sorry, Martial MacLuhan fans, the medium is not the message.
Mistaking the catalyst for the cause is easily done when there is an entity actively attempting to scapegoat anything and everything other than itself as the guilty party.
“Not me, him! Not this…that! Not us…them!” – Our many egos
We do not have one ego, as is widely believed. We have many countless egos…a legion of egos, in fact (fear, pride, lust, anger, envy, gluttony, laziness, et al). These psychological aggregates participate in a kind of “king of the hill” game inside of us, each vying to reach the top of a dominance hierarchy within our own psyche, when for a fleeting moment said ego can be in command of our attention, thoughts, emotions, sensations, cravings, and/or aversions for the sole purposes of consuming our sexual energy (fire) and bottling up more of our consciousness.
Animated gif by Attlas in Formation: Egos are not your Friends
If the above animated gif does not make it clear, dear reader, allow us to be blunt: egos exist in hell. Their domain is our subconscious mind, their modus operandi includes covert espionage, infiltration, corruption, theft, temptation, coercion, and outright terrorism. From the shadows they conspire to make their assault on the dominance hierarchy within the recesses of our own subconscious mind in their bid to ascend to the top, momentarily exposing themselves, to strike us when we are vulnerable, feed on our sexual fire (the source of their sustenance and ability to replicate) and accumulate more of our consciousness (their currency for dominance, attention, and control). It is precisely these moments after which we reflect and express to ourselves “what possessed me to do that?” Therefore egos, psychological aggregates, nafs, sins, or by whatever name are, in fact, what every religion and spiritual tradition has known as demons and devils. In Latin, “Demon” is synonymous with “ego.” Both simply mean “I.”
“But egos are essential to humanity’s survival! Without gluttony we’d starve, without fear we’d have died many times over already, without lust how could we procreate? Without greed and envy, how could we motivate ourselves to attain greater success? To quote Gordon Gecko, ‘Greed, for lack of a better word, is good…[capturing] the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms, greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind.'” – Our egos’ many self-serving rationalizations for their existence.
Do you need to fear getting in an accident to know you should wear a seatbelt? Which is more valuable in terms of navigating the world: fear of imminent danger or awareness of potential dangers? Do you need the desire to fill yourself up in order to eat, or merely the awareness that you need to nourish your body? Do you eat until you are satisfied or until you cannot eat any more? How many sperm does it require to fertilize an ovum: one, or one billion? Don’t believe in “immaculate conception?” Ask the millions of children born to couples practicing the “pull-out method” of birth control (“immaculate” means “clean, without blemish;” that is, conception without orgasm, not conception without sex). Is greed really “good?” Can you honestly look at the world created by the hands of greed and call that an “upward surge of mankind?” Or, is it the story of the Fall of Babylon being played out once again, as it has time and time again? For surely greed can erect fabulous awe-inspiring towers of power for a time, but what goes up, must come down. That is an immutable law of nature.
Speaking of nature, at this time we must reiterate as we often have in our articles, that there are two natures to nature, divine and mechanical (metaphysical and physical), and that egos work for the lesser of these two natures, namely, mechanical nature. Observe the following infographic:
Infographic by Attlas in Formation: Circles of Life
Now, the clever mind will look at the above infographic and proclaim; “Ah-ha! Here is a duality presented in another dominance hierarchy: clearly Divine Nature is being placed in a position of superiority over mechanical nature, proving the author of this article to be hypocritical!” Dominance hierarchies exist in nature, without question… both natures, divine and mechanical have their hierarchies. The difference is, these hierarchies are objective, not subjective. To say “clouds are above the earth” is not a qualitative statement but a quantitative one. It is not a choice; it is an observable fact. Does that mean we should always trust our five senses implicitly and assume our perceptions reflect objective reality? To a degree, yes, but only provisionally, understanding there are deeper, higher, more subtle, and more profound senses we may not have activated yet which would radically alter our perceptions and understanding of the nature of reality; namely, shifting our perceptions from the mechanical to the divine nature of nature, and comprehending which one is foundational and supersedes the other.
The fact is, dear reader, the dominance hierarchies within and between levels of nature do not change merely because we experience a shift in our level of consciousness. They are what they are. Just as the existence of other planets and humanities in remote regions of our galaxy—let alone other galaxies—is not dependent on our capacity to observe them; just as the existence of individual cells in our body was an immutable fact long before the advent of microscopy. Objective Truth is transcendent and independent of the observer. That is not to say that an observer cannot have an impact on what they are observing, but the ultimate nature of both observer and observed is independent of the observation/experience. It is knowledge of that ultimate nature which is dependent on the observations/experience of it. On the other hand, empirical beliefs based on and conditioned by limited perceptions and experience (i.e. physical observations) are products of mechanical nature itself: they exist in ego-mind, are expressed through language, and are entirely subjective. They are wholly dependent on the subject’s evaluation/interpretation of—and/or reaction to—their observations/experience and exist quite independently of the Truth. Empirical beliefs are, by definition, illusory. Now, can thoughts and beliefs reflect the Truth? Certainly, in the same way that a portrait or photograph can reflect and communicate (mediate) the subject of the piece. But neither painting nor photo can fully encapsulate nor articulate the comprehensive Truth of the subject. Ironically, through their work, a master painter, photographer, musician, writer, poet, et al can capture the essence of their subject, thus making their art a conduit/catalyst for others to SEEK Self-Evident Experiential Knowledge of some essential Truth—objective, timeless, universal—but their ability to find said Truth is entirely dependent on their level of consciousness. A consciousness (objective Divine Mind) bottled up inside egos (subjective mechanical ego-mind) will not be able to perceive objectively and thus will see only according to the influence and conditioning of their egos—they will see what they want to see, not what is there. Likewise, no matter how articulate an orator or masterful a writer may be, people who are hypnotized by ego will hear and read what they want and remain ignorant of the Truth being conveyed to them through the spoken and written word.
Which brings us back to the dialectic nature of language as a dominance hierarchy where one side is given preferential treatment by virtue of a subjective bias.
The Dialectic Nature of Nature
Consider for a moment, dear reader:
“I want this; I don’t want that!” Or conversely, “I want that; I don’t want this!” – Our many egos.
Pride wants all our attention on ourselves, not on others (even if that attention is negative i.e., shame…pride doesn’t discriminate where itself is concerned). Gluttony wants cheesecake, not salad. Envy wants what others have, not what it currently has. Similarly, greed wants more than what it has. Lust wants to orgasm, in the most intense way possible consuming the greatest amount of sexual force it can, not to practice White Tantra (transmuting the sexual energy and avoiding the loss/consumption of the sexual force). And naturally, all egos, as mechanical entities reacting to stimuli and acting on the mind, emotions, and body, create thoughts, feelings, sensations, and beliefs according to their mechanical nature…what they want (i.e., pleasure) versus what they don’t want (i.e., pain).
You see, dear reader, all desire is an expression of a craving and an aversion, a dialectic and dominance hierarchy expressed as an identification with one half of the dialectic and a rejection of the other. It is this objective fact of ego, present in every single psyche of this humanity without exception, which constitutes the very foundation of what philosophers euphemistically refer to as “the human condition.” It can, of course, be expressed another way, and our many egos express it this way all the time…
“I am this; I am not that!” And again, conversely, “I am that; I am not this!” – Our many egos’ ONLY WAY of defining themselves…identification with one phenomenon and rejection of one or more other(s).
And there we have it, dear reader. The foundation of all identification and semiotics (symbols and definitions in language) is egoic. Identification is the primary function and nature of egos. Identification is how egos transform desires into matters of existential import. “I want that” (desire) becomes “I am that” (identification), so “without that, I am nothing.” Becoming nothing terrifies egos more than anything, for one an ego is nothing, it no longer is. The ultimate nature of The Absolute Abstract Space, the Great “I Am that I Am” (Eheieh Asher Eheieh in Hebrew), the Holy Name of God, is nothingness…Being. But egos must always be something: “I am this; I want that,” etc. In the same way, egos must always be doing something, which explains why the mind, under the influence of egos is always racing, always jumping from thought to thought, emotion to emotion, past to future, craving to aversion, etc. The whole of the manifest universe is in constant motion. The Absolute is the one and only place of True Stillness…Pure Being. Boredom and restlessness are thus the natural conditions of ego: for in stillness, egos cease to exist…God and The Devil cannot mix. In this light, dear reader, we arrive at the Truth that in there constant identification and rejection, never-ending craving and aversion, constant and incessant doing, egos are not being. And in light of this Self-Evident Experiential Knowledge (which we can all SEEK for ourselves, dear reader, by simply observing ourselves), the esoteric meaning of the most important words ever written or uttered in the English language spring to life as clear as day:
“To be or not to be, that is the question.” – Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1.
Herein lies the fundamental underlying duality behind all dualities; the dialectic nature of mechanical nature; and the genuine difference between divine and mechanical nature. The Absolute is identified with nothing even as it is everything—I Am that I Am—simply being; identification with something at the exclusion of any/all other things is by definition ego and not being. Furthermore, The Absolute cannot be egos…how can one be and not be at the same time? Existentially, one might argue one can be in a state of not being, and that is indeed the philosophical answer, but if taken as a matter of practical fact, being in a state of not being is, practically speaking, to not be (and the paradox re-establishes itself). The point is, the tension between being and not being as the fundamental existential, philosophical, and indeed spiritual question of all existence makes for the underlying dichotomy upon which all reality is built—and without which no manifestation could occur. That is an absolute fact of nature and lies at the core Truth of each and every last one of us as potential human beings—as opposed to the human doings we currently are. For an explanation of the difference between a True human being and a human doing, refer to our video on the most important words ever written in English…
Video by Attlas in Formation: To Be or Not To Be (a True Human Being)
So, far from being a product of language, this foundational nature of manifest reality—to be or not to be—is what creates the dialectic nature of language as we know it, as the postmodernists recognized. Where the clever rationalizations of the self-styled Critical Theorists took a turn for the disastrous was their failure to accept the existence of the Absolute and Absolute Truth…being…and assert instead that all truths are provisional and subjective…not being. Postmodernism’s assertion that all knowledge exists in language, and that all language is arbitrary, its meaning existing only by virtue of differénce and dominance hierarchies (as we have already outlined, above), leaves only the machinations of ego—craving and aversion; identification and rejection—which nonetheless claim authority and supremacy over us through threats, coercion, shame, etc; and/or, as so many of our myths, legends, scriptures, and stories reveal, tempt us with sweet lullabies of fair-weather friendship and faux concern, both of these tactics most beautifully and vividly portrayed by the dual character of Smeagol and Gollum from The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers.
LOTR The Two Towers – Gollum and Sméagol
Of course, Gollum doesn’t really go away. If it were so easy to eradicate our egos, the world would be a heaven on earth. It is not. Egos do not go quietly into the night. As we outlined in detail in our video YouMethod – Cope Better with the AUM of Life, we can no easier wish away an ego than we can an Alabama tick. What parasite abandons its host merely because the host has grown tired and weary of it? Take note, dear reader, that when we truly observe ourselves, we cannot but see the hard facts that egos are the cause of “the human condition,” desire, identification, and all suffering, and only through the AUM of Life do we have a chance of liberating ourselves from these parasites…
Video by Attlas in Formation: YouMethod – Cope Better with the AUM of Life
For the postmodernist consumed by egos, drowning in a never-ending river of subjective theories, beliefs, opinions, and “my truth,” desperately trying to navigate the waters of identity politics, there can be no God, no universal Truth, no Absolute right nor wrong, no Self-Evident Experiential Knowledge of the facts, and thus no point in SEEKing such facts. Thus, identification essentially fulfills the act of murdering the Divine (the death of Being) as warned by Nietzche:
“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?” ― Friedrich Nietzsche
Identification is at the very core of identity politics which has become the guiding principle of postmodernism and the legion of SJWs convinced they are “fighting the good fight,” when in fact they are wholly possessed by ego and serve the ego’s ultimate purpose, not being (the death of Being). Especially, it seems, when they go on the offensive against so-called “toxic fandom,” and seek to deconstruct everything which fans hold nearest and dearest to their hearts.
FANS IN HELL
It’s no easy thing to be a fan of pop culture these days. From Star Wars to Star Trek to Marvel Comics, the relentless march of postmodernism, intersectionality, identity politics, forced diversity, and all manner of neo-Marxist Socialist ideologies have made an unholy alliance with capitalism to deconstruct our modern mythologies and repurpose them for their own ideological, political, power, and profit-seeking ends.
An entire cottage industry has sprung up online dedicated to the discussion and preservation of “our beloved pop-culture entertainment” franchises. Since we do not use Twitter much, we are mostly familiar with the YouTube channels of these “champions of fandom,” including:
Overlord DVD (aka Doomcock)
Nerdrotic (Gary Buechler)
Clownfish TV (Related: Pirates & Princesses)
The Burnettwork (Robert Meyer Burnett)
…and many, many others (this is by no means a comprehensive list)
One can consider these channels and others like them as an alternative to the narrative spun in mainstream media pop-culture punditry. They offer criticism of not only Hollywood and the video game industry, but the larger socio-economic-political context in which the contemporary entertainment industry operates and is in many ways a product of—if not hijacked and wholly beholden to.
Now, we are not here to reiterate the many complaints of fandom, nor regurgitate the countless commentaries offered up by the above YouTube creators. Dear reader, we have provided links to their YouTube channels above where you can find many short videos expressing that which you need to hear to get a sense of where fandom stands on their beloved modern mythologies, cherished entertainment franchises, and precious escapism. Although we have not yet undertaken an analysis of the new Star Trek television programs, we have investigated the politicization and deconstruction of Star Wars, as well as The Fandom Menace’s reaction in our three articles discussing the Disney sequel trilogy:
Nor are we here to rehash our previous discourses revealing what is behind SJW’s seemingly incessant, insidious desire to dismantle and deconstruct anything and everything which they view as establishment, traditional, hierarchical, et al (pop culture included). We explore this topic in detail in our article, SJWs & the Ultimate No-Win Scenario – ATTLAS IN FORMATION and how it relates to the Kali Yuga in our article, NOWCAST: The Storm is Not on its Way…The Storm is Already Here – ATTLAS IN FORMATION.
What we are here to do today, dear reader, is reveal the Truth about fans and fandom itself. A Truth which must be said, and one which we daresay will not be pleasant to hear for anyone who considers themselves a fan and/or sides with the prevailing sentiments of fandom as expressed by the aforementioned YouTube pundits, and countless fans online, be it Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, et al. But the facts are the facts…
“Fan” is short for fanatic.
That’s it. Any other connotation, explanation, rationalization, or embellishment of the terms fan and fandom cannot escape this undeniable foundational Truth. What’s more, the fanatical underpinnings of fans and fandom is an observable fact which goes beyond the pages of any dictionary definition of the terms themselves. Don’t believe it, dear reader? Do a YouTube search for “fans behaving badly” or log into Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Twitch, etc., and peruse the evidence for yourself. Now, does that mean all fans behave this way? Certainly not. But action is defined by more than just behaviour; action, in the esoteric sense of the word, includes thoughts and emotions as well. A fan is anyone who is identified with and—as Henry Cavil stated in an interview some time ago—passionate about a particular entertainment property or franchise, sports team, popstar, pop-culture idol, etc. A fanatic is anyone who is identified with and passionate about a particular ideology, philosophy, religion, group, tribe, community, identity, political movement, et al. So, in that light, what can we make of SJWs’ accusation about so-called toxic fandom? Is it possible they have a point, at least in part?
Given that a toxin is defined as “a poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation,” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary: toxin), it is clear SJWs adoption of the term “toxic fans” focuses squarely on the harmful effects toxic fandom has upon other, including the unpleasant thoughts and feelings people experience in reaction to fan toxicity. And frankly, we really don’t care to enter that debate here, since the SJWs’ accusations regarding the relative toxicity of fandom inevitable enters realms of postmodernist victimhood, including but not limited to systemic racism, sexism, genderism, misogyny, the nature of language as violence, micro-aggressions, the need for safe spaces, et al. Rather, we are interested instead in turning the traditional definition of toxicity on its head and explore it as something that is harmful, poisonous even, to fans themselves.
The first step in comprehending toxic fandom in the light of universal toxicity and a self-inflicted harm, is to comprehend the source of so-called toxicity within fans. Outbursts of anger, outrage, vitriol, envy, pride (and its dark underbelly, shame), narcissism, entitlement, greed, and attachments of every kind born of identification—of corresponding egos. Let us briefly recall our case study about elite gamers and git gud. Like the PC Master Race, The Fandom Menace wears its corresponding moniker with pride. In many ways, it has accepted and indeed embraced its toxicity; and, like the SJWs before them to whom they are reacting to, they have become what they beheld in the name of righteousness. “Desperate times calls for desperate measures,” and all that. As we already pointed out, one who identifies with a property defines themselves at least in part through said property (at the very least, a powerful ego, an “I,” within them does). Thus, any perceived assault on said property will automatically trigger the fight or flight self-preservation instinct of said “I,” resulting in some defensive-reaction—which most often involves a counterassault of some kind, in line with the fight side of the survival instinct and the adage the best defence is a good offence. It is precisely such self-preservation reactions to attacks on their beloved entertainment franchises which result in offensive words and behaviours of fans toward the perpetrators of the insult—the postmodernists, neo-Marxist socialists, SJWs, mainstream media, studio executives, directors, actors, critics, and all who are caught up in the process of deconstructing contemporary mythology, traditions, culture, entertainment, et al.
Observing all that, one might be tempted to think to oneself, “it’s perfectly natural to defend what you love; I totally understand where fans are coming from; I’d be angry and defensive of my beloved properties too…there’s nothing wrong with that.” And since most people feel that way, it’s understandable why the vast majority of fans identify with and relate to Diktor Van Doomcock’s signature catchphrases with which he ends every video…
“Without respect, we reject…until then my friends, I bid you all, stay angry.” – Overlord DVD aka Doomcock
Image of Diktor Van Doomcock & Karvey Cthulhu with Catchphrases: “Without Respect We Reject” & “Stay Angry”
Remember, dear reader, that in the dominance hierarchy pertaining to ego, the choice lies between identification and rejection.
ThE wide gate and the EASY PATH vs THE NARROW GATE AND THE PATH OF THE BODHISATTVA
Yes, it’s “natural” to be angry, upset, frustrated, incensed, and want to fight back against those who are attacking all we love and hold most dear. This is nothing new to fans, who have engaged in let’s say spirited discussions amongst themselves for decades, arguing and debating with all comers, the merits of their view and opinions over those of others. Is not the outrage of one contingent of fans versus another simply another manifestation of the underlying ago of anger—and fear—merely expressed merely to a lesser degree than the anger and venom directed toward the postmodernists, intersectionalists, Neo-Marxists, SJWs, et al? It’s nothing new to fandom. One of pop-culture’s greatest modern mythologies hinges its entire universal Truth upon the Self-Evident Experiential Knowledge that anger, fear, aggression flow easily, quickly, and eagerly to your side in a fight, offering you untold power, in exchange for taking control of your destiny…
YouTube Video: Master Yoda Quote (FORCE) | Star Wars V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
These words of Master Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back are worth repeating with clarity:
YODA Run! Yes. A Jedi’s strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger… fear… aggression. The dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan’s apprentice. LUKE Vader. Is the dark side stronger? YODA No… no… no. Quicker, easier, more seductive. Source: IMSDb
Every fan knows this exchange of dialogue between Yoda and Luke. It is the quintessential teaching given to him mere moments before he enters the cave on Dagoba—his subconscious mind—and encounters what Jung would have called his shadow…his Dark Side…of mechanical ego-mind, heart, and body, in the likeness of Darth Vader, whom Obiwan’s force ghost describes as “more machine now, than man.” It is the encounter in which Luke loses his innocence and recognizes the Truth implicit in every Hero’s Journey: to be or not to be.
YouTube Video: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – Dark Side Cave
This is the scene which reveals to Luke, by his own direct experience, why he mustn’t give into his fear, or anger, or aggression, though they flow quickly and easily. It is this experience which give Luke the knowledge he needs to confront—and defeat—the Emperor in The Return of the Jedi…with strength of virtue inherent to The Light Side of the Force as opposed to the power of vice intrinsic to The Dark Side. That is not to say Luke isn’t tempted—he is, most definitely. The Emperor devised the entire final confrontation, in his throne room on the Death Star, on the Centauri moon, in the space battle underway outside, all to raise the stakes so high that Luke would have no choice but to give into his anger and hatred in order to “strike [the unarmed Palpatine] down,” and save his friends. And certainly, by all “natural, understandable” accounts, Luke would be “entitled” to do just that, would he not?
He is certainly tempted to do so. In fact, when Vader senses Luke’s concern for Leia, and Luke’s “thoughts betray him,” revealing to Vader that Leia is his sister, the other offspring of Anakin Skywalker, Vader threatens her by saying “if [Luke] will not turn to the dark side, perhaps she will.” This is when Luke temporarily loses control of himself and his emotions. His fear, anger, and hatred all rage and unleashes all of it upon Vader, disarming him (literally), and at last stands towering above Vader for the first time ever, his adversary and father laying helpless and defeated at his feat, surely aware that his time is at an end.
Let us watch the entire sequence, dear reader (just shy of 5 minutes), just to refresh our memory as to the intensity of the encounter, exchange, and temptation Luke experiences in these moments…
Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader (Whole Fight)
Note, dear reader, it is when Luke is identified—with the rebellion, with his friends, and with his sister, that he is overcome with fear, anger, and hatred. Now who among us would deny another the right to defend their friends and family from oblivion? Who wouldn’t encourage such “natural,” feeling in times of danger—not merely believed, but genuinely perceived imminent threat of suffering and death? The Emperor certainly does. He can barely contain himself…
EMPEROR
Good! Your hate has made you powerful.
Now, fulfill your destiny and
take your father's
place at my side!
Luke looks at his father's mechanical hand, then to his own mechanical,
black-gloved hand, and realizes how much he is becoming like his
father. He makes the decision for which he has spent a lifetime in
preparation. Luke steps back and hurls his lightsaber away.
LUKE
Never! I'll never turn to the dark side.
You've failed, Your Highness.
I am a Jedi,
like my father before me.
The Emperor's glee turns to rage.
EMPEROR
So be it...Jedi. Source: IMSDb
Again, by all “natural, understandable” accounts, Luke is “entitled” to do give into his fear, anger, and hatred, is he not? Now that his hate has made him powerful, he has every right to exert that power over the helpless Vader, and then the old, frail Palpatine himself, does he not?
And yet, he does not. Luke takes the slow, arduous, path to the narrow gate; the difficult way; the way of self-sacrifice and of hope. He puts his faith and trust in His Father, Anakin Skywalker, who he knows is active and aware, below all the layers of black armor and mechanical monstrosities which constitute Darth Vader, and outward machine-man, Sith Lord, living embodiment of The Dark Side, and a reflection of Luke’s own shadow-self (as reveled to Luke in the cave on Dagoba). In other words, Luke takes the path of a True Jedi: overcoming his fear, anger, and hate, enduring tremendous suffering at the hands of the Emperor, all for the sake of turning his Father back to The Light Side, redeeming Anakin Skywalker, and bringing an end to the Empire.
Luke Confronts The Emperor
Dearest reader, Luke’s actions, in combination with those of his father, are nothing short of an allegory for The Path of the Bodhisattva, the Direct Path to the Absolute—the one path to ultimate liberation, hidden in the heart mythologies of every great religion, but especially Buddhism and Christianity.
“The Alchemist who does not sacrifice himself for humanity will never become a Bodhisattva. Only the Bodhisattvas with compassionate hearts, who have given their life for humanity, can incarnate the Intimate Christ.
“We must make a complete differentiation between the Sravakas and Pratyeka Buddhas on one side, and Bodhisattvas on the other. The Sravakas and Pratyeka Buddhas preoccupy themselves only with their particular perfection, without caring a bit for this poor suffering humanity. Obviously, the Pratyeka Buddhas and Sravakas can never incarnate Christ. Only the Bodhisattvas who sacrifice themselves for humanity can incarnate Christ. The sacred title of Bodhisattva is legitimately attained only by those who have renounced all Nirvanic happiness for the love of this suffering humanity.” – Samael Aun Weor, The Gnostic Bible: The Pistis Sophia Unveiled
This is the True (albeit hidden) reason, dear reader, behind fans’ absolute disdain for the postmodern deconstruction of Star Wars, the lack of respect shown their beloved mythology by Disney, and especially the disrespect shown their beloved hero, Luke Skywalker, by Rian Johnson in The Last Jedi. Star Wars is more than entertainment to fans; it is a religion, and their identification with it and fanaticism for it is equalled only by their rejection of those who would seek to disrespect and deconstruct it, to the point of harnessing their fear, anger, and hatred toward the postmodernists, intersectionalists, SJWs, et al.
How ironic, dear reader, that in their purported love for Luke Skywalker, and their actions in defense of his character, his legacy as savior of the galaxy far, far away, and his nature as a symbol of the potential for us all to be living embodiments of Light and hope, fans themselves betray the True Nature which he symbolizes! Fans act with fear, anger, and hatred toward the perceived agents of The Dark Side and The (Disney) Empire, in the name of Luke Skywalker…when Luke Skywalker himself did not and would not do so now. Who then, is the true betrayer of Luke’s character, legacy, and nature? Before answering, just consider the recent reappearance of Luke in the Star Wars universe, this time on The Mandalorian, when fans finally got to see Luke Skywalker portrayed as “the badass Jedi” they always wanted to see him as…
Luke Skywalker _ The Mandalorian
And the reactions of fans speak for themselves (or do they? More on this in a moment)…
Reactors Reaction To Seeing Luke Skywalker On The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 8 | Mixed Reactions
Again, we will put these reactions into context in a bit, but first, dear reader, something must be said about the nature of identification and fanaticism where mythology is concerned…all mythology, be they contemporary mythological traditions like Star Wars or ancient religions.
Identification born of Idolatry
A religious fanatic identifies with the outward symbols of a religion, instead of the True Divine Nature of those symbols. Fanatics mistake idols for the Divine Light embodied in them. Fanatics worship and follow messengers as God instead of comprehending and following their message to the very seat of God within. Fanatics follow the letter of The Law in their minds instead of knowing The Spirit of The Law in their hearts. Fanatics are idolators: wholly identified with the superficial trappings, literal interpretations, dogmatic beliefs, widely held traditions, and all sacred cows of any given religion, to the point where they are ready to defend—some with their lives—the dignity and respect afforded outward expressions of their spirituality, and they reject any and all other expressions of spirituality which do not conform to their idolatry, and/or reject everyone who questions the validity of their fanatical devotion to their chosen idols. Thus, religious fanatics betray the very heart and soul of religion itself.
Religion comes from the Latin religare meaning “to bind together [with the Divine]” as in “the ties that bind;” in other words, union with Divinity…to be one with the Divine…to be…Being.
Religare is synonymous with the Sanskrit word yug—the root word of yoga—which also means union with Divinity…to be one with the Divine…to be…Being. As we have already pointed out, identification/rejection (“I want this, not that;” “I am this, not that”) is born of ego, which is not being. If the very meaning and purpose of religion—as relayed by messengers who attained and embodied the highest levels of being—is to give individuals instructions and examples to follow so that they might also attain higher—if not the highest—levels of being, then any action born of ego (not being) which encourages and perpetuates egotism—ever lower levels of being, moving further and further away from being—is by definition anti-religious, antithetical to metaphysical knowledge, and counterproductive to any True spiritual endeavor.
Similarly, identify politics, like all religions—in this case the religion of wokeness, as it is often referred to—has at its heart fundamental universal Truths which are deep and profound in their pure, unadulterated, unmediated, and uncorrupted state of being: oneness, universal justice, free will, equality, compassion, suffering and sacrifice for others, cooperation instead of competition, and the longing for the end of suffering of all downtrodden, persecuted, and disenfranchised individuals and groups. However, just like all religions which have been corrupted by ego identification and rejection, degenerated into idolatry, the religion of woke has been overrun with fanatics hell-bent on bending the world to their will as defined by their dogmatic beliefs and as taught in their temples (University campuses & the mainstream media) by their high priests and priestesses (Critical Theorists, professors, authors, woke celebrities). Anyone who doesn’t bend the knee to the church of woke is quickly branded a heretic by the woke mob on Twitter and elsewhere, and summarily cancelled (social, political, economic execution). Free speech attacked. Freedoms of all kinds undermined. The rights of the individual put under the knife of mob rule. Universal justice twisted into emotional rulings by the kangaroo courts of public opinion. Cooperation replaced with coerced compliance. Compassion and the longing for the end of suffering of all downtrodden, persecuted, and disenfranchised individuals and groups subverted by leveraging victimhood—selective support of politically expedient victim groups for the sake of gaining power.
Let us not kid ourselves, dear reader, our traditional way of life, religions, nationalism, capitalism, sciences, democracy, education, et al are no less corrupt, self-serving, and fanatical. How many times was suffering and sacrifice for others twisted into duty for flag and country? How is capitalism even remotely fair anymore? How is materialist science anything but a biased and dogmatic cesspool of misinformation, erroneous and unproven theories, and arrogant thinkers adamant in preserving their positions of intellectual power and authority?
And, of course, let us not leave out the crux of this discourse: how is fandom not hopelessly lost in identification, painfully ignorant of the True esoteric significance of their most beloved entertainment properties and consumed with idolatry of the outward symbols, stories, characters, actors, effects, et al, as evidenced by the near-obsessive practices of toy collecting and cosplay as ways to validate for themselves and others that they are indeed faithful disciples, diligently practicing their religion (of fandom) and faithfully worshipping their beloved entertainment franchises? But alas, so identified are fans, that they are unwilling to “unlearn what they have learned” and thus unable to comprehend the actual Force at work behind one of their most beloved modern mythologies, even when it is handed to them on a silver platter. For that is precisely what we did with our revelatory and comprehensive video, Star Wars – The Skywalker Apocalypse:
YouTube Video by Attlas in Formation: Star Wars – The Skywalker Apocalypse
As our video clearly lays out in detail, Star Wars, as a modern-day mythology, has far more in common with religion than any mere entertainment franchise. And like all religions, Star Wars has fallen into idolatry, such that observing Luke Skywalker appear at the end of season two of The Mandalorian as an ass-kicking Jedi results in uncontrolled outbursts of emotion by fans elated with seeing their beloved character on screen not as a jaded, murderous, cantankerous, old hermit—as in The Last Jedi—but as a powerful, take-charge, badass who not only saves the day, but promises to train Baby Yoda in the ways of the force. The fans are identified with the story, the character, the action, the plot, and based on the reaction videos on YouTube, wholly idolize both Luke Skywalker and Mark Hamill. All the while, the True Source of their deep, profound, unyielding, undying, and burning passion for Luke is their deep love and longing for union with their own Innermost Intimate Christ. It is the Christ (which is not a man but a Force in the universe) which gave life to all authentic religions and spiritual traditions, and it is the same Source which inspired all the creators who gave life to Star Wars. Not only that, it is the Cosmic Christ which is symbolized and embodied within Skywalkers, Luke first and foremost among them. Luke is to Star Wars fans what Jesus is to Christians, Buddha to Buddhists, Mohammed (PBUH) to Muslims, and the tri-unity of Hanuman, Rama, and Krishna to Hindus. And, just as in those religions, the vast majority of fanatics mistake the Christ for the character embodying It. So, when they feel that deep burning intensity within themselves at the sight of a living embodiment / symbol of their own Innermost Essence of The Perfect Multiple Unity of The Universal Logos, their egos wrap the Light in a shroud of identification and idolatry, and they mistake the supernova in their hearts as love for the shadow instead of The Light.
And just what is it like, feeling the burning intensity of The Cosmic Christ and knowing that’s what it is? Words cannot describe nor do it justice. But not for lack of trying…
Touched by The Christ
The time matters not. Nor the day, nor date, nor weather outside. Neither the catalyst. There was one From Ancient Egypt. Sitting on the couch surfing the web We Googled the edicts of Luxor: Commandments of the Hermetic Mystery Schools. This was our catalyst, Not a catalyst… Not a reminder even… A WAKE-UP CALL from the Absolute.
It begins…
Heart chakra swells Two, Four, Eight, no—Eighty times In size; Eight thousand times In depth. Is it a heart attack? Strength fails. iPad falls. Mind blanks.
And then Without hesitation Love enters us. Love, as we have never known it. A tsunami bursts forth from within We slip from the couch to the floor, This feeble animated corpse helpless and powerless In the Light of this Love, Love of Loves, Light of Lights, Would our body temple were made of stone Great blocks would be bursting from our sides Such is this wellspring, no— Geyser—of Love Exploding yet sustaining, Imploding yet enduring, No tsunami, No geyser, No eternal fountain… A star has gone supernova! A Sun is in our chest. The Son is in our heart. The Christ has come to visit. And It burns with the Fire of fires, Shines with the Light of lights From behind my cold eyes I see it beaming Brought forth from the Great Treasury of the Light And I am blinded to all but its Glory.
Heart wells up Throat chokes up, Eyes wide shut, We are a fetus curled up in the womb, Welled up ready to burst Walled up in our tiny apartment Any moment now it too will burst Just as sure as we will And we do Burst. Tears pour from beneath sealed eyelids And we cry out in wailing agony of pure joy.
“Oh God, Oh God, Oh God! We thank Thee! We thank Thee! We thank Thee! Oh Divine Mother! Isis! Shakti! Blessed, Holy, Loving! Blessed, Holy, Loving! Blessed, Holy, Loving!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
No reprieve. No halt in the torrent. No pause in the fusion.
Diaphragm trampolines And our gut is Love-punched drunk into exhaustion. Heart beats our max into dust. Body registering on the Richter scale. Skin soaked in a soup of sweat and tears.
And still the Love is there. Swelling and collapsing; Erupting and imploding. Boiling magma plumes in our chest, Burns us with the Fire of the fire, Illuminates us with the Light of lights, And we are completely helpless to resist; Pathetically incapable of containing Let alone hosting even the Essence of the presence of our Guest, The Most High, The Chrestos Force He who comes in the name of the Lord…
“Hosanna in the Highest! Hosanna in the Highest! Hosanna in the Highest! Thy Kingdom Come! Thy Kingdom Come! Thy Kingdom Come! Thy Will be Done! Thy Will be Done! Thy Will be Done! So be it! So be it! So be it! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Oh God, We thank You!”
It goes on like this. An eternity passes With an Infinite Ball of Burning Love in our chest. And We observe ourselves, Filthy and unworthy of this Guest in our house! We have no Three Kings to greet our Saviour Cometh Among the barnyard cubby of our animal mind! What gifts can we offer but the filth of our minds, The pain in our hearts, And the stress in our body? What precious offerings can we make to Christ our Lord Cometh? Yet still all we feel is eternal Love and gratitude, There is no shame to speak of Here and now We are incapable of that shadowy pride, Our egos have fled to the darkest corners of our mind, Those wasps flew from the Flame of flames, And our heart cries out only with the Joy of joys.
“It is what it is, and that is all! It is what it is, and that is all! It is what it is, and that is all! I Am that I Am! I Am that I Am! I Am that I Am! Aheyeh asher Aheyeh! Aheyeh asher Aheyeh! Aheyeh asher Aheyeh! Oh God, Oh God, Oh God! Thy Will be Done! Thy Will be Done! Thy Will be Done! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!”
It continues. Endures. Sustains. Awakens. Exalts. Praises. Sings The Ode to Joy Played by a thousand orchestras, Sung by a million angels, Blaring in our heart-mind; Resonating through our Being. Rings forth the Truth of truths no mortal man can describe, The Love of loves no mortal man can know. How could he? When here we are but touched by It, Overcome by the Glory of Glories, Crumpled in an ecstatic heap by the Joy of joys And the Bliss of bliss? With naught but a drop of Its Limitless Light, We are balling our eyes out, Crying our heart out, Wailing with the agony of eternal happiness! We are reduced to a blithering child, So weak are we in the wake of The Resplendence of Resplendence.
“Kyrie Eleison! Kyrie Eleison! Kyrie Eleison! Christe Eleison! Christe Eleison! Christe Eleison! Pater Noster! Pater Noster! Pater Noster! Ave Maria! Ave Maria! Ave Maria! We Thank You! We Thank You! We Thank You! Halleluja! Halleluja! Halleluja!”
It goes on like this some more. Gloria in Excelsior, Majesty Magnificence, Rejuvenation in Resplendence Give way to Mercy and Freedom, And we are released in Mercy and Love. Our visit is at an end. Our exhausted and spent self lies helpless on the floor. And still we can only pray And thank And feel The residual Heat and Light and Love from our Cosmic Visitation, Our Heavenly House Guest. Who came forth from the boundless nothingness of our hearts, To touch us, Give us but a taste, And let us drink from the Fountain of Sweet Ambrosia, Dip our toe into the Ocean of Love that glows with His Golden Blue Light, The Light of Lights, The Light of Christ. Who was in the beginning, Is now, And shall Be. May he come again to judge the living, These wretched “I’s” who pollute our temple, And the dead, Those wretched Souls suffering in hell itself. So be it. So be it. So be it. Amen. Amen. Amen.
~ Attlas Allux
Originally Published May 19, 2018
The ACTUAL Dark Side REVEALED
Fandom likes to go on the offensive, painting SJWs as entitled cry-babies who demand that the whole world kowtow to their “wokeness” (fanaticism and idolatry of identity politics). Fans of Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr. Who, Marvel, D.C., Ghostbusters, Lord of the Rings, et al, are eager to highlight the fanaticism of Neo-Marxists, radical feminists, postmodernists, et al, likening their actions to those of religious fanatics, except in this case it’s a fanatical devotion to a secular woke religion. Fans do this with one breath, and with their next breath they declare unabashedly, unapologetically, and unironically:
“Without respect, we reject.” – The Fandom Menace (Doomcock, Nerdrotic, The Drinker, ME, WCB, G&G, Clownfish TV, et al)
Image: Members of The Fandom Menace
The Fandom Menace fails to see the irony in their demand for the world to kowtow to their “fandom” (fanaticism and idolatry of contemporary mythology). Is it any wonder that the fanaticism of postmodernists, radical feminists, intersectionalists, SJWs, proponents of cancel culture, the Twitterati, et al is triggered by what they identify (and reject) as toxic fans who are little more than entitled manbabies, misogynists, homophobes, alt-right Nazis, and incels living in their parents’ basements? If, dear reader, you cannot see the symmetry between these two camps: fandom (fanatics) on one side and the Radical Left (fanatics) on the other, then we have failed miserably in this discourse.
But before we throw in the towel and admit all hope is lost, we will turn one last time to the Star Wars universe; this time, to the prequel trilogy, and the modus operandi used by Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) to seize control of the Galaxy…
Recall, if you will, dear reader, that in The Phantom Menace, the sinister Darth Sidious plots behind the scenes to arrange for the Trade Federation to organize a blockade backed by various separatist systems and supported by a droid army. In response, the Republic votes in emergency powers for Chancellor Palpatine and democracy as known by the galaxy, in the words of Padme, “dies…to thunderous applause.” In The Clone Wars, we discover the separatists and droid army are led by Count Dooku, the apprentice of Darth Sidious, and his lackey General Grievous. By the end of Episode II, a plot unfolds whereby a clone army is ordered and assembled on behalf of the Republic, and the legendary Clone Wars mentioned by Obiwan in Episode IV: A New Hope begin. In Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the clone wars rage on; Anakin is seduced by the Dark Side of the Force, becoming Darth Sidious’s new apprentice; and, amidst the chaos of the fighting, Darth Sidious (Palpatine) orders the execution of “Order 66” which triggers the pre-programmed clones to turn on and destroy the Jedi. By the end of the third film, the last remaining Jedi (Obiwan and Yoda) flee into exile, and the Republic is disbanded, to be “re-organized into the first Galactic Empire” in the words of Chancellor Palpatine.
The decisive battle and turning point for the Republic is the battle of Geonosis.
The Battle for Geonosis
Divide and Conquer
The Dark Side, the Black Lodge (egos), always plays both sides. And in Truth, it cares not which side wins or loses, only that both sides become identified with winning (“I am the victor!”) and/or losing (“I am a victim!”), for both are the Dark Side. A Jedi cares not for victory over others nor victimhood at the hand of others; a Jedi cares only for knowledge and defense: of the weak, the innocent, the Light Side of the Force. Luke embodies the Jedi principles in the preservation of the Light Side within himself and abandonment of his fear, anger, and hatred (his egos). Put another way, the Being only cares about Being and helping all who suffer in non-being to escape the shackles of hell and escape through the hard path and narrow gate into a state of being one with the Light, Love, and the ties that bind us to each other and all things. Egos, on the other hand, care only about identification and rejection; to tempt, twist, corrupt and make fall into darkness all that is of the Light…like gravity pulling a tightrope walker to either side to his doom. Or, like the Kali Yuga pulling humanity to either side to its doom…either by imminent destruction or slow, methodical, inevitable devolution.
Image by Attlas.info: Divide & Conquer Humanity – A Step-by-Step Guide to the Kali Yuga; Full Details HERE.
In this way we see there is no “Light Side” and “Dark Side” of the Force, inasmuch as there is The Narrow Way; The Path of the Razor’s Edge into heaven (being) and the wide gate; the easy path into hell (not being). And, that all worldly dichotomies, us vs. them, conservative vs. liberal, Christian vs. Muslim, men vs. women, sis-gender vs. transgender, heterosexual vs. homosexual, black vs. white, religious vs. atheist, and indeed, fans vs. SJWs, are all false dichotomies. They are all an expression of identification and rejection and therefore they are all the Dark Side. They encourage individuals to identify with one, reject the other, and amidst the conflict, chaos, and fighting between them, entirely forget their Innermost Intimate Being and Divine Mother, Who is an Individuate Essence of The Cosmic Christ. It is The Battle of Geonosis, wherein two expressions of mechanical mob mentality (fans, clones vs. SJWs, droids) are so busy fighting each other that the sinister forces behind it all (the Dark Side of the Force; the Black Lodge…egos) are free to murder the Jedi (the embodiment of the Light Side of the Force; the Cosmic Christ…murder God). Dear reader, the implications here run so deep, are so profound, that the following quotation is worth repeating:
“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?” ― Friedrich Nietzsche
Image: Friedrich Nietzsche Quote “Philosophy is not suited for the masses, what they need is holiness.”
There is no God outside of us. In fact, there is nothing outside of us…certainly nothing worth identifying as. At the same time, if all we perceive outside of us is inside of us, along with God, the Great I Am that I Am, then everything we perceive has its place at its level within the sanctity of the great continuum of which we, too, are a part and have our place. To gno our place on the continuum, and indeed, to live our lives from that zero-point of stillness at the apex of said continuum, one with our Self, an Individuated Essence of the continuum itself, The Cosmic Christ, is holiness…wholeness, oneness, beingness…to be. Anything short of that—including all identification and rejection beyond that of the provisional kind required for practicality’s sake (as discussed at the opening of this article)—is cursedness, duality, fractured, separation, existential exile…not being. All our most beloved stories, characters, myths, legends, scriptures, religions, et al, are beloved because they were inspired by and point the way back to the apex of the great cosmic continuum…The Logos…The Cosmic Christ…God. In whatever way, shape, or form Truth might take, the Living, Breathing Word of God is all around us and within us, if only we develop “the eyes to see and the ears to hear” it…if only we exchange our tendency for identification and rejection for being…if only we “unlearn what we have learned,” and receive the Jedi training encoded in all we love, showing us the way to the Source of that Love…a Source which is not outside of ourselves…a Source that we, too, can embody just as the symbols, allegories, stories and idols we love so much embody It, and through which we connect to the individuated Essence of the Logos within ourselves…our True Self.
epilogue: master yoda DIDN’t JUST TELL luke to git gud
We opened this discourse with an exploration of elite gamers and the PC Master Race. We will not rehash what we had to say about them and their behaviors toward others as indicative of elitism and a superiority complex. You are free to go back and review the generalizations we made there. No, here we wish to expand our analysis to include a breed of elite gamer which stands above the rest.
Back when we were studying and practicing kung fu, our sifu used to make us teach classes. He would always say “one cannot be a master unless one is also a teacher.” He had various reasons for this viewpoint, most of a highly practical nature, including this fact: a teacher must constantly be reviewing and practicing the basics. From his own point of view he must sound like a broken record, but since practice makes perfect, and a structure is only as strong as the foundation upon which it is built, to continuously practice the basics of any discipline is to effectively hone, harden, galvanize, and sharpen the very foundation of the art. This is indeed the key to mastery of anything. And while masters often challenge themselves with ever more complex, unique, innovative, and novel tests, pushing the limits of their abilities, teaching allows them to return to the simple, universal, tried, tested, and true basics, pushing the limits of their foundational knowledge. If the former is an exercise in expanding the scale and scope of one’s mastery at the highest levels, the latter is an exercise in deepening and intensifying the solidity and depth of one’s mastery at the foundational levels. In this light, one can agree that both are required for true mastery. One can also agree that drilling the basics over and over, decades after first learning them, is akin to someone like Lang Lang practicing chopsticks on the piano. However, give Lang Lang a student, and that is exactly what he will do: with joy and happiness for the opportunity to initiate a neophyte into the art of piano playing which he loves so deeply, to which he devoted so much of himself and his life to.
Let us be absolutely clear, dear reader, there are countless elite gamers and members of the PC Master Race who spend an exorbitant amount of time and energy helping other players (from neophytes to casuals to fellow elites) improve their skills, knowledge, and abilities. Truly. YouTube is filled with channels dedicated to games and gamers of every conceivable kind. From game reviews and let’s play videos to how-to-guides and complete walkthroughs, there is a strong (if not large) contingent among the elite gaming community who seems to comprehend mastery on a level even deeper than that expressed by our sifu and shared above—which is, one must admit, a somewhat self-serving rationale for teaching.
In stark contrast to the git gud sentiment prominent in so many elite gamers, a defined and visible (if not exactly vocal) minority of elite gamers seem deeply concerned for the suffering of casual players—by “suffering” we mean average players’ inability to enjoy their games to the fullest for lack of skill, knowledge, time, etc. The greater the challenge a game presents, the greater the number of walkthroughs, strategy guides, tips, tricks, tactics, even mods and cheats you will find online to help you get past the point where you’re stuck. Most of these resources are created by the gaming community for the gaming community, and are available entirely free of charge—no obligation of any kind. And since many only sign such guides with their gamertag (if at all), it is clear they are helping others for neither fame nor fortune.
Many online multiplayer games will earn a reputation for having a very “supportive community” which makes for an inviting in-game experience for first-time players who need only make a request in the public chat to receive multiple offers for help from experienced players. Other online games may have communities which are less welcoming, patient, forgiving, understanding, and inclusive of newbs, it is true. Accordingly, they will tend to attract players of the git gud mentality. But by-and-large, there is a broad spectrum of players, playstyles, and attitudes toward other players, both above and below themselves on the spectrum of skill-level. In a very real sense, the online gaming community reflects the real world, in which you will find groups and group members with different levels of openness, friendliness, and charitableness which may or may not match their proficiency level.
This fact is another indication of our intuitive knowledge that at their core, games are different, special—and indeed much more than—forms of entertainment. They certainly can be mindless wastes of time with very little redeeming value. But at their core they reflect the tests, trials, struggles, successes, failures, progress and ultimately the journey intrinsic to life itself—and indeed, all aspects of that journey—the AUM of Life, Analogous Ultimate Methodology. Yes, AUM is present in games and gaming, from the simplest to the most complex, even the most childish, low-brow, brutal, violent, sexist, immature, realistic, and hyper-fantastical game has all the elements of AUM baked into it at its core. And sometimes, when the developers of games are inspired by the Source of AUM Itself, video games truly transcend what we typically think of and they take on the mantle of high art—like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, The Matrix, or any modern mythology. We explain more and offer examples in our article, Video Games – Ascending to High Art!?
Image by Attlas.info: Video Games – Ascending to High Art!?
What seems sorely lacking from both sides of the culture wars, however, is any sort of genuine mastery in light of this analysis of what it means to be a Master-Teacher. We do not see anyone on either side—be they fans or SJWs—extending a helping hand across the aisle, as it were. Now, we are not talking about those voices shouting at or talking down to their opponents about how they need to “educate themselves.” This is the political / cultural / social equivalent of git gud. No, we are referring to genuine mastery. Where is the equivalent of Master Yoda in fandom? Some might argue it is personalities like Doomcock, Nerdrotic, The Critical Drinker, and others whom we listed previously in this article. But if one watches their videos (and we have), one does not hear the voice of a patient, open-minded, understanding, and compassionate individual who exhibits deep concern for the other side of the cultural war. This is reciprocated completely by SJWs and the Twitterati, who behave like a school of ravenous piranha and whose nuclear option for handling all dissent—to cancel them—is hardly conciliatory, inviting nor even remotely resembling civil discourse amongst equals. No, each faction (and there are many on both sides) seem concerned mostly with their own constituents and filling the hallowed halls of their own echo-chambers with angry rants, accusations, and expletives which make their blood boil, and/or with soothing sounds, sentiments, and sensations which give them comfort and security.
There are some notable exceptions which at least attempt to break the mould. Robert Myer Burnett comes to mind. A YouTuber and industry insider who has often found himself in the middle of the culture wars, the founder of The Burnettwork coined the phrase post-geek singularity (his trademark term for fandom) in the spirit that all fans are united by their love of entertainment if nothing else. On his YouTube show entitled Robservations, RMB fills most of the runtime reading letters from what he calls imagination connoisseurs, even those which express opinions which run counter to his own. RMB has stated he believes there is room for many different views and perspectives on art, and he is certainly one of the most charitable of online pundits when it comes to Kathleen Kennedy—who is widely considered to be the destroyer of Star Wars—less so when it comes to J.J. Abrahams and Alex Kurtzman, whose production company, Bad Robot, are responsible for the decimation of Star Trek on film and especially on television over the past several years. And to RMB, there is no greater sacred cow in all of entertainment than Trek.
That said, even Mr. Burnett cannot resist the temptation to fall into the Dark Side. Not that it would help, but he of all people seems to have the temperament and wisdom to be able to reach across the aisle and extend a welcoming hand of friendship to the postmodernists and all those who seem hell-bent on deconstructing all he holds dear. Of course, the fact he’s a white heterosexual male doesn’t help matters much. No doubt any effort he would make to express honest and heartfelt concern for those so hypnotized by their Neo-Marxist dogma, he would be seen as “mansplaining,” or his words would be dismissed on the grounds of any number of superficial metrics of the identity politic.
And perhaps that is how our words, too, will be dismissed. In Truth, the ego has an unlimited number of excuses, evasions, rationalizations, rebukes, and rebuttals when faced with the Truth. We’re tempted to say, “we’ve heard it all before,” but then we truly would be tempting fate. Never underestimate your adversary. There’s a universal Truth taught to us by countless sci-fi and fantasy characters from James T. Kirk and Khan Noonien Singh to Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader to Ellen Ripley and the xenomorph.
Still, even in the face of the Dark Side, against impossible odds, against the advice of Jedi Master no less, we chose to follow the path of the bodhisattva as shown to us by none other than Luke Skywalker himself, who, when sensing Vader’s presence on the forest moon of Endor, turns to his sister Leia, reveals to her the hard Truth about her parentage, and then chooses to “suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” surrender to the Imperial Troops, and face Vader. Why? If for no other reason than this…
“Because…there is good in him. I’ve felt it…I can turn him back to the good side. I have to try.” – Luke Skywalker (aka The Logos)
And so, dear reader, be you a fan, SJW, or identify with any group, tribe, religion, nation, philosophy of any kind, please understand…
We have to try.
Inverencial Peace.
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