Brendan,
As I seem to remember, Orwell wrote as a futurist during a pretty conservative time in our culture. The cold war was going on and his stories were depressing to me. My family was going through a rough time after my father died and my mother was the sum total of the woman’s problem, poor and powerless widow with four children under 13 years old. While she was being embezzled for the third time (predators do smell the weak), I had to read Animal Farm for an English class and when the teacher asked us what country this book was written about, I eagerly raised my hand and responded with, “the United States of course!” Needless to say that was not the right answer. Meanwhile, 1984 described a world with Big Brother watching us. Today we have hidden cameras in all sorts of places, “For our own protection” and Homeland Security is in place and for many, it does not include due process, again for our own protection. We also have the beginning of a new way of looking at ourselves, which includes all the previous ways plus the idea that we are more than our bodies. Now the average Joe has access to information that includes easy steps to checking out all that has come before in the human experience and is currently happening by using various easy methods to alter, expand, and explore the real world beyond the physical to get a perspective on this little physical world.
As far as Hell’s go, we can create them anywhere. Like take those who are heavily addicted to drugs, everywhere they go, they meet up with pushes. I’m not into drugs, so I wouldn’t recognize a pusher if I fell over him/her. I’m mentioning this because of some of the people that I work with mention the pushers they meet all around them when they’re attempting to stay clean. Sortta’ like seeing only couples when you’ve just had a devastating breakup. I haven’t gone into the hells on the other levels as yet, but I do believe the tales told by Monroe, Moen, and the explorers on this board as well as many others that explain that the difference between the earth hells created by humans here and those over there. Here there is enough of a mix of human buddies to give aid but there you’re with only those like yourself (unless there’s a retriever or helper around). In other words, there you have to work a bit harder on your own to recognize that you’re in hell and to get out of it. Not that you can’t but just that it’s not as easy because of a mind set with no apparent alternatives.
Now as far as the heroes go, I’m with Joseph Campbell when he says that we’re each on a hero’s journey. By watching the TV and reading newspapers, I don’t get a picture of true heroes. But by listening to people’s stories on this board and those around me in my every day world, I learn what real heroes are. I’m learning that my hardest challenges include assuming responsibility for the choices I make on a daily basis that have to do with forgiving, overcoming my own ego, loving those who do harm, and overcoming my own fears of change and growth. Each of these, I view as part of my heroes journey. Yaah sure, I need to make a living, do the chores, and feed the cat, etc. but the hard things that I have to do deal with how can I visit my son and grandchildren when my daughter-in-law and I don’t like each other (maybe too much alike?) and how can I continue to be patient with my husband as he ages and can’t share to tasks, and how can I continue to have excitement/joy about life when I get so tired from work? Although, I did find the secret about not burning out with my clients, which is that they’re real people like you and me and the others on this board. I love them!
I notice on this board that some of the toughest challenges BTW have to do with changing beliefs and the fears of systems crashes. Like what if I charge my viewpoint and find that there is no belief system to sustain me? But for me, since I do not believe that there are any inherently inferior/superior spirits and that it’s all just a learning/hero’s journey, an ultimately equal opportunity for all of us, I’m becoming less afraid of looking at things in a different light.
At this point, Brendan, I too have no interest in “merging with God”, losing my individuality, or becoming ant…or part of the Matrix, but I’m very intrigued with pushing my own limits of beliefs to the max as I’m only racing against myself with the help of my buddies. I don’t see any of this having much to do with pleasure for pleasures sake or power according the mass media or success in terms of material wealth as the end to beat all ends but more as a personal challenge for myself/soul/spirit whatever. And as far as your “rant” goes-I love it!!! A man after my own heart-I too tend to get angry over things I smell as being not “real”- like the show 7th Heaven

. Now if Lucy turns out to be gay then I might view the show as more real. But then again, I come from an era that produced one of the first reality shows, An American Family, where Lance came out as gay and the mother announced to the audience that she was divorcing her husband before she told him. Such is life but in spite of these setbacks there’s no excuse for not finding your own truth and sharing it. Keep up the good work B-man and hope you decide to check things out for yourself regarding the other levels. I’m less threatened by the dogma now that I have

.
Jean