Chapter 8:

The Matrix:

As Applied to Medicine

he idea that we live in a 'land of illusion' which provides the backdrop for our physical reality flourishes among man's oldest religions and philosophies. It is best known in the East under the Vedic concept of maya, or illusion. 1 This concept becomes anthropomorphic with the arrival of Maya as Goddess.
From my mid-teens I had a thorough intellectual understanding of "maya" -- largely gained through a study of Comparative Religions. It is a recurrent theme and yet no study of classical texts can prepare you for the realization that the Grand Illusion is more real than you think. At one level we can resign ourselves to the abstract concept that everything around us is temporal; our lives are brief; and we cannot be certain what came before or what comes after this short walk. It seems even intuitive that we are a "blink in the eye of Brahman," or, as Peter notes, " . . . with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day." --- (2 Peter 3:8 NAB)
There are, however, aspects of maya -- far more concrete than vague references to time, space, or temporary circumstance -- and these are more immediate, specific, and sinister.
When you have been allowed to peer behind this curtain of illusion, you come face-to-face with an indescribable certitude that, as in the film version of the The Matrix, you do live in a society where you are a source of energy (i.e. through myriad systems of taxation -- some apparent and some quite hidden), that you do live in a form of financial servitude that is, in Truth, the most salient feature of so-called Western democracy, and that, in terms more pertinent to my book, the role of organized medicine is one of "agent," an evil gatekeeper that attempts to prevent people from knowing or using the true source of healing.
That our physical universe may be as illusory as a fist (which promptly turns into non-existence when the hand is opened) appears to be only the most outer skin on the cosmic onion. A universe of illusions, like an onion, has innumerable layers to traverse -- and once you have passed "through" them all, you may still ask yourself, "Where is the core?"
Aside from descending into a universe of mirage over which we have little control, it has been proposed that mankind himself uses myth as a way of negotiating the hidden meanings of the collective unconscious. "Through a dialogue conducted with these inner forces through our dreams and through a study of myths, we can learn to know and come to terms with the greater horizon of our own deeper and wiser, inward self. And analogously, the society that cherishes and keeps its myths alive will be nourished from the soundest, richest strata of the human spirit." 2
I understood these creative forces and the power of symbolism long ago. What I was not prepared for (and you'd never know it to read the work of writers like Campbell) is that our society has all powerful forces at work (at least on this physical plane) that are not at all benign. In fact, these forces are evil, manipulative, corrupt to a degree that may exceed the average citizen's capacity to comprehend.
Organized medicine embodies these forces, but even it, as we shall see shortly, is but a subset of yet larger, more sinister forces.
The outline of those forces, in its broadest generalities, can be found in Nicolo Machiavelli's The Prince, who describes in terms quite comfortable to modern civilization, the ways of acquiring and sustaining power. His words of advice, admonition, and comfort are addressed to the tyrant.
But another sixteenth century writer, Étienne De La Boétie, 3
addresses the same forces and provides advice, admonition, and comfort to the victims of that tyrant. As such, De La Boétie provides a libertarian framework that has proven a source of inspiration for Thoreau, Ralph Emerson, Tolstoy and Ghandi. He doesn't detail so much the forces that create the dog collar -- instead, he describes the forces that would help us understand why we would allow it be put our around our necks in the first place. In Book III of this work, it will provide a source of inspiration for us as well, but let's dissect his magnum opus first.
Politics of Obedience is divided into three sections, covering the following themes:

1. Part I -- The fundamental political question is why do people obey a government. The answer is that they tend to enslave themselves, to let themselves be governed by tyrants. Freedom from servitude comes not from violent action, but from the refusal to serve. Tyrants fall when the people withdraw their support. [And this is why those in the alternative healing community are such a threat to the established order. They choose to withdraw their support from a system of organized medicine that is only intended to enslave them.] Therefore, governments expend great energy in attempting to convince you that YOU NEED THEM. "Legitimacy is the belief of the populace and the [lesser] elites that rule is proper and valid, that the political world is as it should be. It pertains to individual rulers, to decisions, to broad policies, to parties, and to entire forms of government. The support that members are willing to extend to a political system is essential for its survival." 14 To those who suggest that we live in a land of freedoms -- that if we lived under tyranny, our oppression would be more obvious, the force of economics cures the ignorance and provides the answer as to the importance of the illusory veneer. "Coercion, though, is a costly, ineffective strategy which can never be completely or permanently successful. Even with coercion, decline in popular support below some critical minimum leads infallibly to political failure. Establishing moral validity is a less costly and effective approach." 15 (I can find no other instance of a complete lack of moral validity than our government's support of a system of organized medicine that suppresses effective medical cures so that a select elite of political supporters can make more money. That this has been going, as we saw in Chapter 2, in its most aggregious form since the 1840's only adds salt to the wound. In its own sick, twisted way it is the social equivalent of Nazi death camp soldiers rummaging through the bodies of dead Jews to extra their gold teeth. And that is why the FDA is so strict in helping to support this cruel veneer of illusion. To have the truth exposed strikes at the very heart of legitimacy of our government --- of ANY government.) 16
   
2. Part II -- Liberty is the natural condition of the people. Servitude, however, is fostered when people are raised in subjection. People are trained to adore rulers. While freedom is forgotten by many, there are always some who will never submit. [Might we include those who don't want to die unnecessarily from a dangerous FDA-approved chemotherapy treatment, so that the local hospital and oncologists can make more money? So, instead, they seek out natural, effective remedies?]
3. Part III -- If things are to change, one must realize the extent to which the foundation of tyranny lies in the vast networks of corrupted people with an interest in maintaining tyranny. [And as it pertains to the Medical Industrial Complex, we can see intuitively the forces that work against giving you back your freedom.]

Every reformer has a different take on how to break this cycle of enslavement. As it pertains to reform of "health care community," Former U.S. Presidential Candidate for the Libertarian Party, Harry Browne, has recommended the abolition of the FDA. "Let people decide for themselves, with the help of their doctors and private testing agencies they choose for themselves, which medicines are safe enough for them. Let people decide for themselves what risks they're willing to take. Let people with fatal illnesses choose any therapy they want in hope of beating the odds. No one will be left on his own unless he wants to be. You and your doctor can use any testing and certification company you want -- including one staffed by former employees of the FDA. Let drug manufacturers prove to you and your doctor the safety of their drugs. That way they won't have to run up the cost of the medicine -- as they do now to get the FDA to act." 4
What Browne, and reformers like him, fail to realize that the system is endemically corrupt. You can't change the Matrix. You can only reach the point where you realize the importance of becoming unplugged.


I didn't realize the degree to which the system had become immutable until I began to see correlations between the mechanics of the system as it pertains to the alternative health care system and those writers who have carefully, and in great detail, documented the history, nature, structure -- morphology, if you will -- and behavior of the real "power elite."
The Matrix is just a metaphor. After all, we don't really have machines running things. Beyond a certain point the metaphor breaks down. Or does it? Is it possible that the system follows a mechanistic set of rules that is so insidious, that we might as well be governed by machines? Is it really possible that, given the manner that our lives are devoted to 'working the system,' (as opposed to the lives of hunter / gatherers who work, on average, just ten to fifteen hours per week), that the power elite could not possibly create a system that is more parasitic than it is now and still get away with it?
Even if you discard, out of hand, the leading books in this genre over the last 30 years -- Epperson 6 , Cooper 7 , Marrs 8 , Icke 9 , Desborough 10 , Constantine 11 , Keith 12 , and Rappoport 13 come most immediately to mind -- you cannot help but notice the accuracy of their collective descriptions about "how" the system operations. You may not agree with the causes to which they point. You may not agree with all their specifics -- (Icke's repetitive work on the reptilian bloodlines, taking up where Horn 17 left off, will strike the uninitiated as over the top -- which is why I have advised friends to read, read, and read; accept what you are ready for and just put the rest aside for the time being). Nonetheless, it is difficult to argue that the net effect is not as they portray it.
I speak from first-hand experience. There is a force which enforces its "will" from above -- a will that is not all at in accordance with what is best for the common good.
Becoming "unplugged," is, therefore, one of the first orders of priority in attaining to Meditopia. You cannot be a free and healthy person unless you free yourself of the Matrix -- from within and from without.

Footnotes

1. See http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Maya%20(illusion)
2. Joseph Campbell, Myths to Live By, Penguin Group, New York, 1972, p. 5.
3. Étienne De La Boétie (1530-1563) Politics of Obedience: the discourse of voluntary servitude. De La Boétie was a close friend of the eminent essayist, Michel de Montaigne, and is remembered as "one of the seminal political philosophers, not only as a founder of modern political philosophy in France but also for the timeless relevance of many of his theoretical insights." Translated by Harry Kurz, Black Rose Books, Montréal, 1997, p.2.
4. Harry Browne, Why Government Doesn't Work, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1995. p. 109.
5. David Icke, Tales from the Time Loop: The most comprehensive exposé of the global conspiracy ever written and all you need to know to be truly free, Bridge of Love Publications USA, Wildwood, MO (USA), 2003. p. 45. For a list of his previous books and latest news, visit www.davidicke.com
6. Ralph Epperson, The Unseen Hand: An Introduction to the Conspiratorial View of History, Publius Press, Tucson, AZ, 1985. And secondly, see his New World Order, also by Publius Press, 1990. For web references, see http://syninfo.com/Epperson/ or http://curtisvc.tripod.com/conspiracy.htm
7. William Cooper, Behold a Pale Horse, Light Technology Publishing, Sedona, AZ; 1991. Cooper was, by all accounts, an unusual individual. Frankly, I don't care one whit about a person's private life if their writings are true, complete, and accurate. My personal belief is that Cooper's exposure to government corruption was beyond any threshold of tolerance and he became jaded, over time, to a level that simply pushed him over the edge. An account of the bizarre circumstances that lead to his death at the hands of police in 2001 is rendered at: http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/nov/06/arwc110601.htm. See also, http://www.konformist.com/2002/cooper/cooper-terror-murder.htm. RIP: 1943-2001.
8. Jim Marrs, Rule by Secrecy, Harper-Collins Publishers, New York, 2000. An aside: Marrs' book, Crossfire is the definitive, unbiased, and "unofficial" account of the JFK assasination. It formed the basis for Oliver Stone's film on the same subject.
9. Icke, ibid. I list just this one book, because Icke's style is such that with each new book he gives a summary of much of the previous work. Previous volumes include: And the Truth Shall Set You Free, I am Me, I Am Free, Lifting the Veil, Children of the Matrix, and The Biggest Secret.
10. Brian Desborough, They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies, Writers Club Press, 2002.
11. Alex Constantine, Virtual Government: CIA Mind Control Operations in America, Feral House, 1997. Other volumes include: Psychic Dictatorship in the U.S.A., and The Covert War Against Rock.
12. Jim Keith, Mind Control, World Control, Adventures Unlimited Press (see http://www.wexclub.com/aup/usaindex.html), 1998; also The Octopus: Secret Government and the Death of Danny Casolaro, Feral House, Los Angeles, 2004. (This is an updated copy). Keith died under suspicious circumstances, though not as openly and blatantly as Cooper. RIP: 1949-1999.
13. Jon Rappoport, The Secret Behind Secret Societies, Truth Seeker, San Diego, California, 2003. Several of Jon's previous works, in the same genre, are worth reading as well, including Ownership of All Life, Oklahoma City Bombing, and AIDS, Inc.
14. Joseph A. Tainter, The Collapse of Complex Societies, Cambridge University Press, 1988. Quoted from 2003 reprint, p. 27.
15. David Easton, A Framework for Political Analysis, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ; 1965. p. 220-4; as quoted in Tainter, p. 27.
16. Tainter, ibid.
17. Dr. Arthur David Horn with Lynette Anne Mallory-Horn, Humanity's Extraterrestial Origins: ET Influences on Humankind's Biological and Cultural Evolution, A & L Horn, Lake Montezuma, AZ (USA), 1996.
18. Étienne De La Boétie, ibid. p. 63.

When The Matrix was released in 1999, it was hailed by critics for its riveting, eye-popping special effects. However, apart from its contribution to pop culture and state-of-the-art filmmaking of the action figure variety, its use as a metaphor for explaining how our society REALLY works -- especially as it relates to our relationship to an unseen power structure, is all too evident.
Entire books were written, devoted just to this one theme. David Icke's Children of the Matrix and my late friend and one-time writing partner, Max Skousen's, A Blessing Hitherto Unknown (Vol. 3) are both examples.

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