Fighting the world and everyone in it, including myself, was something I was very good at in the past. I would hardly say my convictions held any weight behind what I was doing though. The mentality was usually ?us vs them?, not knowing half the time who ?they? were. It was usually directed at those in control and in authoritative positions. This rang true at every level including family members.
So it was with great exaltation that last year I finally had something to be emotional about in a positive way and my convictions were untainted with an ?us vs them? mentality. I am, of course, talking about the first UK Recovery March here in Liverpool.
Yesterday though, a bill was passed in parliament called The UK Digital Economy Bill that seriously infuriated me. (I?m getting my soapbox out now for a rant so BEWARE!)
We are being slowly boiled like frogs in a pot. The internet is the only place we can get the truth of what is happening in our world and they want to take that away from us. Reason? because it?s probably one of the only things the government doesn?t have control over in order to control us. Government bodies for years have been trying to police the internet with little success because the paradox is, the digital world is always one step ahead of them with new technological advances anyway. It just sickens me that this bill can take out households, schools, libraries, etc due to ONE person viewing the ?wrong? material. One person could have a knock on effect that would make it impossible for other people within these units to use the internet. No hard evidence is needed yet the unit would be responsible to pay a fee to get their internet connection back up and running.
I?m not a great fan of Bruce Willis but I happened to watch Die Hard 4 the other night (I?m not proud of it, I was in need of some mind numbing death and destruction for some reason!). The plot of the movie was about techno terrorists who started this ?fire sale? (A computer hacker term that imposes the threat of destroying all financial records, public utilities, transportation and to kill the economy and stock market. A fire sale is where ?everything must go?. In essence it is a plan designed to create chaos by destroying technology to the point where a country can?t operate (since we depend on computers and technology so much!!).
So I guess it works both ways in many respects when we?re talking of illegal hacking and what the governments can do to stop this from happening. But, like the anti terrorist laws which have been abused left right and center, this bill BLATANTLY and ?IN YOUR FACE!? abuses the rights of decent honest people, which is what?s worrying because MOST people will sit back under the guise of ?It won?t effect ME!? hoping that the technological advances WILL keep everybody one step ahead of the game. Thing is, It won?t. Your average law abiding citizen is still in the dark ages as to what?s happening as far as I?m concerned. But that?s just my opinion!
So what?s this little rant got to do with my recovery you may ask? WELL, for the first time I feel like actually taking a stand again over something that is completely unjust. I?ve sat on my laurels for far too long for fear of it going against the spiritual principles I?ve laid down in front of me. Yet at the same time I feel like I?m taking one in the proverbials whilst being asked to say ?Thank You!?. I understand about ?letting go? and being ?powerless? but that doesn?t mean I have to take a back seat and continue being ?raped? by the powers that be. I?m ******* angry to be honest; and do you know what? It feels good to be so. It feels just. It feels as though I?m alive and I actually care about something other than being saintly little Phil, pissing in the wind and fearful of doing something ?wrong? that may or may not go against the grain of my recovery.
?If nothing changes, nothing changes?. I?ve heard this one thrown about in fellowship a lot, but how does change happen beyond the changes we make in ourselves. Those changes come from taking action. The 12 step program of recovery is one of action. We live our own recovery by our actions and our deeds. I for one, would like to be someone who stood up for something and took action and made a difference in the world to people?s lives by protesting against that which I see as completely unjust and unfair. It works both ways too in recovery I believe; that we still have a voice and an opinion that should be heard when things are not right. There?s two sides to the fence and I?m not one for sitting on it anymore, thank you very much. No doubt I?d get bent over backwards over that as well as the barrel if I did anyway.
I may not be Gandhi, but I?ll certainly have a go!
Love, Light and Rhythm
Phil
xx
So it was with great exaltation that last year I finally had something to be emotional about in a positive way and my convictions were untainted with an ?us vs them? mentality. I am, of course, talking about the first UK Recovery March here in Liverpool.
Yesterday though, a bill was passed in parliament called The UK Digital Economy Bill that seriously infuriated me. (I?m getting my soapbox out now for a rant so BEWARE!)
We are being slowly boiled like frogs in a pot. The internet is the only place we can get the truth of what is happening in our world and they want to take that away from us. Reason? because it?s probably one of the only things the government doesn?t have control over in order to control us. Government bodies for years have been trying to police the internet with little success because the paradox is, the digital world is always one step ahead of them with new technological advances anyway. It just sickens me that this bill can take out households, schools, libraries, etc due to ONE person viewing the ?wrong? material. One person could have a knock on effect that would make it impossible for other people within these units to use the internet. No hard evidence is needed yet the unit would be responsible to pay a fee to get their internet connection back up and running.
I?m not a great fan of Bruce Willis but I happened to watch Die Hard 4 the other night (I?m not proud of it, I was in need of some mind numbing death and destruction for some reason!). The plot of the movie was about techno terrorists who started this ?fire sale? (A computer hacker term that imposes the threat of destroying all financial records, public utilities, transportation and to kill the economy and stock market. A fire sale is where ?everything must go?. In essence it is a plan designed to create chaos by destroying technology to the point where a country can?t operate (since we depend on computers and technology so much!!).
So I guess it works both ways in many respects when we?re talking of illegal hacking and what the governments can do to stop this from happening. But, like the anti terrorist laws which have been abused left right and center, this bill BLATANTLY and ?IN YOUR FACE!? abuses the rights of decent honest people, which is what?s worrying because MOST people will sit back under the guise of ?It won?t effect ME!? hoping that the technological advances WILL keep everybody one step ahead of the game. Thing is, It won?t. Your average law abiding citizen is still in the dark ages as to what?s happening as far as I?m concerned. But that?s just my opinion!
So what?s this little rant got to do with my recovery you may ask? WELL, for the first time I feel like actually taking a stand again over something that is completely unjust. I?ve sat on my laurels for far too long for fear of it going against the spiritual principles I?ve laid down in front of me. Yet at the same time I feel like I?m taking one in the proverbials whilst being asked to say ?Thank You!?. I understand about ?letting go? and being ?powerless? but that doesn?t mean I have to take a back seat and continue being ?raped? by the powers that be. I?m ******* angry to be honest; and do you know what? It feels good to be so. It feels just. It feels as though I?m alive and I actually care about something other than being saintly little Phil, pissing in the wind and fearful of doing something ?wrong? that may or may not go against the grain of my recovery.
?If nothing changes, nothing changes?. I?ve heard this one thrown about in fellowship a lot, but how does change happen beyond the changes we make in ourselves. Those changes come from taking action. The 12 step program of recovery is one of action. We live our own recovery by our actions and our deeds. I for one, would like to be someone who stood up for something and took action and made a difference in the world to people?s lives by protesting against that which I see as completely unjust and unfair. It works both ways too in recovery I believe; that we still have a voice and an opinion that should be heard when things are not right. There?s two sides to the fence and I?m not one for sitting on it anymore, thank you very much. No doubt I?d get bent over backwards over that as well as the barrel if I did anyway.
I may not be Gandhi, but I?ll certainly have a go!
Love, Light and Rhythm
Phil
xx
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