Cynicism is something that is part of the media production of a certain type of subjectivity or consciousness that is passive and disempowered, cynical, fatalistic, pessimistic.
Daniel PinchbeckWe live in a culture where everything is designed for our comfort or entertainment but nothing satisfies. At our core, we remain insatiable, constantly on the prowl for new commodities and pleasant sensations to fill the void.
Daniel PinchbeckIf you step back from it and really think about what the mass media does on a global scale, the most significant thing it does is coordinate behaviour.
Daniel PinchbeckShamanism is a kind of universal spiritual practice with indigenous cultures around the world, and one important element of it is taking care of spirits.
Daniel PinchbeckMarcuse wrote: "Perhaps an accident may alter the situation, but unless the recognition of what is being done and what is being prevented subverts the consciousness and the behavior of man, not even a catastrophe will bring about the change.".
Daniel PinchbeckIf consciousness is the ground of being rather than an epiphenomenon of physical processes, we may find that a basic question asked by modern astronomy and space science- 'Is there life out there?'- should be rephrased. Organic life, as well as intelligence, may already be a property enmeshed in the fabric of the cosmos, brought to fruition through the spiraling dynamics of the solar system and the galaxy, built into the structure of the universe itself.
Daniel Pinchbeck