The Upside of Irritation

 There are many stories of spiritual masters embracing the presence of an annoying student in their community. There is even one story that documents a teacher paying an irritating person to live among his students. From an everyday perspective, this is difficult to comprehend. We generally work hard to avoid people and things that we find annoying, so they don’t bother us.

From a deeper spiritual perspective, however, irritation can be an important teacher and indicator that we are making progress on our path. Being able to remain centered and awake even when we feel uncomfortable is much more impressive than doing so in an environment where everything is to our liking. 

No matter how good we are at controlling our circumstances, there will always be factors and people that we cannot control. How we respond to these experiences determines the quality of our lives. The goal of spiritual development is not to learn to control our environment — which is more of an ego-driven desire. And while having some measure of control over our external reality is important, it is when we are confronted with a person or situation that irritates us, and we choose not to react that we know have made progress spiritually. When we master our internal reality, we will become the masters of our lives.

The more we try to eliminate annoyances, instead of learning to handle them gracefully, the further we get from developing the qualities that come with spiritual growth, such as patience, tolerance, and acceptance. It is often in the presence of people and experiences we find annoying that we have an opportunity to develop these qualities. Fortunately for most of us, our lives offer an abundance of opportunities to practice and cultivate these traits. (Daily OM)

“Overwhelmingly White” Countryside Needs More Halal Food, Report Claims

 This is an overwhelmingly white country; and has been for centuries.... so it they don't like abiding by the rules of this country they should take a hike back to their own. 

When we venture into their country, we have to abide by their rules and happily do so. We don't try to change their ways to suit ours. 

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The British countryside is “overwhelmingly white” and needs more halal food, a report from the University of Leicester’s Centre for Hate Studies on “rural racism” has claimed. The Telegraph has the story.

In [the report], academics claim that ethnic minority communities face “challenges” in the countryside because rural England is “overwhelmingly white”.

This creates feelings of “discomfort”, the report states, and the “psychological burden” that comes with “navigating predominantly white spaces”.

The report also raises concerns that traditional pub culture and other “monocultural customs” are exclusionary.

It states that the countryside lacks “appropriate facilities to meet religious and cultural needs”, and does not cater for “dietary norms that are rooted in religious or cultural practice”, such as kosher and halal, adding to feelings of exclusion.

To tackle “rural racism” and increase diversity, a series of recommendations are set out in a section of the report, “How Can We Make the Countryside More Inclusive?”

The report notes that “the availability of halal food or spaces for prayer could make a significant difference in whether people feel comfortable visiting the countryside”.

It states that rural businesses should adapt to improve “cultural sensitivity”, saying: “Welcoming minoritised individuals into the countryside means more than tolerance; it requires thoughtful adaptation, sustained inclusion efforts and a willingness to change.”

These suggestions mark the conclusion of a two-year project led by Prof Neil Chakraborti, Leicester’s Hate Studies lead, along with his colleagues Amy Clarke and Prof Corinne Fowler.

Prof Fowler assisted the National Trust’s controversial 2021 report into the colonial connections of its country houses.

‘Rural Racism Project: Towards an Inclusive Countryside’ was funded by the Leverhulme Trust, a charity established by William Lever, the first Viscount Leverhulme, the plantation-owning soap magnate behind Unilever....<<<Read More>>>...

Rush - Far Cry

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LONG MEG CUMBRIA

 

Meta-Constitution System: A system of world governance through standards, best practices and technical guidance

 There is a system already in operation which exercises constitutional-level authority but bypasses democratic processes. There are no checks and balances or democratic accountability over this system, yet it determines who may participate in markets, compete for opportunities and earn livelihoods through commercial activity.

It is a system of standards, best practices and technical guidance that embeds itself in sources used by governments worldwide. Through technical coordination mechanisms that operate outside diplomatic processes and sovereignty constraints, this system achieves more effective global governance than formal international institutions.

The system sits above the law in the most literal sense: it shapes economic behaviour more powerfully than legislation. It achieves binding authority not through popular mandate but through systematic embedding of compliance requirements in the essential infrastructure that modern economic life depends upon.

This technically driven world governance system is controlled by a triangle of coordinating institutions: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”), the International Organisation for Standardisation (“ISO”) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (“IIASA”).

They enforce compliance through six “enforcement rails”: accreditation, financial systems, digital identity frameworks, mandatory due diligence laws, access-and-benefit-sharing regimes and government procurement platforms....<<<Read More>>>...

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The digital panopticon: License plate readers are tracking you everywhere you go

 A nationwide network of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), primarily from companies like Flock Safety, is capturing and storing detailed location data on billions of American drivers.

These systems, deployed in thousands of communities, record not just license plates but also vehicle make, model, color and unique features, creating a digital "fingerprint" for each car.

Privacy advocates and civil liberties organizations like the ACLU warn this constitutes a form of mass surveillance, creating permanent records of citizens' movements without suspicion of a crime. Security vulnerabilities have been exposed, with live camera feeds and real-time vehicle data from some systems leaking onto the public internet without password protection.

The technology, funded by prominent Silicon Valley investors, raises significant Fourth Amendment concerns about unreasonable search and seizure, with calls for stricter regulation and data retention limits....<<<Read More>>>...

Food for Thought #757