MatriTalks 34
          HUMAN
          DESTRUCTIVENESS
          Questions
          & Answers 
          with 
          Han Marie Stiekema Sermes
          Q. Talking about destructiveness, some people
          would say, that with the introduction of the Mother, things only get worse. Isn't She the
          Source of The Law of the Universe, after all, in which "death" is an equal
          partner of rebirth? Please, explain.
          A. Well, as I have said
          earlier, there is a crucial difference between the destructiveness of the Mother and its
          earthly counterpart. First of all, the Law of the Universe is governing life. It consists
          of the dynamics of the Cosmos, that which regulates "death and rebirth" in a
          most natural way. Varying from the seasons, the various cycles, the transformation of
          energy on all levels of creation to the limited life span of humans, animals and plants.
          Everything, is subjected to this Law, nothing excluded. Accumulations of all kinds may
          trigger destruction as well, as part of the Mother's Concern to keep Cosmic Balance. The
          current accumulation of human greed, profit, "progress" and expansion is an
          example of this.
          Q. Isn't the human destructiveness a reflection
          of the Cosmos? With other words: Isn't it part of our body/mind system?
          A. That depends on your
          definition. If you talk about "aggression", then certainly it is part of our
          system. If you talk about "destructiveness", then paradoxically it is the other
          way round: it originates, because we are NOT complying with the Mother's Law of the
          Universe.
          Q. In a time, increasingly determined by
          violence, it seems to be quite crucial to acquiring clear insight in the underlying
          mechanisms.
          A. There are several factors
          involved. They are all centered around the existential fear of (ego)death. The greatest
          danger for (masculine) ego-formation, is to fall back into the Maternal Realm. The latter
          being symbolized by death, darkness, Nothingness, "chaos", women and nature. 
          Q. Is this a purely spiritual/psychological
          issue or are there historical lines as well?
          A. Both. It all
          "started" in the (matriarchal) Stone Age, in which males were ritually
          slaughtered, in order to secure the next harvest. It created both fear of death and fear
          of women. The way out was sought in the "Quest for Immortality". The Gilgamesh
          Epic is centered around this theme. His heroism consists of the fact, that he refuses to
          marry the Queen (knowing that he then will be sacrificed for the sake of the Whole...),
          while subsequently escaping from Her.      
          Q. Oh, gosh, now I understand. The masculine
          ego is the result of refusing to sacrifice itself "for the sake of the Whole",
          hence its fear to become part of the Whole, once again. It teaches me, that you can never
          escape Cosmic Law.
          A. The ego-formation was
          necessary for survival reasons. Now, this very ego has become a threat to survival.
          Q. It will be very tough though, because the
          fear of giving yourself up is very much engrained in people.
          A. Absolutely. Nowadays lots of
          women - the ones who have identified with the patriarchal e.g. alienated ego - also share
          the same fear.
          Q. Could you elaborate a little more on the
          backgrounds? 
          A. The fear of death and the
          "Quest for Immortality" was subsequently projected in the death of Jesus.
          Because "he died for us all", the necessity for each of us to "die"
          individually, was taken away and with it the chance for regeneration. In a way, we all
          thought to become "immortal". The opposite was true though. "Jesus"
          deprived us from becoming regenerated ourselves. By not being able to go back to the
          Source - representing "death and rebirth" - the ego had no other choice, than to
          blow itself up. The consequences were devastating. It was the cause of the fact, that
          "having" rather than "Being" became the overall socio-cultural
          "ideal" of the West. Greed as an individual aspect of personality is one thing;
          greed as the dominant, institutionalized pattern of an entire society is quite another.
          Q. Yes, indeed.
          A. The problem is, that
          "having" can never satisfy your longing for Being - to be your Self, love,
          friendship, joy -  hence the desire for more, more, more and more....
          Q. This obviously is the problem. It has to
          stop somehow. I honestly don't see, how the entire population can shift from
          "having" to "Being". 
          A. The first step could be,
          that we - individually and collectively - start recognizing the fact, that
          "capitalism" is a major "sin" against the Mother's Law of the
          Universe. Its drive for profit, accumulation, progress, expansion and exploitation is
          destroying Her Material Body. 
          Q. What is the Mother's response to this?
          A. Some think, that
          de-sacralization is the inevitable outcome of "modernity". Rather than
          acknowledging the fact, that it is the outcome of a collective self-addiction to a very
          specific socio-economic system. From the perspective of the Mother, well - try to look at
          mankind yourself - She certainly cannot help, but considering us a crowd of hopelessly
          obsessive, compulsive and addictive people, straight on its way to committing suicide.
          This raises Her Limitless Compassion, hence Her efforts to bring people back "to Her
          Lap", e.g. to invite people to comply with Her Law of the Universe. 
          Q. Obviously, everybody knows plenty of
          examples. Which one comes to your mind, rightnow?
          A. Take the "construction
          Mafia" for instance. Regardless of the real need, there has to be new roads
          etc. constructed all the time. The real necessity is not decisive, the compulsive need for
          the companies to making profit, is. Greed is the driving force. The result is "the
          whole earth covered by concrete" e.g. an ongoing destruction of nature.
          Q. What about the idea of "progress".
          Is this also part of our addiction?
          A. "Progress" and the
          fear "to fall back" are two sides of the same coin. The underlying cause is fear
          of Nothingness, which - as you know - is the greatest fear of the ego. It is the reason,
          why "the monthly growth figures" have to be reached. Its obsessive
          character is explaining the depression, the despair nay panic all around, if the figures
          do not comply with the expectations. The same mechanism you can see in compulsive
          future-oriented "political programs" of political parties or the equally
          compulsive "progress" of scientific research. They are all obsessed by
          "what is coming next". Stagnation is the greatest danger of all. Everything has
          to go on. "Looking back" is equal to "being lost". It is a.o. the
          theme of "Orpheus and Eurydice". The sad thing of course is, that by being
          compulsively addicted to "progress", the true fulfillment: becoming "part
          of the Whole" once again, can never be realized. 
          Q. Thus, are you against "progress?"
          A. Lacking a context is the
          real problem here. Therefore, "having" should be integrated in
          "Being"; "progress" should become integrated in tradition, in being
          rooted; "flexibility" should be integrated in stability; "change"
          should become integrated in being balanced and "future" should become integrated
          in the HereNow. Contrary to that, the existing system is deliberately indoctrinating
          slogans, like "freedom", "democracy", "progress",
          "change" and "flexibility", this to further alienating e.g. uprooting
          people. The more people are dissociated from their context of life, the more they will
          become willing victims of the forces of greed, exploitation and control. The
          ruthlessness of our system becomes especially visible in the "Third World".
          First of all, we destroy local communities by exploiting the people as labor force. After
          a (short) while we drop them, if no profit can be made anymore. These uprooted people
          subsequently become displaced, causing the huge crowds of refugees around the world. While
          we only repeat, that "this is not our problem".
          Q.  Still a lot of work to do?
          A. The Mother is giving the
          example here. For the sake of survival, we have to find balance. The Mother's Law of the
          Universe is a reflection of Cosmic Balance. The sooner you comply with it, the better.
          "Die before you are forced to die". Thus, take refuge in the Mother. She is the
          Womb, in Which death is transformed into rebirth.
          Q. Thus far everything is clear. What about the
          original topic of this talk: "Human Destructiveness?"      
          A. First of all, there is the
          destructiveness of the "addiction to having" (materialism), which as I have
          elaborated, is the consequence of the "inability to Be". Secondly, there is the
          equally fundamental issue of the isolated ego (individualism). Its greatest fear is to
          die. This is equal to the inability "giving oneself up", to sacrifice itself or
          to becoming part of a greater Whole. Ego and surrender are excluding each other.
          Especially the "opposite" forces: Emptiness, the Mother, Darkness, nature and
          women, are especially dangerous. Hence, the compulsive need of destroying e.g. controlling
          the threat. It may be the underlying driving force of science and technology: to replace
          nature - in which men feel "not at ease" - by an artificial world, which will be
          entirely "his". The "chaos" of nature has to be replaced by "his
          order". 
          Q. Threats also coming from
          other sources as well?
          A. Secondary threats include
          other men. If (economic) competition cannot neutralize this, then one has to "fall
          back" on the well-tried method of war.     
          Q. Feeling threatened by an imaginary threat,
          hence compulsively destroying it...Will that be the tragic cause of self-destruction: Don
          Quichote fighting against the windmills?
          A. Don Quichote is our great
          master. He teaches us the need to awaken from our sleep.
          Good morning, Mother.
          Here I am!
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