I am currently binge reading and listening to novels by British comedian, playwright and author, Ben Elton. I have been a fan of Elton since I first saw an episode of the Blackadder television program with some British friends when we were celebrating Fourth-of-July in Tokyo in 1991. Yes, I know, strange bedfellows and all that, celebrating Fourth-of-July with British people. I had more cultural commonality with the people from the country the colonists were rebelling against 200 years prior than with my host country.
Elton’s creative genre is satire weaved with heavy doses of politics and sometimes from a dystopian perspective. As bizarre as it sounds, this is a perfect combination for me to help see through the illusion. I do not suggest that it is what will help you see through the illusion, just telling you what helps me and why.
I lived in England from 1997 to 1999 and was exposed to more of Elton’s creativity including a West End play called Popcorn. Recently, an English friend of mine recommended Elton’s 2007 novel Blind Faith which is a dystopian story set years after “the second flood” which has devastated much of the earth’s landmass. The citizens of England culturally believe that privacy is wrong and everything should be done in public including intimate acts. Every room in the apartment has two-way devices connected and turned on 24/7 to everyone else’s devices and the central government. If there is unwillingness to display everything online, the neighborhood watch shames individuals and can even have the individuals prosecuted. Science no longer has a place in society and many laws proposed by the religious leaders are determined by a voice vote at a gathering at Wembley Stadium.
As someone who meditates and enjoys my own company, the set-up of this novel definitely pushed my buttons and gave me the opportunity to look at what I still needed to clear, not only about the illusion, but the concept of transparency, consensus and oneness. Reading Blind Faith led me to my current desire to explore more of Elton’s work.
I just finished the 2002 novel called High Society in which a little-known Member of Parliament proposes that the UK legalize all drugs arguing that legalization would eliminate the crimes associated with using, procuring the drugs and the illegal activities to get the money to buy the drugs. The government goes so far as to calculate how much revenue would be raised with the high tax rate that could be placed on a fairly low product cost, if the product was legal. This proposes that the high price of drugs is because they are illegal not because they are expensive to produce. The book is a very interesting look at all sides of the arguments. In Elton’s brilliant imagination, we are even given Queen Elizabeth II’s speech on legalizing drugs. Elton calls out all aspects of the debate. Again, this allowed me to look at my issues and to start to see everything as farcical. It is that energy of farce that is helping me to question what I see in my current world, both internal and external, to help me see through the illusion.
Finally, I just started Elton’s 2019 book called Identity Crisis. I am only 40 pages into the book, yet, it is the reason I am writing this blog entry on the topic of satire helping me see through the illusion.
In this book, Elton addresses identity politics. The book discusses the pendulum swinging between liberal ethos and nationalistic ideals. In this storyline, not only has Britian had the referendum to leave the European Union and Scotland wants to separate from the UK, but English nationalists want to separate from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. One of the main themes so far is regarding the company whose mandate is to send out campaign messages disguised as social media hashtags and memes in order to rally votes for the side of English separation – the “England Out” campaign. Elton is discussing the company’s algorithms with the main goal to divide people into their separate silos. One particular message is being sent to people on both sides of the same topic in order to make both sides angry and, therefore, reactionary.
Having all these topics played out for me in print is a little bit like systematic desensitization therapy. It is allowing me to look at all the mirrors, buttons and walls that I still have in a safe (and fun) environment in order to clear my phobias, anxieties, judgments and fears. Again, this is helping me see through the illusion of duality and helping me to not give my power away to outside forces.
I am not suggesting that Ben Elton books need to be your guide to finding inner truth. I am suggesting that you find what will help you to stand in your power and heal what still needs to be healed. Check with your inner wisdom about what will help you disconnect from mass consciousness and heal your issues of fear, limitations and judgment.
Here’s to enjoying a good book and a good button pusher.
Gratitude to CDD20 with Pixabay.com for the image above.