For the average person, this tends to be true. But it is because we lack the self-awareness to know what makes us happy. Fantasies and desires always seem like they will make us happy from a distance.
For those who understand what gives them real joy and happiness, desire fades or becomes more focused.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The U.S. Senate as a whole and members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee specifically, have lost millions of dollars wealth for themselves and their families as a result of Rubio eliminating USAID. As a consequence, while they cannot publicly showcase that specific motive for opposition, the committee as a whole is not happy about losing a substantial portion of their stakeholder interests.
The families of all the senate committee members exist inside the think tanks, NGOs, political orgs, PACs and lobbyist companies for various foreign governments. Just like Q-Anon advocate ¹Mike Flynn recently taking a job that pays him $100,000/month to lobby for the Republic of Srpska (aka ‘Serb Republic’, for advice, counsel and introductions), so too all the family members of the senate leverage their DC connections to foreign governments for personal gain.
Thus, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now being questioned by the very Senators he has defunded. WATCH (prompted):
¹Yes, Michael Flynn signed an agreement within the Trump administration not to lobby for foreign governments; but that was only a paper promise. That’s one of the reasons why it is more than a little silly for people to mention Flynn’s name as a potential DNI nomination.
One of the problems in transmitting FIML practice to others is no one has a paradigm for learning that includes a friend saying to them “I have something good to tell you, but it will take a fairly long time for you to understand what I mean and learn how to do it.”
People are used to getting small bits of information from friends, not large, wholly new ways of seeing themselves and the world around them.
This problem in FIML transmission is compounded by the need for FIML practitioners to speak to each other in a way that is taboo in almost all cultures and subcultures. FIML partners must be able to thread a communication needle, the eye of which lies very close to a common human flash point.
The flash point is our “identity” as it is actually functioning in a real-world conversation in real-time.
I don’t know of a single culture anywhere (except those of FIML partners) that allows real-time queries of the sort that form the basis of FIML practice. In all cultures that I know of, queries of that type are seen as rude, petty, carping, nasty, distracting, lacking proper decorum, weird, and most of all, threatening.
Culture supports identity and vice versa. This makes the culture-identity matrix a very difficult entity to analyze in real-time.
To touch on it or even near it is to touch that flash point that tells people they are being threatened, that they must defend themselves against a dangerous assault on their sense of who they are.
Of course, FIML does not actually assault or threaten anything, but as mentioned, very few of us have a listening/learning paradigm that will allow FIML to be given a proper hearing.
One day, I imagine, FIML will be taught in classes where students will have desks and chairs and white boards and where they will be given handouts and lessons will proceed gradually and logically from point to point until the whole is revealed to them with a nicely prepackaged smile.
That day has not come yet (and I hope I am doing something else when it does). For now, all we have (and all you need) is the raw idea, a willing partner, and a paradigm shift that allows you to undertake a new way of communicating.
Donald Trump reportedly called Benjamin Netanyahu ‘f***ing crazy’ on a phone call just before the President announced a halt to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. …the pair reportedly had a tense exchange during a phone call regarding escalating conflict in Lebanon between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah.
A source told Axios that at one point, Trump bluntly asked Netanyahu: ‘What the f*** are you doing?’
Trump eventually went off on the prime minister, directly stating that Netanyahu would be jailed without him. ‘You’re f***ing crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,’ he reportedly said.
Two sources told the outlet that Trump accused Netanyahu of being ungrateful to him and that making good on threats to bomb Beirut would make things worse for Israel.
The sources hinted that Trump’s rage was driven by a belief that Israel’s actions were making it harder to forge a peace deal with Iran.
Netanyahu later appeared to cast doubt on Trump’s claim of a ceasefire, saying that his country would strike Beirut if Hezbollah doesn’t stop attacking Israel.
‘I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our towns and our citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut,’ Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by his office.
Who is the boss, Trump or Bibi? If the above is true, Trump may control Bibi. If Bibi controls Trump, this story would be a plant. If Trump controls Bibi and his Jewish Supremacist henchmen in USA, good things may come to pass. Whatever your religion, let’s all pray for Jewish Supremacists to repent and reform, never going back to their evil ways. ABN
Nasal snuff originated in the Americas, where Indigenous Caribbean peoples were observed inhaling powdered tobacco preparations by Christopher Columbus’s crew in the late 15th century. The practice spread to Europe in the 16th century, initially promoted as a medicinal treatment for ailments like migraines and colds, notably after French diplomat Jean Nicot recommended it to Queen Catherine de’ Medici in the 1560s.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, snuff became a pervasive fashion among the European elite, particularly in England and France, where it was used as a stimulant and social lubricant. Its popularity surged in England after the 1702 capture of Spanish ships carrying vast quantities of snuff, which flooded the market and drastically reduced prices, making it accessible to the general public.
Although nasal snuff declined in the United States by the late 1700s in favor of dipping tobacco, it remained a cultural staple in Europe. In Sweden, the tradition evolved into snus, a moist snuff placed under the lip, which gained significant popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries as an alternative to smoking. Today, while no longer a mainstream habit, snuff is still produced by historic manufacturers and used by enthusiasts.
Snuff etiquette in the 18th century functioned as a complex social code that reinforced class hierarchies, facilitated courtship, and signaled political allegiance. The ritual of taking snuff was not merely about consumption but was a performative act of gentility, where the mastery of specific gestures distinguished the elite from the common masses.
The Language of the Tabatière
The handling of the snuffbox evolved into a non-verbal communication system known as the “language of the tabatière” (language of the snuffbox). Because the ritual was highly codified, specific movements conveyed distinct messages without a word being spoken.
Courtship and Flirtation: The manner in which a box was offered or closed could signal romantic interest or rejection. For instance, flicking snuff from one’s coat might be a discreet invitation to a ball, while the speed of closing the lid could indicate eagerness or dismissal.
Political and Social Bonds: Offering one’s box to a stranger was a recognized method of securing an introduction, while sharing snuff among men cemented homosocial political alliances. The boxes themselves often contained secret compartments with portraits or inscriptions that served as private tokens of affection or political favor.
Once people learn how powerful media-based mind control is, they will start to see it everywhere and quickly become aware that most of it can be avoided or seen through. At it’s core, mind-control rests on the very deep human need to communicate and be understood. This need is easily met if everyone agrees on the same information. That is the source of culture and what maintains whole civilizations. Mind-control becomes evil when it uses this basic need to selfishly control or undermine civilizations. ABN
American Buddhist Net 
