Finding how the pieces fit
February 17, 2006 (Amazon.com)
Reviewer: yesterdays future dot net
I have a small basket of the most valuable tools and books that I refer back to and share with others who are looking to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Escaping The Matrix is my newest addition, for which I am most grateful to the author Richard Moore.
Once I read the first page and sensed the pace wasn't slowing, I drank it down in big gulps. I was delighted by the clarity and rapid fire presentation of information, and his linking of the pieces to make the point - that we live in a world quite different from the one suggested to us by the corporate dominated media machine.
I can't praise highly enough, the synthesis of knowledge about the development of our human history and what we can now reasonably assume (based on present wisdom, research, and widely accepted facts) is the real world. That our society is being manipulated and managed by a few elite rulers is a hard pill to swallow when we are deeply embedded in the Matrix view, but we are stepped through the facts until it’s obviousness is undeniable. The bibliography and list of resources at the back of the book, offers a plethora of excellent material to help you if you doubt this proposition. And understanding it is a helpful pre-requisite to the second half of the book which deals with some possible responses and discusses how we might become part of the solution - now that the problem is overwhelmingly clear.
If not as thrilling and liberating as peeling away the layers of illusion about the situation we are presently in, the second part has prompted me to go and search out more information, and some of what I have found excites me. In these latter chapters, Richard describes processes and tools, and proceeds to offer ideas about how these might be engaged to transform our society, from the grass roots on up. He paints a picture of a time when large numbers of people might come to that most valued, harmonious and hopeful disposition of "we the people."
While offering a few examples to whet our appetite, perhaps the examples we so desperately need are the ones that will be demonstrated by us.
Down the Rabbit Hole
January 20, 2006 (Amazon.com)
Reviewer: Carol Liane Brouillet "9-11 activist" (Palo Alto, CA, USA)
Richard K. Moore fell down the rabbit hole less than fifteen years ago. His Silicon Valley position allowed him to host one of the oldest online discussion community groups at http://www.Cyberjournal.org. The deterioration of the political system in the U.S. drove him to Ireland, but he continues to write, visit, and learn from the growing opposition to what he calls "The Matrix," that fabricated reality sold to Americans by the corporate press and politicians which has little correlation to the physical reality of those who bear the brunt of U.S and corporate policies.
I’ve known this stuff for years, and I know Richard, but I couldn’t put the book down, once I started reading it. It very clearly, succinctly, paints a historical overview of the evolution of the system, and those who pull the strings and profit from war. Geopolitics, that game of control, domination over the world’s resources is laid out, from World War I, World War II, to the bogus War on Terrorism, or the budding World War III, which many of us are trying to prevent.
The first half of the book is history and analysis, which few who have studied these subjects, would argue with. 9-11 and the Project for a New American Century, are not anomalies; there is a continuity, an extraordinary disregard for human life in the grand scheme of elite planning. While the reasoning and preparations for genocide might disturb some people, it is clear that the intent of the book is to thwart an agenda that enriches and empowers the few while devastating humanity and threatening the entire planet. The size of the problem needs to be grokked, before Richard addresses what he sees as the path for global transformation.
To support his vision, he also draws upon history, the history of cooperation, the long human history of hunter-gatherers who lived in harmony and with reverence towards the natural world. The anomaly/tragedy of humanity seems to be the success of a small violent minority who seem to have seized the reins from the "Civilization Project." How do they get away with it? How can the majority shatter the "Matrix," get their voices heard, and make the systemic changes necessary for us to survive as a species?
Richard mentions the processes which indigenous, egalitarian societies used- the talking stick, circles. If you have never actually participated in a circle, using a talking stick, it can be a profound, transformative process. I remember the first time that I experienced using a talking stick, it was at a party, and a funny looking guy with a beard, named Tom Atlee, held up a rock, and started passing it around. Only the person holding the rock spoke, and everyone else listened. By the time the last person spoke, we were bonded by our words, purposes, intentions, and a non-profit organization was born. Since then I have organized a number of conferences, and have incorporated the talking stick, and circles into all of them. Richard credits Tom in his book and shares other processes that share the power of the talking stick, particularly, facilitated dialogue, and harmonization.
There are adversarial and collaborative meetings, according to Richard, and they have very different dynamics. Ideally, amongst a diverse group of people, what can emerge from collaborative meetings is where people find common ground, unity and respect one another’s difference in recognition of a shared higher purpose.
Richard goes into quite a bit of process detail and tells how groups are working towards creating these spaces for dialogue, generating group wisdom, empowering people, and building upon that empowerment. One idea is citizen councils where random samplings of citizens get together and then thoroughly study complex issues and give the public their suggestions for solutions to the problem facing their society. This has worked successfully and there is currently a proposal to try this process to solve the election problems facing California.
I believe Richard offers an excellent vision on an important aspect of global transformation- the need for genuine, collaborative dialogue. I think it is vital and necessary, but it still might not be able to penetrate the Media Matrix which strikes me as one of our greatest obstacles. We need the voices to be heard on radio, on television, in music, in films, in the theater, throughout the culture, but perhaps simply generating the dialogue will allow us to penetrate the cultural space until all the voices are heard, all the issues raised, the Matrix is broken, and truth seeps into all conversations, and the real problems that we face can be publicly addressed, identified, and dealt with collectively.
Big Picture
January 13, 2006 (Amazon.com)
Reviewer: Laurence J. Victor (Tucson, AZ)
The Big Picture context for our Crisis of Crises is impossible to introduce in a single book, but Richard Moore’s "Escaping the Matrix" is a masterful attempt. He is not afraid to cite deception and conspiracy as the foundation of modern economies and governments. He briefly sketches the emergence of humankind and the partnership and dominator models of society. He outlines many forces and actions being taken by those who oppose the dominator model and proposes a "harmonization" process that could lead to peace and sustainable living. This book is highly recommended for those who need a brief introduction to the realities behind The Matrix, as well as those already knowledgeable of much of what is happening who will gain some new insights. The text could well serve as an outline for expanded dialog.
From a political blogger...
January 8, 2006 (Amazon.com)
Reviewer: Earl van Amstel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
I find Moore to be deeply analytical and original, not just reporting facts or giving a word-smith opinion.
In this new book, one gets a good look at how the actual political world works at the highest levels, and how the matrix of unreality is formed for us. And then going further after outlining the reality, Moore gives his solutions to this encompassing matrix.
A must read, giving much insight and cause to ponder. I can truthfully say that Moore’s insights into the matrix have influenced my own thinking and approach a great deal.
A must read!
December 30, 2005 (Amazon.com)
Reviewer: S. Jenkins (Hawaii)
Expand your view of the world - whether or not you agree.
A Long wait but ‘wirth’ it
December 28, 2005 (Amazon.com)
Reviewer: a kid
This book is ‘the’ TEXT. The facts and figures of what is wrong and fills in on the solution side.
Raleigh Myers
Ra Energy Fdn.
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