Internet Addictions
Posted on Apr 29th, 2006
by 
M. Alan
M. Alan
I've been on the Net for almost nine years now. For all that time, cyberspace has been more a part of my life than "real life", as the world outside the Net is sometimes referred to. Three reasons I love the Net - I get to meet people with common interests whpo I would never have met otherwise, I get to communicate without having to worry about real life liabilities like, in my case, a speech impediment, and I get to immediately send my creetive endeavours out to the world.
It does occur to me - in fact i realised this a long time ago - that my internet obsession is a form of addiction, just like addictions to drugs, food, sex - one can be addicted to anything in fact. But the intersting thing about the Net is that functions very much like a big party (a party in house with millions of people and millions of rooms, so there will always be something for everybody). So it is really a form of "social adiction" or "party addiction". Even on a project like, say, Wikipedia, it is a sort of working party (in the sense of happy party, not a bunch of people roped into something), enjoyably working together to build a huge edifice of knowledge. Ok there's a down side too like the endless mental trench warfare where each side (usually only one or two on each side) fight over which biased POV (theirs' or the other side's) will be used as the supposedly "neutral point of view" of the article in question. Case in point - the Sai Baba discussion pages. But I prefer to avoid getting embroiled in such arguments.
Anyway, a long time ago I realised what causes the Internet "buzz" and hence the addiction. This was first suggested by my friend Steven Guth, who told me many years ago that TV is a means by which "everyone's doubles can connect". Well, it is the same on;line, but the connection is much stronger, because TV is a purely passive medium (you just sit and watch what is dished up; apart from selecting a very limited number of centralised channels you have absolutely no control), whereas the Net is an active, in the sense of interactoive, medium (a swell as being sdecentralised, with as many "channels" as people).
To explain what is meant by "double" - this concept derives from Steiner, who, in Two Lectures of Geographical Medicine, said everyone has a nasty doppleganger, a sort of spirit that hangs around in their body or aura (it is not clear which) and leaves three days before death (because it is scared of death). Steven took that idea and identified the Double with the Id (literally the "It") of Freudian psychology, and from there brought in fairy tales and many esoteric teachings - for the end result see here
Well what this basically means is that we consist of a number of levels to our being, ok fair enough, that's standard "Perennial philosophy", but not just that but these levels can function (semi-)autonomously as well.
So all the time we are doing anything - socialising, being online, walking down the street, sleeping, watching TV, various aspects of our being are doing other things, interacting with their counterparts, and so on. This may even produce a real "buzz". Or alternatively it could be an unpleasant feeling when the interchange is not harmonious.
Of course, this is just another way of explaining what Freud and his successors said about the Unconscious, that the Conscious mind is not away of all the other things going on. Except that it brings in the necessary occult analysis that is missing in secular materialistic psychology.
So what is that internet "buzz"? Why, it's million's of "doubles" exchanging energy!
It does occur to me - in fact i realised this a long time ago - that my internet obsession is a form of addiction, just like addictions to drugs, food, sex - one can be addicted to anything in fact. But the intersting thing about the Net is that functions very much like a big party (a party in house with millions of people and millions of rooms, so there will always be something for everybody). So it is really a form of "social adiction" or "party addiction". Even on a project like, say, Wikipedia, it is a sort of working party (in the sense of happy party, not a bunch of people roped into something), enjoyably working together to build a huge edifice of knowledge. Ok there's a down side too like the endless mental trench warfare where each side (usually only one or two on each side) fight over which biased POV (theirs' or the other side's) will be used as the supposedly "neutral point of view" of the article in question. Case in point - the Sai Baba discussion pages. But I prefer to avoid getting embroiled in such arguments.
Anyway, a long time ago I realised what causes the Internet "buzz" and hence the addiction. This was first suggested by my friend Steven Guth, who told me many years ago that TV is a means by which "everyone's doubles can connect". Well, it is the same on;line, but the connection is much stronger, because TV is a purely passive medium (you just sit and watch what is dished up; apart from selecting a very limited number of centralised channels you have absolutely no control), whereas the Net is an active, in the sense of interactoive, medium (a swell as being sdecentralised, with as many "channels" as people).
To explain what is meant by "double" - this concept derives from Steiner, who, in Two Lectures of Geographical Medicine, said everyone has a nasty doppleganger, a sort of spirit that hangs around in their body or aura (it is not clear which) and leaves three days before death (because it is scared of death). Steven took that idea and identified the Double with the Id (literally the "It") of Freudian psychology, and from there brought in fairy tales and many esoteric teachings - for the end result see here
Well what this basically means is that we consist of a number of levels to our being, ok fair enough, that's standard "Perennial philosophy", but not just that but these levels can function (semi-)autonomously as well.
So all the time we are doing anything - socialising, being online, walking down the street, sleeping, watching TV, various aspects of our being are doing other things, interacting with their counterparts, and so on. This may even produce a real "buzz". Or alternatively it could be an unpleasant feeling when the interchange is not harmonious.
Of course, this is just another way of explaining what Freud and his successors said about the Unconscious, that the Conscious mind is not away of all the other things going on. Except that it brings in the necessary occult analysis that is missing in secular materialistic psychology.
So what is that internet "buzz"? Why, it's million's of "doubles" exchanging energy!
Access: PublicTagged with: addiction, Wikipedia, excitement, freud, the internet, the double, steiner, the unconscious, occultism
Wikipedia
July 2008 
Dear Alan,
At last I am here!! I had some trouble trying to get logged on properly!! I do not think I have blogged anyone on a blog! This should be a unique experience to say the least. However, I did have a blog on Transfinancial Economics sometime ago but I have done nothing much about it, and I do not think anyone is that interested.
It looks as if I am your only “critic” here in blogland. I hope you got your nose to the grindstone in connection with your magnus opus.
I have seen your friend Steven Guths German publishing website, and he seems to have some interesting titles. He, himself, appears to be something of an esotericist like your good self to put it somewhat mildly!! Likewise I love anything offbeat…a bit like myself, I suppose….
I quite understand your addiction to the jolly old web. It is fascinating. It is amazing how many little-known, or indeed, unknown esoteric sects can be traced by a simple world search. It is mind-blowing. God bless modern technology. It certainly makes my research work easier to say the least!! I expect the same in your case with all your excellent studies in all things esoteric, and paranormal!
As I fully appreciate the fact that it is good to avoid endless, and pointless arguments. I know what it is like on the frontline when I have been involved in certain “discussion” groups. The Radhasoami Studies is a case in point. I avoid it like the plague. You should see the endless mental wranglings that go on there. You would be nuts to contribute. I certainly must have been, and yet, in spite of all that I did get some very interesting data notably from David Christoper Lane who as you know is an authority on the Radhasoami Faith. He is also sceptical of it now which is understandable to a point. Moreover, he has also become a materialist by all accounts. What an extraordinary turn about. Once he was a keen follower of the Beas Satsang, and now he has “disconnected” himself from it. Yet, if I read rightly somewhere he still does the meditation!
I do wonder about people sometimes especially those who are meant to be in the know!! I was mad enough to send a copy of Multi-Dimensional Science (MDS)article to NEXUS magazine. As you probably know Duncan Roads is the editor, and could unlike myself not get “overexcited” about it…..and yet, if it is all true it could arguably be the most important article he would ever likely to publish. You do wonder about people sometimes…notably those who should know better. I was a little miffed with his rejection of my “tour de force”!
However, Barry Eaton who does a radio version of NEXUS so to speak was very interested in having me talk about my two research projects of MDS, and Transfinancial Economics, or TFE which are on your fascinating Kheper website. Yet, I declined the offer simply because I am not ready for all all that. In the future, yes, but not now. Unlike yourself, I fortunately do not have a problem with stammering…..though I did have when I was alot younger.
I am thinking it may be best to call MDS the Multi-Dimensional Hypothesis,or MDH. This would seem to be more accurate presentation. The word “Science” suggests something which has been “proven” to a large extent. This ofcourse is not the case. We have a long way to go before we have reached that stage. However, I am absolutely positive that willing psychics, and mystics could be tested in controlled experiments to see if their inner experiences are largely independently corroborative, or not. In this sense, at least it is a testable, and workable hypothesis. …even if it proves to be a wild goose chase at the end of the day…..
For the newbies to Alans Blog the references made to Transfinancial Economics, and Multi-Dimensional Science can be found at his excellent Kheper website by a simple word search. I may well do my own blog for the sheer hell of it.
I hope other people will comment about your blogging communications, and not just myself. Let us hope they are NOT into endless arguments of the most negative, and contorted kind!!!
Keep the Flag Flying!
Baraka Bashad….
Robert Searle, also known as Sayeed by the Muslim Bretheren.
Amor Vincit Omnia.
Silly me!! I have just discovered that I am not the only person in blogland admiring your verbals “spoutings!” Thats great…More the merrier!!
RS.
Hi Robert
is that the same NEXUS magazine that is published here down under? They've been aroudn for ages - i used to read it some 20 years ago! I'm surprsed they werent interested in what you had to say. Maybe too far outside the mainstream alternative? There's a similar magazine published here called New Dawn, they might be interested in TFE. They have a lot of conspiracy stuff; that always puts me off (there's also been conspiracy theory stuff in NEXUS; as for me, i think that govts, big business etc are quite stupid enough to mess up society and the planet without needing help from evil global conspiracies) , but they are receptive to alternative political ideas etc. I'm sure they;re decent people. Steven got his essay on the Geomancy of Canberra published in New Dawn.
MDH vs MDS - well, we are talking about an empirical methodology here, not an abstract hypothesis, so i think that MDS is still better.
After all, Tart says “State Specific Sciences”. Maybe you could say “multi-dimenisonal sciences” (plural)
hmm, shame about the radio show, but you'll know when the time is right. Still, no publicity is bad publicity!
Yep - internet, wonderful for reasearch!
David Lane; i have read some of his stuff on the web; i get a very good vibe about him
yep, Steven is a bit of an eccentric esotericist, so am i, so are all of us :-)
Also, now you've got a blog (on zaadz) you can post thoughts about MDS and TFE there as well! I think people here at Zaadz will be receptive to these sort of ideas
all the best
alan
Dear Alan, et al,
I must admit I was suprised that Nexus rejected my article. It is quite baffling. Personally, I find the mag very interesting. Unfortunately, it can, and does indulge itself with some questionable conspiracy theories which can be off-putting…but there you are. However, it does quite often produce some very rare, and unusual esoteric-type articles. So, it is not all balderdash!!
Yes, I know about New Dawn mag. I did send an email plus the kheper links but I have had no reply. Again, like Nexus can go into the more looney of life. Frankly, I have little time for conspiracy theorists unless they can come up with some convincing data. But, you are on much firmer ground when you come to the illegal war on Iraq by Bush, and Blair. This in itself could be seriously seen as a conspiracy of sorts. Certainly, far more credible than the internet claptrash that sometimes surfaces.
I am not too bothered about MDS remaining as it is. There are lots of subjects which regard themselves as “sciences” even though from a strict perspective they are not!!
I glad you get good vibes from David Lanes writings at Neural Surfer. He means well, but I do find his materialistic stance somewhat tiresome.
I hope to get the Transfinancial book completed by the end of next year. As you may, or may not appreciate this is largely a new subject in modern politics. It will be the first book of its kind on Non-Taxation, and hopefully will open peoples eyes to a radically new way of thinking. As I said in my bio-data this is something which the best brains in the world should be working on but ofcourse they are not. The same is true of MDS.
I must admit I was amazed to get an invitation to go on radio…but as I said that time will come…I am not ready yet though it would be an interesting experience especially if it is a phone in…
Regards,
Robert.
.