Charlie Linton

The Tangled Web Charlie Linton

I remember seeing a magic trick once that initially took my breath away. A man walks into a large gymnasium dressed only in a tee shirt and shorts holding a tray. The tray had a billiard ball underneath a small cloth as he walked towards three people sitting on stools in the centre of the floor. Each in turn was offered to feel under the cloth and confirm that the billiard ball was still there, and once all three had done this he delicately took two fingers and whipped away the cloth ...the billiard ball was gone! We're baffled by many aspects of our world in this way such as finance and politics and as a consequence allow these masters to practice these abstract arts without questioning it. Once I learned that the billiard ball trick was achieved because the third person offered to check was in on the game and had skillfully pocketed the ball it was no longer magic to me. In the same way so many people shy away from 'politics' because they don't know the mechanics of the trick but trust me it is just a trick, or rather an illusion and once you begin to question it you realise how simple the trick is and how we've all been fooled, and most significantly who's benefitting from this. Forget the intricacies of fiscal or foreign policy, annual percentage rates, trade deficit etc, reduce everything to basic morality and the picture becomes clear. The biggest obstacle to political change in society is that almost all opinions are voiced using the current model as their baseline, and any changes that they feel need to be made are simply tweaking that model. The word politics often sends a shiver down people's spines, mine included, and if you find it and its associated disciplines such as finance boring then trust me I do too! The fact of the matter is that politics is a manufactured distraction constructed by interested parties in a complicated web of deceit that has lasted centuries. This deceit shouldn't be seen as conspirators huddled in smoke-filled back rooms hatching their dark plans, rather a subconscious tendency through evolution by certain factions of our society to bend the rules in order to rig the game in their favour. If you sat any group of your friends down and discussed what was ethical and expected in a just, compassionate society they'd all agree on each and every aspect, so why do people vote differently? Is it that there isn't a political party tailored to the needs of society as a whole, or does the rigged game involve this party system in order to play us off against each other to their advantage? I hope to show politics for the deception that it is, and reinforce the urgent need for a moral duty we all have, because the alternative is to continue playing the game and usher in Armageddon.