Some people smoke aggressively for the same reason some people stay in abusive relationships, abuse drugs, remain alcholohics, or engage in other self-destructive behaviors - they have not figured out how to summon the will power to stop.

However, without awareness raising efforts things would be considerably worse. Don’t compare reality to an ideal, compare it to where we would be without awareness.

at this point it seems that anyone who chooses to educate themselves outside of the established system of education ends up a conspiracy theorist.

That’s a really great point

at this point it seems that anyone who chooses to educate themselves outside of the established system of education ends up a conspiracy theorist.

and is a thirst for knowledge nessecarily enterainment? as much as it is our nature?

im a “conspiracy theorist” i suppose, because i was kicked out of high school and never went to college. i wasnt about to stop learning, in fact, i see what happened to me education wise, was because i felt like i was being lied to. what i was being told didnt make sense…..

you either can think of things as conspiracy or coincidence… and i know things arent all coincidence….

i guess i really just have a gut feeling… and have to roll with it, because i really dont like being lied to…

No, I meant that…. like someone’s music can have a profound affect on your awareness, and as people become more aware they usually start making good decisions simply as a function of their being. The idea of expanding your own awareness, and sort of sharing that in your work is a more profound thing than focusing on crap like what car you’re driving.

I mean that stuff that matters too, but it’s still not gonna change shit if it’s not affecting how people think and pattern their behavior.

that was from the billy corgan thinger.

But meanwhile, everybody knows that smoking is bad for you, but people still smoke.

Substantially less people are smoking now than there were in the 50s or even the early 90s.

Maybe if we raise just a little bit more awareness…! We also hear the phrase “critical mass” thrown around in conjunction with this. We expect that at some point our efforts to “raise awareness” will reach a “critical mass” at which point we’ll be personally absolved from having to actually do anything ourselves! Well, we figure, we helped raise awareness and after that, we’ll just let the critical mass handle itself. *Wash hands - rinse - repeat*

Okay, what’s the point of doing something? I mean we kinda stopped littering as much, but the government is still dumping toxic waste wherever it’s convenient.

I’m not going to lie. Personally I find conspiracy theory extremely entertaining. Or else I wouldn’t spend so much time with it. It’s the puzzle that seems to draw in all other puzzles - at least for me anyway. Do I hope people are brought to justice? Sure! Do I expect anyone will be because of anything I do? Not a fucking chance! Do I think I’m raising awareness? Probably. Does that matter in any practical way? I have no freakin’ idea…

Any ways, it’s pointless to argue, because I know we already agree, you’re doing what you like, because you like it; not because of any ambitious contrivance–I completely dig that, but that’s also the sort of thing that affects the most change. “Follow your bliss”, “we need more alive people”, all that good stuff.

http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC09/Myers.htm