He it is who causes the man whom he will lead upwards from these worlds to do good works, and he it is who causes the man whom he will lead downwards to do evil works. He is the guardian of the world. He is the ruler of the world. And he is myself.

—Kaushitaki Upanishad

Luminous…

It may be that this race for technological innovation is nothing other than the best efforts of our civilization to ensure that we citizens keep producing and consuming, and remain focused on the future. We are being led to the abattoir of our own planned obsolescence by a marketing wizardry that locks us firmly onto a path of never-ending progress. Could this also explain our disproportionate emphasis on free will and unrestrained choice in America? After all, it provides an unassailable platform from which to produce and market an inexhaustible stream of saleable products and commodities that in turn validates our freedom, again keeping us future-oriented and chasing the ever-receding horizon of our Dream. Who could argue with the shrewdness of such an agenda, or its efficacy in herding us into quiet submission?

Sandy Krolick, Tinkerers on the scaffolding, or the recovery of ecstasy, May 21, 2011