Religion and the Internet
Posted by este in Broadband Internet, Communications on October 1, 2011
When you think about the things in our lives that the internet has touched there are many things that come to mind. For example, you may think of how we bank, shop, get music or even pay our bills. But one aspect of our lives that the internet has influenced and is not quite as obvious is religion. However, the expansion of broadband internet services has had a profound impact on religion and how it is viewed.
For one, religion is now more accessible than ever thanks to high speed broadband expansion. For example, Muslims around the world can hear the daily call to prayer by simply downloading the prayer schedule onto their phone, tablet or computer. Christians can also log on to hear daily prayers which are posted by some churches. They can also watch a church service from the comfort of their home thanks to streaming video. In addition, Bible passages are just a mouse click away and you don’t even have to know exactly where the verse is located. Jews are also able to learn Hebrew in 140 character lessons thanks to schools which tweet lessons each day.
Those who are homebound are also able to participate in church services. They can simply log in and see what their fellow church members are up to, get a look at the minutes of meetings and watch services on Sunday. Those who are interested in seeing what different denominations are about can also do easy research thanks to the internet. They can see how each church worships and then make an informed decision on what church they would like to visit.
There is no longer a worry about distance as well. Even those who are not religious can find like minded individuals in blogs and chat rooms in order to share their opinions. In addition, there are millions of Muslims living all over the world and now they can remain tied to their home country and culture thanks to the internet. Others can also watch services from their home church when away on vacation or business.
Even the reputations that certain religions may have are beginning to shift. Churches are embracing the digital wave and tweeting their messages as well as setting up Facebook accounts. They are also using video technology to stream church services as well as weekly messages from priests and pastors. This has caused some who used to view the church as stodgy to change their mind as churches are using technology.
More and more people are now getting involved in their church thanks to social media sites. This is because members are able to leave feedback and get involved in the church easier. As a result, those associated with the church are able to make changes based on what the congregation wants.
Investing and the Internet
Posted by este in Broadband Internet on September 26, 2011
The internet has made a lot of things in our lives easier and one of them is how we invest, bank and do business. If we want to put money into the stock market, mutual funds, bonds or just about anywhere else, that task used to fall to an investment guru. While there are still plenty of financial advisors today, we can also do a lot of investing on our own thanks to the expansion of broadband internet. The expansion of broadband has also lead to many other improvements in the financial world.
In addition, to being a boom when it comes to investing, the expansion of the internet has also led to computer and internet banking. This, of course, allows for customers to do their banking from any place in the world. Customers can check accounts, manage money, transfer funds all thanks to the internet. In addition, internet banking has cut down on check writing as most bills can now be paid online and drafted each month directly from your checking account.
The expansion of the internet has also lead to the rise of the common stock trader. There is no shortage of online brokerage sites such as E-Trade that will help you determine what stocks to buy by offering all the same tools that real brokers have. In addition, there are numerous discount online brokerage sites which have made investing more accessible to those who don’t have huge accounts. This has popularized investing as a way to create wealth for those who are in the middle class.
The internet has also allowed people to learn more about money in general. This is because the internet allows for a free exchange of information and knowledge between experts and individuals. Before the internet, most people had to go to a class or rely on a financial advisor who may not have always had their client’s best interest in mind. Today, however, investors and individuals can go online and ask a question to an advisor or anyone else. In addition, there are plenty of websites that have information regarding money, investing, saving, buying a house, buying a car or just about anything else related to money that one can think of. Blogs have also become big, but you do have to make sure that the information is coming from a legitimate source. Therefore, it is advisable to use blogs on name brand sites so you can monitor the quality of the information.
Increased competition is also an interesting by product of the expansion of broadband internet. For example, online brokerage houses now have to offer better rates and lower minimum deposits in order to remain competitive.
The Ascension Process and the Internet
Posted by este in Spirituality on September 22, 2011
I came across a helpful description of the Ascension process that humanity is going through that compares Ascension with the adoption of the Internet. The information came from a source channeled by Mark Kimmel.
In a nutshell, one can compare the “activation” and the adoption of the Ascension process with the creation and adoption of the Internet: After personal computers were available but before the Internet existed, a few (nerdy) people realized the advantage of hooking their computers together in order to exchange information. Gradually others became aware of the benefits of being hooked up, and they too hooked up their computers into networks until a fledgling Internet was created. Once the Internet became widely available, the information and applications available to those linked up to it skyrocketed. Although the early pioneers may have found it difficult to get the mainstream excited about or even interested in their Internet ideas at first, it is hard to imagine life without the Internet now.
The following is an excerpt of Mark Kimmel’s channeling. It describes the larger Ascension process currently underway as a gradual multi-step process similar to how people embraced the Internet.
“First there is the realization of a larger picture. A few of the initial embracers saw this and began to publicize it. Second are those who after receiving hints of the larger picture begin to investigate for themselves. By this time the earliest embracers had moved forward to make a free will choice to change the way in which they lived–to live according to their hearts. They have since become way-showers–acting either publicly or privately–within the context of an emerging paradigm.”–Mark Kimmel
Although the description of how the Ascension process works in society seems to be correct, a stickler like myself would not find it very accurate. In reality, you don’t see the larger picture clearly until you’re well into the process. Rather, they way it works is that there is the realization that there must be, has to be a larger picture–that explains better than the conventional paradigm why the world is in the state it’s in and what can be done about it. There may be glimpses of a larger picture of a transformed humanity, there may be a yearning for and glimpses of some sort of a Golden Age, but the reality is that you don’t have the larger picture–yet. As a pioneer, you just place a bet with the Universe that there is a bigger picture that can help explain the onslaught of strange, bizarre, and painful events that have occurred in your life and in the world, often seemingly for no good reason, and that you will find it. When you do find the answers for yourself, you can then help others by sharing your experiences. Desperation is the best catalyst for seeking, and ultimately discovering, the solutions to problems.
So…without having a clear realization of the larger picture, you must make a free will choice to live according to your heart (your inner being, your higher self) rather than what you have been taught since childhood, even though you’re not very confident about trusting your inner guidance yet, or at times, even recognizing it. It is only after you have lived like this for quite some time such that you’ve accumulated tons of firsthand experiences and new insights that override conventional thought that a bigger picture begins to emerge within you. Then it still takes something more to be able to communicate it effectively.
I can guarantee that a clear picture doesn’t form in your mind until you’ve actually experienced certain pivotal events firsthand. For example, you won’t know who you are and what you’re truly capable of until you’ve experienced yourself struggling through your personal issues and then, rising above them and fulfilling your contribution to the Golden Age.
Furthermore, I have been spreading the idea that individuals actually have to make real life choices (choices that often involve changing your life direction) rather than buying into the belief that you will find yourself on some “wave” that can be ridden or will automatically be swept up in the Ascension process without having to do much work, but I am under the impression that this message has not been readily embraced. The Ascension process is not some wave you can “ride.” It’s not a magic carpet ride.
Even for hooking up to the Internet (for which there wasn’t a lot of resistance) you have to do certain things, you have to buy the equipment needed and then learn how to use it.
Mark Kimmel’s channeled message communicates these ideas well: “People have to do something. People can buy the necessary equipment to connect to the Internet or not. It is their choice. If they do not buy the equipment, they are not connected. Similarly, if people do not make a conscious effort to raise their vibration they will not be swept along with those who have done so. There is no free ride.”–Mark Kimmel
In summary, Mark Kimmel’s description of the Internet as a metaphor for Ascension is helpful–as long as one is aware of the subtle caveats.