This was a great post, Sam.

I agree that there are forces at work that would like to hook us into their agendas.

I don't know how organized and linked to each other these forces are. I mean how consciously they're orchestrating the B.S. with which they baffle us.

I suspect there is a certain amount of deliberate planning on the part of some of the powers that be.

But I think that some of the dynamics at play are simply the result of the Group Ego Mind, if that's an appropriate description of it.

In any event, whether the element of Ego collaborates across the board or not, I think the most constructive way for us to deal with it is to disengage from it, to acquire some detachment, for example, through meditation.

I also think our behavior -- including seemingly small things, like how we spend our money -- demonstrates how assimilated with The Borg or how independent we are.

For me, even what I eat is part of how I interact with The Matrix (to use an analogy from yet another movie).