Niamh Walsh’s Manifesto
Manifesting might move the universe before me...
THIS week I stumbled down an internet rabbit hole into the insane world of new age spiritualism’s newest fad: Manifestation.
If, like me, you have no idea what manifestation is, and if, like me, you adopt a general attitude of disdain and ridicule to such new-fangled nonsense, then Manifestation is a doozy. Think that odious book ‘The Secret’, but on steroids.
The basic premise of Manifestation is taking a spiritualistic and holistic approach to basically getting everything you want. In essence it is essentially that if you think of something you want, the universe will deliver it. It’s not the idea that if you’re dedicated to something you’re more likely through determination and hard work to achieve your goals.
No, Manifestation only necessitates being mentally dedicated to getting something and then the universe will alter itself because of the things you want. Much like The Secret, which was also a spiritualist guide that invoked the belief that by believing in yourself, you’ll get what you want.
But Manifestation goes 10 steps further and without any relation to actual spiritualistic doctrines like Buddhism. It simply is the practice of thinking really hard about the universe and in return the universe will tilt itself on its axis simply because someone somewhere wanted something.
One way to Manifest is ‘The Window Effect’ which involves looking out a window imagining what you want – be that a boy or a handbag.
Then you have to imagine yourself as the best version of you and send that vision out, whereby the universe (by spiritual osmosis!) will take that vision to whoever it is and wherever in the world they are, and then they’ll whisk it right back to your window.
For the more impatient Manifestors there’s also the Amazon Manifestation Method. This really is as easy as placing an Amazon-like order of your desires with the Universe Ltd, who having nothing better to do will go fetch, package, and express deliver the object by ParcelDirect the following day.
Now this may sound easy-peezy. But like all of these new fads, Manifestation is not for the faint of heart, or the shy of work.
Not just anyone is capable of wishful thinking. So, of course, there are holistic Manifestation Gurus, who if you pay a monthly fee and take some pricey courses, you can be taught to think like.
If this all sounds exhausting imagine how the poor Manifestors feel about having to think this hard just to get what they want from life – while the rest of us just have to go and get a silly old job.
Donal’s f ight a tail of devotion
WHAT’S seldom truly is wonderful. And it was wonderful to see some semblance of justice from our courts in favour of animals.
Kim the Jack Russell terrier got an eleventh hour reprieve from execution after months of judicial wrangling.
Her owner and besotted best friend Donal Rogers, to his immeasurable credit, never gave up on saving his pooch from meeting an untimely end.
Justice is a rarity in Ireland when it comes to animals, but with people like Donal and his unyielding quest for his canine companion there’s a glimmer of hope that dogs can have a voice in a system which, generally, fails them quite abysmally.
No means feat to keep social solidarity going
SOCIAL Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore is well meaning, but wrong about means testing the universal fuel credit. She has argued the point till she is practically as blue in the face as we could all be facing into a fuel-rationed winter. ‘It shouldn’t be universal – and I’ve made the point repeatedly, actually, that those on higher incomes should not be getting this as well,’ she rages.
What seems not to have occurred to Deputy Whitmore is that implementation of a means test would in the first instance likely delay what is an emergency measure.
It is also proven that high earnings don’t necessarily equate to a high household income.
Many middle and high earners are very often left with little disposable income after tax, after going to work costs and other outgoings. This is an unpalatable and inconvenient truth that is oft ignored, and one those who like to pillory the better-off refuse to accept. What has also been repeated is the basic point that when it comes to social responsibility, it is the people who contribute everything that get nothing.
Reducing the universality of the payment will lead to less solidarity in the hard winter months.
And as we saw with Covid, when our politicians fail us, social solidarity is our last line of defence.
Musk’s murky deal shines light on a fool
TESLA gazillionaire Elon Musk rarely goes a day without perpetuating the myth he’s both the smartest and richest man on Earth.
In something akin to his sci-fi fantasy life, Musk maintains he has ‘Come in Peace’ as he hawked a peace-treaty to the Ukrainian people which involved them handing over a sizeable portion of their country to Vladimir Putin.
Musk’s murky deal did nothing to end the war but did succeed in shining a spacecraft-sized spotlight on his own true character. In one tweet he also debunked the age old adage that a fool and his money are easily parted. After a Ukrainian Ambassador told Musk and his treaty to go f**k himself, it emerged that Musk was no longer prepared to support the Starlink Satellite System that has been providing Ukrainian soldiers with vital internet access.
So while Musk happily fritters away billions sending, amongst other things, himself and his billionaire buddies (and even one of his Tesla cars) into space, he balks at spending a few million to save countless innocent lives on Earth.
Time to bring back The Terminated...?
DON’T shoot me, but I can’t help retaining a soft spot for Boris Johnson. After being ousted as UK PM, his parting bore an ominous tone.
Staring down his political backstabbers he bade farewell with ‘hasta la vista, baby’ and ‘mission largely accomplished – for now’.
Mere months on and those who succeeded him are in total and utter turmoil.
Johnson could have conceivably cadged another Arnie quote and instead said: ‘I’ll Be Back!’