dnb21,
Really, I commend you for thinking about these topics. You've revealed your age in this thread, and I too at your age was all up in this shit. I still am and love it, but it's infotainment. Some of it is true, some of it is false.
The appeal of these problems for lot's of people is that they actually represent a solution. The solution is that it gives them an external locus of control to blame everything on. These broad conspiratorial questions are an end in themselves because they relinquish the individual of the responsibility of turning inward and taking control of the first thing that must be conquered, which is the self.
Brilliantly said.
@DNB:
Just a few thoughts on the whole illuminati/banker conspiracy shit:
1) Conspiracy theories are a profitable niche. Over the course of 3 years, I've seen dozens upon dozens of conspiracy/NWO/Illuminati themed websites blow up with popularity. They profit off of the fears of disillusioned masses and quickly garner loyal readership and an amazing social media presence. Be skeptical of everything you read. A lot of sensationalist bullshit gets thrown into the mix along with the truth.
2) No organization or group of powerful individuals runs the world. They might WANT to control the world. They might be TRYING to control the world. But the odds are clearly against them. They will fail.
3) Like Hobbster said, take individual control. I wasted a lot of time feeling disillusioned about the world and reluctant to apply myself to anything because, because, because... WHAT IF THE DOLLAR CRASHES? WHAT'S THE POINT OF MAKING MONEY WHEN MONEY IS A TOOL OF CONTROL? WE'RE ALL DOOMED ANYWAY, WHAT'S THE POINT OF GOING FORWARD? I'M BEING CONTROLLED!
I'd rather spend my time educating myself, studying marketing, enjoying time with friends and family, and working on my health than worrying about things I can't change.
Speaking of education, if anyone REALLY wants to ditch the illuminati conspiracy bullshit and actually learn about the elite agenda (from their perspective), I recommend checking out
Zbigniew K. Brzezinski's books. He's an elitist himself, a co-founder of the Trilateral-Commission, served as a United States National Security Advisor to Jimmy Carter, and is a political scientist of epic proportions. The man is a globalist chess master.
Here's an excerpt from his 1970 book,
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Between-Two-Ages-Americas-Technetronic/dp/0313234981"]Between Two Ages: America's Role in the Technetronic Era[/ame]
"The technetronic era involves the gradual appearance of a more controlled society. Such a society would be dominated by an elite, unrestrained by traditional values. Soon it will be possible to assert almost continuous surveillance over every citizen and maintain up-to-date complete files containing even the most personal information about the citizen. These files will be subject to instantaneous retrieval by the authorities."
And this:
"Today we are again witnessing the emergence of transnational elites ... [Whose] ties cut across national boundaries ...It is likely that before long the social elites of most of the more advanced countries will be highly internationalist or globalist in spirit and outlook ... The nation-state is gradually yielding its sovereignty... Further progress will require greater American sacrifices. More intensive efforts to shape a new world monetary structure will have to be undertaken, with some consequent risk to the present relatively favorable American position."
He predicts (or helps create) the future with disturbing accuracy.
Check out his other books.
Finally, here's one last quote:
"In addition, it may be possible--and tempting--to exploit for strategic-political purposes the fruits of research on the brain and on human behavior. Gordon J. F. MacDonald, a geophysicist specializing in problems of warfare, has written that timed artificially excited electronic strokes could lead to a pattern of oscillations that produce relatively high power levels over certain regions of the earth.... In this way, one could develop a system that would seriously impair the brain performance of very large populations in selected regions over an extended period.... No matter how deeply disturbing the thought of using the environment to manipulate behavior for national advantages to some, the technology permitting such use will very probably develop within the next few decades."