Living Authentically In The Unauthentic World Of Corporations

Copyright (c) 2010 Dave Smartapartment or whatever he lived in, and probably a
Many centuries ago, two or more persons trying todescription of it. It is unlikely that he or she would say "I
grapple with the frightening prospect of facing the perilbelieve I.....". If asked why he did not, he would likely say
of liability that their partnership would face in thesomething like "I don't have to believe, I can remember".
business they were creating, decided to create anThis all goes to show that, for us material yet sentient
imaginary person to hold the liability of the partnership;beings, BELIEVING is a crutch we use only when
and the concept of a corporation was born. As annecessary. Yet it is this crutch we must use to believe
imaginary concept it was incredibly successful.that a corporation is real. Yes, they pay real money
Corporations were not only an alternative toand sell real products and services. Yet it itself is not
partnerships, they came to hold the ESSENCE of thereal; even as the ether pervading all space that 19th
partnership. They became very skilled in fooling peopleCentury scientists believed was real, is not.
of their existence and of their right to exist; especially,Little clues of this environment of unreality come to
the legal profession. Today, in a world where eventhose who work in a corporation day in and day out.
entire nations are challenged to their right to exist,The incompleteness and insincerity of memos passing
seldom is a corporation duly incorporated in the lawsback and forth can be a clue. The knowing that all the
of some country ever challenged to its right to exist.buildings and facilities, down to the coffee pots and
Patents are awarded to corporations in lieu ofcopy machines, can be sold overnight, adds to this
individuals, even if such individual is the actual inventor;energy of non-genuineness. There is a pattern of
and corporations routinely require employees to agreepeople in a corporation having no name other than the
to cede their inventions, if any, to the corporation.corporation or the department they are working in. In
Corporations today claim to be "corporate citizens".this atmosphere it is easy to come to question the
Yet unlike individuals they owe no allegiance to theessence of our own existence.
United States or any other country, and they canBut how do I maintain a sense of my own
change what country and state they are incorporatedauthenticity?
in overnight. And, unlike individuals, they can beIn Jungian psychology and philosophy all we know of
world-wide, operating in many countries simultaneously,another person is our perception of him or her, and
claiming to be corporate citizens in all countries thatthat perception is a part of ourselves. Similar can be
they operate in. They pay taxes, as corporations, insaid of corporations that we perceive. When another
these various countries; as they manipulate theirperson dies, he or she lives on as a part of ourselves
products, services, personnel and assets to takein our memory of him or her. Similar is true of
advantage of the different tax law loopholes in thecorporations; but with them, as they merge, divide,
different countries.change their name, become something else, or possibly
And now the United States Supreme Court has ruledpass to the hands of receivers; that memory
that, as citizens, they have First and Fourteenthbecomes lost in a sea of confusion. It is here that their
Amendment rights of free speech that allow them tounreality is truly unmasked; which is only fitting, since
advertise in behalf of political candidates, or in behalf ofthey were not real in the first place.
their opponents. We are only a Supreme CourtAnd yet, even as there is group consciousness, there
decision away from corporations being allowed to fundis corporate consciousness, for they are indeed a
candidates directly; and only a Supreme Court decisiongroup and so have a group consciousness. In that
away from corporations having, as citizens, votinggroup consciousness is their essence, and that IS real.
rights; at which point they would require employees toBut that is all, plus of course their assets and inventory.
give up their voting rights as they presently do theirReal persons they are not, and never were. And in
patent rights, and vote in their place as they choose.that truth even a corporate worker can find his or her
Most of us individuals accept our own existence. Buttrue authenticity. For his perception of the corporation
corporations, whose real existence is based on ais but one part of himself; and all the other parts, that
falsehood, exist only because we BELIEVE they exist.have been resident in himself throughout his life, can be
If someone asks a person where he or she livedwitnessed nonjudgmentally along with the corporation
when ten years old, he or she would likely give aby his aware ego, anytime, even in the short walk
detailed answer, down to the address of the house orbetween his desk and the coffeepot.