illusions

I am so thankful to have Alice in my life because she throws one liners at me and I have to do internet searching. Her recent one was "Potemkin villages" which were the fake settlements created by a minister in Russia, Grigory Potyomkin, as a way to impress and woo Catherine II. The villages were resurrected as superficial towns to impress the Queen and hide the fact that Russia was in dire straits. The screen towns were used to look like a vibrant place (like Disneyworld, where the behind-the-scene truth of life is also very Potemkin ... hmmm, Jackson's ranch, Neverland?).

Bring in Oz from the Wizard story. When one reaches the Emerald City, one learns there is not a Wizard, at all, but a man holding the front of civility as if a magical deity has control (we do this with our presidents and idols). This is the cover story, but behind the scenes lie a different reality. All that glitters is not gold (see Hollywood for this -- sets of grandiose fibs to create superficial realities0).

What's this have to do with karma? Well, eventually the exterior fades and the real story/truth is learned. I might posit anyone who has moved forward into leadership and tried to challenge the structures of any society will soon learn the Potemkin village is more a reality than we recognize. The structures create a mirage that hides much of the behind-the-scenes truth. Interesting concept.