Before getting too ahead of ourselves and risk getting cut off from our supply lines, let us summarize what this exploration has uncovered.
In this chapter the Author further examined the importance of packaging in the transmission process. First we looked at the difference between filter logic and deductive logic - again pointing out that only one of the many filters of the Listener is based in deductive logic. Further a true message is frequently passed as false if it didn’t pass the Packaging filter. Conversely a false message is frequently passed as true if the Packaging was true, i.e. the Source was evaluated as Us. The truth behind this process is that my Tribe will take better care of me than their tribe. Again this underlying assumption needs to be carefully investigated in order to be certain that the Speaker isn’t Wolf in Sheep’s clothing, appearing to be part of your tribe, when in actuality he is part of Them. This chapter serves as a warning for the Listener to be aware of the innate tendency to rate packaging over content. Also it is a warning to those wishing to transmit Truth that they must be aware of the importance of internal as well as external packaging if they want their message to be accepted. A poor attitude might alienate many more than it convinces.
In this chapter the Author uses the True false postulate to deconstruct the idea that the Tribe always takes care of its Members. It was explained that the Tribe takes care of itself first and the Members second - Further taking care of itself frequently means taking care of the Leaders at the expense of the Common man. While the Leader is rated higher than the Common man the Group is still rated higher than the Leader, this is why they are frequently replaced. The point is that the good of the Group is not necessarily the good of each Individual. This is opposite from the common underlying assumption that the good of the Group is the same as the Good of the Individual. This is another example of the Generalization Fallacy.
To understand the Truth behind the importance of the Leader to the Group, we proposed the concept of a warrior-king fighting to save his country from attack. We noted King Theoden of Lord of the Rings and some historical personages as examples. While the warrior-king or tribal chief was a valid real example of the importance of the military leader to the Group, the Author challenged anyone to find such an example in present times - Despite the fact that certain Leaders package themselves in military flight jackets - Leading the troops into battle went out of fashion about 500 years ago. The present model of the Leader is the same as the King in the game of chess - all the pieces are sacrificed for the good of the King - the Pawns first of all.
The complexity of the above discussion led to an extension of the T/F Postulate. Because of the inherent ambiguity of verbal transmission, specifics are needed to modify generalities in order to clarify understanding. Specifically the more Examples one uses to modify the Generality, the closer to the actual Experience is the Message that the Listener internalizes. This discussion is to neutralize the process that we call Bar Room Speculation. This is the situation when generalities are thrown around amongst several people. Everyone assumes that everyone else understands the specific meanings behind the broad innuendoes and suggestions, when in reality there is very little real transmission going on - a lot of fluff with no substance.
Here are yet a few more common underlying assumptions that the Author is attempting to deconstruct. Specifically he suggests that the Group is for the Good of the Individual needs to be replaced with the Group is for the Good of the Group. Another is that ‘Generalities is good way of communicating’ needs to replaced with ‘Generalities mean virtually nothing unless modified by examples’. This is a way of neutralizing the Generalization Fallacy.
In Chapter 12 we explore some more inherent features of the Group in order to know what to expect when the inevitable interactions occur between the Individual and the Group. The tendency to self-organize is an inherent relation between Individual and the Group. From inanimate through the animate worlds, up until humans, these styles of self-organization from the Hive, the Colony, the Pack, carbon into diamonds, hydrogen and oxygen into water, ice, and steam, each of these styles of self -organization were innate. One feature of the Groups was that they take precedence over those who make them up. Specifically species preservation was more important than self-preservation on the animate level. The individual willingly innately gives himself up to the group. We mentioned how most parents who have bonded with their children over time would willingly sacrifice their lives for their children. This has been raised to the level of a moral virtue by most cultures.
This innate urge to preserve the species thru the family has been distorted to include tribe, city, country and culture. However the problem is not specifically the extension. The problem comes when the extension comes in conflict with the nuclear family. In other words sacrifice for the Child is a positive virtue that most would never think of deconstructing. Further anyone who attempted would be permanently suspect no matter how good their reasoning. However to sacrifice one’s family for one’s country is counter productive to the initial innate response. Specifically to join an army to risk one’s life attacking another country when one has family at home that need them for support is upside down thinking. At this point the Author suggested that there is a difference between Species Logic and Individual Logic to leads to very different conclusions.
The idea of preservation of Species emanates from our inanimate background, which is based in Conservation of Momentum, a major law of physics.
The suggestion for Truth tellers is to be aware that humans tend to innately sacrifice themselves for the Group. The suggestion for Individuals is to be careful which Group you choose and be careful of the tendency for self-sacrifice.
In this Chapter the Author suggests that the Packaging is a type of modifier that should be used to evaluate the Message. Just as the content shouldn’t be ignored neither should the Packaging. To understand and evaluate the transmission one must use all the clues in a balanced manner rather than being a slave of Appearance or of Content.
There is one more important factor in evaluating messages. This has to do with the fact that the Consequences to the Response are incredibly important. If the Listener is able to evoke a Reward from his Response to the Message then he has successfully internalized and externalized the Message. This scenario is defined as True. Conversely if the Listener evokes a Punishment from his Response then he has been unsuccessful somewhere along the line. This scenario is defined as False. As an example, the guy wants the girl to reward him with affection so he attempts to model his behavior so that he is rewarded. The verbal content is secondary to the potential for rewards and punishment. The Consequences cannot be separated from the rest of the communication.
Because the Consequences are so important, they must be redefined in order to escape an abusive relation with the Establishment. If material rewards are raised to the highest level then one may as well be a slave to the System, because they have the potential to reward you well. However to avoid giving up your freedom, it is necessary to redefine rewards in terms of personal satisfaction, which many times is linked with the happiness of those around us. If one has redefined one’s happiness and consequences in terms of spiritual versus material rewards then one’s conclusions are entirely different. One can ignore the temptations of money because one’s real rewards come from dancing with the Gods rather than playing in the sandbox of materialism.
In this Chapter the Author gives an example from Chinese history to illustrate how Consequences are more important then Content. Indeed many will say that wrong is right to get ahead - to be rewarded by the Establishment. This is the way that the Propagandist gets the Populace to jump thru flaming hoops. Unfortunately for them, if their internal integrity is disturbed then their mental peace is disturbed. If they have no Peace, then they cannot truly enjoy materialism. Therefore it is rarely worth it to compromise integrity for things. This Chapter is an oblique attack on the underlying assumption of many that materialism is the real source of happiness. We replace this with the assumption that internal peace is the real source of happiness for only then can we enjoy our materialism completely.
Extending the combined analysis - the Establishment rewards those who further the existence of the Group and punish those who threaten its existence. The Group logic is very different from the Individual Logic. The Populace buys the Propaganda because they believe they will be rewarded - not because they believe the information is true. Any logical justifications are just rationalizations for their own corruption by materialism. Rather than admit their own ‘dirty little secret’ to others or to themselves, instead they create elaborate dream worlds, which never seem to really fill the spiritual void deep at the core of their Being.
In Chapter 16, we explore the connection between the Cell and the Group. We discover that while the Rules of the Cell determine the Form of the Group that they don’t determine the individual Character of the Cell or the Group, which is unique. Thus while the Individual and the Collocate are intimately connected thru the Rules and Form, they manifest in totally unique ways. Therefore it is impossible to study rules of the individual to understand the character of the collective. This must be studied specifically.
However, there are meta laws that govern group motivations, which are universal. One of these is that the Group has precedence over the Individual. The second is that the Group seeks to preserves itself at the sake of the individuals that make it up. As an example the Corpuscle = Matter is subservient to the Corpus = Life which is subservient to the Corporation = Meta-Life. This is true despite the fact that Matter is the basis of Life, which is the basis of the Corporation. The warning is the same - Which is to beware of unconditional surrender to the Group because it has a different morality than you do. Further it is important to respect the Group dynamics in order to not be consumed or destroyed by them.
In Chapter 17 we begin by reviewing that the laws of the Individual determine the Form of the Collective but not the Nature. One major difference between the Individual and the Group is that the Individual has emotions and is personal, while the Group has no emotions and is impersonal. The Group cares about the individual to the extent that he serves the Group and no more. While Groups of Human called Corporations have no conscience, it is in the best interests of their survival to treat their Individual humans well.
Any behavior that furthers the survival of the Group is defined as true and good, while any action that threatens the survival of the Group is defined as false and bad, at least in terms of the Group. Both inanimate and animate matter experiment with Form - moving gradually towards more efficient states of being. Of course what is successful yesterday might be unsuccessful today. For instance Water experiments with many different state changes in the course of a year, primarily dependent upon external heat. While it might seem odd to characterize inanimate matter as experimenting with Form, everything is constantly attempting to find the most efficient Form in its own natural way. We anthropomorphize the supernova as an example. The point is that inanimate and animate Groups obey the same Meta rules despite the fact that they have no brains. Thus it is important to respect the Rules of the Group so that you can ride the energy behind the Wave rather than being Wiped out.
In an overall sense it is good for the Individual to Group for survival. However the Leader is more important to the Group than the rest because he binds the Group together. While the survival of the Leader is important to the Group, the survival of the Individuals making up the Group is not nearly as important. While animate and inanimate organize into Groups naturally and inadvertently, some say instinctually, the Humans can choose their Group. Therefore it is important to exercise this ability to choose carefully. While in tribal times there was not as much choice involved, in present times we have many choices, i.e. family, friends, job, location, and extracurricular activities. In order to avoid being a pawn it is important to regularly exercise the power of choice.
One reason that people regularly choose to be a pawn, is that think they have no choice. This attitude is encouraged by the Propaganda of the Group - which naturally propagates the information that your only Choice is to Choose to Belong. Of course part of this Message is that if you don’t join you will be punished in some way or another, while if you do you will be rewarded beyond your wildest imaginings. Another message from the Propaganda of the Group: you have no power except through the Group; therefore give us your power. The next part of this natural Propaganda of the Group: the Group needs are more important than Individual Needs: so it is important to sacrifice the Individual for the Group. Therefore the Individual is persuaded to join the Group for the Individual Good, but then is asked to sacrifice his Individual Good for the good of the Group. These are the Three Paradoxes of the Group Propaganda that are transmitted naturally to preserve the Group. 1. No Choice, but choose us. 2. No Power, but give us your power. 3. Join us for your good, but then sacrifice your good for the Group good. Frequently the Individual believes these paradoxes without questioning because of the tendency to fall into the Group Trance, which is the same as Mob mentality.
It is important to always remember that as humans we have choice and power. Further the Group should exist for the good of the Individual so it is not necessary to sacrifice oneself for the good of the Group, unless one chooses to do so.
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