Part Two: Validation of Mind: Concepts of Reason
“…historically, dreamers have a pretty good track record.” —Sidekicks
With the incredible level of data collected in the medical and physical sciences, we have more than enough physical evidence to form a sound philosophy for Man. So many human attributes considered evil have been proven to be biologically natural, life-promoting structures, that the false-righteously stiff sit frozen, remaining backward as their control over morality is taken. Their stranglehold on innocence is succumbing to age, finally. Why did they fight rationality? The concepts of judgment, certainty and pleasure, which were considered impertinent, arrogant and selfish, have proven themselves to be derived by axiomatic needs—needs at the base of conscioushealth for Man—just as air and water are necessities of physical health. Judgmentis the identification and acceptance of right and wrong; certaintyis the established link of cause to effect, and pleasureis the reward for acting on the certainty of rational judgment. All were damned so that the imposed guilt could be used as justification to expropriate the values such concepts created. We were preyed upon by the Spirit Murderers all along, not for our vices, but for our virtues. Our sexual drives, our emotional propensity for constructive or destructive action, our degrees of intelligence; these are issues that as far as moral import is concerned, can be put to rest. There was and is, no mind/body dichotomy. There is no moral struggle of one against the other. There is no fixed, ‘I can’t help it’ prenatal level of awareness. There is no struggle for control between the conscious and subconscious mind. The struggle is and always has been, between reality and the Spirit Murderer’s unwillingness to accept it.
At one’s first moment of conscious awareness, one sees the world, and is either afraid of it’s complexity or is intrigued. One either immediately desires exploration or tries to back out. This initial reaction sets the stage for the manner in which one’s mind will classify information or assimilate, from then on. The question truly is, “To be, or not to be.” From the very beginning of cognitive responsibility, Self-made Man decided that he wants to live.
The most powerful emotion a man can feel is anticipation, and its antithesis, dread; the expectation of enjoyment, and the expectation of pain. Anticipation is a high positiveenergy response to existence driven by confidence—the projection of fulfillment—whereas dread is a high negativeenergy response to existence driven by inadequacy—the projection of doom. No other emotions can bring about so deep a personal impact: the trembling, the butterflies, the sudden perspiration—hot and then cold, a dry throat, and at the extreme, total incapacitation; all precursors of an outcome of crucial importance to the afflicted. Then there is the moment for some, when everything turns quiet: the purity of total focus, of absolute calm, the lock-on to a ruthless expansion of awareness, monitoring and maintaining only the key elements of achievement at peak levels. In this state of consciousness, the mind drops all inessentials and applies one hundred percent of its attention to regulating the expectations of one’s conscious will. Access to this intellectual level is the province of the Self-made: the most purely earned state of personal accomplishment possible. From it, comes the wealth of the individual: the greatest advances, the greatest performances, the most passionate connections and the most powerful conveyances. Aware of it or not, Self-made Man utilizes this same process at differing degrees to satisfy all of his intentions, from the simplest to the most complex of endeavors.
Often these primary emotions can switch places without warning. Fear can easily turn into anticipatory exhilaration, because they are epistemological antipodes. Fear is easier to elicit, as it often precedes identification. It hits you just when you are faced with an input you were not prepared for; information outside of your focus. This is the critical juncture in every context, when a man chooses either to turn the lights on, or to keep them off. It is here, that the Self-made and the Fear-driven go their separate ways. Self-made Man goes on to achievement and self-satisfaction, while Fear-driven Man damns himself to stagnation and self-hatred. Perceptive bravery (courage) is Man’s non-automatic, self-motivated, self-generated, conscious moral response to a new situation. As courage is not automatic, he must use discipline to exercise it; a moral choice. Choosing to identify the product of his senses (his perceptions) requires confidence in his ability to handle whatever is coming, in order to solve his life’s concerns. Fifty percent of all heroic actions are done by untainted cognition—the “Yes, I see.” The other half is being true to what is seen, by taking appropriate physical action.
Everyone feels uncertainty about the unknown, until its nature becomes clear. Self-worth is nota question of feeling fear or not; that does not define one’s bravery or one’s value as a person. What defines one’s value, is how one responds. Some shrink according to their self-belief; Self-made Man expands according to his. But where does his self-confidence come from? It comes from his pattern of cognition. The pattern of life-serving human cognition is (1) sensate perception, (2) identification and integration into one’s knowledge base, (3) creative response, and (4) result. Self-made Man can recall enough instances of his past to see the pattern implicitly; he knows the actions bettering his chances for success are contingent upon his remaining aware. His alpha-potency is made and perpetuated in this instance. Self-made Man develops to the point where he doesn’t even realize fear couldbe felt; what he feels is exhilaration. The new is the unexplored; the startling is the adventurous and he anticipates his own triumph against any challenge.