What to do?

We have indoctrination strategies that work positively for us, and indoctrination strategies that work to our disadvantage. And for most of us, once indoctrinated, we embrace either type with the same conviction and belief - that we are on the right side of whatever issue is relevant.

• We become fans of a particular sports team (usually, the one that is most local to what we consider "home".)
  
  
• We get raised by our parents in one of hundreds of different religions, and most of us stick fairly closely to that one as being the "most right" one, as do the members of each of the other hundreds of different religions.
  
  
• Political party affiliation? Watch your friends (or yourself) closely and uncover those who really vote independently for their candidates based on merit, etc. Are they truly "independent," or do they vote "with their party." It's interesting how many declare they consider their candidates independently regardless of party, and yet vote "their party" in the end. The coincidence boggles. Unless, of course, one understands indoctrination.
  
  
  
• What of the pilot who navigates correctly but certainly counterintuitively and against natural instincts that would not have led to success? His indoctrination saved lives.
  
  
• What of those being attracted to spend more than they have on purchases which really are enjoyable to make, but aren't necessary. Done once, that can probably be managed. Done regularly and a credit crisis is generated. Liberties (choices) become restricted in order to make whole the payments owed on what actually wasn't necessary. And yet, all the time those purchases did seem necessary for whatever reasoning, they came with the sales and marketing and indoctrination. In the end, the "Follower" loses something, and the "Leadership" gains something. It was fun, then. But now is now.
  
  
• Imagine any real indoctrination (social messaging and teaching) you are aware of now, and consider it now. What is its stated goal? What is actually the unfolding result? Is it a positive indoctrination or a corrupting one?

We want to keep and propagate the indoctrinations that serve us well, and restrict or eliminate the indoctrinations that ultimately degrade us. And yet either indoctrination, when done well, comes to most of us by way either of our friends or someone we have decided we can trust. The friends who influence us with the positive indoctrinations are true assets! The friends influencing us with the indoctrinations that are corrupting are likeable fools, and destroyers of Liberty. And yet, we consider them our assets too. And we believe them legitimately so. Such is the "Math" of Indoctrination as it interacts with the Embrace of Indoctrinated Preferences Personality Spectrum Ensemble.

On the caution side:

One does not wish to regard the "likeable fool" as the "eroder of Liberty," even if one understands them as a collaborator in just that. Those who truly espouse the Conservation of Liberty will defend another's option to make incorrect decisions so long as they do not appear made to be purposefully destructive and so long as the results are the responsibility of the mistake maker. The eroder of your Freedom to Be Who You Are actually understands that. And thus the enemy of your Liberty will make it a priority to indoctrinate those to their side in a way that makes them appear only as the likeable, well intentioned fool. Because they know that you will then let them be. And by letting them be, those who want to diminish your Freedoms slowly realize their objectives.

They are drawn to their tyranny. You are drawn to giving up only a little bit more if that's what it takes to "keep the peace". The Indoctrinator understands that "math." A little bit at a time is much less costly, and can yield so much more than overt, obvious action that takes what the victim would not ordinarily want to give. Erosion is masked by the Indoctrinator as "Compromise" and "Negotiation."

Unfortunately, tyrants are not checked by rational discussion, diplomacy, or efforts at compromise, cooperation, or give and take. Tyrants erode while they let you feel that you are moving down a "mutual" path with them. Tyrants do not think in terms of "win-win." They want you to think they do while you do also. For a tyrant, there is only "win," and whatever it takes to get you to allow their win. They count on your gullibility lasting long past there being any real opportunity left to do anything about the corruption once you recognize it.

In all of recorded human history, there is only one action and outcome that has checked and removed the advance of tyranny, subjugation, and the ideologies and indoctrinations that advance and protect it. Study any of human history related to the effort to remove tyranny from a culture. There is only one endpoint that has ever worked. Tyrants count on you not being up to it, for all the reasons you will offer for why you are not up to it.

On the helpful side:

Most of us are "up for" rational discussion, diplomacy, compromise, cooperation, give and take. These types of dialogues do resolve differences and create "win-win" agreements between friends that actually DO want the best outcome that can be reached between two parties. We become indoctrinated to following through on the agreements we've reached. The supporting narrative that enables our indoctrination is that we are "tolerant of each other," and that we want to find a way where "we can each be who we are." And, the devotion to that outcome is actually true!

So ...

Indoctrinate your youth to:

• value facts,
• to value empirical validation and an embrace of the Truth,
• to value the importance of being different so long as it is helpful or neutral but not harmful,
• to value Liberty, and
  
  
• to value the elimination of the erosion of Liberty.

Elimination of the erosion of Liberty is the single greatest Act of Love one can offer. Allowing the erosion of Liberty is the single greatest Act of Apathy, and the single greatest destroyer of Harmony within All That Is.

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For many, indoctrinated narratives do persist over facts. Why? Because for many, the Embrace of Indoctrinated Preferences Personality Spectrum Filter is expressed strongly. And, while we can understand why such a setting may be evolutionarily (and thus genetically) selected for as survival enhancing, we also understand that it invariably also interferes with the reception, recognition, and embrace of the actual Truth.

Which is where Harmony lies.

Think abstractly. Embrace the Truth. Find that Truth skeptically.

→ The section above was last updated 30 Oct 2017 12:05 PDT ←

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